Baywood Elementary School

Its only improved since I went there. Its great in that you get to go with and make friends with kids in YOUR OWN neighborhood. Beautiful old school in a district where parents care and children work hard. While parents of OTHER areas want to bus their kids all the way over here, its great that kids can instead walk to their OWN neighborhood schools. GO BAYWOOD!!!

I have been a part of the Baywood Community for 5 years now. My two sons have made great friends and our Cub Scout den is diverse. The test scores of my sons are very high and I love the ability to volunteer in the classroom and enjoy seeing other fathers and mothers volunteering lots of time for their children's education. The annual fundraising auction raises a lot of money and is tons of fun.
--Submitted by a parent

My child is from a "cultural background" and we happen to live on "that" side of San Mateo. He is now attending private school in San Francisco where he is the smartest student in his class by far. In seek of a more progressive and well rounded education for our son, we have recently inquired about enrolling him into Baywood Elementary. When we called, the lady pleasantly asked for our address. When given, her response was "Oh... You live on THAT side of San Mateo. I'm going to have to call you back." To say the least, I was shocked. However, had I taken the time to read some of the reviews on this site before hand, it wouldn't have surprised me one bit. It's a shame that my son's opportunites for a brighter future are based on LOCATION and not EDUCATION.
--Submitted by a parent

Baywood is truly a wonderful place for a child to experience elementary school. I have had two children attend this school and my only two complaints are the lack of green lawn to run and play and the attendance of children who do not live in the neighborhood. Most people purchase their home in this neighborhood to send their children to Baywood (although that number is dropping - more moving in and going private). This is a very expensive neighborhood and most work very hard to buy here. The school busses in children who do not live in the neighborhood. These children come from a variety of cultural backgrounds but the one thing they have in common is their socioeconomic situation. Big deal, right? Well, it ends up being a big deal because the parents supplement the costs of a well rounded education. Those "parents" being the ones who actually live in the neighborhood. As the funding is cut more each year, it is up to the parents to make up the difference. However, the list of those willing to do so gets smaller each year while the population grows with children who do not live in the neighborhood. Something to think about...
--Submitted by a parent

Wow----18 of the recent glowing reviews were written on or around 10/13-15, 2009. What- did everyone sit down and do them together?? Just asking.....

Excellent administration that cares. Lots of parental involvement. Get's about 16,000 hours of parent volunteer time per year. PTA raises over $200,000 per year for programs. Great.
--Submitted by a parent

The teachers are not only experienced and highly competent, they also care about each student individually and are responsive to parents' concerns about their child's progress. The Lifeskills program seemed corny to me at first, but I have become a huge fan after seeing how Lifeskills have enabled my son to handle challenging new situations with confidence. There does seem to be some tension between parents of different socioeconomic backgrounds, but it does not seem to be intentional. Perhaps it is just awkward for some people to be outside their comfort zone when interacting with someone from a very different background. Even the students seem to clump with others from similar backgrounds. The school and each class do solicit donations rather frequently, but the funds appear to be well spent on enhancing students' educational experience. The on-site after school care is excellent. This school is probably as good as it gets.
--Submitted by a parent

It's not just a school, it's a village! I'm part of a large family of sharp and funny folk who don't mind working l-o-n-g hours for our very stimulating young sponges. I don't have a job here, I have a daily adventure! And...out of a 20 school district, we have the highest state test scores! (Plus a great Mac computer Lab!)
--Submitted by a teacher

Baywood has awesome teachers that meet the needs of all students. The school has as so many opportunities for volunteering that all parents can find a way to contribute to the school community.
--Submitted by a parent

It teaches more than academics - my daughter is learning to respect herself, her friends and the environment
--Submitted by a parent