Newman Plan in Flora at The Arboretum by Richmond American Homes
Fontana, CA 92336

I would NOT recommend this school to anyone. Administration can't seem to get a handle on anything. It's not consistent, safe or welcoming for students, staff and families. My children have been going to this school since 2020. I have volunteered at the school for the last 3 years. It has had 4 principals in 6 years. Administration doesn't support teachers and staff. They barely communicate with the parents (if there's communication at all). And have no idea how to run an elementary school. It's overcrowded, toxic and completely chaotic. No one communicates with anyone. There are constant confusions and misunderstandings. It's also a very small school and hard to get in and out of. Traffic gets backed up. And, recently, a child got hit by a car. The only positive about the school are the teachers. They truly care about the students. My son went to Sierra Lakes from Kindergarten - 5th grade (2020-2026). Kindergarten year was all online due to Covid. Out of the school's control. First grade: He had a teacher the first two months. She went on maternity leave and didn't come back until a month before the school year ended. He had a new substitute teacher every week. He didn't learn anything that year. Second grade: He had an amazing teacher who lasted the entire school year. But the principal was awful. Didn't care about the children or their safety. And she was condescending to the parents. Third grade: He had the same situation as his first grade. He had a teacher the first month but substitutes the rest of the year. Fourth grade: He had an excellent, consistent teacher. And finally started retaining material. By this time, the school had a new principal who cared about the children and was very friendly. My son's last year, 5th grade, he had another amazing teacher. But had an intermittent principal the first few months of school. And now the current principal, once again, doesn't care about the children. My daughter has attended Sierra Lakes Elementary for the last 3 years. All of her teachers have been amazing! But my husband and I have lost all faith in the school. We had her transferred to Etiwanda School District for her last years of elementary.

I was a past student at this school not too long ago, do not send your child here/think of going here. In short - the amount of slurs I would hear every single day is ridiculous. The students here would make racist, ableist, homophobic, etc. comments every time they would open up their mouths, and the teachers would do absolutely nothing about it. Overall was an incredibly negative experience.

Overall this school isn’t all that bad. It has a variety of classes (both AP and regular), clubs, opportunities, events etc. but it is ruined by the students and the teachers who don’t even try to regulate them that well or at all. I cannot go a single day without hearing something racist, ableist, homophobic, sexist/misogynistic, etc. The students constantly say slurs every time they open their mouths, either “jokingly” to their friends, reaction to a situation, and/or talking about someone else. The conversations I overhear from them talking (or basically announcing to the entire room) are so incredibly hateful and disgusting, and it’s terrible to think how they are going to be when they are older. They are disrespectful to the teachers and others around them who want to learn and pass the class. Besides that, the teachers have to be the greatest bystanders/enablers of all time, they do absolutely nothing to stop or even criticize the behavior of the student's at this school. They think a student saying slurs is equivalent to them cussing and at most say “language!” when they do, which I don’t think I need to point out how incredibly useless that is. They are supposed to be the authority figures and set students on the right path both academically and behavioral. Them ignoring and not criticizing their hateful and violent beliefs/morals, spreads and affects everyone around them. I understand there are limited options as how they’re so many students like this that are very stuck in this type of thinking but at least try. I know this was long - but I tried to give details on the experience I’ve had at this school so far.