DC Prep’s doors open at 7:30AM. Classes begin promptly at 8:00AM (“8 is late!”). DC Prep dismisses students at 3:45PM on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and 2PM each Wednesday.
Yes, DC Prep has partnered with Champions to provide on-site aftercare options for DC Prep students in PS-6th grade. Please refer to additional aftercare options on our website. DC Prep does not provide before care. DC Prep doors open at 7:30 AM.
All DC Prep students are required to wear the DC Prep school uniform every day. DC Prep has partnered with Risse Brothers to provide school uniform shirts. Polo, Oxford and T-shirts featuring the DC Prep logo are only available from Risse Brothers. Bottoms (shorts, pants, skorts, skirts) may be purchased at Risse Brothers or elsewhere.
Yes, DC Prep offers free breakfast and lunch to all DC Prep students. All elementary campuses provide snacks.
DC Prep works with all students to ensure they meet their goals. Teachers are continually offering meaningful assessments throughout the year designed to track student growth and achievement. Teachers develop individualized learning plans (ILPs) for every student based on individual growth targets, and each student receives small group instruction.
Yes, all charter schools are public schools and must, by law, serve ALL students. Charter schools may not refuse admission to a child because of a disability regardless of the severity of that disability. Charter schools may not ask if a student has an IEP (Individualized Education Program) or disability before the student is admitted to the school.
No, your child does not need to be fully potty trained to attend DC Prep, however, we encourage families to continue to support your child in the potty-training process prior to the first day of school.
Click Here for some potty-training tips.
Yes, DC Prep Elementary Campuses (serving PK3 to 3rd Grade): art, music, physical education. DC Prep Middle Campuses (serving 4th to 8th Grade): physical education and health, African drumming, art, peer mediation, debate, cheerleading, & basketball. Field trips and guest speakers are also offered across all campuses during the school year.
No – DC Prep does not offer a foreign language at this time. We have found that our students excel when the main focuses are placed on Reading and Math. Although we don’t offer foreign language, we do offer an array of Specials as well as enrichment activities in our aftercare program, with focuses on STEM (science, technology, engineering & math).
In PK3, PK4, and kindergarten classrooms there are two teachers assigned to each classroom.
In 1st-8th grade classrooms there is one teacher per classroom with additional support staff.
Support staff includes but is not limited to Junior Teachers, Specials Teachers, Leadership Staff, Interventionalists, & members from the Social-Emotional team.
At DC Prep we recruit, attract, and work hard to retain talented educators who share the fundamental belief that every child can succeed at the highest levels, and who work diligently every day to make that a reality. Teachers and staff receive ongoing professional development. We seek to hire qualified teachers who have at least a Bachelor’s degree and at least one year of lead teaching experience, or who have completed a Teacher Preparation Program.
DC Prep uses “Prep Notes”, a communication tool that parents, teachers, and students use to communicate daily. Teachers communicate with parents through DC Prep’s parent portal and teachers are available by phone or email until 8PM during the weekday.
DC Prep participates in My School DC, a common application for nearly all DC-based public schools for the 2023-2024 school year. Visit www.myschooldc.org for more details about the application process. The lottery application opens on December 12, 2022, and the deadline to complete the application is March 1, 2023. We encourage all prospective families to apply by the deadline.
We will not know until the Spring of 2023 because we don’t know how many returning students will re-enroll at DC Prep. PK3 seats will be open for all students, typically 65 seats. In PK4, an additional classroom is added. Most grade levels have 3 homerooms per grade.
Parents are encouraged to be a member of our Parent Action Team (PAT) and parents can share ideas and concerns through quarterly parent surveys. Parents are frequently invited to school wide events and field trips.
Please visit the DC Prep Resources page for more detailed information and to access relevant forms.