Jamestown Elementary School

3700 North Delaware Street

School District

Arlington County Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:13
Type

public

School Map for Arlington County Public Schools

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by other on June 02, 2023

My three kids started at Jamestown in 2010 and my youngest just graduated in 2022 and we have been overwhelming thrilled. Yes, there were changes during that 12 year period but the school was always evolving for the better. The staff ALL work so hard and do such a good job of meeting the students where they are, supporting them, and helping them grow. Certainly there were a few teachers that maybe weren't our favorite but those never lasted long as the principal is so invested in the community. She supports her staff while being responsive to parents and fostering the amazing work going on there. We feel so well served by Jamestown.
Submitted by parent on February 20, 2023

After the last review, I felt compelled to share our experience at Jamestown. We moved across the country roughly two years ago and knowing nothing about the area, we picked our house solely because of the schools. I was concerned because we are not rich, and our kids are not white. We have been blown away by how amazing this school is. Two years in a row our children have had amazing teachers. There is an emphasis on inclusion, and our children have felt welcomed since day one. The education is bar none, and we’ve been thrilled to see our kids excelling far beyond what we could have imagined. Ultimately, my recommendation would be to not base your decision on one review. I’m glad I didn’t.
Submitted by parent on May 24, 2018

I would never recommend this school to anyone, unless you are American, white and rich
Submitted by parent on April 13, 2018

Optimal. We have been here from K-5 and consider ourselves extremely fortunate. We could not have asked for a better school for our child.
Submitted by parent on January 02, 2018

We have loved our 3 years so far at Jamestown. The school focuses on teaching a Growth Mindset to the students and the teachers make every effort to go above and beyond the required curriculum. The leadership is excellent and very effective. I highly recommend Jamestown not only for it's staff but also for the close knit community of families.
Submitted by parent on August 12, 2017

Both of our kids have thrived at Jamestown. Fantastic teachers on the whole, with especially great "specials" teachers. Very active PTA that draws volunteers from a wide swath of the parent community. Kids with learning disabilities may do best in one of the "co-taught" classes. Several of our Special Ed teachers have been phenomenal!
Submitted by other on January 11, 2017

Jamestown is an amazing school and our kids have had great experiences there.
Submitted by parent on August 18, 2015

My son attended K here and will start 1st grade soon. Overall I think this school is very good. His teachers have been great and caring. Living in the area has its benefits as they've taken several trips into DC to visit monuments and museums. He's told me on several occasions that "I love going to school!" and I don't doubt it. The things that I'm not overly enthused about is all the smart board and tech time they have, only because he's already so exposed to that at home as many kids are now a days. They do use it for education and learning and really not that much different than the old transparencies that I grew up with. We did have an incident with a child earlier in the year who was a little too aggressive and also some who were not the best influence on him but that I also assume is something everyone needs to learn to deal with through the course of their educational lives. It's been a positive experience and we're hopeful that 1st grade will match our expectations.
Submitted by parent on June 12, 2015

Bullying happens a lot here. The staff says that they are on top of things but when your kid comes home crying every day, telling the teacher and going to the counselor and nothing is done - that's outrageous! I talked to the principal and nothing was done. The class sizes are way too big so the teachers do they best they can but there are too many kids.
Submitted by parent on May 24, 2015

This school is AWFUL!. The classes are so overpopulated that the teachers just try to prevent chaos. The students that need extra support, or need to be in MIPA, aren't and as a result there were 4 kids in my sons class that were disruptions. One would constantly sharpen a pencil with an electric pencil sharpener, another was always quarantined, and the other two were running around wild. One of the kids asked to go the bathroom and was denied. He spent the rest of the day in soiled pants and the school told the mom that they did not know. Move to another county or go private.
Submitted by parent on April 24, 2015

My child attended Jamestown from K-5. I can't say enough great things about the school. We had remarkable teachers, some were truly life-changing. We would have paid private school tuition for the experience we received at Jamestown.
Submitted by parent on February 11, 2015

To Jan. 16 I have had children at Jamestown for 5 years and have never seen a television in the lunchroom. I think you may be putting too much stock in what your 5-year-old is telling you. Jamestown offers: -- FLES. Spanish language education from K. -- Annual school play. A lot of work is put into this, and the production has become a community event. Kids from all grades are involved, from art/performance/marketing/backstage perspectives. -- Award-winning music program. The chorus wins top ratings every ear, and the band for fourth- and fifth-graders is excellent, too. The Orff Ensemble is magnificent to listen to. -- Tech focus. Kids integrate technology seamlessly. My second-grader wrote a book on a school-issued iPad. -- Reliably consistent performance -- Governor's Award of Excellence, awards from Apple computers. -- Kids still play TAG on the playground. There is a Halloween parade every year with COSTUMES. None of the Draconian restrictions that seem to have afflicted other schools. -- Caring and effective teachers. I often see them at evening events, supporting students in choir performances, the play, etc.
Submitted by parent on January 16, 2015

This school is extremely overrated. My son is in kindergarten - they watch movies at school during lunch! Isn't that a time to socialize? I volunteer a lot and some kids are not supported in the way they need to be - it causes a disturbance to everyone in the class.
Submitted by parent on June 10, 2014

The teachers at Jamestown are amazing. They go above and beyond and the quality is beyond my expectations. We carefully selected Jamestown when we were buying our home and are so glad we did. There could be more focus on science since the kids are really hungry for more science, though the curriculum is otherwise impressive.
Submitted by other on May 18, 2014

I went to Jamestown for 6 years and it was overall a good experience. The teachers were nice, though prone to changing every few years, so I doubt very many of the teachers I had are still there. I remember Responsive Classroom in a negative light, mostly because I felt patronized by many of the activities we had to do, mostly the morning meeting, and the "we are one in the center" reappropriated Christian hymn we had to sing about love and friendship. I don't know if they still do that. I hope they don't, because I feel like I get dumber just thinking about it. The other problem was the insane clique culture. Bullying happened all the time, and the counselor was awful about addressing it. No matter how many times we talked about what Kelso the frog would say if he was being bullied, it happened, and there were maybe three kids in my grade who weren't seriously bullied at one point by promotion. Despite these things, though, Jamestown did an excellent job preparing me for middle and later high school. My Jamestown friendships are still my strongest, and I've noticed that kids I went to Jamestown with seem to do better in school than Taylor or Tuckahoe kids.
Submitted by parent on January 20, 2014

I have a 1st grader at Jamestown and have been very impressed by faculty, leadership and PTA at Jamestown. The school itself has a great feel to it. The halls are always decorated with the kids art work, projects and up and coming events. The education includes, Art, Spanish, P.E. and music; all taught by teachers trained in these areas, so separate from their normal teacher. Jamestown is a technology focused school and has two impressive computer labs, in-class I-pads, and smart boards. Their is also an outdoor learning classroom that teachers use to plant gardens with the kids and teach lessons outside when weather is accommodating. I am very impressed by the teachers that my child had/has and I know my child LOVES going to school. The only two negatives about the school I have are not controlled by the actual school which is lack of diversity and there is only one recess.
Submitted by parent on May 17, 2013

Jamestown is a very very good school. Of course there can always be improvements such as more focus on math and science; however, the teachers, administration and parents are excellent. Of course there are some kids who misbehave, but the vast majority are nice and work hard in school. The teachers are all very nice and work hard. The communication with parents is good. The administration is very easy to contact. I think generally there could be even more opportunities for extra academic enrichment and more focus on math and science. Overall great school.
Submitted by teacher on January 16, 2013

I love this school! I was a teacher at Jamestown for 4 years. I left Jamestown to be a stay at home mom. I would happily return to this school. I felt compelled to write because so often only naysayers post to sites like these. First, Responsive Classroom is a fantastic model for building the community. I was at this school prior to implementing Responsive Classroom and have seen it work wonders in the classroom and in the school community. The idea for Responsive Classroom came from a teacher and was supported by the staff. Second, the current principal is top notch. She was always reasonable with me. The principal helped me improve my craft by challenging my thoughts and ideas and for that I am grateful. With regards to the parents at the school, they are smart, active in the community, and want what is best for their children. As a teacher, this is a dream come true. The teachers at this school care about the work they do. They collaborate with one another to enhance instruction. They work before and after school. Finally, teachers show up at extracurricular activities to show support for their students. This is what community is all about.This is why I love Jamestown.
Submitted by parent on January 09, 2013

My son has attended several schools, because we are a military family. This is the worst school experience he (and we, his parents) have ever had. We moved him to a private Catholic school after a very bad year of bullying in Mrs. Hansen's class. My son was repeatedly hit and kicked and verbally abused by two boys in his class. They made sure the teachers did not see them. Mrs. Hansen's response was, "did you ask them to stop?" And that's as far as she ever went. We spoke with the parents of the boys, his teacher, the school counselor, and although the adults said they were concerned, and spoke to the boys responsible for the bullying, speaking to them did not change anything, and we decided to get our son out of that toxic environment. The school has a slogan that states: "Jamestown CARES"--Our experience was that the teachers and administrators do not really care to get involved in protecting kids against bullying.
Submitted by parent on December 13, 2012

I have three children at Jamestown, and the experience is...variable. When the homeroom teacher is good, then it is generally a fine, if not spectacular, environment. There is definitely more talk of "excellence" that actually behaving in a way that indicates an openness to continual improvement (which would possibly lead to actual "excellence" rather than smug institutional self-satisfaction.) The vibe is alarmingly bureaucratic for a neighborhood school for young children. Jamestown has a reputation for being a far better school than it has been, in our experience. I wish it would change.