Lakeshore Alternative Elementary School

Lakeshore is the most diverse public elementary school in San Francisco and it is one of the best. I have 2 children at the school; it was my first choice and I'm so satisfied. Parent involvement is strong, the PTA is active,our core enrichment programs of Gardening, Art, and Motor Perception are excellent and well funded, the teachers are committed and the principal connects with the students, works well with parents and reaches out to all of the communities at the school. Working parents can choose between two before and after-school programs.
—Submitted by a parent

Lakeshore is a school that really supports all the students to become creative thinkers and problem solvers through tons of hands on project based work and many amazing programs. The teachers are phenomenal and seem committed to this integrated learning despite the pressures of the testing system. Parent community is very involved and I am surprised by the last reviewers assessment of the principal. I see her as a dedicated and very hard working leader who takes time to get to know the kids. She has implemented some great curriculum initiatives and a strong message of responsive conflict prevention and resolution school wide. She gets involved in community events and I think she is doing a good job running a school of this size without an assistant, (though she could really use one)!!
—Submitted by a parent

Great teachers, awesome garden, decent facility, and a very diverse student body. PTA is very active and sponsors a LOT of programs: motor skills, gardening, studio art, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, taiko drumming, storytelling. There are many teachers here that are 25+ year veterans - that says a lot about the community! One caveat - the principal is horrible. She's impossible to work with, and sabotages parent involvement in any way possible. I hear that the teachers are not pleased with her either... Test scores and parent satisfaction have plummeted under her administration. She's generally an elephant in the living room - ignore it and walk around, and keep the community solid!
—Submitted by a parent

We have really enjoyed the community at Lakeshore. The school is diverse and has much to offer, including daily Mandarin class. The 9:30 start time works well with our schedule and we have had a very positive experience at Lakeshore!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter loves Lakeshore and her teacher! We have been very happy here and have found a great community of families. The teachers and staff are incredibly skilled and dedicated to the students. We love the diversity of students and programs offered.
—Submitted by a parent

We just started in kindergarten at Lakeshore and are really excited about it . We have three of the four K teachers, all of whom are excellent. The teaching methods have far surpassed my expectations so far and both parents and teachers are involved. Its a really well rounded GE program with integrated enrichment that includes Science in the Garden, Studio Art and Motor perception. After and before school options are affordable and very high quality My kids are taking Mandarin classes five days a week and the after care run by child development professionals rounds out their day really well. Best of all, they love it and are really thriving in this expansive, green environment filled with gardens and places to explore. Many of the teachers had children there or went there themselves, so the community feeling runs deep. Early days for us but so far its an amazing place to be and we feel lucky to be there!
—Submitted by a parent

Lots of dedicated and experienced teachers - last night a bunch of teachers stayed until 8 pm to play math and literacy games with the children. One of the teachers takes families on hikes on weekends. A good balance of structure and core curriculum with "enrichment" programs such as poetry, gardening, yoga.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter got sent to James Denman Middle School (school rating: 3) in Fall 2011 because she was a Lakeshore graduate. She's having nightmares all the time after she goes to Denman. We tried to apply to other middle schools, but SFUSD still put my daughter to Denman sneakily. If you don't care that your kids will go to Denman after 5th grade, Lakeshore is not too bad to go to. My daughter didn't learn much at Lakeshore because the teachers she had weren't that good. For lunch time, the principle only gives kids 20 minutes from getting lunch, eating lunch and dumping lunch garbage. A lot of kids feel starving after school. It's very unhealthy.
—Submitted by a parent

My son graduated in May 2011 and has assigned to James Denmand Middle School which is a very terrible school. Although the school district said that the elementary-to-middle school feeder pattern policy is in effective in 2017, the school district has already started putting Lakeshore graduates in James Denmand Middle School.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is in 2nd grade and he absolutely loves going to school each day. In fact he often begs me to stay after school. Lakeshore is wonderful for many reasons: dedicated parents that are looking out for all of the children-not just their own; very experienced teachers; a truly diverse student body and wonderful enrichment programs. The school has also gone through ADA improvements therefore the facility is top notch. The gardening program is amazing - there are gardens in several locations in the school bursting with trees, flowers, vegetables and fruit. The PTA also funds Motor Perception, Yoga, Dance, Drama, Music, Studio Art and much, much more. Everyday Magic, the before and after school program is great. My son loved the camps they run in the summer as well. There are several Chinese language programs before and after school. My son is in his second year of Cantonese. He loves that he's learning a language that mom and dad don't know! To conclude I feel incredibly lucky that we found Lakeshore and did well with the lottery. This school is packed with diverse, enriching, learning experiences (and a lot of fun) for your child.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is second grader and I don't think she learn much this year. Not like Kindergarden and first grade. It really depend on the teachers. If you are lucky get into the good and responsible teacher, your kid will learn a lot. So it not really the school. I don't like it the field every week and plus the furlong days. what else they can learn?
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are outstanding the school is a great school academically and I love how they really encourage parent volunteering!!! It's a great little community we have here.
—Submitted by a parent

Lakeshore has great enrichment programs such as plays and gardening.
—Submitted by a parent

Parental involvement help inspire the teachers to work hard in educating their childre, everyone wins especially the children!
—Submitted by a parent

A diverse and loving community! A gem of the San Francisco school district.
—Submitted by a parent

Lakeshore Alternative Elementary provide excellence academic programs, my daughter loves the Yoga, motor skills, library days....etc and many other activities. This a a great school.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is the second generation of my family to attend school at Lakeshore. She loves Lakeshore as much as I did when I was a student there. The same excellent academic enrichment programs that were there 25 years ago are still going strong with many new programs.
—Submitted by a parent

Lakeshore Alternative Elementary School has great academic programs and teachers, plus an amazing collection of enrichments made possible by the staff and the PTA and parents. The gardening program, drama/music/vocals, poetry, motor skills, librarians among other activities plus lots of cultural diversity. A great, well rounded school!
—Submitted by a parent

I love teaching at Lakeshore. The rich diversityof the community make it special. Lakeshore maintains its focus on high expectations, the arts, mindfulness, and community building, which all make it a very special place. I feel lucky to have found Lakeshore to be my 2nd home.
—Submitted by a teacher

Wonderful programs (art,poetry,gardening, motor perception) and excellent teachers.
—Submitted by a parent