Great Schools

PLEASE NOTE:  All donations raised through this page and on Give the Max Day DC will be used for the GreatSchools Local DC program and our work in Washington, DC.

GreatSchools is a national nonprofit whose mission is to inspire and guide parents to be effective champions of their children's education at home and in their communities.  Founded in 1998, GreatSchools reaches more  than 37 million people each year — approximately one-in-three American families with school-age children — via web, email and print media. GreatSchools provides resources that help parents get the best possible education for their children though tips, advice, stories, facts, activities, tools and news. With profiles of over 200,000 public, public charter, and private PK-12 schools, and over 800,000 parent and student reviews, GreatSchools is the most comprehensive source of information on school quality today. GreatSchools is based in San Francisco, CA and has field offices in Milwaukee, WI and Washington, DC.

In addition to www.GreatSchools.org,  which broadly serves parents of school-aged children, GreatSchools operates two programs designed specifically for families with less than 50% of median household income: College Bound (http://collegebound.greatschools.org), a video-based online learning program that shows parents how to get and keep their kids on the path to college starting in the earliest years; and GreatSchools Local, which provides “on the ground” support for families who are less web savvy.

GreatSchools DC aims to empower all parents in Washington, DC to not only become more knowledgeable about the schooling options available to their children, but to also understand what a quality school looks like, how to find the right school that best fits their child, and how to be involved not only in their child’s education, but in the schools themselves.  We provide support in the form of a network of community partners, one-on-one coaching and other direct parent services.  We utilize both online and in-hand tools (e.g., the DC School Chooser, a convenient, annually produced, one-stop print guide and toolkit to DC public, public charter and private schools containing a combination of data, basic descriptive information, and a workbook) to help parents plot their path to  finding the best school for their child and be the best partners they can be in their children's education.

We have provided a significant number of high-needs parents with information about the array of education options in DC, how to take advantage of those options, and how to get involved in their child's education.  Looking ahead, with your support, we will be in a strong position to build on this success and make a difference in the lives of many more of the neediest families in the District of Columbia.  

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