Claire Lilienthal Elementary School

Sounds like one parent had one bad experience and wrote an extremely harsh review. Ouch! My experience of Mr Hack is completely different He is caring and a good communicator with an open door policy. Knows all the kids by name and tries to reach out to them.
--Submitted by a parent

We love the school!!! Great teachers and community!! Our son is VERY happy there, he has learned so much. His teachers keep him constantly challenged while fostering his self confidence and love of learning. The parent association is extremely involved and has done a tremendous job. We cannot recommend it more!!
--Submitted by a parent

The parents and school staff work together to make a great school for the kids.
--Submitted by a parent

It is a great school with a wonderful reputation in San Francisco. The principal, teachers, and most importantly, Parents all understand and work together to ensure our children have a well-rounded education even if the government will not help pay for it. My kids have enjoyed it and I highly recommend it. Thanks Lilienthal!
--Submitted by a parent

We are now in our fifth year at CLS. Overall, the quality of the instruction that we have experienced has been excellent. The teachers we are dedicated and honoring of each child. The students' families work hard to contribute where and what they can to help make up for what is no longer covered by the state budget, from PE to the Arts. From our experience, it continues to be a great public school. And, of course, there's always room for improvement.
--Submitted by a parent

As a African American Parent who's child attends Claire Lilienthal, the missing piece is lack of diversity. There is only one African American staff member (teacher's aide). I would like to see more staff diversity to meet the needs of minority students. The teachers are mediocre. The teachers are very receptive to parent participation in the classroom from my experience. This was one of the reasons I choose this school due to the model of parent involvement. It appears to be a class system of the haves and have nots. The wealthy parents seem to be more respected than the regular working class parents.
--Submitted by a parent

I have been in this school K-8. (I'm in 8th grade now) and I would like to say how this is the best public school in the bay area for any child to go to without a doubt. The school is simply outstanding with what it does with parent involvement despite outrageous budget cuts by the state. Yes, im only 13. I am applying to the top high schools with the great preparation this school has given me.
--Submitted by a student

I agree with the last parent to write about Lilienthal. This school is in an extremely desirable/safe part of S.F.. I wanted my child to go there for that reason, as did the other parents I came to know at Claire. Safety is a priority in S.F.. Claire was in transition the whole enrollment of my child-7 years. Going through 3/4 principals. I feel there are teachers that really care and give their best, I felt overall there were more that did not. Sadly. Hooray for the parent involvement, they are welcomed,needed, and be prepared to give! Unfortunately, some teachers fought against music class, and we had no art classes. No AP classes in middle school. FYI: gifted students are not given more challenging work, than the other students, the 'Honors' that show on report cards, is there if they have good grades from regular curriculum. More high school/college prep is really needed here.
--Submitted by a parent

I read the review posted most recently and I am assuming it is not written by a parent as it suggests. or, it is written by an enthusiastic parent, one who appreciates their child attending a school that is safe, clean; where children are generally respected and parents are able to participate in making it a better school than were parents discouraged from helping. But the school is still in transition regarding the quality of education at the Middle School level. By contrast, there are no AP offerings at the school as one would find at a significantly larger school, such as A.P. Giannini or Presidio, where students who have achieved a level of excellence can prepare for matriculation in a better high school in the SFUSD system. That is simply not the case with Claire Lilienthal.
--Submitted by a parent

Claire Lilienthal s high test scores get better each year. The teachers are magnificent and motivate the children to learn and explore through hands-on activities. Parent involvement is strong and enhances opportunities for the children and supports the teachers in daily projects. Claire Lilienthal ranks at the top with top private schools in San Francisco which is one reason the demand for a seat is high. The school offers strong academics, a wonderful art curriculum, over-qualified yet passionate teachers, a language immersion program, a variety of sports for grades K-8, AP middle school classes, a safe environment and diversity. I'm glad I pressed to get my children into CLS. It was worth every ounce of stress. Good luck future parents!
--Submitted by a parent