Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School vs Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School

	E Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School Washington Dc, United States	W Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School Washington Dc, United States
Snapshot	Snapshot
Fees / year	Fees / year $0 - 24,044	Fees / year $0 - 24,104
Age range	Age range 3 - 11 years	Age range 3 - 11 years
Type	Type Co-educational	Type Co-educational
Curriculum	Curriculum IB (PYP)	Curriculum IB (PYP), Bespoke Curriculum
Pupils	Pupils 707	Pupils 701
Typical class size	Typical class size 12	Typical class size 15
Instruction language	Instruction language English, French, Spanish	Instruction language Mandarin, English
Opened	Opened —	Opened 2008
Bus service	Bus service No	Bus service No
Essentials	Essentials
Location	Location The school operates two campuses in Washington, DC. Brookland Campus is located at 3700 Oakview Terrace NE, Washington, DC 20017. East End Campus is located at 5600 East Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20019. Both campuses are in Northeast Washington, DC.	Location Two campuses in Washington, DC: Elementary Campus at 220 Taylor Street NE and Early Years Campus at 4350 First Street NE, DC 20017. The campuses are in Ward 5, near the Brookland-CUA Metro station.
Stages	Stages PK3-5 (Pre-K through 5th grade).	Stages PK3–5
School type	School type Public Charter School	School type Public Charter School
Pupil nationality mix	Pupil nationality mix —	Pupil nationality mix —
Additional learning support	Additional learning support English Language Learner (ELL) support and language support services; target language teachers are native speakers or fluent in French or Spanish; ACTFL Can Do statements guide language progression and the ACCESS assessment supports planning.	Additional learning support Special education services and English Language Learner support are provided.
Country affiliation	Country affiliation —	Country affiliation —
Religious affiliation	Religious affiliation —	Religious affiliation —
School day structure	School day structure Pre-K provides instruction in the target language 90% of the time and English 10% of the time; classes are mixed-age for 3- and 4-year-olds with a two-year cycle. Kindergarten through grade 5 follow the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program curriculum in two languages, with about 50% of time in English and 50% in the target language.	School day structure School hours are 8:05 a.m.–3:40 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:05 a.m.–1:05 p.m. on Friday. Extended hours run from 7:00 a.m.–8:00 a.m. before school and 3:40 p.m.–5:45 p.m. after school on MTWTh (and 1:05 p.m.–5:45 p.m. on Fridays).
Bus service details	Bus service details —	Bus service details Bus service via DDOT route D74 (Brookland-CUA).
Fees	Fees
Fee details	Fee details Application fees - There is no separate application fee charged by Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School for students applying through the My School DC common application and lottery; families apply via the My School DC system. Tuition fees (by year group / term / overall) - For District of Columbia resident students, there is no tuition charged: Stokes School operates as a D.C. public charter school and does not assess annual tuition for resident scholars. - For non-resident students, the school notes that non-residents may be required to pay tuition under District law; specific non-resident tuition amounts or per-term schedules are not published as a standard annual tuition schedule on the school's public materials. Families subject to non-resident tuition should consult the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) and the school's enrollment office for the exact charge and billing arrangements. Published school-year / per-term fees - School meals: Breakfast, snack and after-school supper are provided free to all students. Lunch is available at USD 4.50 per meal. This USD 4.50 per-meal rate applies when families purchase lunch rather than qualifying for free or reduced-price benefits. Families are encouraged to submit applications for free or reduced-price meals if eligible. Billing schedule and payment terms - Meal billing is handled according to the school's meal program and Meal Charge Policy; lunch is charged at the per-meal rate above and the Meal Charge Policy governs collection of unpaid meal charges and delinquent accounts. Families are directed to complete the school's meal application to determine eligibility for free or reduced-price meals. Specific monthly or term billing cycles for paid lunches are not listed in the public summary; families should contact the school operations staff for account setup and payment timing. Boarding fees - Boarding is not applicable. Stokes School is a day public charter school with Brookland and East End campuses; there is no boarding program or boarding fee listed. Other costs and fees (uniforms, supplies, extracurriculars, trips, aftercare) - Uniforms / dress code: The school's family/student handbook and school policies contain the school's dress-code/uniform expectations and any related guidance; specific uniform purchase costs are not published as a standardized school fee. Families should expect routine costs for required uniforms, school supplies, and occasional class or field-trip fees where applicable. - Optional programs and extracurriculars: Fees for optional or third-party programs (for example some after-school offerings, field trips, or enrichment providers) may be charged separately when those activities are offered; such fees are assessed only for optional services and are not a substitute for general tuition. Details and current prices for optional program fees are provided by the school when each program is offered. Refund information - Meal refunds and handling of unpaid meal charges are governed by the school's Meal Charge Policy and related federal/state program rules; the Meal Charge Policy describes the school's approach to insufficient funds and delinquent accounts for school meals. Refund rules for other fees (for example for optional paid activities or program withdrawals) are covered in the school's Family and Student Handbook or in the specific program terms; families should consult the relevant policy or program agreement for precise refund deadlines and penalty rules. Fee payment options - The school's publicly posted pages do not list a single, published payment portal or exhaustive list of accepted payment methods (credit card, bank transfer, check, cash). For meal accounts and any payable programs, families should contact the campus operations staff to arrange payment and confirm accepted payment methods and online account options. Contact for operations: - Brookland Operations Manager: Mirsa Lopez — 202-265-7237. - East End Operations Manager: Nancy Cruz — 202-975-2100. Concise summary (what a parent needs to know) - There is no application fee for families applying through the My School DC common application. - Resident students pay no annual tuition; the only standard per-student public charge published by the school is the per-lunch fee of USD 4.50 when not eligible for free or reduced-price meals. - Boarding is not offered. Additional charges (uniforms, supplies, optional activities, aftercare) may apply from time to time and are handled separately. Families should contact the campus operations staff for payment arrangements, precise program fees, and any account or refund questions.	Fee details Application fees - There is no application fee charged by Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School for entry; all new applications are submitted through the My School DC common lottery system (no per-school application charge). Tuition fees (by year group / school year) - For District of Columbia resident students attending Washington Yu Ying PCS: there is no tuition and no mandatory school attendance fee; the school is a public charter school and does not charge tuition or mandatory payments for DC resident enrollment. - For non-resident students (i.e., students who are not DC residents) a non-resident tuition charge may apply. The OSSE Nonresident Tuition Payment Scale for school year 2025–2026 (used where applicable) lists annual non-resident tuition amounts by grade group as follows: 2025–2026 rates — Pre-K3: USD 20,194; Pre-K4 & Kindergarten: USD 19,591; Grades 1–5: USD 15,070; Grades 6–8: USD 16,276; Grades 9–12: USD 18,385. For public charter schools an additional facilities fee applies (USD 3,850 for SY 2025–2026). These non-resident and facilities amounts are billed in addition to any applicable program-specific charges for students who qualify as non-residents. (If 2026–2027 OSSE nonresident rates are needed, those should be checked when published; the figures above are the OSSE SY 2025–2026 schedule.) Per-term / per-year detail - DC resident students: Annual tuition per student = USD 0 (no per-term tuition). Mandatory per-term or per-year tuition charges are not assessed for DC resident students. - Non-resident students: the OSSE schedule above is expressed as an annual amount by grade band (annual total). Where charged, the OSSE annual total and the charter facilities fee are the baseline tuition-related amounts; billing frequency (term/month) for non-resident invoicing follows the enrollment agreement and OSSE/authorizer billing procedures. Billing schedule and payment terms - There is no school tuition billing for DC resident students. - Optional and program fees (for example: before- and after-care, paid meals for non-eligible students, and fee-based extracurricular activities or individual field trips) are billed separately from enrollment and are collected by the responsible program or vendor. Washington Yu Ying uses the REEF aftercare registration system for before/after-school care and E-Funds for lunch and fee payments; those systems manage their own registration and billing schedules and payment terms. Before- and after-care is offered on a sliding-scale / voucher basis when eligible; families are billed according to the vendor's published schedule when they register for those services. Parents should expect program-level billing (monthly or per-session) for aftercare and per-event billing for optional activities. Boarding / residential fees - Washington Yu Ying PCS does not operate a boarding program. Boarding fees are not applicable. Other costs and optional fees - School uniform: Not required. There is no mandatory uniform fee. - Meals: Breakfast is provided free to all students through the federal School Breakfast Program; paid lunch or snacks for families who do not qualify for free/reduced benefits are managed through the school's meal program and paid via the school's lunch payment system. Families should complete the Free and Reduced Meal (FARM) application if they believe they qualify for reduced or free meals. Meal charges, when applicable, are billed through the school's lunch payment system. - Aftercare / extended-day programs: Before- and after-school care is offered and is fee-based; fees are charged and collected through the school's aftercare vendor/registration system (REEF/EZChildTrack) and are subject to that vendor's rates and payment rules. Sliding-scale and voucher options are noted as available. - Field trips and voluntary activities: The school may charge fees for voluntary activities such as field trips or certain enrichment programs; such charges are activity-specific and billed separately when those activities occur. - Other incidental fees: The school maintains an online payments link for lunch and miscellaneous school fee payments (E-Funds). Any incidental or optional fee assessed to a family (for example, lost-library materials, optional program supplies, or community-event tickets) would be billed through the school's established fee-payment channels. Refund information - There is no tuition to refund for DC resident students. Refund practices for optional, paid programs (aftercare, paid lunches, field trips, enrichment classes) are determined by the specific program or payment vendor and by the school's program policies; families should follow the refund and cancellation policies published by the program provider at the time of registration for that program. Examples of the program vendors used for billing at the school include REEF (aftercare) and E-Funds (lunch & fees payments). Fee payment options - Online payment through the school's E-Funds Lunch & Fees Payments portal is used for meal and miscellaneous fee payments. - Before- and after-care registration and payment are processed through the REEF / EZChildTrack parent portal. Payment methods available there include the portal's accepted online payment methods (as provided by that vendor at registration). - For non-resident tuition billing, invoicing and permitted payment methods follow OSSE/authorizer billing procedures for out-of-district tuition (as applicable). Summary (key points for parents) - Washington Yu Ying PCS does not charge tuition or mandatory attendance fees for DC resident students; there is no per-term or per-year tuition to be paid by resident families. - Non-resident students may be billed OSSE's nonresident tuition by grade band plus a charter facilities fee (the OSSE SY 2025–2026 schedule provides the most recent published example of those amounts). - Optional services (aftercare, paid meals for non-eligible families, field trips, enrichment) have separate fees and are billed through the program vendors (REEF, E-Funds, etc.). Sliding-scale and voucher help for aftercare is available where eligible. If you need a single-line summary for a database entry: “Washington Yu Ying PCS: No tuition or mandatory fees for DC residents; non-resident tuition may apply per OSSE non-resident schedule (e.g., SY25–26 rates) plus charter facilities fee; optional paid programs (aftercare, meals, field trips) billed separately via REEF/E-Funds.”
Diving deeper	Diving deeper
Boarding arrangements	Boarding arrangements —	Boarding arrangements —
Uniform requirement	Uniform requirement —	Uniform requirement —
Food options	Food options Stokes Kitchen serves breakfast, lunch, snack, and supper daily. Breakfast is available from 7:30 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. Breakfast, snack, and supper are free for all students, and lunch is $4.50 per meal. The program accommodates dietary restrictions (gluten, dairy, egg allergies) with vegetarian options at every meal, and menus are posted monthly; meals are prepared in-house using minimally processed ingredients sourced from local farmers and suppliers.	Food options The school provides lunch; it participates in the DC Youth Meals Program; free/reduced lunch forms are available; lunch payments are processed online.
House system	House system —	House system —
Governance and ownership	Governance and ownership The school is governed by a Board of Trustees that oversees programs and ensures alignment with the school's mission. The Board meets on the second Saturday of every other month at 9:30 a.m., with meetings conducted virtually until further notice.	Governance and ownership The school is governed by a Board of Directors, including a Board Chair Quinton Ng; it operates as a public charter school in Washington, DC.
Academics	Academics
Curriculum details	Curriculum details The school offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme for PK3-5. The academic program is structured around a dual-immersion model where students learn language (English and Spanish or French) through the content areas. The IB program exists worldwide and promotes high-quality, challenging international education. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The PYP curriculum framework emphasizes inquiry-based, transdisciplinary learning with a student-centered approach and ownership of learning. IB Learners strive to be inquirers, thinkers, knowledgeable, principled, communicators, caring, risk-takers, balanced, reflective, open-minded.	Curriculum details The school uses the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) within an immersive Chinese-English model. PK3 and PK4 have 100% Mandarin instruction with no English classroom instruction. Kindergarten and Grade 1 have Mandarin instruction for all subjects with 75% Mandarin and 25% English in core subjects, and English Language Arts is taught for 180 days. Grades 2–5 have a 50/50 Mandarin-English model with all subjects taught through 90 days Mandarin and 90 days English, delivered on an every-other-day language model.
Student teacher ratio	Student teacher ratio Small class sizes and team teaching with a learning specialist assigned to each grade level.	Student teacher ratio —
Exam results	Exam results —	Exam results —
Higher education progression	Higher education progression —	Higher education progression —
Gifted and talented	Gifted and talented —	Gifted and talented —
Academic calendar	Academic calendar —	Academic calendar —
Wellbeing & support	Wellbeing & support
Social & emotional learning	Social & emotional learning Peace of Mind Mindfulness Curriculum is a mindfulness-based social-emotional learning program used across the school. It combines mindfulness, conflict resolution, and social justice education for students from early childhood through middle school. Students learn mindfulness to regulate emotions, practice kindness, empathy, and gratitude, and educators provide ongoing support with dedicated Peace of Mind lessons to reinforce a shared language for social-emotional needs.	Social & emotional learning The school maintains a caring and family-like atmosphere, where community members know one another deeply and support one another.
Special educational needs (SEN)	Special educational needs (SEN) Elsie Whitlow Stokes uses a Multi-Tiered System of Supports and Services (MTSSS) to provide personalized supports for academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs. A Schoolwide Student Support Services (SST) team collaborates with families and staff to review data and implement targeted interventions, with referrals for special education evaluation as needed. A 504 Plan provides accommodations for students with disabilities, and the Special Education Program offers individualized instruction through an IEP with related services such as speech or occupational therapy. School Counseling Services address academic, social-emotional, and behavioral needs.	Special educational needs (SEN) An Individualized Educational Plan (IEP), if applicable.
English as an additional language	English as an additional language English Language Learner (ELL) services provide specialized supports for students whose primary language is not English and who need assistance in developing proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English. These services are designed for students identified as English Learners through language assessments to ensure equitable access to the curriculum while building English proficiency. Teachers facilitate language learning from explicit skill instruction, content-based instruction, and task-based instruction, and data is used to plan to meet student language needs.	English as an additional language The school teaches in English and Mandarin as part of an immersive Chinese-English model.
Mental wellbeing	Mental wellbeing Peace of Mind supports mental wellbeing by teaching mindfulness-based strategies for emotion regulation, compassion, and resilience, with brain science grounding. The program includes conflict resolution skills and applies these skills to students' voices and actions. School Counseling Services provide additional mental health support through debriefing sessions, long-term individual counseling, peer counseling, and brief family counseling to strengthen home–school collaboration.	Mental wellbeing REEF is a before and afterschool care program, where students continue to develop traits of the IB Learner Profile utilized during the school day, and Yu Ying focuses on the development of the whole student.
Safeguarding	Safeguarding Wellness Policy is part of the Student and Family Policies, alongside policies for Preventing and Addressing Student Sexual Abuse by Staff, Preventing and Addressing Student-on-Student Sexual Harassment, and a Bullying Prevention Policy. These policies establish safeguarding and child protection standards for the school community.	Safeguarding —
Safeguarding policy	Safeguarding policy —	Safeguarding policy —
Facilities	Facilities
Facilities overview	Facilities overview Brookland Campus is located at 3700 Oakview Terrace NE, Washington, DC 20017, and East End Campus is at 5600 East Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20019. Stokes Kitchen serves three meals a day; meals are prepared in-house by professional chefs using minimally processed ingredients from local farmers and suppliers, with fresh fruit at every meal and a vegetarian option available. Breakfast is available from 7:30 am to 10:50 am. The Stokes School Garden program provides hands-on learning in science and social studies and connects students to urban agriculture. Support services include MTSS and English Learner supports, with individualized assistance where needed.	Facilities overview The school operates two campuses. The Early Years Campus serves PK3 through Kindergarten and is located 0.2 miles from the Elementary Campus at 220 Taylor Street NE, Washington, DC 20017, where Grades 1–5 are taught. The Elementary Campus sits on a three-acre site with a 43,000-square-foot LEED-certified building. Founders Forest is a one-acre outdoor nature center on campus to support environmental learning. REEF provides before- and after-school care on-site.
Sports facilities	Sports facilities —	Sports facilities —
Academic facilities	Academic facilities The academic program uses a dual-immersion model with English and Spanish or English and French for content-area instruction. From Pre-K through fifth grade, Stokes delivers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. All faculty are native speakers of the target language used in instruction. Units are designed to align with ACTFL Can Do statements to describe what students can do with the language across domains. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools and is associated with Label FrancEducation and Learn24. Support services include MTSS and English Learner supports, with 1:1 or small-group instruction as needed.	Academic facilities The school uses the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) and an immersive Chinese-English language model. PK3–PK4 have 100% Mandarin instruction; K–1 have about 75% Mandarin with 25% English; Grades 2–5 have a 50/50 Mandarin/English model with instruction in Mandarin and English on alternating days.
Extra curricular facilities	Extra curricular facilities The Stokes Garden provides hands-on, experiential learning tied to science and social studies and addresses food security and nutrition. The Peace of Mind mindfulness curriculum supports social-emotional learning. Volunteers and families contribute to school life through the PTO and volunteer programs, including garden work, classroom presentations, and lunchtime/recess support. The nurse program supports student health and health education as part of the school's wellness approach.	Extra curricular facilities REEF is the before- and after-school care program on campus.
Parent experience	Parent experience
History	History Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School opened in 1998 in the basement of St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church in Northwest DC with 35 kindergarten and first-grade students. By fall 2002, after adding a grade each year, the school moved to the corner of 16th and Park Road NW. Six years later, Stokes purchased its own building in the Brookland neighborhood of Northeast DC, expanding enrollment from 250 to 350 students and adding a music room, an art room, a library, a turf field, two playgrounds, and a garden. In 2018, Stokes expanded again, adding the East End campus, which enrolled 140 pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students that year and will eventually enroll 400 students. The school now operates two campuses, Brookland and East End.	History In 2008, Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School was founded by a small group of parents dedicated to establishing a world-class Chinese immersion school in the District of Columbia. From the founding, Yu Ying has been the only school of its kind in the D.C. area. The school is driven by the inquiry-based International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) framework within an immersive Chinese-English model.
Community	Community The school operates two campuses in Washington, DC: Brookland Campus and East End Campus. The school teaches two language pairs—English and French, and English and Spanish—offering full-immersion preschool in French or Spanish; from kindergarten through fifth grade, the IB Primary Years Program is delivered in two languages with all faculty native speakers of the language in which they teach. The school hosts events and observances on its calendar, including Francophonie Month and Women's History Month in March 2026, and regular First Friday activities and other campus events that foster community and intercultural learning.	Community The school has earned DC PCSB Tier 1 ratings for nine consecutive years. It serves 750+ students in PK–5 and has 2000+ YY alumni. Sixty-three percent of faculty hold advanced degrees, and the school is recognized as one of the most diverse schools in the United States. The building is LEED-certified and it has been designated a Green Ribbon School.
Parent teacher association	Parent teacher association —	Parent teacher association Yu Ying maintains a Yu Ying Parent Association with a dedicated site for parent activities. The association organizes longstanding traditions such as the Annual Gala and Fuel Free Fridays. There is a Parents Association Listserv for communication among families.
Extra-curricular	Extra-curricular
Academic & intellectual	Academic & intellectual Stokes School offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program for PK3–5. The IB Primary Years Program provides a high-quality, challenging international education within an inquiry-based, transdisciplinary framework. From preschool, targeted language immersion is part of the learning; Pre-K has 90% instruction in the target language and 10% in English, while kindergarten through fifth grade is about half in English and half in the target language. All faculty teaching in the target language are native speakers, and every lesson integrates language objectives and intercultural learning.	Academic & intellectual The school uses the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme to develop internationally minded learners. The PYP emphasizes inquiry-based learning and global perspectives. Yu Ying operates within a bilingual Chinese-English model, supporting language development across subjects. Learners and teachers work to develop the IB learner attributes: communicators, risk takers, open-minded, thinkers, knowledgeable, balanced, inquirers, principled, reflective, and caring.
Arts & creative	Arts & creative Music and art are offered on a rotating basis in Pre-K. The school has a dedicated music and art room in the building to support arts education. These spaces and practices are part of the IB framework and daily learning.	Arts & creative Specials classes connect students with expert teachers in performing arts, garden arts, music, and physical education. Elementary Visual Arts and Performing Arts are integrated into the program, with dedicated teachers for music and theatre. Students explore creative expression through dance, drama, instruments, and hands-on art projects. The program emphasizes experiential making and creative collaboration.
Cultural & language	Cultural & language The school teaches children to think, speak, read, write and learn in two languages: English and French and English and Spanish. Target language immersion begins in Pre-K with 90% instruction in the target language and 50/50 English and target language from kindergarten onward. All teachers in the target language are native speakers, and lessons include content and language objectives to develop a balanced bilingual ability. The IB framework and language-focused practices promote intercultural understanding and respect.	Cultural & language Immersion in Mandarin Chinese is woven into the IB framework. The immersion model includes full Mandarin instruction for PK3–PK4, and a mixed-language approach for older students, with substantial daily exposure to both Mandarin and English. Grades 2–5 use a 50/50 Mandarin and English structure on alternating days, while earlier years blend Mandarin and English across core subjects. The school is an International Baccalaureate World School.
Social & hobbies	Social & hobbies The Stokes volunteer program offers broad engagement opportunities, including mentoring or room parent roles, garden work, fundraising, classroom presentations, and creating instructional materials in French and Spanish; volunteers also assist during lunch or recess. The campus calendar highlights events and family involvement through activities and programs. Students and families participate in hands-on garden and arts-related activities as part of school life.	Social & hobbies REEF is the before- and after-school program, running Monday through Thursday from 3:40 to 6:00 pm, with an elective menu that includes activities like sewing, painting, architecture, lacrosse, and other sports. Younger children follow a planned rotation, while older students choose from a variety of classes. Fridays feature a half-day schedule with REEF Fridays and frequent local-field trips to places such as Smithsonian museums.
Community & service	Community & service Every student can contribute to the community through service activities that prepare them to become caring neighbors and responsible citizens. The Stokes School Garden bridges science and social studies, connects students to urban agriculture, and addresses food security and waste management as part of experiential learning. These initiatives support the school's commitments to social justice and community engagement.	Community & service YY Values emphasize caring, diversity, and high expectations, with service embedded in the Caring attribute. The community is described as nurturing and family-like, and the school hosts community events such as Lunar New Year celebrations and KidFest. The school is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees and led by an Executive Director, with board meetings monthly and an annual public meeting.
Leadership & professional	Leadership & professional The school aims to prepare students to be global leaders. The Board of Trustees is comprised of diverse parents, former students, and leaders in education, government, business and the arts, and it guides programs to align with the mission. Family involvement and volunteer opportunities further foster leadership development and organizational skills.	Leadership & professional Executive Director leads the two-campus school, supported by a Senior Leadership Team. A volunteer Board of Trustees provides governance and strategic oversight, meeting monthly and holding an annual public meeting open to the school community.
Lifestyle & wellbeing	Lifestyle & wellbeing Stokes follows the DC Healthy Schools Act; all grade levels participate in at least 150 minutes of physical education weekly, and second through fifth graders receive 80 minutes of health education weekly. The Stokes Kitchen serves three healthy meals daily, prepared in-house with locally sourced ingredients and accommodations for dietary restrictions. The Stokes School Garden supports hands-on learning about food systems, while the Peace of Mind mindfulness curriculum promotes social-emotional learning, and a school nurse provides health-related support.	Lifestyle & wellbeing Founders Forest is a one-acre outdoor nature center on campus, part of a LEED-certified building that emphasizes natural light and fresh air. The campus environment supports sustainability and environmental learning. REEF aftercare offers structured activities aimed at social-emotional well-being, and Friday field trips broaden students' experiential learning.
Language provision	Language provision
Language provision	Language provision English is the instructional language, paired with French or Spanish as the partner language. The school teaches in English and French and English and Spanish. The dual-language immersion model supports learning in both languages across core subjects. The program serves PK3-5.	Language provision The school teaches Mandarin and English. The bilingual environment is designed to develop reading, writing and thinking in Chinese and English. It operates as an International Baccalaureate World School (IB PYP).
Bilingual teaching	Bilingual teaching The school teaches children to think, speak, read, write and learn in two languages: English and French and English and Spanish. English is paired with French or Spanish in the bilingual program. Students develop bilingual proficiency through classroom instruction across subjects. The program serves PK3-5.	Bilingual teaching The school offers Mandarin-English bilingual education with immersion. PK3/PK4 have 180 days of all subjects in Mandarin with no English instruction. PK/K Grade 1 have Mandarin for all subjects and 180 days of English Language Arts, with 75% Mandarin and 25% English classroom instruction, and daily instruction in both Mandarin and English. Grades 2-5 deliver all subjects with a 50% Mandarin / 50% English classroom instruction on an every-other-day language model.
Immersion programs	Immersion programs The school uses a dual-language immersion model. Students learn language (English and French or English and Spanish) through the content areas. This approach supports bilingual proficiency across the curriculum. The program serves PK3-5.	Immersion programs Immersion model by grade: PK3/PK4 – 100% Mandarin classroom instruction (180 days). K/Grade 1 – 75% Mandarin, 25% English (180 days Mandarin; 180 days English Language Arts) with instruction in Mandarin and English daily. Grades 2-5 – All subjects split 50/50 (90 days Mandarin and 90 days English) with an every-other-day language model.
Reputation	Reputation
Awards	Awards —	Awards null
Accreditations	Accreditations —	Accreditations null
Admissions	Admissions
Admissions	Admissions The school participates in the My School DC common application and lottery. Open House events are offered for the 2026-2027 application season at the Brookland Campus and East End Campus. Language immersion teaches in two languages: English and French or English and Spanish. The school offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme for PK3–5. Applications are accepted from all DC residents. Pre-kindergarten requires a child to be three by September 30 of the first pre-kindergarten year and to be able to use the bathroom with minimal assistance; kindergarten requires turning five by September 30 of the kindergarten year.	Admissions To enroll, families apply through the My School DC lottery. Yu Ying participates in the My School DC common application and common lottery, which means only applications submitted through My School DC are accepted. New students must complete the Yu Ying online registration form via PowerSchool (you'll receive instructions in a separate email) and submit a copy of the child's birth certificate. You must also submit the DC Residency Form and proof of DC residency via DocuSign; the DocuSign message will include instructions on online completion and document attachment. Before the first day of school, submit additional forms including the DC Universal Health Certificate, the DC Oral Health Assessment Form, up-to-date immunizations, and any applicable Medical Dietary Accommodations Form or Milk Substitution and Philosophical Dietary Accommodations Form; provide an IEP if applicable. Immunizations must be current to attend in person. Siblings of current Yu Ying and DCI students may receive enrollment preference if they live with the current student in Washington, DC and are related by blood or adoption, or are a step-sibling. Equitable Access Preference: Yu Ying is open to all and sets aside seats for at-risk students (homeless, in DC foster care, or eligible for government benefits such as SNAP or TANF) to improve their chances of matching with Yu Ying when they select the school as a top choice in the My School DC lottery. The page notes a helpful My School DC lottery video and provides an “Apply Now” link for the process.
Scholarships	Scholarships —	Scholarships —
Waitlist	Waitlist Lottery results are released on March 28, 2025. If matched, enrollment must occur by May 1, 2025. After that date, the school will begin making offers to the waitlist as space allows.	Waitlist —
	View full profile →	View full profile →