Barnard Elementary School

My Third grader loves the school and so do we as parents. His grades in both Chinese and English are fantastic! Most of the third graders are point destination students from around the county, whose parents are heavily commited to & invested in their child's success. Wouldn't it be nice to learn chinese without sacrificing (but instead excelling) on ELA end? Please take a minute to review this schools 3rd graders CST scores. When conventional wisdom suggests test scores should take an initial dip via immersion model, they have only done the opposite. In fact, CST's are at record highs!
—Submitted by a parent

I highly recommend this school as our child has flourished under their guidance. Both his Chinese and English skills are growing everyday and he LOVES going to school. We also greatly appreciate the home resources to assist in learning Chinese, such as the free access to the BetterChinese site that allows them to get extra practice despite not having anyone at home who speaks the language. Don t worry about them not having enough instruction in English, my child was only able to barely sound out words like P-A-T when starting kindergarten and by November of first grade is easily reading Arthur books aloud to us and even chapter books such as The Magic Tree House. It s amazing how some of our English learners have excelled in Chinese too, many even better than the native English speakers! A bilingual and trilingual generation is being created here, come join us! Can t wait for the school to expand next year in their new Pacific Beach cluster location. (Ignore old reviews from this site as they were written before the school became a magnet and the administration has changed for the better since then)
—Submitted by a parent

Our son is a 1st-grader at Barnard. He loves his teachers & they do a great job of integrating Chinese culture in a way that is age-appropriate & engaging (song & dance, role playing, etc.). It is great to see how much Chinese he already able to speak, write, & comprehend. When kids came from Taiwan & China during the summer program, I was amazed at how much he was already able to communicate! Also, our son is an above-level English reader, & Barnard s teachers were proactive to place him in a group so he could be challenged & encouraged to keep learning at a pace appropriate for his abilities. Barnard s teachers are extremely forward-thinking & our school benefits from student teachers & interns that are additional resources for our students in the face of budget cuts. It's no wonder why we just won a $1 million grant, the administration is superb! The after-school programs also are really good, currently he takes chess & Korean, & really is thriving & loving it! The parents are very engaged & are good at fund-raising & are very innovative about finding ways to improve our school. I feel there is real future in our kids at Barnard & am excited to be a part of it!
—Submitted by a parent

My son comes home with some amazing Mandarin skills after being in the immersion program for only 5 months. Neither parent speaks Mandarin, so it's all down to the school. When we test him on an iPad at home, he does great. Wish the current school had some grass, but there will be plenty when the school moves to their new location during the summer break.
—Submitted by a parent

My nephew is thriving in this school. He's been in the immersion program since kinde. In the face of budget cuts in the district, this school community has found ways to support excellent teaching. There are interns who help in the classroom from Taiwan and China. The cross cultural programs are fantastic. My nephew is excelling in both Mandarin and basic subjects. There is a rich variety of activities and after school programs. The teachers are engaging and the parents are involved. My nephew gets a lot of personal attention.

This is the best school in San Diego. If you want your child to have great teachers,principal and best academic. Then you should consider this school. I live 25 mins from school,but I have to scarify to drive for the best education for my son.
—Submitted by a parent

Our daughter is the youngest child in her class (late November birthday) and has flourished at Barnard. We were concerned that her age and maturity combined with the added stress of learning a new language would delay her academic abilities. This did not occur, and instead she is getting top marks in all of her subjects. The principal is incredibly dedicated and enthusiastic, the teaching staff is exceptional, and their little brains absorb a shocking amount of mandarin. We also love the community at Barnard between the teachers and parents. It is a great place. We are so excited to send our son in a few years!
—Submitted by a parent

Barnard is a great community. My daughter has enjoyed her fellow students, her teachers, and administration. She has excelled in Mandarin as well as English, math and social studies. I have enjoyed the parent community and involvement of parents and staff. Everyone there is ready, bright, smiling, and productive. Learning occurs in a positive and engaging environment.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is currently in kindergarten at Barnard, and he loves it. It is amazing how much Mandarin he has learned in such a short amount of time, in addition to his English reading and writing skills. The teachers are wonderful and so attentive to each child's individual needs. It's a far cry from what I've heard from some of my friends' kids' schools. This school was definitely the best choice for us.
—Submitted by a parent

I LOVE this school! My kids are thriving in math, science, english, and mandarin. This school has a rigorous academic curriculum, and my kids' english learning has not fallen behind. In fact, both my kids are reading above grade level in english, as are most of the kids in their classes. That is a testament to the dedication of the principal, teachers, staff, and parents, who go above and beyond to make this school a success. My kids did not speak mandarin before attending this school, nor do we speak mandarin at home. Most kids attending the school are NOT native mandarin speakers, and parents don't need to know mandarin to help with school work. Check out the latest CST scores, and particularly the GAINS in the CST scores since the mandarin immersion model has been adopted. Learning a new language develops neurological activity in the brain that will help our kids not only in language development, but in overall brain development. Barnard is dedicated to producing smart, balanced, culture-sensitive kids, who will be ready to tackle the 21st century world. I LOVE this school!
—Submitted by a parent

I love this school! My 1st grader attends Barnard and I have been thrilled with the community feeling of the school. I believe that learning another language at such a young age will give my daughter lifelong benefits. If you are considering Barnard, please sign up for a tour. To clear up two myths: 1) You don't have to live nearby to enroll (we are 10 miles away). 2) Most parents of Barnard kids don't speak Chinese and you don't need to speak Chinese to help your child with her homework. Barnard has incredibly talented teachers with unique skills, offers online tools to help your child learn, and is a high-profile school that some people drive to daily from over 35 miles away. I absolutely recommend it!
—Submitted by a parent

This school is a testament to how so much can be done with limited resources if you have motivation, dedicated teachers and staff, and amazing children who are ready for any challenge. Not only is Barnard a model for Mandarin Immersion but a shining example of the capability of young minds to thrive academically while achieving fluency in another language. As a parent I sincerely thank Principal Park, the teachers and staff, and the PTA for their continuous efforts in promoting and supporting a forward-thinking and successful program.
—Submitted by a parent

My Child loves her school! The teachers are so engaging with their students, encouraging and they make the children want to learn more! This immersion program is very challenging; it s amazing how the kids learn Mandarin so quickly. There is lots of parent involvement in the classrooms, at events and outside of school. Barnard provides tools for parents to help teach and support their child with their English Class. Principal Park is always greeting parents in the morning during daily assembly and after school. I love this school, I love that its diverse, classes are less than 25, amazing parent participation and that all the students are so happy!
—Submitted by a parent

My son is a kinder and he attends Barnard. We "choiced" into this school from Willow Grove, our neighborhood school in the PUSD. The classroom sizes are manageable for kinder children (23 kids in one class). My son is already speaking Mandarin. The administrative staff is very attentive to the kids. The Principal is very engaged with the teachers, Board, kids, and parents. He never stops working for the education of these kids. This is a school for parents and kids who put education and language as a priority.
—Submitted by a parent

Barnard Mandarin Chinese Elementary School is a wonderful school. It's Mandarin Chinese program is an outstanding program. All the teachers work together and work smart to improve the effectiveness with the students. The teachers stay after school to give extra help to the students. Barnard Mandarin school encourages parents to partner with teachers and other parents. We are a family that works together for the betterment of our children.
—Submitted by a parent

After transferring from another public school in area we are amazed every day at how AWESOME Barnard is. Principal Parks has done incredible things with this school and he creates a true community feel. He is a forward thinker which is imperative with the state of California schools today. The teachers are top notch helping the children excel on all levels. Our son is flourishing at Barnard. We are so thankful.
—Submitted by a parent

Barnard is a great school! My Son and Daughter have attended since Kindergarten and they love learning Mandarin. They have learned so much and can now have conversation in Mandarin between themselves. The Teachers, Principle and staff are amazing!
—Submitted by a parent

Barnard's doing a great job of combining SDUSD's curriculum with immersion in mandarin. The upper grades are not immersion, but get a period a day of mandarin instruction taught by native speakers. Our child is keeping up with her peers at other schools, and also learning to communicate in a second language. We dont speak a second language at home, so its a real gift to be able to have her learn a second language at no extra cost. The parents and staff are very committed to the success of the school, as can be seen by the number of parents on campus helping with classrooms, events, etc. The staff has also been very responsive to suggestions on program improvements, considering each carefully and replying with the reasoning behind any decision. We look forward to the rest of 'our' time at Barnard.
—Submitted by a parent

Barnard has an amazing PTA, super involved parents who are volunteering continuously in the classrooms, highly knowledgeable staff, great leadership, and a great group of kids. This is a fantastic school to work at and I cannot think of any other school I'd rather be at. The moral amongst all is quite high across the board.
—Submitted by a teacher

I love this school. We had spent many winters in San Diego and started researching schools when our children became of school age. Though the facilities were much more run down than our very new schools in the Mid-West, we were so impressed with the curriculum, the teachers, the principal and staff, we decided to move our kids here during the school year to get an A+ education. I have a 2nd grader and a kindergartner here and they are both thriving!! Both in English and in Mandarin. My kinder is very naturally speaking Mandarin after 1 semester. I am now able to communicate with her in Chinese. The great thing is that the siblings (I have 3 total) that actually are teaching each other. I have become super involved in the school to make sure we are all on the right track. We could always use more parent involvement but that is every school. The principal really has a vision for the program and the school and he is very impressive! The parents are also very giving and have a very open mind. They want the best for their kids and are willing to work for it!!!
—Submitted by a parent