Stevenson Ranch Elementary School

We moved to Stevenson Ranch 16 years ago, when our oldest child was 10 months old, because of the reputation of the Newhall school district. As a parent with children who've attended and continue to attend Stevenson Ranch Elementary since 2001, I've never regretted that decision. I'm impressed with the level of dedication from teachers and staff, as well as parent volunteers. I'm as equally impressed with the additional resources we are fortunate enough to have at SRE. I have a child who struggled with math concepts and another child who's challenge was reading comprehension, and SRE offers before school intervention for both subjects. So if a child needs that extra help, it is available and you need only take advantage of what is offered. This school also has an excellent GATE program that my middle child could not wait to attend every morning. I now have children in both jr. high and high school, and the education they received at SRE was a strong foundation which prepared them for their current success. The classes at Rancho Pico JH and West Ranch HS are no joke. I actually can't fathom how anyone could give this school anything other than a stellar review.
—Submitted by a parent

GREAT School!! -- This school is for you if you want your child to excel academically. Teachers and administrative staff are very supportive and caring. My son loves going to school!
—Submitted by a parent

Great school, my son did 6th grade at the school. He home schooled every year before going to SRE. He really enjoyed going to school and making friends, he became motivated to study harder the subjects he didn't like. The teachers, staff and Principal are very involved. The Principal always returned my communication. She took diciplinary action when there was question of bullying. She took time to go into the classroom and teach certain lessons. I highly recommend the school. There is plenty of opportunity for parent to be involved. Great place to learn! !
—Submitted by a parent

Too much is geared toward testing; time spent evaluating what the kids DON'T know. I highly suggest spending more time teaching the material and taking the time to learn students' individual needs instead of spending so much time on testing and data entry. Also, recent disciplinary actions have caused me to question the judgment of the administration. After reading other reviews, I find I'm not the only parent who questions the judgment of the administration.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is one of the BEST schools in the state of California. The Principal does amazing things for our kids - she addressess specific needs that students have. As for teaching to the test, SRES teaches the CA standards. The state test is on those standards. That means this school does an excellent job teaching the standards to the kids. You will not find a private school that does a better job in this valley!
—Submitted by a parent

We are not very happy with the diversity at the school but our kids are doing really well. I do agree with the comment about the amount of time they spend on testing but in our experience our kids have had excellent teachers that have provided experiences and taught outside of the rote memorization process. Our kids have established great relationships with their teachers so far but have had some racial incidents at the school with other kids. The school 's leadership has handled these situations as best they could in a neighborhood where elements of racial discrimination still exist.
—Submitted by a parent

Too much time spent on preparing for the STAR testing. To much pushing students to all fit the same mold. Too much homework and rote memorization going on and not enough individual thinking. High STAR test scores just mean that you have done well in making the kids memorize the answers. When they get to the high school, they are all the same from any school in the area. We moved for the school but realized after several years that to get those high test scores, the kids are being taught to take the test - not to learn, comprehend, use etc. Very disappointing. Not for us.
—Submitted by a parent

My granddaughter attended there and my grandson currently attends. I am so impressed with the caliber of teachers and the content that is taught there as well as the positive impact it has on both their lives.

The teachers, staff and leadership are extraordinarily committed to the school and the students. So far, our experience with leadership has been very positive -- very attentive and hands on. Teachers have been better than excellent for us.
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are excellent ! My kids are very happy with the school activities that they provide. THANKS
—Submitted by a parent

We have a 4th grader and a kindergartner in SRE. We think it is a very well run school to excellent teachers and staff. There is also excellent parental involvement.
—Submitted by a parent

I rarely see the principal out on the yard. Does she do any kind of supervision? I dont see her after school too.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm not sure if the principal makes decisions on what's best for kids.
—Submitted by a parent

Wonderful school. Have had children enrolled here since 2000. This school was always good but has gotten better and better. Excellent teachers, very professional staff, great facilities, high academic standards, science lab, new track, physical fitness program, art program, music lessons, plays and musicals, lots of extracurricular activities, involved parents. And all of this -- in an absolutely beautiful location. Our two oldest children attended a prestigious private school on the Westside of Los Angeles. This school offers everything that that school offered--and more. We have been grateful for this school almost daily for nine years.
—Submitted by a parent

'Drill 'em, drill 'em, drill 'em' is the school's focus. However, I don't blame the teachers, after all, it's the only 'reliable' resource the school has left for obtaining high test scores. In the past five years, I have observed the of quality parental support and involvement go down hill. Problematic student behavior (disrespect) is rampant. Accountability for such behavior does NOT exist. We no longer feel that this school provides a safe and nurturing 'learning' environment for our three children. We are going private next year. As for the high test scores, my spouse and I will be happy to drill'em at home!
—Submitted by a parent

I agree with both parents. It seems the leadership is focused only on test scores.
—Submitted by a parent

Teacher absenteeism has been significant for both of my children this year. This is very disruptive to the students' learning since many different substitute teacherhave been used. Given that the majority of the absences were planned, the school could and should have made arrangements for just one or two substitutes to cover the absences - this would have ensured better continuity and more consistent learning.
—Submitted by a parent

This school clearly does not really care about the kids as individuals. The kids are only there to be treated as sheep and prepped for state testing.
—Submitted by a parent

This school was awarded the 2008 Blue Ribbon Award thanks to the principal Mrs. Diane von Buelow!
—Submitted by a parent

Our principal is extremely accountable.
—Submitted by a teacher