Kenter Canyon Elementary School

Great school, but strives to garner the best scores possible, without thought to the effect it has on the children. The massive amounts of work outside of class leaves children with little or no time for extra curricular activities without great sacrifice. Which is very hard due to traffic constraints of LA. The academics are great if your child has no other ambitions but in my opinion they don't adequately address life for a 'child.'
—Submitted by a parent

Kenter is a prime example of a community having a positive effect on the challenged public school system. Our daughter is very proud to go to Kenter-- no matter where you go, when you go there also matters. Kenter is in great form. Having moved here recently from a city where there was more confidence to attend public school than we've generally found in the westside communities, we feel fortunate that all the previous hard work and the collaborative spirit between the administration and attending families have made public education a very strong option for our neighborhood. It will be our natural challenge as a public school to keep the value of extracurricular experience a strong part of the education. But good news is if you are considering attending Kenter the critical elements are alive and well. We're happy to be taking our turn to support our public school.
—Submitted by a parent

While I think this school is trying hard to straddle the line between what the LAUSD expects and needs(in terms of test scores etc...) and the wishes of the parents, I believe they 'educate to the test' too much and their is a lack of depth in their education process. While parents are very involved, a handful seem to wield an enormous amount of control over the way the school is run and seem more concerned with asserting that control rather than adding richness to the curriculum. The principal is happy to accede to their demands and doesn't seem to have the best interest of the children at heart as seen by his canceling extracurricular programs for the kids without giving any reason to those affected. Overall, this could and should be an incredible school which should rival private elementary schools in the area but misses significantly due to various reasons.
—Submitted by a parent

A child's experience is very dependent on the individual teacher and how willing he/she is to teach in a interactive and inspired style. Many teachers seem afraid to incorporate real world questions, concepts, & cultures as there is a heavy hand pushing test scores and conformity The school is strong academically but for a 'charter school', there is little of the creative approach and interactive curriculum one would expect after reading the goals of Kenter's charter. Unfortunately there is an overabundance of worksheets and rote learning to augment test scores. Speciality teachers (science, art, computers, P.E-paid by parent funds), 'Walk thru' programs and 5th grade science camp, are all an incredible asset and one of the few chances for kids to 'experience' hands on learning.
—Submitted by a parent

We've been very happy at this school. This is our ninth year at the school and we've seen great improvement in almost every area from the time our first kid started until now. Parents are very involved with every aspect and make a big difference. Overall, the education is solid but more could be done with the gifted program and for struggling kids. There is a tendency in all the public schools right now, Kenter included, to teach to the middle. The extra-curricular opportunities abound with multiple after school classes. The kids seem to love the school and feel a lot of pride. The campus is beautiful.
—Submitted by a parent

My wife and wanted a public education for our daughter Olivia. From the moment we became involved with Kenter Canyon we knew we had made the correct choice for her. The admistrators and teachers are committed, involved and skillful. They genuinely care about each and every child that attends the school. The education and safety of the children are of the highest importance. The music, art, sports and science programs are made available through the tireless funding raising efforts of the parents who are committed to providing their children with a rewarding educational experience. As with any public school, parent involement is critical to ensuring our children are exposed to the arts, sciences and music and other activities. Kenter Canyon is a great example of what is good (great) about our public school system. I wish that all elementary schools performed at this level.
—Submitted by a parent

Many parents of preschoolers are worrying day and night about getting their children admitted to private elementary schools but this charter school provides an education at the same level. The other great thing about this school is the commitment and involvement of parents.
—Submitted by a parent

Kenter's teachers range from excellent to fair. The school is small and lower-grade teachers come to know all the kids. The principals have mostly been ineffective but the school has a very active parent committe who does tons of fundraising for teacher aides, arts programs, sports, and other enrichment. One of the best aspects is after-school and before-school care by STAR, led by the wonderful Miss Melissa. Unfortunately the program has been severely curtailed due to space limitations. If your child is not doing well, I understand that the administration is more responive now than in earlier days.
—Submitted by a parent

Very involved school with the needs of the children and the parents. Great psg system. Star program at this school is wonderful. They strive above and beyond excellence.
—Submitted by a parent

Kenter Canyon school offers many terrific teachers and highly involved parents, who contribute both time and money to make this school function in some respects like a private school. The downside is that the pawprint of LAUSD can also be felt in some significant understaffing and underfunding, particularly when it comes to playground supervision and teaching assistants. The Parents Support Group funds many extracuricular activities, however the quality of these activities can range from fair to mediocre. Of course, many other schools offer nothing in the way of art, music or sport, so this should be viewed in that context.
—Submitted by a parent

Kenter Canyon is a great neighborhood school with very involved parents, nice kids, and dedicated teachers. The school is in an exclusive Westside neighborhood, with grassy playgrounds and new play structures. Standardized test scores are very high.
—Submitted by a parent

Kenter Canyon is a school totally devoted to giving it's students all that it can. Of course most of this assistance comes in the form of parental contribution (mostly monetary), but I am o.k. with this because I have seen first hand the difference it can make. All the classes have aids, the enrichment classes are incredible. The students and faculty seem to be a good 'community' versus just showing up to do what needs to be done. The new principal is great! This last year a new drop-off system was put into place in partnership with the LAPD that will make a huge difference in school safety and organization. I give Kenter a 9 out of 10.
—Submitted by a parent