I hand picked James Dukes Elem. for my children after a terrible experience in a different district. I could not be more pleased with our JDE experience. Comments critical of the emphasis on mandated testing should be directed toward our politicians. Not the schools. If teachers were allowed to spend
... Read more more time teaching core subjects instead of state testing preparation chances are there would been no need for so much homework! Overall, the current Principal (Swartz) and staff do an outstanding job. The PTA and a number of dedicated parent volunteers put this school over the top. Read less
Posted by a parent on 08/18/09
I have had a very positive experience with my daughter at James Dukes. The staff is excellent and very committed to the students learning. The only down fall is the age range of parents. They tend to have started having children in their late 30's and 40's and try to run the school instead of letting
... Read more the principle do it. I have noticed that the parents are judgmental of younger parents (those in 20's and early 30's). However, the education that my child has received far outways any of the negatives. Read less
Posted by a parent on 09/22/08
We love this school! Our son has special needs and has been given an enormous amount of support from all of the teachers. I am grateful that this school has invested in resources to support children who are faced with challenges beyond their own control. Over all this is one of the best schools we have
... Read more ever had our children enrolled in. Read less
Posted by a parent on 06/04/08
James Dukes is an excellent school with a very good culture on campus. Parents are very involved in the classroom and in activities and the teaching and administration are very kid and parent friendly. On the downside, there is an overemphasis on State Test prep. Too much time is spent on test taking
... Read more skills that could be spent learning. Additionally the GATE Program is virtually non-existent. Resources are instead directed at lower achieving students and the overall classroom experience for all students. Overall I give James Dukes a B+ as a school and a possible A if they can focus more attention on kids with high IQs that aren't necessarily also high achievers. Read less
Posted by a parent on 08/27/07
My daughters attended k-6. The teachers were excellent, with few exceptions. I had to move my daughter from one class because of teacher problems. I found the teachers in 5th & 6th exceptional, though their 5th grade teacher has now moved on to a principle position. Overall the education my children
... Read more received was good and they have tested at the advanced level each testing year. Students are friendly and the campus is safe. No gangs or drugs or anything that a parent might worry about. I found that emphasis on testing was a bit much for my liking, but that does not mean that the value of the education is lacking. We were extremely involved parents and knew everyone at the school and it was welcomed by everyone on campus; so if you have the time your children will benefit from the additional support you give the school. Read less
Posted by a parent on 08/16/07
The teachers do a great job and the campus is nice. However, this is not a school for parents who are unable to volunteer. I have found the principal to be very judgmental and not open to suggestions.
... Read moreRead less
Posted by a parent on 05/30/07
My 5 year old son has just started JD one month ago as a kindergartner. We moved from another state and missed the start of the school year due to our move to Ramona. We are very pleased with the accommodations everyone has made at the school as well as the district to make our son's transition as
... Read more smooth as possible. My son (Robbie)loves the school and I do too! Robbie's teacher Ms.Reeves is a new addition to the JD staff. She is simply wonderful. The cream of the crop! The Principal is also very involved and a great asset to the school as well. My husband and I are very pleased with all of the staff. The staff is made up of great people who are genuinely concerned with each and every child's well being. Thank you for being so good to us Nicole Belet Read less
Posted by a parent on 09/28/06
My daughter attended this school from K to 4th grade. Grade K was great. I volunteered regularly throughout the years and made a lot of new friends volunteering at this school. However after 1st grade the amount of homework given to our 6 yr old was overwhelming. Most parents/volunteers were also overwhelmed
... Read more trying to keep up on the amount of homework while working full time jobs. Parents were expected to teach their children the basics instead of the teachers and many families moved from the area. As she went from K to 4th grade we begain to notice that there was not enough staff to keep our child safe during lunch and on the playground 2nd grade - 4th grade. Discipline was lax. Getting help for our child feel on deaf ears. We finally moved our child to another school and she is now exceeding academically and socially. Read less
Posted by a parent on 09/10/06
Great academics, great teachers for the most part. Some teachers are older and ready to retire. Many involved stay at home parents
... Read moreRead less
Posted by a parent on 04/30/06
My daughter attended James Dukes k-3, although I was very involved; knew the principal by first name, volunteered at the social events, etc... my daughter fell behind in reading and it was a fight to get her resources. I really liked the smallness of the school, the teachers were very nice, I am not
... Read more thrilled about the time it took to get some help. Read less
*The resources listed are programs that the institution is staffed to support. Staffing for a program does not guarantee that it will be offered. This content is provided by the institution and may be incomplete. The institution may offer programs not listed here. Please contact the school directly for additional details.
Advanced Placement
AP classes are college-level classes offered at the high school level. Once a student completes an AP class and passes a final comprehensive examination conducted by the College Board, the student earns college credit for the course. AP classes are specific and not to be confused with other higher-level classes such as honors classes.
Before/After School
"Extended day" programs where the school day is extended before and after school to accommodate working parents. These programs should not be confused with common after school clubs or athletic activities.
Gifted and Talented
A school system may identify 10% to 15% or more of its student population as gifted and talented. A brief description of each area of giftedness or talent as defined by the Office of Gifted and Talented:
general intellectual ability or talent - high intelligence test score (usually two standard deviations above the mean), and high levels of vocabulary, memory, abstract work knowledge and abstract reasoning;
specific academic aptitude or talent in one area such as mathematics or language arts;
creative and productive thinking, the ability to produce new ideas;
leadership ability, the ability to direct individuals or groups to a common decision or action;
visual and performing arts, special talents in visual art, music, dance, drama, or other related studies;
psychomotor ability, such as practical, spatial, mechanical, and physical skills.
Vocation/Technical Curriculum
Vocational and/or technical courses offered within a comprehensive school, usually a senior high school.
Special Education Classes
A school or program within a school that provides services and training to students with moderate to severe mental and/or physical disabilities.
Adult Education Classes
Programs offering GED or equivalent courses for adults within regular schools, whether classes are held during evening or daytime schedules.
English as Second Language
English language classes for students whose first language is not English.
Ramona schools — James Dukes Elementary School is located at 24908 Abalar Way, Ramona CA 92065. 24908 Abalar Way is in the 92065 ZIP code in Ramona, CA The school district for James Dukes Elementary School is the Ramona Unified School District. James Dukes Elementary School is a Public school that serves grade levels K - 6.
School information provided by OnBoard Informatics Copyright (c) 2008. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
We won't spam you. Nor will we give, sell, rent or otherwise make your email address available to third parties.
All our mailings include a link so you can easily unsubscribe. For more details, read our full privacy policy.
Parent Reviews
These reviews include feedback from parents, students, former students, administrators and other staff. This feedback
may help you further evaluate and compare schools, along with other information such as test scores, academic programs,
school resources, classroom and teacher ratios, etc. The reviews are provided by GreatSchools.
Ask a question about this school on Trulia Voices to learn more
about this school or district from residents and other local experts.
Test Score Ratings
Test score ratings are based on the most recent standardized test results reported by this state. These ratings may help
you compare similar schools in this district or area. For example, a rating of 8 indicates that, on average, students in
this school scored better than 70% of the students in the state on the same tests. We have indicated below which tests
were used in calculating these ratings. Other factors should be considered when comparing schools, including teacher
experience, academic programs, extracurricular activities, resources for special needs students, etc. These ratings are
not provided by the state Department of Education, which may have their own rating systems.
Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
