Hampden Elementary/Middle School

3608 Chestnut Avenue

School District

Baltimore City Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:17
Type

public

School Map for Baltimore City 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 parent on April 08, 2024

We love Hampden EMS. We love that the teachers love the school and want to stay year after year. Hence the high retention rate. We also love how receptive the school is to feedback and willing to make adjustments. My son loves going to school and is learning so much!
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2022

We had a very good experience with this school. Teachers and staff are always responsive and helpful. Everyone I know admires this school.
Submitted by parent on January 20, 2020

We couldn’t be happier with HEMS 55. Our son is thriving academically and is excited to go to school everyday.
Submitted by parent on January 13, 2020

Total disappointment in the neighborhood school. I had higher expectations and I feel totally let down. The school is not transparent; does not communicate other than about fundraising, and other administrative stuff. You have no sense that there is a leadership that is working on something significant.
Submitted by parent on October 09, 2019

They are uneducated in certain disabilities. They lack empathy for unfortunate situations and try to throw your needs away like your a burden. They will only make efforts when North Ave steps in.
Submitted by parent on October 01, 2019

We’ve been pleased with our daughter’s experience at Hampden. It’s a hidden gem.
Submitted by parent on July 02, 2019

Hampden EMS has surpassed all of our expectations as parents. We really can't get over how great it is.
Submitted by parent on April 21, 2018

Hampden EMS is a fantastic School and I am glad my son attends there!
Submitted by teacher on May 13, 2017

As a teacher here at Hampden EMS, I feel so lucky to be a part of this school! We have a fantastic staff, incredible kids and supportive parents! The school is constantly working to be the best that we can and the administration is always receptive to teachers and parents.
Submitted by parent on April 05, 2017

My son is in Kindergarten at Hampden/Elementary. We are incredibly happy with our school. The teachers and staff are knowledgeable and incredibly caring. The teacher turn-over rate at the school is very low, which I think is a great sign that the teachers enjoy their jobs. Our son's classroom teacher has been there for over 15 years! The school has a great sense of community. Parents are very involved. The surrounding Hampden community is also involved and invested in the school. The school academics are challenging. The teachers and school are very aware that all students learn differently and there are lots of individually-tailored plug-in and pull-out enrichment both for students who need extra help and for students who need more challenging work. We are very excited to be part of this school community for many years to come!
Submitted by parent on April 04, 2017

I currently have my daughter in preschool at Hampden. Her teachers are nurturing and kind, the administration is always welcoming, even the custodial staff is involved and wonderful with the kids. It is very much a community driven school and parental involvement plays a huge role. We've been so lucky to have such a great city school.
Submitted by parent on March 20, 2017

Proud parent of Hampden #55 student. Teachers and administration care greatly about the students' success and parent involvement is welcomed and encouraged. Go Mustangs!
Submitted by parent on March 04, 2017

I have two children at this school (2nd grade and kindergarten). They have both been offered opportunities for gifted and advanced learning and come home happy and brimming with knowledge every day. They enjoy recess, art, and reading time in the gorgeous new library. My husband and I both have advanced degrees and we are completely happy with the challenging curriculum at Hampden and the excellent quality of the teaching.
Submitted by other on February 17, 2017

I have a son in Kindergarten at Hampden EMS #55 and I am pleasantly surprised by how wonderful his experience has been so far. He loves school, his teacher, and his classmates. Before deciding to send him to Kindergarten at Hampden #55, my husband and I looked at many charter schools and even a private school in the area. Now that he's over half way through the school year, I have no doubt that we made the right decision to send him here. The parents that are involved in the school through the PTO and Friends of Hampden 55 have made wonderful improvements. I love that we have such a tight-knit community, and that my son's friends live in our neighborhood now. The school is diverse racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically, which I feel is important in developing character and building empathy. If you haven't toured the school, you should. The new library funded by the Weinberg Foundation is incredible, and Hampden now has a full-time librarian. Overall, teacher turnover is very low at Hampden, which is also a relief for me as a parent.Some things that I feel the school needs to work on are developing after-school programs and/or clubs, and having an onsite after-school program. After-school care is currently offered at the Hampden Family Center or the Roosevelt Rec Center, both of which I've heard good things about, but would prefer if the program was offered at the school.
Submitted by other on July 14, 2016

Very close knit school community where it's evident that the staff genuinely cares about the students.
Submitted by other on June 08, 2016

Hampden is a great city school. The principal is visible throughout the building, and this is very necessary considering the fact that it is a elementary and middle school. The hallways are calm, and that is huge for a city school. I am not sure what they are doing to keep these kids focused on learning, but it is working.
Submitted by teacher on May 18, 2015

Hampden has been my home for many years. My coworkers are the hardest working people I know. They love their students and want nothing but the best for them. Hampden sets high expectations for their students and pushes them to prepare them for the future. Anyone who works/attends/or has a student who attends Hampden is very lucky!
Submitted by parent on February 19, 2015

My daughter had a wonderfull experience at this school she went from headstart to 8th grade. The teachers are very knowledgeable and are willing to help your child with every aspect. My other daughter is in 4th grade and I never had a horrible experience since my children have been in this school. I would give this school 1000 stars if I could. I would highly recommend this school to anyone.
Submitted by parent on December 04, 2014

I was reading some of the other comments, and while I do agree this school has a lot of issues and is a terrible school...I don't think that because children come from broken families with step siblings or half siblings is a bad thing or effects their learning. its called REALITY! I totally disagree with the parent that made that comment and actually think it is very rude and closed minded... on another note, my daughter went there for 2 years. the kids were WONDERFUL and she actually had grown up with them. it is a close neighborhood in Hampden, but that school is terrible. 4 year olds should not be going to school with 13 year olds. and the teaching staff is horrible along with the administrative staff. my child didn't learn anything there. not to mention the amount of homework they are given in pre-k and kind. 1-2 hours of homework for 4,5, and 6 year old children is ridiculous! and they had NO RECESS! the principal told us to send our child to school in dark colored pants incase she had an accident no one would see... yes we moved and the new school is AMAZING. she has learned more in 6 months in county school than 2 years at 55 school.
Submitted by parent on October 02, 2014

I orginally moved from Cockeysville into the Roland Park school district with the belief that my youngest could get a great public school education there, and my oldest was graduating high school, but because of new age requirements my daughter had to stay in Pre-K a 2nd yr. So after having my child attend Hampden for Pre-K, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED the wonderful teaching environment and the small intimate school setting versus Roland Park's much larger student population (not to mention when I went with all my documentation to transfer my daughter the office staff at Roland Park was very rude unhelpful and uninviting). Hampden is also an Elem/Middle school which I love the idea of her not having to begin middle school in a new environment as a 6th grader. So I made the decision to let my child continue her education at Hampden and I believe it was the BEST DECISION EVER! Her teachers are very interested in her education, go above and beyond to make sure she is successful, and her test scores are above grade level. As a very well educated parent who also attended BCPS and graduated from Baltimore City College believe me when I say this school is a HIDDEN GEM!