Donald L. Rheem Elementary School

We feel very lucky to have our son at this school. The principal is an inspiration to both pupils and teachers alike. Parental involvement is very high and as such the school feels like a real community.
--Submitted by a parent

The principal here is inspiring. I wish she could be CEO at the company I work for - we'd get a lot more done and have more fun at it. The teachers are committed, smart, and caring. My son has been there since kindergarten and has thrived. I could not buy him a better education at any private school!
--Submitted by a parent

Rheem is a awesome school! The parent involvment is outstanding. It feels like a big family where everyone takes part in educating our children. The staff is extremely involved and the level of communication is very high. We moved to Moraga primarily for the schools and are not disappointed.
--Submitted by a parent

We moved to Moraga specifically to the Donald Rheem catchment area in July of 2007 because everyone we talked to raved about the schools. We moved out of moraga 9 months later because of the poor schooling.
--Submitted by a parent

We like Rheem a lot -- they have a very active principal, great teachers, excellent staff in general. However I find it hard to see that there is so little time for kids to eat -- snack time and lunch are tremendously short and are not good examples of how to eat properly (most kids will skip eating or eat very fast in order to be able to play). Serving a big & nutritious breakfast at home, I find, is not enough (I hear the same from other parents, too)--after three hours kids will go hungry no matter what. I wish the school would pay more attention to that specific issue and not only teach kids about the importance of eating properly, at the right times and correctly (without rushing) but also make it happen at school. After all, eating is an essential part of life and of who we are.
--Submitted by a parent

Approach to parent / school communication is fantastic. Very welcoming to new students and high percentage of parents involved/volunteer.
--Submitted by a parent

So much of the staff at this school is really outstanding; our children have spent their elementary years here with tremendous success. The principal (of many years) is fantastic - a great leader. The teachers and staff at this school are very attentive, and they successfully cater to a wide variety of instruction needs in their pupils. Community and parent involvement in all the schools in this district is excellent - rarely will there be a day where any teacher doesn't have a parent volunteer available to their classroom. The only areas needing improvement at this school are in art/music/language classes - which are better here than at most schools in CA, but not as high as other parts of the country - and extracurricular activities/sports. There are not many options to choose from in K-5, and they have difficulty staffing some of the afterhours foreign language classes. We LOVE this school!
--Submitted by a parent

Strong academic programs taught in very creative ways that encourage students' willing participation; high level of parent involvement and many afterschool programs.
--Submitted by a parent

Our daughter has been attending Rheem school for 5 years, and we could not be happier. The principal and teachers are, without exception in our experience, excellent. After school, as well as during the school day, arts activities are wonderful as well, and there is total access to the school population. The staff deserves a huge raise. Parents are very involved, and it shows in both our school and in our community. Excellent school!
--Submitted by a parent