Live Oak Elementary School

My son just started going to Live Oak Elementary Kindergarten. He did his preschool at stratford in Danville. We did a lot of research before deciding if he should go to Live Oak public or a private school. Considering we live in San Ramon and Live Oak is an awesome school we chose the same. We are happy. He is happy and Live Oak actually is exceeding our expectation. Very organized, consistent, engaging, and with discipline.
—Submitted by a parent

Superb Principal & Vice Principal! Great teachers - my son is a 3rd-grader and attended this school since Kindergarten! During school breaks, my son is always excited to go back to school.
—Submitted by a parent

My son attended K-grade in Live Oak last year. He loved it. The teachers were very responsible, offered great program to the kids and had done a excellent job to execute it. We moved from Pleasanton. Our elder daughter attended K-grade in Pleasanton. We thought Pleasanton schools were very good. However, Live Oak is even over our expectation. In short, we feel our son is in good hands so far.
—Submitted by a parent

It is one of the best school in my opinion. Both of my daughters are attending this school. All the teachers they encountered were very nice. They all paid lots of attention to details in class works. Both my wife and me volunteered in school extensively, so we saw lots of class activities. Some parents talked about outside school teaching boosting API score. That is true. But when you look around, you will see almost all the high API score schools are the same way. Compare with other states and other countries, California education standard is pretty low. Since over 50% students are from Asian family (India and China), they all have higher expectations to their kids. I do not see any thing wrong with that as long as kids happy. One parent mentioned that school did not communicate any health information with parents. That is not true. We received weekly email about what is going on in school. Overall, the whole Windemere and Gale Ranch area has the best schools. We love here.
—Submitted by a parent

I agree with that one bad apple parent. The school is average as the teachers are not really that great but students work hard outside the school which in turn reflects on API scores. Teachers expect the kids to be perfect and one of the teacher was running her classroom like it was a military training and she wanted the kids to OBEY to her and mind you not listen, and she does not have any kids. I was very concerned as a parent and she passed on this comment to the other teacher and all the teachers in my child's grade started treating her/him badly. The attitude of the teachers was very bad as I believe that teachers are like ladders for any child to reach the top in academics and behavior. They are not best role models as I can proudly say that what I'm today is because I had too many great teachers while growing up who I think even today as my role models. Teaching job is unlike any other job as they should have the commitment to produce best kids as they are the future citizens and generation for which parents and teachers are equally responsible.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been attending this school for last 2 years and I would give the "Excellent" rating for teachers, school admin staff, principal. This is one of the best elementary schools in SFO bayarea.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is awesome. Stellar academics, high expectations & an excellent learning atmosphere. Kids are happy, love their teachers & feel really safe. This is just the 3rd year since the school opened & it has everything a school needs to get the DIstinguished school status. The community support is great & parents are highly educated & very involved in their kids learning.
—Submitted by a parent

I've two children who have been attending Live Oak for the last 3 years. Overall, I would rate the school, teaching staff and the principal very highly, though there is always scope for improvement in specific areas. The school has children coming from very diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, which mirrors the population of California. The teachers are dedicated and take a great deal of interest in their jobs. A number of parents including my wife volunteer tirelessly to make the experience better for everyone. There was a comment from another parent about the language barrier, which I think exists only in the mind of the person who perceives it. All the children I've interacted with at the school speak fluent English and stats show that we do better than the state average on English. Many of the parents are not native english speakers, but, most of them are highly educated.
—Submitted by a parent

The ratings speak for themselves. It appears that one bad apple will always spoil the bunch. What a pity. The teachers greatly appreciate all the parents that have validated our hard work on this site and acknowledged our great dedication to our students.
—Submitted by a teacher

Live Oak is an incredible community, with stellar academics and happy kids. Teachers for this school were originally handpicked from the San Ramon school district when the school opened just a few years ago, and last year only the best and most experienced were retained (due to the CA budget shortfall). We have two children in the school now for several years, all teachers we've encountered here were veterans who consistently go above and beyond the call of duty. The children are thriving in a culture that encourages excellence, is inclusive and fair.
—Submitted by a parent

The school is average - at best. The school and the teaching staff is not what it looks like on paper. Most of the kids at the school are educated outside of schooltime, which effects the overall API scores. The API tests in CA have such low standards, that most children across the country will score high. Some teachers at this school do the bare minimum to get by. Parents are dual-working, and a lot have language barriers. The same parents volunteer over and over and its not a large group of parents. There is no GATE program to speak of - its minimal; teachers do not understand differentiated education, and the safety is questionable. The principal never reports health issues or alerts parents of danger in the area. The ratings are false.
—Submitted by a parent

My kids are so happy with the school. The teachers are organized and motivate the students. The principal runs a tight ship with the school overall very organized and clean.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has very experienced teachers. They are very caring and provide special attention to kids. It has a very good infrastructure and had terrific music classes. I like the way kids are progressing here.
—Submitted by a parent

Live Oak is a great learning environment for kids - experienced teachers, new facility, wonderful and safe school.
—Submitted by a parent

Live Oak is a great school with lots of opportunities for kids to come up. My kids love going to Live Oak.
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are fantastic my daughter has a great time in school.
—Submitted by a parent

Great teachers, good involvement from parents, excellent facilities
—Submitted by a parent

Great teaching staff, great facilities, diverse student community and excellent parent involvement makes this a fantastic place to learn and grow.
—Submitted by a parent

I am so happy to have two children attending Live Oak. The facility is great, the instructors are outstanding and the parents participation is above chart!! Go Live Oak!
—Submitted by a parent

I love the energy and commitment to the students that the staff exhibits. There is an immense sense of pride within the students and excitement for learning. It's contagious to the point that the parents are eager to get involved and be a part of the growth of our new school.
—Submitted by a parent