5259 Cherry Ave, Long Beach, CA 90805

The harsh reviews from years ago scared me when we first moved to this neighborhood and were starting a family, but we took a chance because I wanted my kids to be part of their community. We were pleasantly surprised! Our family started attending the school in 2022. We now have a child going into fourth grade and another going into second. Every teacher they’ve had so far has been wonderful, and I’ve watched their learning skills leap frog each year. The school focuses on a growth mindset, and character and effort are valued highly with regular reward assemblies for students. I do wish they had more grass for the kids to play on during recess and lunch, but that’s hardly the school’s fault.I will say that our beloved Principal Dr Williams decided to leave after 2025, and our Principal last year only stayed a year, so we’re heading into 2026 with both a new Principal AND a new Superintendent, so we’ll just have to wait and see. I hope the district and administration pay enough attention to Barton this year to see how it’s improving and help it along so that the teachers and staff get the support they need to continue to help our students flourish. I can see in the faces of the parents around me that this community is more than willing to support our local school in educating our kids, and hope that LBUSD meets us halfway.