Rachel Carson Elementary School

I am a teacher at a local high school and so far every single student that came to our school from Carson elementary has been academically driven, responsible,polite, honest and speaks highly of the social environment of the school and the positive involvement of the principal and staff.

My son attended Carson, K-5. I am afraid I must disagree with the one parents comment. My son, was a young kinder, and with the attentive teachers he had they recognized his disabilty. He was left handed...they found a college student to help him with his fine motor skills. He was retained, his academic skills were off the charts but they felt that he would benefit from one more year to hone his fine motor skills.Their sensitivity was that as they put all the students names in a hat and drew out "special helpers" to come back next year. He is a 3.8-4.0 student. I feel that Carson and the teachers there have paved the way to my sons academic success. I also feel that strong parent participation and being aware of your own childs needs are important. In the two years that my son was in the Carson Kinder...I was active in the class. Never once did I see or hear an unkind act/word towards a child. There was always a balance. The children knew the rules and were expected abide by them. But never berated or ridiculed. They were being prepared for the real world outside of the comfort of the kinder class. I am so thankful for everything this school and teachers have shared with my son!!!
—Submitted by a parent

wow! So shocked to read the negative blog concerning carson's kinder class. I've had three kids go through that class, two years of sixty kids, and I can't say enough wonderful things about the teachers, their organizational methods, and how they treat the kids. They not only showed that they cared about the children's success, but were loving and respectful. My children didn't want to leave at the end of the year. Maybe, this negative parent should of kept the child in the class longer than two months. These teachers have a fantastic track record!
—Submitted by a parent

My son attended kindergarten at Carson for 2 months. The first day we were surprised to find out that the school had combined two kindergarten classrooms, so there were 60 students in one class. Although there were two teachers, we were deeply concerned about how they could manage 60 four, five and six year olds. Through yelling, humiliation and robotic, uncreative lessons it turns out. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine a kindergarten classroom would be so unpleasant. Volunteering there was so stressful, at times depressing to watch how the students were treated. Almost zero regard for their emotional well being. The lack of parent involvement was also surprising until I met the principal. I then realized that the cold, entrenched attitude came from the top and parents were discouraged from getting involved in anything other than raising money. We transferred out after two months. This school needs a serious overhaul in leadership
—Submitted by a parent

I have two of my children whom attend this school and I think that there are maybe a handful of teachers that actually know what they are doing. The Principle is another story and tends to play favorites with certain students. There are NO crosswalks with supervision or in the school parking lot or on the outside of the school perimeter to watch students crossing the street. I have tried for 3 yrs to transfer my kids but the school district does not care about parents concerns.
—Submitted by a parent

We've had two children at Carson so far (one more will attend in a few more years) and our experience has been excellent. The teachers are dedicated and supportive and the administration is great. Our younger child is in special education at Carson and we just feel very blessed to have her there. The program and her teacher, Ms. Rodman, are wonderful and she is thriving. There is a very active PTA and the school offers a great afterschool progam as well as a homework center. They are starting to offer music classes, not an easy task in these budget crunch times we live in. I highly recommend this school.
—Submitted by a parent

I used the No Child Left Behind Program to get my daughter into this school based on its high rating compared to other San Jose Unified schools. Her teacher in absolutely wonderful and the instruction in English and math are superb. As mentioned by other reviewers, the arts and sciences fail to meet parent expectations, but this is rather a state curriculum issue. The only real criticism I have of the school is a safety concern, as the campus is open and very easily accessible to anyone, particularly when children are being dismissed. The administration has failed to implement a 'check-out' system.
—Submitted by a parent

Love the school.My daughter was there from k-5. She loved it. Didn't want to leave . My son has been going there the past 2 years and has the same experience. Great School, great teachers and very friendly staff.
—Submitted by a parent

I attended Carson when I was a kid and had such a good time that I sent my son there as well. I have been disappointed with Carson, however. The teachers are so overwhelmed that they have little time for individual attention. I also wish there were programs such as art, music or science. I know these things are a funding issue and everyone there is just trying to do a good job! But if you're looking for a school with lots of resources, you will be disappointed in Carson, unfortunately.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has gone to Carson school since October of last year. I can honestly say that our experience with the school so far has been filled with ,mixed emotions. On one hand, we are happy with the progress that he has made and are happy with the attitude of one of his teachers. But the other teacher that he has in his class is very lackidazical about the progress that he has made.
—Submitted by a parent

One of the best schools, teacher are very responsive to students needs and the media center is an excellent skill builder.
—Submitted by a parent

Clean, inviting school with warm and caring teachers and staff. A wonderful academic program with a sincere sense of community. Highly involved parents, very supportive PTA, central location with many families who walk to school daily and really reinforce the whole family experience to incorporate the school.
—Submitted by a parent