Natomas Park Elementary School

Natomas Park Elementary has made great strides in improving their curriculum. They recognize that children learn at different levels. They have excellent programs like WIN (What I Need), GATE, computer lab and other opportunities for the children to excel. The teachers are wonderful, personable, and open to communication and working with parents. The principal, Kendra Shelton, is an absolute gem. Her weekly phone/email communications are a refreshing and positive change to keeping parents informed on upcoming events and school-related happenings. And Safety is Number One on their list. I have 2 children at Natomas Park Elementary. I'll be honest, I was a little concerned at first when we enrolled because of the somewhat low API scores, but when you see the great results in your child's learning and abilities, you know this is a great school (not to mention the 21 point increase in API last year, woo hoo). I'm disappointed they don't integrate art or PE in their program, but this means they truly are focused on my child's learning. However, they do offer extracurricular activities and programs such as these.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has been and this school since Kindergarten, he is now in third grade and we love it! The teachers and principal are wonderful! It is a real asset to the Natomas community.
—Submitted by a parent

The best school in the whole Natomas area. My daughter graduated from NPE in 2006. And now my son is in 1st Grade. We love this school. Highly recommended. If you have a child and you want them to become a high achieving student, this is the school you want them to attend. Mr. Johnson, the principal is very good and excellent mentor to all the students at NPE.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been a family at Natomas Park Elementary for 8 years now and we are very happy with our decision to move here! The family community, other families, teachers and staff are dedicated and involved in the education of our students. One of the best parts is having the school so close. If my child forgets his homework, we can run back over there and get it. Its hard to be late to school when it is so close! If there is an activity at school in the evening and we have a busy schedule, we can usually still get up there for part of it and have our kids participate, even for a short while. I appreciate the way our District was formed, with larger schools further apart to keep them thriving much longer.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a proud parent of two Natomas Park Elementary students. Aside from a beautiful new facility, it is the staff, students, and parents that make this school great. Principal Johnson is the most approachable leader I have ever meet. He is a teacher at heart and when he is not principaling he can be found substituting on occasion and doing magic tricks with the kids. The teachers and all staff are wonderful caring professionals. Highly recommended school if you are in that area.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has been going to NPE since Kindergarten and is about to graduate. I feel he has been well prepared academically as well as socially. The teachers are great and the family are really involved in the school.
—Submitted by a parent

I am proud NPE parent for 2 years. I am very happy and impressed with my kids performance in this school. We have a class of very bright kids and have full support of the teachers. Parents in our both classes are well involved and are always ready to help. We also have 5 art docents in our one class. Which itself speaks for parent participation.. We love this school and will always recommend it to other parents.
—Submitted by a parent

We recently moved here from Elk Grove, CA where the school district is suppose to be the premiere district. After moving here we quickly noticed Natoma Park was far above the elementary school in Elk Grove. Parents volunteers swarm the school. The teachers are enthusiastic and willing to assist parents in any way. Also the school pride runs rampid throughout the school. My daughter is thrilled to be attending Natomas Park and I have been floored with level of education she has recieved. She has improved ten fold in her academics since begining here. A great school with a great faculty who cares for the students and families alike.
—Submitted by a parent

I've had 2 children at NPE over the past 7 years. NPE is an exceptional school with passionate and caring teachers. I've been so impressed with each and every teacher my children have had. As each year passes, its hard for my daughter to pick who her favorite teacher is as it usually changes each year. The principal is amazing and seems to remember each and every student, past and present. Keep up the great work. NPE rocks!!!
—Submitted by a parent

I've been an NPE parent for 9 years and am still impressed by the teachers, principals, and parents. The 'issues' from years ago were due to this elementary housing students that had no school available to them (city planning issue). The district had to create 4 new schools to keep up with capacity. The principal, Mr. Johnson, is very personable and the teachers truly seem to care about their students and the students' success. In our class of 21 students last year, we had 19 parent volunteers! On one day this year, we counted 27 parent volunteers for 26 students! The teenagers (NPE alum.) still come by to volunteer for carnivals and school clean ups. Wonderful school!
—Submitted by a parent

I've been very impressed with this school including the teachers and staff. My son is in speech therapy here and he receives excellent care and has improved significantly. It sounds like the school has worked out most of the kinks from when it first opened. I've been very impressed.
—Submitted by a parent

Our son has done well at the school. It would be great if there were more parents who participated - even a little is a big help! The principal is very nice and encourages the students with positive feedback.
—Submitted by a parent

Like any public school, some teachers love kids and some just put up with them. There are several exceptional teachers at Natomas Park. The HOSTS program for students who are below grade level is positive and helpful. The coordinator is a fabulous teacher. It is almost sad she's not in the regular classroom. There is a very well organized art docent program to try to make up for the lack of art instruction. The lessons are excellent, but it is always hard to find good volunteers to teach them. Over 30 prints of works of art are available for the students to see and learn from. I believe the dedication of volunteers can make a real difference in the school. Some years there are more volunteers than others. It is always hard to see great volunteers leave as their kids 'age out.'
—Submitted by a parent

This is my son's third year here. I have liked 2/3 teachers, the principal is great, despise the traffic, parent involvement is low, and I wish that they offered more for the kids to do at recess, as well as after school. They don't even have balls on the playground! That's just sad. But still, it's probably the best K-5 in Natomas.
—Submitted by a parent

Our sons will be leaving Natomas Park Elementary school with great pride. Their teachers are great and very supportive. If they have grade 6 level, my kids will still study here next school year. We feel sad moving to another school but we'll cherish good memories they have here. We're very grateful to their teachers who inspired our sons to do well in their class. Students are discipline. We never heard an act of bullying among them. It's safe place for our children because we can see yard duty to look after the students. School principal is very supportive with teachers and students. This is a great school!
—Submitted by a parent

In response to some of the older comments, this school has gone through a tremendous transformation over the past 6 or 7 years since it opened. It was great, then got way too large with over 1000 kids, and now is down to a manageable size. The principal and teachers we've encountered have been great (with one exception who is no longer there.) The traffic problems have been remedied.
—Submitted by a parent

It's a good school. Maybe not great, but good enough that I don't feel like needing to send my kids to a private school.
—Submitted by a parent

It is a great school. We are very happy.
—Submitted by a parent

great school and good teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

The academic programs are good.
—Submitted by a parent