Val Vista Lakes Elementary School

I have had nothing but excellent experiences at this school. Both of my children have done well at VVL; and one is on an IEP. There was a great transition to Junior High. Band and Orchestra are outstanding.
—Submitted by a parent

I love this school. They have helped my son get caught up after falling behind at another school, helped get him an IEP he needed. The staff are great and friendly too.
—Submitted by a parent

this school is wonderful.. teachers are great. my daughter is new this year and teachers and faculty have made us feel so welcome.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm going to Junior High now, but I was at Val Vista Lakes for eight whole years and they were all fantastic ones. All of my teachers, my principal, and everyone else were terrific! Thank you all for eight awsome and educational years together!
—Submitted by a student

My daughter has been at VVL for 3 full years now, the school as a team has been acceptable or slightly above average in regards to general curriculum and learning. I must say in regards to parent involvement it is too obvious that the 'groupie' parents that run around thinking they make all the difference there are in it for their own personal social reasons. It is unfortunate that some of these individuals set set such a poor example for the environment at the school, and for the school at other places in the VVL community. Art and music programs are disappointing, don't get me wrong the kids are fantastic, and incredibly talented but have so much more to offer than the music and visual arts programs can provide. Moving on to Jr High this year and ready for a real challenge.
—Submitted by a parent

We love VVL. I am very impressed at the amount of learning that happens during the day - I don't know how the teachers are able to fit it all in, but they do! Parent involvement revolves around a core group of women who obviously care a great deal and have bounds of energy! I think the Principal is a fantastic woman ,I would like to see her be more progressive - push the envelope, take a risk and take VVL to a higher level.
—Submitted by a parent

We love VVL! The entire staff, including the office and all the staff that help in the classrooms and the playground are wonderful. We felt they really cared about our kids, to keep them safe, learn to the best of their ability, and have fun. We always felt welcome and the principal was very accessable and more than willing to go the extra mile. I can't imagine having my children go anywhere else. Thank you Mrs. Apel for creating such a wonderful environment for my kids!!!!!
—Submitted by a parent

My son went to preschool there and the program and teacher were just wonderful, I have heard good things about the higher grades also. He learned so much and just loved going to school.
—Submitted by a parent

VVl has a great learning environment. An excellent community with lots of parent involvement assures that students have high standards and achievement. My daughter is involved in the orchestra and loves it. The orchestra instructor seems very qualified and runs a tight ship. My children also participate in chorus and love music. PE has a solid program. I would like to see more done with the visual arts. The Art Masterpiece program seems to be very successful.
—Submitted by a parent

I was so impressed with VVL. My daughter has several IEP issues and we received assist after assist that went above and beyond the call of duty on the part of her 6th grade teacher, the resource teachers, the principal, the school nurse, the school psychologist, etc. What a stellar staff! VVL has an amazing array of extracurricular activities available as well as an incredible level of parental involvement to implement them. Academics at VVL are thoughtful and interesting and though my child didn't qualify for AP classes due to her other issues she did learn this year. Thank you VVL for your many wonderful staff members and programs.
—Submitted by J Victor, a parent

Val Vista Lakes Elementary is a wonderful school. They have a caring, experienced staff that really know what is best for my children. The class sizes are kept fairly small to provide low teacher to student ratios. The academic programs are superior. There is an Accelerated Learning Program teacher on campus who sees our students daily for Math and Language Arts. There are also wonderful special education programs on campus to serve our special needs students. The regular programs are also excellent. The teachers raise the bar to challenge students at whatever level they are achieving. Our Music programs are top notch. We have band and strings instruction for our 5th and 6th graders. We have Art , PE, Library, and Computer Lab as well as two desktop computers in each classroom. The parent involvement is the best. We have a very active PTSO and opportunities to help out all year long.
—Submitted by an administrator

Being a grandparent of three Val Vista students, 'have nothing but good comments. Their academic achievements are enhanced by competitions which may even focus on geography a neglected subject in many schools. The art program manages to provide a fun but highly informative way for the students to be introduced to artists with time to practice the techniques the artist initiated. After school the children enjoy running, which is fun for families, and jump roping contests are also available to name a few. Parents help not hinder the competent teachers. Their involvement is supportive not critical. As 'said. Positive comments prevail.
—Submitted by Rebecca Kennedy, a parent

my son is on the honor roll.
—Submitted by a parent

I love VVL! As a parent, I have been very impressed with the level of parental involvement in each and every activity at school. I have also been impressed with the caliber of teachers at VVL, and their teamwork approach towards teaching, both at school and at home. My kids love their school!
—Submitted by a parent

The quality of academic programs are top notch. The extracurricular activities are great and parent involvement is very high.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a great school with a very good taechers and the office staff is very comprehensive.
—Submitted by a parent

My oldest daughter just thrived here at VVL and we loved the staff. There are a few teachers that stand out like Mrs. Wagner and Ms. Richeson who taught, loved, and inspired my daughter. Parent involvement is slipping as more dual income families move into the neighborhood, but it is still higher than many schools, especially if you are coming from CA. The school has a thriving band/music program, art classes weekly, and many before/after school clubs. Great school, wonderful principal and staff. A 'homey' feeling, yet not lacking in educational quality.
—Submitted by a parent

we love Ms. Walker she always takes the time to teach correctly and tries to understand the needs of her students
—Submitted by Dusty Edwards, a parent

Principal is big on rules but doesn't put systems in place to support them. Traffic is a disaster, dangerous and unsupervised. Most of the teachers are great.
—Submitted by a parent

Our children attended this school for two years. The school is very strong educationally but if you are a new student in the upper grades the school is very cool to new studentsWe found the education great but the school was 'clickish' unless you attended from an early age. In addition, we would have rather lived in another school district area that had more conservative children and parents.
—Submitted by a parent