Buena Vista Elementary School

Buena Vista is definitely a school to watch! Since Principal Howard has been in leadership of BV, nothing but good has transpired. Test scores have risen, numerous awards have been awarded, professional development was provided to all teachers, school-wide activities have increases, and an overall feel of community is in the air. This, I believ, is due to principal leadership, dedicated teachers and staff, and fabulous students and families.
--Submitted by a parent

BV is a hidden little gem. My Kids are thriving academically and socially at this school. Because we are smaller than other elementary schools the atmosphere is like a small private school. I love knowing the other families and students. The leadership is focused and produces results. We have Ipads and a comprehensive program for all our students. It has been a great learning tool. Once you visit you will want to be apart of our community.
--Submitted by a parent

Wonderful school! The school has recently been awarded the Distinguished School Award and was the only Carlsbad school this year to receive it. The teachers, parents and students are terrific! Buena Vista offers a very warm and laid back environment and the students are excelling academically. Buena Vista offers a lot of technology that many of the schools do not have such as Ipads. All the parents and students love this school!
--Submitted by a parent

Buena Vista is a wonderful school in every way. I actually chose the school and moved to the area based on the data I had read on Great Schools, and I've never regretted the decision. The teachers and staff are warm and wonderful, and have led our students to continually raise API scores, and this year we are recieving the State of California's Distinguished School Award. Every student gets to benefit from weekly Computer Lab, iPad Class, Music, Art and PE that are mostly funded by the PTA and community support, so we don't need to depend on the state's ever dwindling shool $$, and are things that most of the other local schools don't have. In addition to the academic and technological advantages that BV has, it is close to the freeway but tucked away in a quiet neighborhood so picking up the kids is easy and safe. There is a fabulous school garden (my son just brought home a piece of fresh sugarcane as a treat for helping to weed), new playground equipment, and the playground and many of the classrooms have a view of the ocean. All of this combined with the involved parents and happy kids make it like getting the benefits of private school without the cost. We love BV!
--Submitted by a parent

I definitely would recommend this school to anyone with children in the area. It is a good school. It is a smaller school K-5 and has a good principal. When little children run up to hug the principal - you know she is a good, caring principal! They are starting to get more teachers aides in the classroom, so that means extra help for our little ones. The kids who go to this school are good. They are friendly little kids. The parents and teachers ( and principal) care about this school and it shows!
--Submitted by a parent

The teachers are wonderful at this school. I like the open-door policy at this school, and feel all teachers are available when I need to talk with them, and they listen and care! I think the principal is great. She too, is always available when I need to discuss something. She has taken care of all of my needs whenever I've needed help. She's a strong leader, and wants to make it a great school. I'm very pleased with all of their efforts at this school. They care about the children. I am unhappy with lack of parental participation. Always same group doing everything.
--Submitted by a parent

Prompted to write this because of the disparity in rankings on previous reviews. I have 2nd & 3rd-graders in the 09/10 year. Mrs. Howard is in her second year as a principal. Though test scores greatly improved, I'd dare to speculate that it is because it is a small school (270 students) and those higher-achievers are from more well-to-do families and haven't been hit by the foreclosure crisis. I agree Mrs. Howard is aloof, I saw her out more later last year. We are not going to wait for the school to teach the kids, we start at home. We'll let the teachers 'polish them off.' We like the teachers so far. The 'Kids Care' after school program is more of an 'supervised play' program but is very helpful to our family.
--Submitted by a parent

There is a severe disconnect between leadership and teaching staff. There is a much more severe disconnect between leadership and the students. I have had the fortune of being a parent at another school and have something to judge principal involvement by. The kids love their teachers and most of the kids are genuine. Parental involvement is lacking and, I might add, it is directly a result of the leadership of the school. If I had the money, I'd move to a better part of the district and move the teachers there with me! A note about many of the teachers: They've been there for a long time, most live in the area and had kids who attended BV.
--Submitted by a parent

I have 2 children that attend Buena Vista and I can't begin to tell you how much we LOVE the school. I have been involved in PTA for the past 4 years and spend alot of time at the school helping in any way that I can. I love that we have a family feel at buena Vista and that the door is always open to speak with Ms Howard and the teachers. The school has been working hard to improve testing scores and to get more parents involved,and I am looking forward to the many great things that are to come for our school. I would recommend Buena Vista to any parents that are looking for a school where your children can really feel at home, make long lasting friends and have teachers and a principle that really care.
--Submitted by a parent

My twins are in kindergarden at Buena Vista and we absolutely LOVE this school. Any and all special needs are addressed and met by the teachers and staff, and BV has a lot of programs that are no longer available at the other public schools. The school is small, so it's like getting the benefits of a private school without the cost. While I do agree with the other parents comments about the Principal, Mrs. Howard, she does have a softer side that she doesn't show often. She has a bit of a superiority complex and considers her opinions as an 'educator' to be much more valuable than those of the parents. I get the feeling that this is true with the teachers as well. If she were more in tune with us about class placement, etc and spoke to us as equals, BV would be a perfect 10!
--Submitted by a parent