De Zavala Elementary School

If possible, I would give this school 1 and a half stars. I substituted there today along with a few other people. The 5th graders from many classes behaved terribly, and that was with their teachers still in the building for training. I have been there to substitute before and overall student behavior has gotten worse. I've been there for other grades as well. I am not sure if it's because of administration or overall expectations for the students but the overall behavior in the class I covered and what I saw in other classes lets me know that there are definitely many areas that need improvement in the school.

I currently have a child in PreK heading into Kindergarten. My son has grown so much in the past year and love that PreK and Kinder have 2 teachers in the classroom to make sure student needs are met. Not much for clubs in the lower grades but for upper (2nd-5th) they have a variety of clubs such as robotics, Cycling, girls running club, cheerleading, gardening, chess club, etc. For ancillary, they have P.E., music (band), computer, and library. Currently no art program at the moment. Ms. Lopez, the current principal, has really done ALOT with the school and has brought in multiple programs such as Little Beakers Science, Children’s museum, a performance of Junior B Jones, Toro, and others. The PTO has also helped sponsor multiple field trips for the kids (my child went to 2 theatrical productions, HMNS, downtown aquarium, and another one that’s currently escaping me…). Also, my son recently had an issue with 2 older children bothering him in the hallway at dismissal. As soon as I informed the principal/his teachers (the end of the school day), the next day they went and spoke with the two boys, had my son there so they could discuss the issue together, and updated me on the matter. Problem Solved! :) I would also like to add that the counselor sends information in the weekly school letter on things you can do at home to help your child’s emotional/social growth and the counselor does a great job working with your child right away if an issue arises. Overall, Carrillo is slowly growing and improving its program from where it was a few years back. This school isn’t up there for grades/activities like Travis, ROE, or Harvard BUT they are slowly getting up there and It’s currently the highest ranked school in this area. I can’t wait to see what the school has to offer in the years to come.