Sequoia Elementary School

We are 5th-year parents of two girls at Sequoia (our default neighborhood elementary school) and have been consistently impressed with the teachers, the administration, and the strong sense of community with other Sequoia families.
—Submitted by a parent

This is our second year at Sequoia and we truly love it. The teachers, administration and community of families are wonderful, inclusive and engaging. If you are considering Sequoia, please try to attend one of our many fabulous events to see for yourself what a fabulous, nurturing school it is!
—Submitted by a parent

We love Sequoia! We've been here for four years, and thought we moved out of the assignment area, we are keeping our children at Sequoia, no question!
—Submitted by a parent

Are your trying to decide between sending your child to a public or private school? Sequoia has an extremely nurturing environment, my daughter loves going to school there, the reading specialist is excellent, girls (as well as boys) are encouraged to get excited about science, and math. In 2006, the National Education Department did a large scale study comparing private and public school and concluded that the statistics showed public schools generally performed as well or better in reading and mathematics than comparable children in private schools. The Oakland Unified School District has been named the most improved school district in California for the last 5 years. Sequoia is a school community where children thrive and where parents have many opportunities to grow by taking part in a caring Community. If you like being involved with your children s studies and believe in a strong Community, Sequoia is a great place to be.
—Submitted by a parent

Sequoia has not only met all of our expectations for quality elementary education for our daughter (1st grade), but has exceeded them. From the extremely competent principal to the high-quality teachers to the engaged parent leadership, the school has so many strengths. We look forward to sending our second child there next year.
—Submitted by a parent

My son started Kindergarten at Sequoia this year and we are thrilled with our experience. The school has so much to offer! My son enjoys using the library, drumming class, motor skills exercises, PE, art class, garden class, and more. His teacher is excellent and he has truly thrived under his care and appropriately challenging instruction. He has made many friends, as have we- the parent community is strong and wonderful. The principal is an amazing leader who really has her finger on the pulse of what makes the school successful. Though we were lucky to have a good school 2 blocks from our house, we instead chose Sequoia for all the obvious reasons and are SO happy with our choice.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter attended from K-5th grade. We absolutely love this school. She has fond memories and still talks about her experience here. The Principal at the time was fabulous! Since then, there have been two more principals appointed to this school. Still, the teachers at this school are extremely nurturing. The students have tremendous respect for each other. The art program and choir teachers are amazing! There is so much diversity and richness. Parent involvement is spectacular and welcoming. Additional: GATE class, art, music, after school help from teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

We've been at Sequoia for 4 years now, and are looking forward to our younger kid starting Kindergarten there next year. The teachers have all been models of commitment and competence, the leadership is first-rate, and the strong parental involvement is a constant inspiration for us to become even more involved ourselves. There's a healthy commitment to making enrichment programs available to the kids -- music, garden, art, science, chess, and a host of yearly activities make it a genuine community, rather than just a school. There are a variety of after-care options either on-site or at nearby facilities. The site is well provisioned maintained and well maintained. Perhaps best of all, the student body is filled with inspiring kids with a variety of talents and interests, from a very diverse background. Aside from providing our kid(s) a great education, Sequoia has provided a community that the whole family is fortunate to be part of.
—Submitted by a parent

Our son started at Sequoia this fall. We have been thrilled with the quality and experience of his teacher--truly she surpasses our expectations in every way. In addition to the core curriculum they receive music and art lessons, have upper grade buddies, weekly structured PE, weekly library time, and have already gone on two field trips. The school community is amazingly diverse in every way that you can imagine. Our two-mom family has felt completely welcome. Many of the families are from the local area but there are a lot of kids from other parts of Oakland as well. The parent community is active and welcoming.
—Submitted by a parent

we love the community at Sequoia. it is a great place for parents who want to be really involved. my son gets to garden, he's been in the choir, learning African drumming, has library time, PE, and science. Last year he was in the chess club, and every year he performs in the variety show. They have a multi-cultural potluck and even a instrumental band for older kids . They have movie night fundraisers so parents can go on dates, an amazing Harvest Festival and many other things. Many parents stay after school to let the kids play on the playground to get to know each other. This school is a true representation of Oakland being extremely diverse and everyone is very respectful and good to each other .
—Submitted by a parent

My son started kindergarten at Sequoia three months ago and we are grateful to be a part of this community. The parent involvement component of this school is a well established, smooth running machine which lifts Sequoia up like a shining star. There are a lot of great enrichment activities. My son's teacher is wonderful and highly competent.
—Submitted by a parent

My son started kindergarten at Sequoia this year and I could not be happier with the experience we're having. This is a GREAT community of people, a really diverse, vibrant, committed collections of families, educators and staff. My son loves his teacher, she is experienced, loving and obviously knows what she's doing. In addition to a solid classroom experience, they are having fun field trips, learning art, drumming, and all kinds of enrichment that the community is making sure happens. My son is loving school, making friends, and I could not be happier with our decision to send him there!
—Submitted by a parent

My son is a fourth grader at Sequoia. I could not be happier with his journey at our beautiful neighborhood school. The teachers have always welcomed me and other parents to volunteer in the classrooms, which means we as a community really know what the teachers are like and we know the other children and families very well. The social bonds at Sequoia are very powerful and meaningful, and the children have genuine respect for each other; their friendships will endure long past their years here. Acadmically the students are receiving an excellent education. There are many special classes: a P.E. teacher, art, garden, orchestra,drumming, choir, and after school programs. As a parent I feel very lucky to be a part of this wonderful community.
—Submitted by a parent

When challenged by small talk that all public schools are horrible, I am so happy and proud to be able to say that our son goes to Sequoia, the very best example of why a public school education can be a fantastic journey. Sequoia is that magical alchemy of enthusiastic and skilled teachers, truly divers kids, and fantastically involved parents- many of whom are teachers themselves. There is something for every kind of student here- art, music, science, athletics, team building, academic tutoring, gardening, speech-making, choir, as well as dynamic academics in the classroom. My son is happy, challenged and supported to participate at every level. Hurray for the Sequoia Squirrels!
—Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at Sequoia (kindergarten) & we are just thrilled with everything so far. We were zoned to go to another, very good school, but chose Sequoia because of the incredible community and diversity of the families. The teachers are absolutely wonderful--talented, knowledgeable, dedicated--and work closely together with each other and the parents. The parents are an active, down-to-earth group and it's been truly a joy to get to know them and their children. Another thing that I love is the small class-size in kindergarten. I believe there are only 21 kids in the class. My daughter skips to kindergarten everyday, making lots and lots of friends. She's reading, doing math, and loving being a Sequoia Squirrel! We couldn't be happier.
—Submitted by a parent

Sequoia is a bustling, vibrant, diverse and welcoming neighborhood school. The great parent involvement, wonderful teachers and variety of enrichment and community building activities makes this one of the best elementary schools in OUSD. I highly recommend prospective families to join in the Sequoia Squirrels fun!
—Submitted by a parent

Our daughter is in her last year at Sequoia and it has been an overwhelmingly positive experience. The principal, Katia Hazen, is smart, inclusive, responsive and works hard to make this the best school possible. Our daughter has had a series of amazing, talented and caring teachers and she has excelled at Sequoia, not only academically but socially. There is a committed team of parents at the school who all work together to provide a rich curriculum, including music, art, gardening, and choir. We will be so sorry to leave at the end of 5th grade!
—Submitted by a parent

I love this school. The parent CARE. The teachers CARE. The principal CARES. The parents here really throw their blood, sweat and tears into the school. The Dad's Club is thriving, the diversity is amazing, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. My son is in 1st grade, and I am looking forward to the next 4 years here.
—Submitted by a parent

We are grandparents of a 4th grader and a 2nd grader and have been involved as volunteers for 4+ years. The parent involvement at this School is tremendous. The Teachers are superb. The children represent all nationalities, races and economic strata and get along wonderfully in no small part due to parents and Teachers. If all OUSD Schools were like Sequoia, Oakland would have the best Elementary Schools in the State.

While some schools are test-focused, Sequoia's very professional teachers and principal keep the best interests of children in mind. Both of my kids have learned and grown as students and human beings each and every year. They come home talking about how much they like their teachers and they are usually pretty excited about what is going on in class. The teachers are very approachable, caring, and willing to work with parents to customize learning for each child. We also love our awesome community events...the Variety Show is a lovely, supportive place for kids to show off their talents and the Harvest Festival is nonstop fun. The MLK Oratorical Fest is hard to get through without getting teary because the performances are so heartfelt and beautiful. Many of our visitors and chaperones on field trips comment on how nice and polite Sequoia children are, and that has been my experience as well. It's just a down-to-earth community of good people. Finally, I think it is telling that several families have returned to Sequoia after giving charter schools a try. Sequoia is truly special...not flashy or fancy, but a great place for kids.
—Submitted by a parent