Amidon-Bowen Elementary School

401 I Street Southwest

Washington, DC 20024

School District

District Of Columbia Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:10
Type

public

School Map for District Of Columbia 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 September 17, 2022

We've only been a part of the PreK program so far but love it. Our son adores all the teachers, is learning a ton, and was so excited to go back this fall. I take it as a great sign that he is eager for Mondays/going back to school each week. Such a great neighborhood gem.
Submitted by parent on January 06, 2020

Excellent school my daughter is learning very fast
Submitted by parent on January 06, 2020

Our child has grown leaps and bounds at Amidon-Bowen. We feel very lucky that we are part of such an amazing school community.
Submitted by parent on December 10, 2019

My daughter has attended ABES for the past two years and our experience with their early education program has been outstanding. The teachers are caring and professional, they go one field trips, and the curriculum is teaching them how to enjoy school and each other. Would highly recommend to anyone considering this school.
Submitted by parent on December 09, 2019

I love our neighborhood school, Amidon-Bowen! My daughter is learning academics and also how to respect others. The teachers really understand her and are able to give me useful recommendations. She has made wonderful friends. I am happy to be part of this community. I wouldn't go anywhere else.
Submitted by parent on December 09, 2019

We have had an excellent experience at this school for two years and I couldn't be happier with the community. My girls get the good instruction and nurturing environment that we had hoped for before deciding to send them to Amidon Bowen.
Submitted by parent on December 06, 2019

My child is thriving at Amidon-Bowen. And it’s made us feel like part of the Southwest community, as we often run into her peers in the neighborhood.
Submitted by parent on December 06, 2019

Know what makes a school effective? Strong leadership, excellent teachers, and a positive culture and climate. This school has all three, plus student diversity and a really strong community. My child has grown and thrived here, and I wouldn't trade our experiences for a spot at the most sought-after school in DC. Also, the data on this GreatSchools website are inaccurate. This school has above-district average in growth and math and about average growth in reading. But you would never know that by looking at the data they post here.
Submitted by parent on October 07, 2018

This is our third year at the school and our son loves it. He has had wonderful teachers and has enjoyed multiple field trips to the nearby museums and theaters. It is great to see an increasing number of SW families enrolling in the neighborhood school, as well as to see parent engagement get stronger.
Submitted by parent on May 03, 2017

Amidon-Bowen has been a wonderful experience for my 3 year old son and me. I am delighted by his dedicated, loving, thoughtful, and inspiring PK-3 teachers. His word comprehension and reasoning skills have improved immensely through the literacy focus and the play-based learning methodology. I love the staff, who go out of their way to be available for parents, even at off hours. I'm looking forward to being more involved myself and watching my son grow at ABES.
Submitted by parent on March 25, 2017

My daughter is thriving at Amidon-Bowen. Her progress in terms of her social and emotional skills, letter/number recognition and writing/graphic skills have improved drastically. But my favorite thing about the school is how much she loves going every day and how much her teachers truly care about her.
Submitted by other on March 06, 2017

We are thrilled with Amidon-Bowen. We decided not to enter the lottery, and put Amidon at the top the list. We don't regret it, and we plan to stay invested in the school beyond PK. We love his teachers, the growing diversity, and all the active effort from so many at the school and in the community to make the school better for all of the SW community children.
Submitted by parent on February 27, 2017

My kids really enjoy going to school here! The teachers, coaches and staff really care about them. My son is 10 years old and runs track, and my daughter is 4 and she loves pre-k!
Submitted by parent on February 21, 2017

This is my son's first year at Amidon and we love it. Coming from a typical chain-daycare in DC, the difference has been night and day. The teachers are caring, communicative, and consistent. The facilities are great. My son has had lots of field trips to various Smithsonian museums, gets to learn science from a dedicated science teacher, always talks about coach and gym class, and so much more. My son is really blossoming at Amidon and we're all very proud to be a part of the local community.
Submitted by other on February 14, 2017

This is my daughter's first year at this school and the experience has exceeded all of my expectations. Her teachers are loving, committed, fun, energetic, and open to new ideas/constructive criticism/comments/questions, etc. My daughter loves her teachers and has so much fun at school that, oftentimes, she does not want to leave. I love knowing that she's having such a fun time while also learning so much more than I expected for preschool. I also love all of the extra curricular activities she does every day, including STEM, Spanish, Phys Ed, Music, Art, and Library. Another huge benefit of attending a neighborhood school has been getting to know so many other families in the area that care about our school and its' improvement. I'm so happy I made the choice (that I originally grappled with) to send my daughter to Amidon-Bowen.
Submitted by parent on February 09, 2017

I wanted to share an updated review of this school. This is my son's first year at Amidon-Bowen and he absolutely loves it. His teacher is amazing! She is so warm, smart, funny and kind. He has learned an incredible amount this year - counting up to 40, counting by 10s, can identify nearly all letters of the alphabet and their sounds. MORE importantly, he is learning social and emotional skills in an incredibly diverse classroom (in terms of race, socio-economics, religion, etc.). Being a part of the school community has been great for us as parents too - we have made so many friends and have weekend play dates, parties, etc. I love the other parents at Amidon-Bowen. Everyone is working together to help make the school even better. No one is snotty or stuck-up. The new principal is really great! Test scores, school culture surveys and PTA funds/donations are all up in the last year. ABES is truly a school on the rise!
Submitted by parent on April 25, 2015

I am suspecting that the 1 - star givers are trolls. I find the comment of Jan '15 very, very hard to believe. This is a good, well-managed, well-resourced school. There is room for improvement, of course, but the energy is great, and it's nice for a child to be in a positive and uplifting environment. The school is on the upswing, and if you want to raise an optimistic child (while grounded in the real world, and not in a rarefied-air bubble), this school is awesome.
Submitted by parent on March 02, 2015

Amidon has already matured into a first-rate school. Students are very well behaved and respectul. Classrooms are well-managed. Your child will matriculate with excellence. Reading and writing beyond a grade level is not uncommon. Well-adjusted children is the norm. New library. A modern computer lab. Wonderful playground with lots of green space to run and play. Well-loved and dedicated coach AND soccer training supplied by DC United! Best school music teacher and stocked music room. If you child has a penchant for music, he or she could not be in a better place! Logistics your child s friends will also be living in the neighborhood. It'll make play dates, sleep overs, outings a lot easier! Also, you child will have a sense of community vs attending a remote school where they will be seen as outsiders and friendships are hard to maintain. Effective PTA. Free, safe after care. You can engage with your child more and you can afford to send your kids to private lessons (piano anyone?) or extra activities to enrich them even further! Schedule a visit today. You will be happy that you did!
Submitted by parent on January 15, 2014

This school prolly is the worst.. the teachers and staff r wonderful but the vice principle doesn't do his job.. my child is bullied everyday and nothing has been done about it... parents r not notified when serious issues happen at the school we had to learn from our children.. that's school needs to be shut down...
Submitted by parent on January 10, 2013

I know that this school is trying its best to improve, but I am doing everything I can to get my child into a charter school next year. The teachers have no control over the children once they reach 2nd grade. You see adults yelling and a bunch of students who don't care if they are yelled at. Absolutely no discipline! The principal works herself to death and probably still doesn't have time to help teachers. The test scores are barely improving as a result. They seem to be more worried about playgrounds than they are academics. Why is that the focus of every PTA meeting? Why not spend this money on teaching my child how to read? I want strong teachers, not state-of-the art jungle-gyms.