Phoebe A. Hearst Elementary School

I switched my 3 children to this school, I have to say I'm very happy with all 3 teachers and the school in general. There is a lot of parent envolvement which is great. There are high expectations and it's "cool" to be smart at PH.
—Submitted by a parent

In a climate of a public schooling crisis, I feel Phoebe Hearst is rising to the challenges and continues to provide high academic expectations for all students. As a parent of a child in both a "GATE" class and "non-GATE" class, I see equal expectations of both children. There is no doubt that this year has brought big changes in the forms of bigger class sizes and "new" teachers (aka experienced teachers at a new campus). However, this is a change that all schools in our district have faced. In looking at a couple negative reviews of Phoebe from this year, I feel compeled to remind people that we must not place blame on our local schools for large class sizes and experienced educators teaching grades they have not taught before; as these changes are district, state, and union mandated. The principal's leadership at Phoebe is strong and for those that are willing to be part of a solution, there is a solution to be had for most problems. It's no secret that positive behavior and academic rigor are basic expectations at Phoebe, and that may not be for everyone; but if you want peace of mind that high expectations will be held for your child's public education, this is your school.
—Submitted by a parent

Everyone makes a big deal about Phoebe being the "top" school, but we don't see what all the hype is about. I would suggest parents sit and observe a few classes in action before putting their child here (don't just do the principal guided tour). The teachers are "handed" gifted students but some have become complacent and quite arrogant. There aren't any awards or kudos given to the kids for good attendance, improving academically or anything. They use negative reinforcement constantly by taking away recess. We can't understand why they don't use any positive reinforcement techniques to engage and reward the children. In addition, now that the lower grades are packed with 30 kids per classroom, my child's teacher is very overwhelmed and it's negatively impacting the students. Many of the parents feel that the principal needs to ease up on the constant "PR" and focus more on staff development INSIDE the classrooms. I would not recommend this school.
—Submitted by a parent

We are so glad our little one is attending kindergarten at Phoebe Hearst. Even though, he transitioned from being in a preschool class with just 14 kids to a typical 30 student classroom, he is learning and having a great time. And teacher manages to encourage all the children to thrive even if some of them are at different levels. I'm most impressed with the parent involvement and how it is encouraged. I'm having a ball helping at my son's classroom and knowing that every effort we as parents do to support the school is in our little one's best interest.
—Submitted by a parent

The transition to Phoebe has been less than favorable for our family. A small group of older kids have bullied our child, physically and verbally. We have received very little assistance from the staff regarding resolving or preventing bullying. At my child's last school, we NEVER had any issues with bullies or unresponsive staff. This school seems to focus so much on academics and high test scores that they seem to have forgotten how the well being of children is equally important in the overall school experience. Test scores aren't everything and seeing my child so unhappy at this school has been an awful experience.
—Submitted by a parent

I was really worried at first because of the high student:teacher ratio at the public schools and I was going to enroll my daughter at one of the private schools in East Sacramento. But so far I've been very happy with the experience at this school. My daughter's teacher is great and I hear from the other parents of kids in the older grades that the academic curriculum is bar none. I think we made the right choice. My daughter is having fun and the parents I've been so far are really great. The school is very welcoming and very open to having me around as much as possible.
—Submitted by a parent

What a find this school is. I have two kids in this school. One is in the 4th grade GATE class and I have a new younger son in kindergarten. Amazing teachers. Parent involvement is welcome by the principal and the teachers. This is an amazing environment for kids to be in and I'm glad this school is in my neighborhood, even though it's not really a neighborhood school. One word for this school and its teachers: AWESOME!!
—Submitted by a parent

I have a son in 3rd grade and my other son started kindergarten this year. Amazing difference with our experience at this school vs our experience with my other son's kindergarten year. The academics is really more challenging at this school and less trivial (which is what my other son got at his other kindergarten school). Don't get me wrong. I don't believe it's necessary for kindergarteners from the beginning start off gangbuster with academics, but it's kind of nice for my second son to start reading more substantially and doing more real academic stuff. It makes me feel like he's really learning something early on. Just my two cents. Great school, especially if your child is academically gifted.
—Submitted by a parent

The last post is interesting because I've had the opposite experience with the addition of Kindergarten at Phoebe Hearst. With all that goes into starting a brand new program and the currnet budget situation SCUSD schools are in, I think the program is phenomenal. No kindergarten in SCUSD has any less children, it's a district cap at 31. Also, Phoebe Hearst has parents volunteering on a regular basis to support the learning environment. Surprisingly, the PTO has supported art lessons weekly for enrichment for the new Kindergartners. My child's teacher shared with me that she is working with the 1st grade team to be sure that the Kinders are totally ready for Phoebe Hearst's rigirous 1st grade program. The new kinder rooms are bright and clean, and the teachers are all welcoming. My child loves school, and the facility is meeting our needs.
—Submitted by a parent

I have a daughter in the kindergarten class and I was really nervous at first because I wasn't sure what to expect. I know that I'm a pretty hands on parent and I didn't know if the teachers would give me hassle for that but to my surprise, my daughter's teacher reassured and made me feel so much better. She has a great time at school and she's met a lot of new friends who happen to be in the neighborhood too. She's learning a lot and loves school and loves to read with me. I could have had her go to the private schools in town with more personal attention but I'm glad my wife and decided to enroll our daughter at Phoebe Hearst. The teacher is amazing, the principal is on top of everything and the families are wonderful.
—Submitted by a parent

After jumping through many hoops, my child is in kindergarten here and I don't understand what the big deal is with this school. First off, the class size is 31 (one teacher, no aide) which is quite large. Secondly, although having been a teacher for 20+ years, his teacher has never taught this age and has been clearly stressed to the limit from day one. She has no patience and gets upset at the slightest thing without realizing that if she had even a bit of control over the class, she could reign this in and be much happier. The kids aren't even allowed to ask questions during class! Furthermore, there are three kindergarten classes and hers is the only one who doesn't allow the children to work in the school garden (too messy) or do anything outside the mandated curriculum. I am disappointed that we came here with such high expectations only to have a five year old who used to love school now dread leaving the house every day. To make matters worse, she's catering to the lowest common denominator and the lesson plan is for a three year old at best. I know it's public school, but this is ridiculous.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a great school with an excellent principal who is realistic (given the budget) and supports the kids and teachers. In 2012 this school will also have Kindergarten classes. The parents and kids make this school a great place. The one drawback is an excess of busy homework that seems a bit unnecessary. The kids are expected to be at or above grade level and the GATE program allows the teachers to repeat the material less often. My son loves this school.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has just finished first grade and I'm astonished at the progress that she had made. This is the ideal school for anyone that wants their children to achieve academically and be in a safe environment. Homework is at least one hour a day for first grade, and the school does enforce a strict uniform code and on-campus rules. Students and parents though are rewarded with meaningful teaching, excellent quality extra curricular activities and a school run efficiently and effectively.
—Submitted by a parent

I think this school has a lot of great programs and certainly parent involvement, and PH certainly meets many children's needs; however, it was not right for my child and our family. We switched here expecting great teachers, but the teacher that my son got was burned out and, even worse, condescending to the children. Furthermore, the rigid expectations and lack of warmth really dampened my child's love of learning--in our opinion they expect too much in regards to homework from children who should still have some time to be children. My son began to develop some behavior problems while here, but happily they were resolved shortly after switching him back to his previous school. I am disappointed we ever tried this school out.
—Submitted by a parent

I was a student at Phoebe Hearst and here's exactly what happened: Had an absolutely excellent time in second grade Had a terrible time in third grade and switched school Came back in fourth grade and experienced the worst year of my entire life both socially and academically. Teachers came and went and every single student hated me for no apparent reason In fifth grade things were slightly better but not really. At least the teacher was the same throughout the whole year In sixth grade had a very good year. My grades shot up, nearly all the kids forgot to hate me, and I really liked the teacher. However, throughout everything that happened at Phoebe one office worker was really mean to me, calling me into the office for slight uniform violations (i.e. short just barely too short) while not saying a word to more serious violations (i.e. literally a halter top), and I was called in nearly every single day for not wearing socks while others weren't at all. I also received a citation for walking on the grass, which I consider absolutely ridiculous. I am so much happier at middle school now, where you can wear whatever and nobody wastes time yelling at you for insignificant details.

Phoebe has super teachers, excellent principal, outstanding parental involvement - and great kids! Phoebe is a wonderful place.
—Submitted by a parent

I love this school! It's awesome, and The teacher's are super duper nice! I really love my 6'th grade teacher, Mr.Goul!(Hi mr. Goul! It's Kaylene!) XD lolololololololololol XP

I completely agree with the latest post from 2-7-2009. The princial is lacking in the leadership department and seems to be focused on the 2nd school he is in charge off. There a few teachers that do not know what they are doing and are a complete waist of the childres and parents time. If you don't have a principle you can turn to when your child is in need, what is the point? I have a 6th and a 4th grader at Phoebe, and as the years have passed I have become more and more disapointed with the leadership at the school.
—Submitted by a parent

The parents at this school have worked very hard and have fought tooth and nail to keep desirable programs, like art and music, afloat. And of course, the kids are great! Unfortunately, leadership is lacking at this school and the teaching my child received was very uneven. Personal experience with some teaching staff was extremely unprofessional. A small school like this one doesn't afford much choice when teachers aren't meeting your child's need. And the principal is doing very little to weed out those teachers who are just 'biding their time,' while they waste the precious time of the students they are trained professionally to serve and inspire.
—Submitted by a parent

One of the top elementary schools in the district because it attracts good students. It has built on its success by continuing to attract motivated/involved parents who want to have their kids surrounded with like-minded families. It is not a neighborhood school, so all prospective students must apply through open enrollment. Significantly, this means that the school draws the kids of academically activist parents with high expectations and typically a home environment that augments the school's academics. But, like any school, the student's experience will vary by the teacher. Some PH teachers are just okay and some are great. I believe the school's strength comes from the parents that expect much from their own children. (One child is former Phoebe Hearst alum and one is currently at the school.)
—Submitted by a parent