Foster teacher and faculty care. They are very active about the children academic growth.
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Posted by a parent on 10/07/09
Having moved from a private school to Marvin, then from Marvin to here, I was nervous. But I the staff went out of their way to help us transition. I'm particularly impressed with Principal Downey, who is absolutely hands-on and who remembers everyone's names. Discipline here is great; kids are well-behaved.
... Read more Plus- gasp- they actually say the pledge! I was particularly impressed when, on the first day we were there, they got my son into speech therapy, which no one had brought up at Marvin. My daughter is in the gifted program and while she likes her classmates and her teacher, she is not challenged. Parental involvement is high; there were too many volunteers at the Fall Festival . Parents are welcoming. I'm not worried about test scores; the tests are not hard and if you have reasonably capable kids and are an involved parent, your kid will score well. Read less
Posted by a parent on 01/01/09
So far, not so good. We just moved to SD from Poway. Seeing the test scores made me a little apprihensive, But after reading the reviews about the new principle and talking with one of the Kinder teachers, I thought scores arn't always everything so I would give it shot with an open mind. Well - I
... Read more have seen with my own eyes that some of thier choices for teachers are NOT, in my opinion the best. I am actually really disapointed. Also, they seem like a school that is just a puppet to the district. There is just this feeling of 'stress that seems to linger' that they have absolutely no freedom to be creative and positive. Like someone has handed them a text book for teaching and you must follow it every step of the way - regardless of how the children feel. As if they are robots. Read less
Posted by a parent on 09/10/08
This school is ok but not great. Academically my child did good but the expectations in his class were low and I think he could have been challenged more... There were not many school activities and not much parental involvement.
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Posted by a parent on 08/24/08
Foster is a great school. I have sent 2 children through fifth grade. This is not my neighborhood school. I choice in from a more affluent community. Education should not be about snobbishness and elitism. Foster offers a educationally sound, culturally, racially and socially economically diverse educational
... Read more experience for my children. I believe that many of the parents who opt out of Foster do so because of thier own issues about status and not thier child's best interest. Read less
Posted by a parent on 06/08/08
Guess what, the whole attitude of the San Diego Unified School District is, 'if you don't like it, choice out.' Let's also remember that this policy was begun due to parental pressure on the school board to do so. In essence, we got what we asked for as a community. This is not unique to Foster. The
... Read more other schools in the area have kids that are choiced in from out of the area, too. That being said, we are very happy with Foster; the teacher's are fantastic, and our son is getting a great education. We have no reservations about starting our younger son there, too, in another year. Kudos to the school administration for turning Foster around over the last 2+ years. Read less
Posted by a parent on 05/28/08
This is my sons neighborhood school but now I understand why so many kids in Allied Gardens don't go to this school. Only 3 of the kids in his class live in the community so it's hard to develop friendships and there is very little parental involvent. Also in my sons class the kids have to sit at round
... Read more tables and don't have there own desk or personal space --it's very distracting and I notice the kids have a hard time completing their assignments and spend lots of time talking and goofing off. I will be sending my child to a different school next year---it's unfortunate because it is our neighborhood school. Read less
Posted by a parent on 05/12/08
I agree, out of all the children in my daughters classroom, 7 live in the boundry lines of Foster. And as you can tell by recent postings, there is absolutely no concern at all about working to keep local kids in the school. Our contention with Foster is the attitude, if you don't like it, 'choice
... Read more out then'. So, as more and more kids choice out, scores continue to decline. It's unfortunate, but real. In response to just sending kids to school to learn and not build relationships, I disagree. Learning has as much to do with academics as with building friendships and being a part of a supportive community. A successful school is well rounded, both academically and socially. So until the school and the community come together to make Foster a better school, it will only be average. Read less
Posted by a parent on 03/06/08
With the new principle at Foster Elementary School I have seen dramatic changes in our school. The care and concern for our children is more than evident. From the principle to the Vice-principle and teachers. The PTA at Foster is small and has a lot of heart. The lack of parent involvement is not
... Read more because of the diverse population in our school it is because of divicive parents who are more concerned about their own personal desires instead of what will be best for all of the children in the school. Still, our small PTA trudges on with every single person doing more than they can really handle. What would make Foster the greatest school in San Diego would be if the parents who spend their time campaigning against progess would help or choice out themselves. Read less
Posted by a parent on 03/05/08
I think Foster is a wonderful school. It's true that there are a lot of 'out of area' children, but I think this adds to the school, not detracts from it. I think it creates a more diverse and enriching community. Added to which, children should be sent to school to learn, not to build neighborhood
... Read more friendships. It's true that the PTA does a lot of fundraising, but every penny is put back into the school. For every fundraiser, they provide at least three services. In fact, they provide over $30,000 worth of improvements. Yes, there is a lot of fundraising, but you can't very well improve a school without money. It seems to me that if the teachers are good, the classes are small, and the school is clean and safe, the school deserves five stars. If my child's school were 'below average', you can bet we would choice out! 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.
San Diego schools — Foster Elementary School is located at 6550 51st St, San Diego CA 92120. 6550 51st St is in the Allied Gardens neighborhood and 92120 ZIP code in San Diego, CA The school district for Foster Elementary School is the San Diego Unified School District. Foster Elementary School is a Public school that serves grade levels K - 5.
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Test Score Ratings
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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.
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