Hampden Elementary School

"I am surprised at the change within the schools morning routine. Never in my time there nor my childrens time there have i ever had to go to the office to give my i.d. and wait for a print out. Then to only go back after i drop off my grandchild to get my i.d. back. Because of this....the office and hallways are always crowded and people are literally bumping each other to get through. Also....there needs to be more montioring in the afternoon. There are fights on the playground..older kids are running out of the school and knocking little children over and cursing among themselves. So sorry to be a debbie downer....but things needs to improve at the school...not get worse."

"I have two children at this school (2nd grade and kindergarten). They have both been offered opportunities for gifted and advanced learning and come home happy and brimming with knowledge every day. They enjoy recess, art, and reading time in the gorgeous new library. My husband and I are so happy with the school environment and the excellent quality of the teaching."

"We have been so happy to be a part of Hampden Elementary/Middle School. The teachers are caring and dedicated, and the students are always engaged and involved in their own learning!"

"HEMS #55 is amazing! Wonderful teachers and administrators and tons of parental involvement. Smaller class sizes (relative to other Baltimore City Public Schools) make for a great learning environment. See for yourself at one of the regularly scheduled tours."

"I have a son in Kindergarten at Hampden EMS #55 and I am pleasantly surprised by how wonderful his experience has been so far. He loves school, his teacher, and his classmates. Before deciding to send him to Kindergarten at Hampden #55, my husband and I looked at many charter schools and even a private school in the area. Now that he's over half way through the school year, I have no doubt that we made the right decision to send him here. The parents that are involved in the school through the PTO and Friends of Hampden 55 have made wonderful improvements. I love that we have such a tight-knit community, and that my son's friends live in our neighborhood now. The school is diverse racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically, which I feel is important in developing character and building empathy. If you haven't toured the school, you should. The new library funded by the Weinberg Foundation is incredible, and Hampden now has a full-time librarian. Overall, teacher turnover is very low at Hampden, which is also a relief for me as a parent. Some things that I feel the school needs to work on are developing after-school programs and/or clubs, and having an onsite after-school program. After-school care is currently offered at the Hampden Family Center or the Roosevelt Rec Center, both of which I've heard good things about, but would prefer if the program was offered at the school."