Brent Elementary School

301 North Carolina Avenue Southeast

Washington, DC 20003

School District

District Of Columbia Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:12
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 other on November 26, 2023

I am a Brent Elementary alumni whom is very very very fond of the school environment. The teachers are nice and helpful. They really care and wanted me to succeed. I became best friends with one of the teachers the first of kindergarten. To this day we are still besties for the resties. It is super easy to make friends I still have many close friends from when I was at Brent. The teachers very active in and out of the classroom. One of my favorite memory’s was when my teacher would play kick ball with us. Just know that sending your child to this amazing school is a great decision.
Submitted by parent on February 07, 2020

I was surprised at how families from all over were tripping over one another to get into this school. However, halfway through my son’s first year I can see why. He loves his school, is thriving and has made tremendous progress both academically and personally. Their aftercare program is top notch.
Submitted by parent on July 07, 2017

We have had an excellent experience at Brent. Our child was in Kindergarten and now on her way to 1st grade. Our Kindergarten teacher was excellent and we were impressed with the parent/community involvement with the kids and school events. Our child made great strides during her first year at Brent and we expect the same next year. We are very happy to have our child enrolled here.
Submitted by other on January 13, 2017

Our son has had a great experience with PK-3. He is not caucasian and has never felt different or isolated. Diversity is encouraged at Brent. We get great documentation and updates on our child's individual and group progress and experiences. He has grown so much academically, socially, emotionally. So glad he is attending Brent!
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2016

Brent is a great school, if your children are not Black. If you do decide to enroll your Black children here, please keep a watchful eye on how the teachers, other staff, and the principal treat them. What one would see as ordinary 5 year old behavior, is magnified if the child is Black. Extreme hypersensitivity. Also, too many (white) female teachers who are not equipped to deal with active and energetic boys. Literally saw one break down in tears while in class. Everything isn't ADHD, maybe go teach wax figures or something. "Affluent" parents run that school, Peter Young is just a mere pawn. He is also very sneaky.
Submitted by parent on February 04, 2016

Our kids are thriving at Brent. The reggio preK is out of this world, and our Kindergartener is reading well above grade level.
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2015

Our 3rd Grader loves coming to school each day at Brent, and he is clearly learning a ton, which to me are the two biggest measures of whether a school is succeeding. He adores his terrific teachers -- Michelle Farkas in 2nd Grade and Joann Hill in 3rd Grade. Everyone's experience is different, but our son has found Brent to be challenging in the classroom and fulfilling outside it. He's taken field trips to the Supreme Court and Congress to learn about government, and gone canoeing on the Anacostia to study environmental science. He's currently participating in the school play, and his music teacher, Mr. Krohn, has gotten him so motivated to learn the recorder that he practices almost every day. And he finds plenty of opportunity to blow off steam with kickball games at recess. He came to Brent from a Montessori program and had no trouble adjusting, in part because Brent classrooms are structured to encourage participation, cooperation and interaction. It's a shame there isn't a Hill middle school the equal of Brent.
Submitted by parent on March 04, 2015

Brent is great at the preschool level but collapses at the higher levels, and is especially bad for boys. All the teachers are (mostly young) women (without kids), and there is virtually no male presence in the school. There is no full time support for teachers, and no behavior policy. If your son (or daughter) has any learning differences (ADD, ADHD), or if you have a jumpy or active child, Brent will be a terrible because there is no support. The principal frequently cancels recess, and teachers withhold recess as punishment. The principal is also not transparent with the community (sneaky, really), and makes decisions behind parents back on issues the parents have been involved in, and not not create school-wide policies that benefit all students, but rather is swayed by individual influential parents who lobby him to get there kid in (or out of) a specific class or to set up a certain program. There has always been a sharp outflow of parents starting in 3rd grade, in part because there is no feeder middle school, and also because of problems in the classroom.
Submitted by parent on December 07, 2014

Brent is a great elementary school -- among the best in DC. The teachers care. The community is close-knit and supportive.
Submitted by parent on May 22, 2014

This school is fantastic. It seems like every adult in the building knew my son already during his first year there (as a 3 year old), and almost as many knew my daughter, who tagged along at pick up and drop off time. After several years and now both kids in school there, we love this school. Teachers and parents are enormously engaged in the life of the school. Families participate in special theme nights organized by the school faculty: Museum Night, Publishing Night, Planet Viewing Night, Science Night, Math Night, etc etc. It is just amazing.
Submitted by parent on August 20, 2013

Brent is a top-notch elementary school with a fantastic principal, great teachers, and strong parent support system. We feel lucky to be there. My oldest is beginning her fourth year at Brent this fall, and my youngest is beginning her second year there. Love it.
Submitted by parent on April 19, 2013

My son is in the PS 3 program at Brent. We have been incredibly impressed with the teachers, staff, and leadership of the school. They are genuinely interested in ensuring that each student gets the support they need and has the best possible educational experience. We feel lucky to be at such a great school.
Submitted by parent on April 07, 2013

I've had 2 children who have attended Brent, and we've had a very positive experience overall. Great staff, very involved parents, and a wonderful, nurturing environment.
Submitted by parent on May 16, 2012

This is a great school with teachers who are incredibly caring and committed to teaching using the latestest information about how students learn. My oldest has been attending Brent for 4 years after starting at PreK 3. We feel incredibly lucky to attend this school!!!!!
Submitted by parent on March 17, 2011

We feel lucky to be in-bounds for the best school on the Hill. We have not been disappointed with our daughter's experience at Brent. The school is beautiful, the teachers are amazing, and the parental involvement is incredible.
Submitted by parent on January 10, 2011

As the parent of a student in Brent's pre-K program, I cannot say enough about how the faculty have created a welcoming, homey environment and brought out the best in our son developmentally and socially in the 4 months he has been there. Based on our friends' and neighbors' experiences at Brent, when it came time for our son to start school, we never seriously considered any other option for him, and we haven't regretted it.
Submitted by parent on December 19, 2010

An up and coming school undergoing rapid transformation to meet community needs. Enthusiastic and talented teaching staff with commitment to the future development of the school combined with a very active PTA thay is supporting and accompanying the development of this wonderful school.