1420 Berkeley St #E
Santa Monica, CA 90404

As an extremely engaged parent here at McKinley who is also of mixed race, I am troubled with some of the reviews here and want to take a second to address them from a parent's perspective. We moved to this area specifically so that our children could attend this school so we had high expectations. The bottom line is that McKinley meets our high standards for delivering superior education and we love this school even more because of our principal Dr. DW! I find her to be receptive, engaging, creative and WARM. You can tell she loves these kids and is committed to helping them succeed.Some of the teachers have been there for 30+ years, while others are new so there is a blend between practices and I like hearing that teachers are working together and collaborating to help my son reach our literacy goals. This is a very multicultural school and also Title 1 meaning that we have a blend of various socio-economic backgrounds. This an OPPORTUNITY for my children to be exposed to new cultures, different ways of thinking and building an environment that is accepting and nurturing. I like that we celebrate this diversity in the school and that they welcome families to be included in initiatives.Just came back from an awesome pizza and math night for families and I'm really jazzed about how many families showed up to learn from math experts and had FUN! I'm also excited about the recent arts night, our multicultural day, talent show, fall harvest and upcoming Jog-a-thon! This is an incredibly fun and special community. Everyone is welcome to help build it into what they envision, but you can't expect teachers to do it all. So roll up your sleeves and come and grow this community with us, our kids will be better for it.