El Granada Elementary School

My son attended Wilkinson for grades 1-3 and 6. Difficult to rate, our experience changed so much over the years. 1st grade was 5 stars. Lots of time outside exploring the nature the coast has to offer, which is true for all grades. I appreciate that service is a regular activity, w/seniors and the food pantry. First grade teacher created a fun and safe learning environment and I felt she really cared about him as an individual, though she is unfortunately no longer there. 2nd and 3rd grade were also overall very good. His teacher put an amazing amount of effort and creativity into hands on learning opportunities and weaving students' interests into the class work. Social emotional learning was a strength in elementary years. Small class sizes allow more meeting the child where they're at. I saw older kids helping the younger ones and building relationships across class years, which I loved. Parents are active volunteers and I felt a sense of community early on.My son was the only black child in his class and 1 of 1 or 2 in the school the whole time we were there. I was always the only black mother and am a solo mom. The resulting challenges ripened in 2020. I believe people cared and were doing their best in a difficult time, so I won't go into detail, but the lack of awareness ultimately contributed to us leaving. We returned last year in 6th grade due to a life change and had a truly problematic experience w/the main classroom teacher. There was inadequate attention paid to the kids, academically and in terms of classroom management. She was hostile toward me from the outset and did not respond to emails until I started cc'ing the Head of School. She read aloud the 'n' word in Uncle Tom's Cabin and only stopped because some of the students voiced discomfort (bless them). She then had the class vote on whether she should keep using the word, apparently not caring what that might be like for the one black child in class. She made things up about aggression that no other adult has ever observed, then backtracked. She gave him low grades, then told me it was a mistake when I asked her to explain, but didn't change them until I complained months later. I could go on. The response when I raised these concerns was apologetic and defensive and nothing was really done that I could see. It was terribly isolating. There are many kind people here and we will keep the positive memories, but I walked away feeling this place is not for everyone.

My child has been at this wonderful little school for five years now and together we've experienced amazing and dedicated teachers, kind and supportive staff, and a culture that nurtures a sense of community, student mentorship and the whole child. They've had some challenges, of course, not every teacher hired has been the right fit, but overall it's been a fantastic educational experience. My daughter is thriving there and I couldn't recommend a school higher.