McKinley Elementary School

My daughter is currently in kindergarten at Mckinley. I was a bit nervous about the school because it is in 'School Improvement', meaning test score improvements have not kept pace with the requirements of NCLB. However, now that a good chunk of her first public school year has gone by, I am very glad I chose to send her to our local school. The new principal, Cher Mott, is very motivated and energized. The teachers that I have met so far are all dedicated and seem talented (admittedly, I have only observed my own daughter's teacher so far). I think overall, the school's administration and teaching staff are unified and organized in their effort to improve the school despite continued cuts to education and rigid curriculum guidelines imposed by the state. I gave only 4 stars because I wish that in general public education were more progressive, not the school's fault.
—Submitted by a parent

My children have attended McKinley since Kindergarten and have had a great time at McKinley. Regrettably the discipline at the school has become a problem. Kids caught fighting are put on in school suspension. These same kids return to class and get into another fight the follow day. In my experience the Principal has difficulty working with 'some' parents. This is odd because SLUSD encourages parent participation. My son has even been questioned by the principal about my presence at school. Overall, I love McKinley and feel the teachers are doing a awesome job. Mrs. Ball a fourth grade teacher, takes her kids on standardized based field trips and several teachers have in class projects that bring a hands on approach to learning that works well w/kids. The outdoor education program, math club and organized play at recess shows that McKinley teachers care about their students.
—Submitted by a parent

Last year I had noticed that McKinley's rating was lower than some other schools, but when I looked at the school composition, I realized that McKinley was taking in a lot of the 'harder' students and succeeding in educating them.
—Submitted by a parent

I am very happy with this school. My son use to be in a charter school before which was a good school, but he needed something closer to home.
—Submitted by a parent

McKinley is a school that has undergone many changes over the years that our children have attended. Overall, we have been very happy with the education that they have recieved. Appropriate recommendations were made when it became apparent that one of our children had a learning disability. This child has happily remained at McKinley, and has thrived. We understand that we are undergoing another change in principals--perhaps for the better.
—Submitted by a parent

The principal is dedicated to his students. They seem to be on the up and up. Every childs needs are important and are addressed.
—Submitted by a parent

We have two children who have attended since K level. One has moved on middle school and is doing well. The individual learning capabilities of this school is strong with core group of very dedicated teachers. Have been very pleased with the ciruculum and strong teaching styles. New pricinpal in the past 2 years has added strong leadership and structure to the school and children. There is small but dedicated parent group which for it size gets tremendous amount done, but could be do more with more parent involvement. Pleased with the Elementary & Middle School (Bancroft) that stundents feed into.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children who attend McKinley, I truly am comfortable with the school. My expierence with the teachers is great. Should I have any questions or problems, they take the time to answer and help. I think having music, art and p.e is helpful and enjoyable for the students. It gives each child a chance to expierence their different talents. As far as parent involvement, I am not in PTO. However, when my children's teachers or classrooms need anything,I as a parent am there to help and have helped tremendously.
—Submitted by a parent

McKinley is changing, in my opinion, for the better. I have had three kids go through here in the past nine years and the scool is getting safer and more caring. I'm not sure about the changes that have been happening but the test scores are going up and my son comes home and tells me that he is having fun. That's good enough for me.
—Submitted by a parent

Three principals in 5 years has not helped McKinley but the teaching staff is very stable and dedicated. While the instruction during class is very good, the school offers almost no activities outside of class time. Yet, the field trips are common and take advantage of the many opportunities in the Bay Area. One unfortunate problem is that very few parents and teachers participate in the PTO. The site council is also underrepresented. Overall, considering that many students come from homes where English is not the first language and where students are constantly joining and leaving the school due to families moving, this school does quite well.
—Submitted by a parent

Our son just completed Kindergarten at McKinley, where he attended for only 2 1/2 months. In just those few months, I became very comfortable and felt very trusting towards the teachers. I was completely pessimistic about sending my child to a public school because so many people filled my head with negativity towards pubic schools in general. So much so that when he did enter Kindergarten, I didn't enroll him in our neighborhood school, I transferred him out of district to, what I thought, was utopia. It was an alternative school w/in a public school district. Wow - all the qualities and values without the pricetag! Wrong. I came to find out that if we put our energy into our neighborhoods, like so many of our neighbors do, there is alot of good things going on. Number one is the teachers - taking the time to speak with the parent, really listening to you and inviting you into the classroom. The teachers do alot, what puts a class, a school over the top is our involvement. I saw all that at McKinley.