Carrillo Elementary School

Despite the potential to be a great school this school is just mediocre. The pieces required to be great are there: good facilities, good students, families who value education and have adequate financial resources. Unfortunately they just can't seem to put it all together. The previous principal was fantastic. The current principal has allowed the school to slide into mediocrity. The teachers range from amazing, to pleasant, to lazy, to down right mean...many seem like they are just going through the motions. Each year the school year begins with enthusiasm, by mid-year the students are ridiculously behind schedule and then there is a mad rush to catch up in the spring before STAR testing begins. There are many parents who are willing to give their time selflessly to help in the classroom. The PTO is another story. They seems to do a good job raising money each year and there are undoubtedly many hard working, well-meaning parents involved with this goal. However, many of the PTO leaders seem to use their positions as a means to get what they want for their own kids (class placement, etc). It's disappointing to see the unrealized potential of this school.
—Submitted by a parent

Carrillo has changed so incredibly much over the past few years and I m sad to say not for the better! The amount of money and fundraising they constantly badger us for is outrageous. Carrillo also wastes so much learning time on flag salutes with awards related to running and behavior. But, the kids who do get Triple E s and Honor Roll get shunned and receive their awards in their classrooms to not upset or discourage those students who aren t making the grades. What happened to rewarding and promoting academics? By showing ALL kids academic awards and not just cheesy running and behavior awards helps instill and prepare our kids for the real world!
—Submitted by a parent

Carrillo is a great school...perfect? Of course not. Just like any school it has its issues but all in all it is a really good school and my kids are getting a great education. I would suggest to parents to get more involved. The pressure to donate is only there because the state is taking away more and more. I would suggest to some of the reviewers to join the grant committee or help in raising funds for the school.
—Submitted by a parent

Pros: Staff super friendly and seem very competent, great social atmosphere for kids, teachers doing a great job with many students and limited resources Cons: The funding crunch has caused the school to do questionable things to students while chasing money. If a child misses 5 days in a year, they are barred from a trip to a pool/water park. We cut trips to visit family (including elderly residents she may not have much time with) short to meet this, but when I chaperoned the party (on May 29), I saw at least 5 kids in just my kids class get to watch the classmates leave for the party while they were effectively publicly shunned for something they (as first granders) have no control over. Kids are also made to attend repeated hyped-up fundraising assemblies, a few of which would be fine with me, but the pressure on kids (and their families) is constant, and as with the pool party, the kids are made to watch as other kids get prizes etc for getting more money. Be prepared to spend a considerable amount not to have the staff make your children feel like they have failed and let down their school.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is doing wonders for my child socially. We move a lot and I usually had issues with my daughter's happiness and lack of friends. Not here. The teachers and kids seem to be loving and accepting. It must be that there is little drama coming from upper class homes. Whatever it is, it makes a happy student. She is involved in the activities. There are many to choose from. Improvements to be made include the lack of parking. Maybe they should make a parking structure for the regulars. Also, children who excel at academics need to be recognized and encouraged more. Do they have a GATEs program? Many of the children there are from successful brainiacs, despite how good the school is, this is a great influence on the high test scores. So do we have to move back to the ghetto to get some recognition? I hope they do something. Put it in gear, please.
—Submitted by a parent

Let's do a comparison. First, let me say that community is a school starts with the principal, then trickles down. If the principal is not at the TOP of her game, then the system fails. At Carrillo, the principal does the minimum possible because this is a job, not a career for her. She collects her paycheck as does the least that she can. This trickles down to the front office. Please do not something like smile, it may hurt and you don't get paid to smile. Why is this important? Is a school of 900+ students if the first thing you see is a grumpy face how do you feel all day? At Alvin Dunn Elementary, the principal knows her students, smiles, her job is her career, her happy nature affects everyone around her. The front office staff goes above and beyond to assist, and make you feel welcome that you are at their school. Such an awesome difference. We have attended Twin Oaks Elementary, San Marcos Elementary, Alvin Dunn Elementary, and Carrillo Elementary. If you based choosing a school on principals, we would never return to Carrillo. She should retire.
—Submitted by a parent

Carrillo Elementary is an amazing school. My kids love school and want to get there early to play with friends. Most of the teachers are excellent and the staff is great too. I don't agree with all the negative comments below at all!!
—Submitted by a parent

Carrillo is a great place for kids to go to school! There are fabulous teachers and tons of parent help! The campus is always clean and there are tons of afterschool programs to join ! With Education being a sore subject in CA--- you would never know it at Carrillo! They truly love the kids and that is what matters most! A great community an a fabulous place for your child to go to school! My son loves to go to school everyday and can't get there early enough! That says alot about a school!
—Submitted by a parent

A lot of the reviews are correct, this is a good school but with a lot of faults. The teachers are in general very good and some are excellent, but I agree that any sort of complaint contrary to how the school is run falls on deaf ears with those in charge. They do push the children, but some are progressed when they should obviously be held back. They lack severally in science and arts, they claim to be focused on math and English but spend a ridiculous amount of time at flag salutes rewarding those who run, surely this is extra curricular and academics should come first, which it does not. They rely heavily on parent funding and participation which does provide many programs but gives those 'clicky' parents too much power in the school and certain staff pander to those 'in the click'. Class sizes are too big and students get lost if they don't cause problems, there is no provision for those who are not struggling to excel, just meet the requirements. The parking lot is not designed for the parents of 900 kids with no school bus it can take 40 minutes just to get to you child for pick up. My children are happy and learning and this year have amazing teachers to thank.
—Submitted by a parent

We just moved to this community and I was very excited about the school. I was surprised at the high level of reverse discrimination. We are fair skinned but from another country with another language spoken at home other than english. I was shocked to see a Chinese program only offered to a selective group of youngsters bc a fund came from a private Chinese money. I see other AMericans of White color (many from all different nationalities mixed) but no particular class offered for them. Instead there money goes to the entire school program to facilitate all other children. IF the money collected came from the nationalities of other origins such as German, IRish, Denmark, Australian etc.... then only those children should be allowed to participate! The school does not even have a art or science room and parents teach art. The school is over crowded and they provide a room for a Chinese class to take place. Then looking at the registration form, why should it matter your race? THey have every nationality of Asian listed (about 20), and Hispanic, And I am other white. I am from a foreign country and we do not speak english but my children are learning and have no choice.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has highly challenging academic programs and some of the best test scores in the district. Most children, including mine, perform above grade level. Unfortunately, any concerns I have brought to the staff have been met with defensiveness and denial. Other parents have shared the same experiences. The rule here is "don't rock the boat."
—Submitted by a parent

This school is a great school for children they keep them all motivated and the parent volunteer is great.
—Submitted by a parent

Carrillo is a great school that continues to provide my children a well-rounded education. I have one in 5th and another in 1st. Thanks to wonderful parent support we have been able to hold onto a music program, computer lab, reading program, and art. Many other schools in our area don't have these programs anymore. The running club has made physical activity fun for the kids. The teachers and staff are dedicated to do what is best for the kids. Parent involvement is high and encouraged at this school. I am thankful for the past six years I have had here.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has suffered a big loss. With the previous principal gone the school/staff is just not the same. The overall tone and atmosphere has changed. We love our teachers my daughter is in first and has 2 fantastic teachers (team teaching is a wonderful chance for my child to learn/be taught/guided/and have her needs met by two qualified people; an extra set of eyes to make sure she is getting exactly what she needs) My other daughter is in 4th and loves her teacher as well. Hopefully the district can get it together and help what was a connected happy school get back on track. There could be more emphasis on academics and less on running.
—Submitted by a parent

Great teachers, great staff from the principle down.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter went here for a short time this year, unfortunately we had to move and she couldn't stay at this school. I already miss this place and the teacher she had for third grade. My daughter who suffers from ADHD and usually hates school, for the first time really started enjoying it and was excited to go every day, her teacher was so patient with her and not once did this school try to talk me into putting my daughter in special education classes due to her ADHD like her previous school. The only complaint I have is the drop off/pick up process. This really does need some work, but other than that the school and teachers are fantastic. After all what other school has two peacocks roaming the campus freely. They are adorable and even play with the children. As for the principle, I met her a couple of times briefly yet she remembered my name and my daughter s and was always anxious to address any questions we had. .
—Submitted by a parent

We moved from a small town, smaller school. This is our first year here, and the school does offer a lot of incentives for running and reading, but not much for Math or Science. They have a wonderful list of afterschool activities and a reading computer lab program. What happend to Art? Parent volunteers teaching it???? This school seems to pull in a lot of money go get a good art teacher, rotate the classes through it and have the parents volunteer there. It is a 900+ student school with a lot of parent involvement but lacking a real personal connection/feel to the parents or students. Not really a fan of team teaching particularly in the younger grade levels. Younger ones need stability and a consistent role model. However the teachers are fantastic. And the traffic for pick up/ drop off needs to be improved. Still feeling out new principal.
—Submitted by a parent

Great Staff, awesome PTO, always trying to be the best and give the best to our children, we love it.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm a parent and overall its a good school (in this area). They have many awards (be on time, tough worker, be responsible) and a lot of reading/running awards which is great. However, they seem to not encourage science/math because most of the awards are for reading/running (they give math awards in higher grade levels). As it is, most kids are lacking in math/science skills and if there is no incentive at an early age, they may have difficulties in middle school. A new principal is coming in next year (Mr. Wise is retiring) so hopefully this will not be overlooked. I don't think it would hurt to make the kids think that math/science is cool.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent school. We absolutely love it.
—Submitted by a parent