Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School facts for kids

Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School (LAMB) is a special kind of public school in Washington, D.C.. It is located on 14th Street in the Sixteenth Street Heights area.

LAMB is a charter school. This means it is a nonprofit organization that gets money from local taxes. It follows many rules like other public schools. However, it also has some freedom to try new teaching methods. To get into LAMB, students are chosen through a lottery system. Siblings of current students and children of staff get a special preference.

What Students Learn at LAMB

LAMB uses a unique way of teaching. It combines two important ideas:

Montessori Education

LAMB uses the Montessori method. This teaching style was created by an Italian educator named Maria Montessori. It focuses on letting students learn at their own pace. Kids often use special materials to explore and discover things. This helps them become independent learners.

Bilingual Learning

The school also offers bilingual learning. This means students learn in both Spanish and English. They become fluent in both languages. This helps them connect with more people and cultures. Students from preschool (starting at age 3) up to fifth grade attend LAMB.

How LAMB School Started

LAMB school has an interesting history. It began with a group called the Latin American Youth Center. This group helps young Latinos in Washington, D.C.

Early Years and First Location

The idea for LAMB was approved in 2001. This was after a law in 1995 allowed charter schools in D.C. LAMB started its first classes in 2003. It was in a church called Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. At that time, only 57 students attended the school.

Moving to New Buildings

In 2006, LAMB found its first long-term home. This was the Military Road School building. The school renovated this building between 2008 and 2009. They added new offices and classrooms. They also made sure to keep the historic parts of the old schoolhouse.

Later, LAMB grew even more.

• In 2013, a second location opened. It shared a building with another school. This building used to be a public school that closed in 1997.
• In 2017, LAMB opened a third location. This was on the old campus of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. LAMB shared a building there with the District of Columbia International School.

LAMB's Current Home

By 2020, LAMB moved to a newly renovated building. This building is at 5000 14th St. NW. It used to be a school for students with learning differences. As of 2023, LAMB has all its school operations in this one main building on 14th Street.

School Achievements and Rankings

LAMB is a highly regarded school in Washington, D.C.

Popularity and Demand

In 2020, LAMB was the most popular charter school in the city. Many families wanted their children to attend. It had a very long waitlist of 1,630 students. Only 138 seats were available that year.

High Ratings

LAMB earned a Tier 1 rating in the 2018–2019 school year. This is the highest rating given by the DC Public Charter School Board. This rating looks at things like how well students are learning and growing. LAMB scored 79.1% in the board's School Quality Report.

Student Success

Students at LAMB also do well on important tests. In 2019, 55.4% of LAMB students scored high on the English Language Arts section of the District's Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers tests. This was the seventh highest score among all charter schools.