Creative Minds International PCS

3700 North Capitol Street Northwest

Washington, DC 20011

School District

Creative Minds Pcs
Grade

PK, K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:8
Type

charter

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 December 16, 2024

I hope my comment helps other parents not to enroll their children in this school starting with the staff they hire, many of the people are not prepared for the positions they are hired for. I had an experience with the Director of Operations who aggressively told me that I could not pick up my children half an hour before they were due to leave and assured me that the following year I had to adapt to what she said. I found this very disrespectful on her part and although I sought help, it seems that no one wanted to help me solve the problem with this person's arrogance. I do not understand why they allow this type of people who do not really help us as a community.
Submitted by parent on September 11, 2024

The pre- k program was wonderful. After that, things were really rough. My child went to kindergarten and 1st grade with revolving teachers that had no experience. My child was also bullied in 1st grade and the school did nothing to help. We ended up moving out of state to find a better school and it turns out that my child is very behind due to the lack of teaching in kindergarten and first grade.
Submitted by parent on June 11, 2024

CMI is a rare find in D.C. You can't beat the gated campus and expansive wooded playground and overall, it’s a nurturing environment, especially for kids up to fourth grade. There aren't a lot of after-school programs and clubs anymore (this has been the case since the pandemic) but they pack a lot in during the day, which I think makes up for it. My kids always come home excited and inspired about the day. There has been teacher turnover, though there are several faculty who have been working there for years and do their job very well. And a shout-out to Mr. Zach! He is smart, dedicated, and hard-working, and my kids were lucky to have him as one of their teachers this year. He definitely goes down on our list of all-time favorite teachers!
Submitted by parent on June 05, 2024

I am thrilled with the exceptional support and care my son, a second-grader with autism, has received at Creative Minds International. After a disappointing experience at a previous DC public school (a blue ribbon school!), where he was denied an aide and placed in a separate special education class, I was hesitant to trust another school. However, CMI has exceeded my expectations in every way.He is now in a general education classroom, and the team of dedicated professionals, including his general education teacher, his wonderful aide, special education teachers, occupational, speech, and behavioral therapists, have gone above and beyond to tailor their approach to my son's unique needs. They continuously assess his progress and adapt their strategies to ensure his growth. Their inclusive approach has made a significant difference in my son’s academic and social development. And, above all, it is such a warm and welcoming place where both my son and I feel heard and accepted. A great school for both neurodivergent and neurotypical children - a rare find!
Submitted by teacher on February 10, 2024

The administration in the school is horrible. They do not care about the children. They only care about personal relationships with teachers and staff stay away from this school.
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2022

This is an amazing school in an amazing location. We have been here for several years and while it's not perfect there is a lot to love about CMI, especially for younger kids ages pre-k3 through 4th grade.
Submitted by parent on April 01, 2022

Something must have happened here since 2013-2015; its a terrible place. The Pre-K3 classrooms use time out to punish children; they do not have appropriate training on kind/effective behavioral modification for the age group. They are not qualified. They should under no circumstances be shaming children in a "time out" in the classroom - all research indicates this is unacceptable. Removing children from a stimulus or removing the stimulus from a child is one thing, but these are open, public, attempts at shaming and punishment. The aide in my child's class threatened children and was not fired. She has admitted saying to multiple children, "If you cry one more tear, I'll tell your parents" (as a direct threat, not as a helpful attempt to get parents involved). She called children "bad" and "annoying". My child had a shoulder injury from being grabbed and handled by an adult. Children are sent to sit in the hall if they don't nap; rather than removed to the library or provided alternative activities. They watch TV each and every day for hours a day - it's egregious and lazy. All language is consequence based (which inhibits critical thinking in children) instead of based on what TO DO in an attempt to scare/threaten/cajole/ use authoritarian techniques to force the children into doing what the staff wants rather than encouraging them to make good choices to participate effectively in the community. Yes, all of this was repeatedly reported to upper management; no change, no removal of the aide or the time out chair. My child attended a Montessori for two years and there was never a complaint on her behavior; only at this place. She is sad to go to this environment. Everything is great on paper, but I would strongly recommend you AVOID this school unless your child is used to be treated and spoken to terribly or you think that this is how "traditional" teaching works. FYI- they are abandoning the campus in 2 years anyway - so if location matters, it won't be there soon.
Submitted by parent on December 19, 2019

We are lucky to be a part of the Creative Minds community. It has been such a great experience so far and my kids are really happy here. Plus the campus is just beautiful and my kids love knowing Abraham Lincoln's summer cottage sits right next to their school.
Submitted by teacher on March 12, 2018

This school looks great on paper but has no curriculum and the absurdly high turnover rate for admin and teachers destroys any chance at success, not that there was a plan in place for success. It is all philosophical talk, but racism and lies behind closed doors. Stay away.
Submitted by parent on February 13, 2016

I feel so blessed to have my 4 year old attend CMI. The teachers and staff care so much about the students. I enjoy the inclusion model that they follow. It helps the students learn to be accepting of everyone. I plan to keep my son in the program as long as possible. I am praying that my other children get into the school through the lottery. Amazing school. They also have a a middle school program now.
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2014

We literally won the lottery by getting into CMI. My daughter loves going to school each day. We are happy with the school program, the IPC curriculum, the language programing (she is learning Mandarin and Spanish), there is so much art and music as well. I'm amazed by how the language and art are tied into each of the units that she is discovering as well as all the field trips and events with the school. I could not be happier.
Submitted by parent on April 14, 2014

Creative minds is a fabulous school. My daughter knows her numbers in mandarin and Spanish. Shes in ps3 her teacher is amazing I have enrolled my son for next year and I am so excited to further my childs education here at creative minds. I recommend this school to all.
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2014

Creative Minds is everything we were looking for in a school. Their whole child approach to learning has been a great transition from my child's earlier montessori education. They also offer Foreign language (spanish 3x & mandarine 2x a week), music (3x a week), and most importantly the IPC curriculum which is only accessible via top private schools in the area (Sidwell, The British School). The school prides itself with a small student to teacher ratio (8-1). Class size maxes out at 15. CMI will only have 2 classes per grade so we are a small school. Eventually we will have grades into middle school! We are very excited to be apart of this community. We are lucky. Any one who is accepted via the lottery is lucky too!
Submitted by parent on December 01, 2013

My 3 year old son's favorite thing to do is..... go to school! His increasing vocabulary is surprising us daily. Also has a great aftercare program.
Submitted by parent on August 02, 2013

My son attends this school and we have been nothing but pleased with the experience thus far. We have been impressed with the project-based curriculum and how the teachers engage the students at the beginning of each new unit. They incorporate so many educational elements and interesting approaches into each unit in a way that really engages the students in the subject matter. The small size of the school and the student-to-teacher ratio is another positive. My son got plenty of attention from his primary teachers and the rest of the teachers and faculty knew him well too.
Submitted by parent on August 02, 2013

Creative Minds International PCS's focus on arts, foreign language and, most importantly, developing the whole child into an engaged and caring learner is the perfect fit for my son and our family. Teachers work very hard to address the individual needs of each student and my son loved school and his teachers because of that. I feel very lucky to have gotten a spot for my son at this school.