William E. Fanning Elementary School

My daughter started kindergarten this year and Fanning has Provence to be an amazing school. The principal is present and very active in the school. The teachers are wonderful. Love the community feel. Not a fancy school, but it is perfect to me.
--Submitted by a parent

Was, and could be again, a great school. The Principal is weak and the staff have no leadership. There is no program for gifted students and it is no coincidence that their test scores have fallen behind as far as the district goes. The school has a wonderful library, but no librarian...the resource is wasted.
--Submitted by a parent

I am impressed with the quality of academic disciplines.
--Submitted by Leanne D, a parent

Fanning is very good school - with respect to Acadamics and Arts.Good and dedicated teachers adds the feather in the crown.The GATE programme need to be promoted.Different instructions need to be given to GATE students in Math and Language Arts.
--Submitted by a parent

LD/ADHD toxic.pod classrooms.bullying/cliques unchecked. principals(3/9years)weak.some teachers don't believe in adhd.504ignored. attitude:kids need to learn independence,but they dont teach. more support in secondary. +arts no librarian. laurel school best for ld/add
--Submitted by a parent

This school's unique architecture lends itself to socially enriching a student's learning experience. The design is based on four interconnecting 'pods' 1-2 graders, 3-4 graders, 5-6 graders connecting to the central pod which houses the library. The kindergarten section is a separate unit which includes it's own playground providing additional safety for your young ones. The cafeteria is also designed to provide students the opportunity to perform and share a stage that is perfect for meetings and events. Nestled in the hillside the outdoor playgrounds and field are not encumbered with the blythe of traffic of busy streets and strip malls.
--Submitted by Bret Reside, a former student

The academic programs are excellent. Music, art and sports are provided by special instruction or programs. Parent involvement is important, since school budgets are lacking. These teachers are very good, but are not paid as high as other districts due to demographics (older neighborhoods.)
--Submitted by a parent

Overall, as public schools go, this is a good one. The principal is great, the teachers are dedicated, the parents are involved. My only complaints are about the district's GATE program (or lack of one, since any gifted program should be implemented by differentiation in the classrooom, not just by having an after school program). We will probably move to Placentia or Fullerton, where they have magnet classrooms and a dedication to gifted education.
--Submitted by a parent