Toluca Lake Elementary School

I'm a prospective parent of an incoming student. I was greatly pleased by the professionalism, and welcoming attitude of the office staff. They anwered my questions thouroughly and patiently. The campus appeared to be well maintained which is also a plus. Considering that my visit took place after-school hours I was pleased to see that there weren't any people/students just "hanging out" on campus. There seemed to be an afterschool program in place although I did not ask about it. Overall, it left a good first impression. AND their API scores look great!!!!

A school is only as good as its teachers, and there are some winners here at Toluca Lake. We considered many private, charter and magnet schools before deciding on Toluca Lake, and our family is very happy with the decision. Test scores have improved greatly, the PTA has terrific energy, and the potential is here for a truly amazing elementary school experience. There is real value in attending a neighborhood school, and we've found our kindergartner loves the short commute!
--Submitted by a parent

I am highly unsatisfied with most of the school staff and how they acted toward my family in a time of need. They were not supportive and in demand. They dis enrolled my child without a letter or contacting me and other issues that need not be said but I hope if you enroll your child here you do not have any issues with your child because they are not a caring staff team and as a school they are suppose to be there for the child and the parents.
--Submitted by a parent

I think this school is on the way up. The teachers are dedicated and caring, which is a huge factor in kids' learning at the elementary level. My kindergarten student loves her teacher and can't wait to get to school every day. I'm from a family of teachers, and I find the quality of instruction to be top-notch. Funding is not what it should be, which is true throughout the public school system and especially LAUSD, but the folks at Toluca Lake make the best of everything. The PTA has gotten more active and is helping to move things in the right direction.
--Submitted by a parent

No parental involvement, Parent center politics v.s PTA does NOT= a great school in my opinion.Parental involvement at this school is a joke! And letting my kid watch movies (that we have at home btw) isn't teaching. What scores are you looking at?(parent that rated this school in top 10%..? you're confused- this school has had a MAJOR EXODUS 3 years in a row! People can't pull their kids out of this school fast enough-myself included-Thank goodness I'm moving to Burbank-they even have field trips! remember those?
--Submitted by a parent

I'm here to give a shout out to specific teachers at this school, who I feel deserve to be singled out. I know there are probably many more, but I'm only speaking to those with whom we've had personal experience: Ms. Gillette (K) & Mr. Murphy (G2). Both EXCELLENT teachers! They both share a trait of recognizing the different needs and challenges of their individual students and being able to work to those needs. They're patient but firm, authoritative yet personable, and seem to have great rapport with all their students. As for the school itself, its biggest challenge is probably with parents & general LAUSD mismanagement/budgetary woes. I've witnessed great parent involvement, and then I've witnessed absolute rudeness or lack of caring & respect (for staff and their own students' education!) by others. I'd love to see more money at this school so they could have more playground monitors and specialty teachers, but NO ONE seems to be getting that from LAUSD at the moment.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is on it's way up. Agree (mostly) with last two reviewers - LAUSD feels like an obstacle, and this school, and kids, achieves despite of it. Toluca Lake Elementary is among the top 10% of schools with the highest percentage of identified Gifted students. (see school website or LAUSD Gifted/Talented website). While I wish more parents would get actively involved, the involvement has steadily gone up over the past few years. In my opinion, parent involvement is the best way to combat LAUSD's budget woes - a sort of 'circle the wagons' approach. I recommend this school, but only if you are willing to get involved.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is more like a 4 Star, but some of the previous low reviews were irrational ("principal is mean" ?, another review after one week?). Bottom line, Toluca Lake Elementary is part of the broken LAUSD. There are constant budget woes. But this school stands out. And I would agree with a previous reviewer - the school is on it's way to being great. Most of the teachers are great. Parent involvement is growing. And test scores are improving.
--Submitted by a parent

The best way to describe this school is pre-gem. It's not a "gem" yet, but on it's way - hopefully. After years of "white-flight", expanding boundaries, and low expectations - the school is clawing it's way back. Last year's API was 807. The principal is Ms. Carol Reo-Bove and she is not mean (previous review), but she is on the strict side, which I feel is positive. The school has some exceptional teachers - not all, but some. Being part of LAUSD, you feel like you're swimming against the tide. But the environment is positive the future looks relatively bright.
--Submitted by a parent

Such a shame that kids that young don't get along and see beyond skin color and background.
--Submitted by a parent