La Entrada Middle School

Fine, but not great like its sister school Las Lomitas. If only La Entrada could learn from Las Lomitas then it could also be a wonderful school. It is a missed opportunity.

The school is not bad, it is just a little old fashioned and bit limited in creativity. The motto here is work for the sake of work. Learning is mainly memorizing the study guides that the teacher gives you which need to be regurgitated on the test verbatim. If your child is truly gifted in an area then they might find the environment here rather stifling. It is surprising to find such a rigid and old fashion environment in the heart of Silicon Valley which values the innovative and creative.
—Submitted by a parent

I love La Entrada. La Entrada is the best school ever. This is because any other school can't beat La Entrada

I attended LE from 4-8th grade, and was one of the best decisions of my life. The teachers are very thorough and prepared me immensely for highschool -- even the PE classes are more rigid then those in high school. Excellent school, although the administration is a little off-color at times.

It's interesting to see all the mixed reviews here. In Menlo Park, it is known that the Las Lomitas School District (Las Lomitas and La Entrada) is THE school to aspire to In Melo Park ans surrounding towns. The new(ish) principal and vice-pricipal are well regarded by students and parents. With all the cuts in the CA budgets, families have been asked to step up their contributions to the education foundation. In 2010 the foundation raised and gifted $2.4M to help keep class sizes small, and to keep Arts, language and Physical Ed in the schools. The community is one that cares about education, and is very involved,. I have three kids in this school and we have been happy with the education that they have, and are receiving. And, yes, some teachers are better than others, but overall, the quality is above average.
—Submitted by a parent

Typical public school in an affluent area with alot of emphasis on family involvement. Families are expected to contribute alot as if the school is going broke, which I suppose is normal since all public schools are facing budget cuts. Seems bureaucratic since there is only two little schools in the district so it's admin heavy and lacking in special needs (gifted, arts, music, disabilities).
—Submitted by a parent

Our family moved to the area for a job in silicon valley, so my kids have been in schools in another state. This school might be great for standards in CA, but it doesn't compare to where we came from. They only get around 11K per child so we didn't expect much but still, this is supposse to be one of the best (by API standrds) in CA. Lots of emphasis on test taking and academics, a good thing for SAT's etc., but social skills, creativity, and arts is average.
—Submitted by a parent

I find it hard to believe that this school received a few negative reviews. This is the third year my daughter has attended La Entrada and I have no complaints. They have plenty of extra curricular activities available including foreign languages, sports, and music programs. They offer math programs to suit each child's needs from the most basic of classes to an advanced class that puts them on track to complete geometry beofre the start of high school. They offer tutoring after school which is run by parent volunteers. I think some people will never be satisfied and expect teachers to teach their children everything and hold them responsible for their child's failures when the parents should actually take some accountability. Teachers can only accomplish so much in 8 hours and the learning should continue at home.
—Submitted by a parent

The quality of teachers here is all over the place - some are excellent while others are completely "green" (not the eco-friendly kind, the new and inexperienced kind). Getting any kind of additional help for your child if they are struggling in an area, such as math, is challenging and the tutoring program is lacking guidance and any kind of feedback mechanism. Parent involvement is excellent - but almost to the point of feeling like you're in high school again - it can be very cliquey.
—Submitted by a parent

Very disappointing. Our kids have encountered a couple good teachers. Administration and specialists generally unfit for positions, some, shockingly so and in fact, scarily aggressive and/or bureaucratic to the point of being harmful and/or ineffective. If you child is gifted or has any differences (likes special sports or activities, has personality and is outgoing, wants to work on own, anything that sticks out) find a better school where they can enjoy and perhaps learn something worth remembering from middle school. Otherwise, computer would teach a student better with less overall harm.
—Submitted by a parent

My child has attended 4th & 5th grades so far and I'm still not very excited about this school. Anyone who can afford to live in this district is fortunate indeed because while many schools have lost their funding for programs like art and music in these financially challenging times, the parents who can afford to, make hefty contributions in order to preserve the quality of education they've come to expect . The school is well-equipped with the latest technology of smart boards and PC's, and there are many great programs and features about the school, but it definitely falls short in special ed services, and they don't "teach" math at La Entrada. The students bring home their homework and the parents are expected to teach them. Lots of pressure on both teachers and students to perform.
—Submitted by a parent

I love La Entrada because we are the La Entrada Leopards, because I graduated from here and my Daughter, because of how they try and bring out the best in each of their students and because it means Entrance-Entrance into a successful education-

Special education services are poor to nonexistent. Resource program is unorganized. Children with special needs are not being served.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is continually working toward continuing their vision of excellence. The teachers are amazing and the Assistant Principal who has been there 9 years is the glue who holds the school together. As a leader, she is professional and an excellent communicator. She has initiated so many programs that have benefitted the whole child.
—Submitted by a parent

La Entrada was an incredible experience for both my children, and the entire family. LE gave them both the background they needed to succeed: After graduating from Menlo-Atherton, one is now a senior at UC Berkeley, and the other just admitted to Stanford. The teaching quality is terrific, the school has a caring administration, and overall La Entrada offers the perfect blend of nurturance and challenge to young students. An A++ school!
—Submitted by a parent

I went to La Entrada and graduated last year. I was constantly engaged in extracurricular activities. In 4-7th grade I played basketball on the La Entrada team and claimed 2nd place. All of the teachers are very energetic and excited to help with any issues that a student my need. They stay extra to make sure you grasp the concept. When i attended La Entrada it was amazing, since it was like we were all a family. When graduation came along there was nothing but tears, from teachers and students. You create such a bond and when you move on to high school it is like leaving your family. There is always a 'family' established at schools, but at La Entrada everyone makes sure that you are involved in every activity. After your 5 years at La Entrada you will never regret any opportunities, experiences, and friendships.

La Entrada is a great challenging school for your child. It extra courses like geometry are great . The parents help out alot and the new principe is great.
—Submitted by a parent

The school is not a great program for gifted kids. They say all kids are gifted. Give me a break. They are not that great toward kids with LD either. Great facilities. Parent donate tons of $$$. Perfect school for a normal average upper middle class kid
—Submitted by a parent

Most reviews here are a few years old. Now there is a new Principal who is absolutely fantastic. My daughter loves La Entrada, the teachers are outstanding. This years she has 6 different teachers and all are absolutely outstanding, I think that through my 12 years in school I maybe had 3 or 4 this skilled, enthusiastic and dedicated teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

I have had two daughters attend La Entrada, both at different levels of learning ability. My first daughter had a slight learning challenge and needed help that was not available so she was home schooled. My second who now attends is brilliant and is number 1 or 2 in her class. Both had caring and excellent teachers. Latin language, jazz band, math, core, basketball, she doesn't have enough time in the day to take all of the interesting classes! A great school, the parents are upper class but don't act stuffy - most are very nice and try their best to be involved - it is what it is.
—Submitted by a parent