Brea Country Hills Elementary School

It is my sons first year attending Brea Country Hills Elementary. As a parent I expected a lot more from a school located in such a good area. The lack of fencing and staff supervision is an obvious safety issue for the students. My son has two teachers in an overcrowded classroom and none of the students seem to get the attention they deserve. There are no crossing guards present on the Country Hills side of the school which makes it unsafe for small children who are allowed to walk home alone. I have also noticed that some teachers don't monitor who their students leave with at all when school is over. Overall, I am extremely dissapointed with my experience here and this school does not come close to what we were used to before moving to Brea.
--Submitted by a parent

I love brea Country Hills School because of diverse population
--Submitted by a parent

Everything about this school is top-notch. I am a veteran teacher of 36 years (high school English). This year my daughter is in the 2nd grade. All of her teachers so far have been superlative. My special thanks to Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Yergler, who have provided my daughter a wonderful education. Their patience, kindness, and confidence in my daughter have been appreciated. My wife and I moved to this area just for this school--and we are very glad we did. Next year, our son will be attending the 1st grade at Country Hills. We are excited for him, too.-- BG
--Submitted by a parent

I have been at Country Hills for many years. I feel this is a very safe school and has great parents, teachers, staff and principal. The principal is very open to suggestions and the staff members make you feel that there top priority are the children. The school has many good extracurricular activities from band to chess masters. It definitely makes you feel as if you are in a small hometown community with the Art Fair, family nights, and classroom plays or shows. The parents of the school are very involved and the PTA meetings are there board meetings but they are usually very informative meetings. Some people would say the PTA is a click but they welcome every newcomer and once you go to a couple of the meetings they are a very hands on and friendly group of parents. I think this is a wonderful school.
--Submitted by a parent

I expected more. The academics are not challenging for my 1st grader, and there is no option for gifted education until 3rd grade. Even then, gifted education consists of taking an after-school course. The lunch menu is horrible. I agree with the other rater that the lack of fencing is a safety issue.
--Submitted by a parent

This is a great public school with high parental involvement including PTA. Culturally diverse student population is a plus. Excellent neighborhood surrounds the school with access to an open City park. The school is very safe. No problems reported. The children and majority of parents love the open space feeling. Academics are high, school choir and band, Art Masters, GATE, etc. Just a wonderful school!
--Submitted by a parent

Good school, great staff. The fundemental Christans are a little much, The pro-war folks are very ignortant to the views of others, with a large Muslim population you'd think they'd be more considerate. Kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2 are among the best in the state.
--Submitted by a parent

Very good solid school. Dedicated teacher with experience. Very active pta with lots of parent support.
--Submitted by a parent

The academics at the school are supposedly rigorous and challenging, but I did not think so. They have parents teach the art, regardless of whether you have teaching experience or an art background. Music and PE are provided by an outside instructor. However, in kindergarten, the parents volunteer to teach PE. Most of the parents are involved and care about their kids' education. Unfortunately, the principal is old and not very sincere. What she says is not always what she means. Also, the campus is completely open with no fence around the school and open access to the public via park and tennis courts. That is a negative.
--Submitted by a parent

This school was a 'CA Distinguised' just a few years ago, but I'm not entirely sure why. We are in our 4th year here, and my daughter has had one outstanding teacher otherwise they've ranged from fairly bad to so-so . The principal seems fine enough to me. The PTA is very cliqueish.
--Submitted by a parent