Brittan Acres Elementary School

We are truly lucky to have our kids in this wonderful school. Every parent, teacher and of course, the principal, Mr. Triska, is fantastic! Mr. Triska, works tirelessly, continously making BA such a wonderful experience. His postive energy, attention to every possible detail, and responsiveness, while continously encouraging kids to achieve their goals, is truly amazing. My kids transitioned at the end of the school year!They blossomed due to the wonderful BA community.
—Submitted by a parent

We moved to San Carlos from a nearby city a few years ago. My daughter was switched mid-year to Brittan Acres. I am so awed and impressed with the level of professionalism from Mr Triska and the staff as well as the dedicated parents. Brittan Acres has such a wonderful impact on my daughter and her education. She had made wonderful friends and her learning has skyrocketed! At our old school we had some problems with bullies & the lack of response from both teachers & principal. There was one small incident at Brittan Acres and both my daughter's teacher and Mr Triska were very involved and we were very satisfied with his handling of the situation. We have had absolutely no problems since. We are so delighted that we made the decision to move to San Carlos and that my daughter is at Brittan Acres.
—Submitted by a parent

It's unfortunate that some of the reviews from a few years back are reducing the average rating because THIS SCHOOL IS EXCEPTIONAL! We moved from New York mid-year, and we have been so pleased at the quality of teachers, the passion and involvement of Principal Triska, and the support of the community overall, both in terms of hours and dollars. We have tried both private city schools and nurturing country schools, and we are so pleased that Brittan Acres marries the best of both - nurture with rigor, enrichment with traditional education, and community engagement with goal orientation.
—Submitted by a parent

Fantastic school! This is our 4th year at BA and we have two kids there. Aside from one year, the teachers have been EXCELLENT. Mr. Triska is truly amazing -- I don't think that we could ask for a better principal. Everyone knows that a school is truly run by its secretary, and Cathy Eitel is the BEST (as evidenced by a recent award that she received for the best school secretary in the county.) The parent involvement at BA is very strong and make a huge impact. Test scores are a bit lower b/c of a district decision to move the special needs kids to BA -- it's good for the kids and the lower scores don't mean anything related to actual student performance.
—Submitted by a parent

Principal Triska and his amazing teachers demonstrate their passion for teaching every day.
—Submitted by a parent

My son needs special education and Brittan Acres warmly welcomed the special day classes to their campus this year. Thanks for caring for all kids!
—Submitted by a parent

I have a child in 2nd and one in 4th grade. Both kid have attended BA since k and I am very happy with it. The staff is involved and seem to truly care about the kids. As an local Realtor, I know that the quality of the schools is a very important factor when families are looking in an area. I am proud of our San Carlos schools!
—Submitted by a parent

I have to agree with the hit or miss comment. I am a parent and I have not been satisfied with the teacher quality. In my child's class, kids have been given very similar activities over and over and I can see that most kids are very bored of the activities given to them. I hear some mean punishments that teacher has given. Sometimes she does not have very good control of the kids. Because of that, some kids hit and kick other kids. It maybe just my child's class, but we are considering transferring my child to another school.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of a 3rd grader and i have to say this is his first year attending Brittan Acres. This school has made a difference for my child. i love the school and his teacher is awsome!
—Submitted by a parent

Like most schools, it seems like hit or miss - depending on the teacher your child gets. I am not sure about the upper grades.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has since moved on to middle school from BA and he made a smooth transition because of the teachers and programs BA offers. 3 of my nephews now attend and they all love their teachers and kids. It is a great place to raise your children and an even better elementary school. Thank you BA!
—Submitted by a former student

We were extremely disappointed with the teacher quality and classroom environment at this school - our son who had previously loved school no longer wanted to go. We have since found a school with a more nurturing environment and once again, he enjoys going.
—Submitted by a parent

There is a lot of parental involvement and fundraising to keep programs intact. Overall the staff is very friendly and the teachers care a lot about the kids. They go the extra mile that is needed for children to succeed.
—Submitted by a parent

The K-1 classes offered by Mrs. Richard (and Mrs. Owens) and Mrs. Berriatua are phenomenal. The two classes are coordinated and very well managed. If a small number of students are excelling in both classes, they will be put together in a combined advanced reading group to allow maximum individualized progress. Unless you are fundamentally opposed to the K-1 concept, you should seriously consider this. Mrs. Goldberg has also been an excellent 2nd grade teacher. She is inexperienced, but she really cares and does a good job of pushing the kids and encouraging them to move ahead at their own pace.
—Submitted by a parent

Parents extremely involved -- a really great school community.
—Submitted by a parent

A very positive experience. Parents are involved and volunteer to run science programs, art in action, Great Books to enrich the programs. Classes are small, teachers are excellent.
—Submitted by a parent

Brittan Acres is and excellant school, not to mention all the excellant teachers and staff. I have not been more happier with a school then I have been with Brittan Acres.