Murray Manor Elementary School

I love Murray Manor! The teachers are great and the Principal is amazing! Parents and Faculty are very involved and you can tell! We have been going to MM for 3 years now and cant say anything bad. The PTA is awesome too!
—Submitted by a parent

It's ok. It's cliquish. It's who you know. And I don't think they handle the mean kids adequately. But the test scores are high. And very few parents are involved really.
—Submitted by a parent

i love the teachers most .they are great and so involve with the activities.want to see more.
—Submitted by a parent

This is such an excellent school! There is great parent involvement,and the principal is amazing. The staff really cares about their school, and their students.
—Submitted by a parent

If you want a great school with amazing parent involvement and a principal who is committed to excellence and quality education, then Murray Manor is for your child! The teachers are top notch and even during these troublesome times of budget cuts and HUGE class sizes, they continue to do the right thing and teach our kids to the best of their ability! I am amazed at how many awesome parents are willing to help out in the classrooms and fight to keep education thriving during this horrific budget slashing crisis that California is going through.
—Submitted by a parent

My kids have been at Murray Manor since they started school and until last year (4th grade) we had a GREAT experience. Last year they increased class sizes to 36 kids in the 4th and 5th grade classrooms. WHAT A DISASTER! The kids are LOST in a sea of bodies. The teachers try and they seem to care but their hands are tied. It is not their choice to have that many in class, but just today I had a parent tell me that the teacher does not even know his daughters name yet and we are 4 weeks into the school year. As a teacher myself I just have to say that California and La Mesa district in particular must bring back smaller class sizes! Our kids are just #'s and learning is being lost!
—Submitted by a parent

Love the school, parent involvement is amazing! The teachers really care about the kids and they encourage and uplift the students. Love this school!
—Submitted by a parent

i have 3 kids in this school, one 1 on 3rd gr. 4th gr, and 5th grade. my 5th grader is really having a tough time in his classroom and subject, he doesnt have any problem with classmate it his adjusting status, they enrolled in this school late, like last week of october last year. i feel like giving up bcz me either i cant understand his subject esp math. but i prayed for what should i do, me and his teacher talked and she let me go in his class for several times, just to monitor, just to sit there and watch some actions. and ive learned a lot, i put my kid into a tutor for 1 1/2 mos.he was slow and cant catch up,but now he can make it alone.&always outstanding, parents need to help their kids by getting involve in their kids life.helps a lot
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter attended the Murray Manor during our sabbatical stage in San Diego in 2007. We miss a lot this excelent school, special thanks to the best teacher, Miss Di de Carlo. All our love. MM, MM & AM
—Submitted by a parent

This is my daughter's 3rd year at this school and I am very dishearted by how the teachers have treated her. She does not fit into their 'mold' and have really bruised her self esteem. Now with only less than 2 months of school left I am told by her teacher that she is not doing well. I try communicating with her teachers and they seem to shun her. Give up on her beacuse she's not getting what they're teaching. If your child is the average normal kid that fits their mold than this would be the school for you. But if you're child is not, than don't bother putting her through hell. The teachers there do not care about your child if they are not fitting into their mold. They are not understanding of their situation nor do they have the patience to be kind
—Submitted by a parent

I love Murray Manor. The principal is great and all the teachers my daughter has had from first grade to fifth have been amazing.
—Submitted by a parent

Jim Parker the Principal is an outstanding school leader and person. He works closely with his teachers, staff, students and parents to constantly improve the school. The teachers are wonderfully dedicated as is the support staff.
—Submitted by a parent

My son's 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. M was the greatest he has had thus far. Great activities, great school.
—Submitted by a parent

My children have been at Murray Manor for five years now, going on six and we are very pleased with our school. Being a single parent full time it was extremely important to me that we belonged to a safe,supportive school with high academic standards that are reflected in the classroom, staff and school events. They definitely meet this mark. We love the annual schoolwide dance performances each year, the jogathon, and overall caring and impressive parent involvement. The parents are all incredibly nice and the front office, teachers and principal are very welcoming. I would only subtract a half a star for the fact that, as with any school, some of the teachers (literally a few) can be harsh (as in strict), but the majority are wonderful.
—Submitted by a parent

We have had 3 children graduate from Murray Manor over the years, and just love this school, Mr. Parker the principal, all of the teachers and stafff. This is a warm loving school, well organized, and safe. Children who need exctra help really get it too. One of my kids was below 1st grade level in reading at the beginning of 1st grade and with the schools help was reading at 4th grade reading level by the end of the 1st grade. He also had an IEP and really got the extra special attention he needed. Great Great School. I would highly recommend to any parent. We were on an intra-district transfer so we could have our kids go to this school.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter loves her teacher and loves to go to school to learn!
—Submitted by a parent

We have been at Murray Manor for five years now. We are very impressed with the parent participation at the school. Parents have encouraged PE and the Arts which seem to be lost at other schools due to focus on test scores being the driver at other schools. Murray Manor provides balanced education without sacrificing test scores as can be seen by the exemplary ratings. Like all schools, there are teachers that are creative, go the extra mile to make learning fun and then there are the others. So far we have been very pleased with the teachers and administration. Murray Manor is a great school!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter attended this school in the 4th grade and we loved it. The teachers and staff were caring and enthusiastic. It is a very family oriented school with lots of fun extracurricular activities. The after care program was affordable and the camp counselors were awesome. She received all the one on one attention she needed from her teacher and really thrived at this school. Unfortunately we were transferred to Texas and the school she is in now which is supposedly 'exemplary' pales in comparison. We miss Murray Manor dearly and would suggest this school for all children.
—Submitted by a parent

Academic programs appear to be sound (test scores consistently high and higher than average for the socioeconomic area). Music is sparse though there are singing shows, art only by docents, current movement by some parents to increase p.e. but now only fun run once a week, afterschool programs are abundant but cost restrictive to many families. Parents are quite involved but a bit hard to forge friendships (personal opinion).
—Submitted by a parent

I have been at at Murray Manor for the past 7 years with my children. I have seen the best and worst of the school. Parents and children can be very cliquish and cruel to children and parents who do not fit into the Murray Manor mold. Being a working parent I can not always be at the school. It was better when we had the lottery system to choose teachers. Like all schools some teachers are superior and others are mediocre.
—Submitted by a parent