Garfield Elementary School

The principal is excellent and knows how to mentor teachers. My daughter is learning by leaps and bounds. She loves her teacher and the After School Program, which offers a multitude of enrichment opportunities. The location could not be more beautiful and the teachers and staff are always attuned to my child's intellectual and emotional well-being. Garfield Elementary School is a gem.
--Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at Garfield. Our son is in Kindergarten and enjoys going to school. The school is small and intimate - the teachers know all the students. The principal and teachers are supportive and willing to work with the students to teach to the level of each child. The parents we are working with on the PTO are very involved, energetic and committed to supporting the school and the Principal.
--Submitted by a parent

2 of 2 Reviews regarding Peanut Allergy. Principal Ana's good friend is an emergency room chief at CPMC. She even talked to the ER cheif regarding our daughter. After only the first week of school, Garfield's principal Ana created a designated peanut table and monitor those students to wash their hands immediately after eating lunch. Good habits and hygiende too! Our classroom parents are very helpful and considerate of this matter, and they even learned how to use EPIPEN from us for our daughter! When we were going on school tours, we were very concerned to send her to a public kindergarten, but now we feel very safe to bring our daughter to Garfield!! Thank you very much to all parents, teachers, and special thanks to Principal Ana!!!!
--Submitted by a parent

I was very inpressed Garfield's school curriculum. At kinder level, they not only study and learn English, Math, PE, but also there are social studies, Science, Music, Art, Cooking, Journal class using a computer. All children get along very well, and also parents communicate very well, too. After school program is quite enriched, such as art, basketball, science, poetry, origami, cooking, volleyball, Chinese, Spanish, French, Italian, Hawaiian, Japanese, Dance, Gardening, Yoga, Girls soccor, and so on. Our daughter is taking a piano lesson once a week. She really enjoys school and playing and studying with her friends!!!!
--Submitted by a parent

1 of 2 Reviews regarding Peanut Allergy. Our daughter has a life-thretening Peanut allergy. I went to visit more than 40 SFUSD schools, and I found out some schools had a designated peanut table. Only a few schools would allow to have EPIPEN in the cafeteria. Most schools hold EPIPENs in their office only. Very few schools would allow to hold EPIPEN in the classroom at teacher's desk. In case of emergency, our daughter can't wait that long time to go get EPIPEN to the locked cabinet in an office. Garfield is the only school that would allow to carry EPIPEN on our daughter's person, in a fanny pack. Also at the Garfield school office, the administrator holds an EPIPEN for her, and Kindergarten classroom teacher Ms. Kelly holds for our daughter as well!! Principal Ana informed the entire school teachers and staff how severe of a peanut allergy our daughter has even before school started this Fall. Principal Ana even contacted the Fire Department in advance of school starting to alert the local fire station and gave them our allergy note we made. So when she went to school 1st day, everybody knew about and were aware of our daugher's condition!
--Submitted by a parent

I made a sudden and unplanned move to SF in March 2011 with my kindergarten-age son from Japan; I went to the Board of Education at 555 Franklin St to see which schools had immediate openings for my son. We got a list of 6 or 7 schools. Of course, none of the highly sought out schools (Alamo, Clarendon, etc) were on the list. One of the schools was Garfield. I visited with my son, and first, we fell in love with its locale - it is literally at the foot of Coit tower, with a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Magical. I decided to enroll my son in Garfield for the remaining 6 weeks of school, and then try getting him into a "better" school for the fall. But, during those 6 weeks at Garfield, I became a huge fan of the school. I think the biggest factor is the principal: she has a clear vision for the school, and she is patient, a fantastic listener, and respected by the children and teachers alike. Garfield is like a diamond in the rough. As another parent wrote, it doesn't have all the clubs and after school activities of other "hot" schools; but it has a lot of potential, and North Beach is a very nurturing community and a great place to raise children.
--Submitted by a parent

Wonderful home-school communication. All the teachers work together to ensure our children are doing well. I also love the way the integrate the regular ed with the special ed kids on a daily basis. They really celebrate diversity!
--Submitted by a parent

Garfield Elementry was awesome! I was there for only the first year in 5th grade after moving from Daly City. The first year I learned alot. I learned more then the schools in Daly City. The teachers were awesome! Go Dragons! =D
--Submitted by a student

The curriculum is full speed ahead. Children learn fast at higher levels than most kids there age. My child always has way too much homework. Depending on your expectations in a school it could be good or bad. The bad side of having too much book work is that there young creative sides are not only deprived but are also not able to grow and explore. Garfield is a small school. Between being a small school and having very few as far as parent participation don't expect much more than the basics, if even that. There is no after school clubs, nor sports. Just two after school baby siting type programs. If you need to settle for something that's 'ok for now' to stay clear of something worse, than this is a good school. Otherwise keep looking for something with more stability, art, clubs, sports, and parent participation.
--Submitted by a parent

Garfield is a great school, my son is in 1st grade and is benefiting from a solid education. He is taking free Mandarin Chinese lessons after school and is learning his regular curriculum rather quickly. If there is one thing that we would benefit from it is more parent involvement although the numbers seem to be growing this year.
--Submitted by a parent