12044 Ranchito St
El Monte, CA 91732

I went to this school about 15 years ago and now have nieces and nephews here. Most of my peers did well in high school compared to the other students from other elementary schools and went on to university or career oriented education post high school. Interestingly, a very high proportion of my Durfee peers are now teachers themselves or work in education (counselors, administrators, social workers, student aids or advocates). Though interesting, it is not surprising seeing how many strong role models we were lucky to have in our Durfee days and how much we respected them. Other strong positives of my early education that I’ve come to realize after speaking to others:1. Diversity and how it was mostly accepted and celebrated, even in the early 2000s- which was not common place then. This has only improved since then and am happy they even offer immersion programs.2. Looking back, I see how privileged we were to have so many differently abled bodies as students. The special education program was strong and we had lunch together everyday and would occasionally visit their classes. The students that were able or wanted to be in “regular” classes also had that chance, which fostered empathy but mostly better understanding and acceptance. We all played and learned and joked together, there really wasn’t anything so different between us. I wish more adults had those experiences as children. 3. Again, the teachers and staff. We socialized and thanked our janitors and lunch/recess staff too. Fond memories there. 4. We didn’t really have the groups of bullies that I had experienced at other schools. The popular kids were genuinely nice and smart, happy for that. Hoping it’s still the same culture for my nieces and nephews (seems to be so far). I feel like school actually breeds genuinely “good kids”5. The sports and recesses were so great, I feel like most of the athletes in high school came from Durfee during my time. Play and exercise was always encouraged and so fun. Even still in adulthood, I feel that most of my peers have a bit more of a positive attitude towards play or sports than the average person. Maybe it was the playgrounds and massive fields. I had some great experiences there as a kid and it prepared me so much for life and set me up well for high school and university. Most of my peers have full on careers and are even managing to be be home owners in their 20s/30s which is almost unheard of in our age.

School is wonderful. I graduated from this high school and went to a top-tier public college. Teachers here are helpful and there are many extracurricular activities offered. There are advanced AP classes with above average passing percentages. There have been good relationships with classmates and I continue to stay close with many here.