Castelar Elementary School

I don’t understand why this particular school has 5 stars my experience with Liberty Elementary is extremely poor the lack of communication and the lack of concern they have for children who need help the most and the lack of interest to involve themselves in situations when a child is behind due to missing school is disappointing and disturbing.

This school is absolutely disgusting from the principal down to the teachers. I'm a foster parent whose children attend field club and I can't even begin to discuss all of the situations this school has caused for me and my foster kids. For instance one of my fosters kids was I'll and due to my own work schedule I couldn't come to get them as fast as the School wanted me to and despite talking to the nurse and explaining my situation and the time I would be able to come she called several times and even had the nerves to chastise me when I arrived. Even after all of that the School decided to inform the caseworker and make me out to be the bad guy. This school is unprofessional, and the principal, and assistant principal are complete idiots who need to be fired. I completely understand the lady who left the review about the protection order issue ad a similar also happened with one of my foster children and the school reporting all of the information back to the caseworker even though the information was unnecessarily given.

Having had a child attend this school from mid kindergarten on through the final grade (4) I feel I am in a great position to give a review. Teachers: Top Notch. While the actual school curriculum is limited legally by state mandates (meaning everyone is equal and children who excel in learning capabilities will not be given advanced work outside of those regulations) the teachers themselves are all very good at their jobs. All seem highly competent, have a true enthusiasm for working with children from all sorts of backgrounds, have patience, and truly want the best from their students. The feedback from teacher to parent is very open. Be it notes or other communication, they are quite willing, within reason, to work with parents on a child's needs. Discipline: The teachers and admin staff can and will be firm when it comes to if discipline is required, using a positive reinforcement method and discussions with the child on appropriate behavioral alternatives. Bullying is not tolerated, is quickly addressed, and I've found that most cases of bullying (which stems naturally from children) does not ever progress to a level where self esteem is being consequently damaged. All parties needs are met, be it the bully or the person being bullied. The school has counselors on staff who work with kids, or provide the resources to get children extra help outside of school if that is required. Special Needs: My child has ADD/ADHD, and the school and staff are wonderful with helping kids with this to learn methods for self control. This is not to mean they are more lenient with expectations, but they do understand what ADHD is and help kids work through it. My Pre-K child is autistic, and again the staff is excellent in working with these kids. The kids themselves: I've seen many kids at this school through the years, older and younger, and the behavior is always consistent. The kids who go here are HAPPY and it shows. I've never seen a teacher or staff member walk through the hallways without many cheerful shouts of "Hello Mr./Ms __) Kids run up and hug them at Parent teacher conference night. All the kids behave respectably, while still being kids. The education received here might be pretty standard, but all in all, the confidence and happiness the kids attain are incredibly useful too. More schools should be like this one.

Gomez Heritage is a great school! I’m looking forward to having my daughter complete the dual language elementary program here!

My 7 year old has been attending Bancroft for almost 2 years now. Before the start of this school year, they hired a new principal. He is very motivated in making learning a fun experience, and really cares about the kids. Both of my daughters teachers have been excellent. She is doing very well in school, has great friends, and it's a safe and fun learning environment.

Simply a wonderful school. The staff, teachers, and principal really care. The students love going to school everyday because it's fun and challenging. It has a great community feel and high expectations.