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GreatSchools Rating

Peters Canyon Elementary School

Public | K-5 | 630 students

Last modified
Community Rating

4 stars

Community Rating by Year
2013:
No new ratings
2012:
No new ratings
2011:
Based on 3 ratings
2010:
Based on 3 ratings

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Parent involvement

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11 reviews of this school


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Posted November 30, 2011

I can't comment too much but I can only speak from what I have experienced so far. My daughter has attended for about 3 months. It has been amazing! The work is definitely challenging and my daughter loves that. She is in Kinder now, also the teacher Mrs. Lemos is great! She truly is the best and when I email her she takes a day or less to reply. She loves working together with the parents and for what I have seen cares about the kids a lot. My daughter absolutely loves her and comes home so happy each day. The teacher isn't strict but I would say from what I have heard from my daughter she is firm. This keeps the kids on their toes. They take a lot of pictures at all the events and class parties. I feel so far that every parent is involved, we all try to do something to be a part of the class and help out. Nothing really that I can complain about so far. My husband did point one thing out though, he said it seems like everything in the front office is too easy. They allow almost anyone to come in to a class as long as they sign in and get a visitor badge. No I.D. required no questions asked. This scares him a bit and it has me thinking maybe they could improve on that.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted April 4, 2011

School seems to have dropped off this year. Old Principal quit. PTO dollars are being spent on PE not education. The Principal in waiting who is teaching a class barely spends any time in the class and seems more concerned with her career and getting the Principals job. There is an amazing support group in place from the parents and the front office staff. School should be back to the high level next year with an experienced, full time principal in place.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted February 5, 2011

I have had three kids attend PCE and all have been stellar experiences. They have excellent extra-curricular activities like Outdoor Ed, Lazy W Ranch, Math Olympiad, choir and plenty of others. In addition, the have a strong focus on academics and the teachers take a personal interest in our students. Parents are very involved in the school. The office staff is helpful and care about the students.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted October 14, 2010

WORST school ever!! Moved to Newport Beach and met several families who have also attended and agree. My children fell behind due to a very turbulent divorce. Completely disgusted and highly disappointed with the staffs inability to help families in crisis. Had several meetings where I was told there was nothing 'extra' they would do in order to help and I was to do more at home. NOTE: TURBULENT DIVORCE(not to mention I only had them 50% of the time). My girls dreaded school. They now attend NEWPORT COAST ELEMENTARY. A true example of and outstanding school. Their method of teaching is outside the box and all they do is 'extra'.(ALL within school hrs.) Not only did they catch up within the first year...they LOVE school and LOVE to learn. Peters Canyon staff needs to take a field trip to NCE and take notes!
—Submitted by a parent


Posted May 4, 2010

This school has it all--amazing kids, teachers & parents. A terrific community using all the latest resources to create life-long learners.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted August 15, 2006

This is an excellent public school which functions as a private school. I would highly recommend this community rich school. Parents are asked to become a part of their child's education in many instances. Some parents would rather not invest their time in their children and those kids suffer. All in all a terrific community, school and group of teachers.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted April 21, 2006

The academic program is very very good and the children seem to be able to keep up with the high expectation. It is very competitive even at the lower grades. The extracurricular programs seem limited. The parent involvement is high.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted April 18, 2006

This is an outstanding school. Technology is emphasized in all classrooms and there is a lot of support from the families and community. Extracurricular activities are abundant and the quality is excellent.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted April 8, 2006

Very hoity-toity school. My son came home with a request for either money or extra supplies every week. Curriculum wise, it's great. The pto does an excellent job raising money (go figure) and uses those funds to purchase new computers and books. Peters canyon has won a few awards for excellence while my son was attending. The curriculum is not well rounded. The teachers should spend more time educating instead of participating in pto sponsored activities. Yes, it does make school fun, but at what expense? Dealing with the other parents is a horror. A lot are snobby and expect more than they deserve. The teachers take a while to get back to parents regarding any in school concerns. But hey, they have a great school website.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted October 24, 2004

This school has very high standards, but sometimes I felt the 'teach to the test' impulse was a little too strong. Overall, though, I was very pleased with the level of instruction and the teachers themselves.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted June 3, 2004

If your child is in special education, this is not the school or school district to be in. At one point they actually took their classroom away and tried to fit all of the special education students in a resource room. Tustin USD does not care about special education! Go to orange school district! Also, my son went to the on campus after school care facility, broke his arm, they didnt call me for an hour. He had to have surgery! we didnt stay at that school for long or in the district for that matter. It is nearly impossible to get a hold of the special education admins. They never call you back!
—Submitted by a parent


Community ratings and reviews do not represent the views of GreatSchools nor does GreatSchools check their accuracy or verify the reviewers' identities. Use your discretion when evaluating these reviews.

About these ratings

The Community Rating is the school’s average rating from its community members (e.g., parents, students, and school staff). The highest possible rating is five stars; the lowest is one star.

The test results by subgroup show how the designated group of students is performing in comparison to the general population.

The API reflects year-over-year schools performance based on STAR test score results from spring 2012.

This school's
API score

948

Change from
2011 to 2012

+7

API Statewide Rank
(2011)

10 / 10

API Similar Schools Rank (2011)

1 / 10


API Growth scores over time

Did this school meet the API goal this year?
The state goal for API is 800. All schools that are below 800 are assigned an API improvement target each year.
  • This school met the state goal of 800.

API Growth scores by subgroup

In addition to schoolwide API scores, each student subgroup receives an API score.
Did this school meet all the API goals for student subgroups this year?
The state goal for the API is 800. All the student subgroups at a school that are below 800 are assigned an API improvement target each year.
  • This school met all student subgroup API targets for 2012

This school's
API score

948

What is the API?
The Academic Performance Index (API) is a single number assigned to each school by the California Department of Education to measure overall school performance and improvement over time on statewide testing. The API ranges from 200 and 1000, with 800 as the state goal for all schools.
Change from
2011 to 2012

+7

Change from 2011 to 2012
Comparing the API Growth to the Base shows whether or not this school’s test score performance improved between Spring 2011 and Spring 2012. The API ranges between 200 and 1000, with 800 as the statewide goal for all schools. Schools scoring below an 800 are given at least a 5 point target for the next year.
API Statewide Rank
(2011)

10 / 10

API Statewide Rank (2011)
The API Statewide Rank ranges from 1 to 10. A rank of 10, for example, means that the school’s API fell into the top 10% of all schools in the state with a comparable grade range. The 2011 rank is based on results from tests students took in Spring 2011.
API Similar Schools Rank (2011)

1 / 10

API Similar Schools Rank (2011)
The API Similar Schools Rank ranges from 1 to 10. It shows how the school compares to other schools with similar student demographic profiles. The California Department of Education uses parent education level, poverty level, student ethnicity and other data to identify similar schools.
English Language Arts

The state average for English Language Arts was 58% in 2012.

93 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
82%

2011

 
 
88%

2010

 
 
85%

2009

 
 
90%
Math

The state average for Math was 64% in 2012.

93 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
86%

2011

 
 
92%

2010

 
 
92%

2009

 
 
92%
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

English Language Arts

The state average for English Language Arts was 48% in 2012.

102 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
81%

2011

 
 
82%

2010

 
 
87%

2009

 
 
90%
Math

The state average for Math was 69% in 2012.

103 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
91%

2011

 
 
94%

2010

 
 
96%

2009

 
 
92%
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

English Language Arts

The state average for English Language Arts was 67% in 2012.

108 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
93%

2011

 
 
94%

2010

 
 
96%

2009

 
 
94%
Math

The state average for Math was 71% in 2012.

111 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
93%

2011

 
 
98%

2010

 
 
96%

2009

 
 
93%
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

English Language Arts

The state average for English Language Arts was 63% in 2012.

124 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
93%

2011

 
 
94%

2010

 
 
94%

2009

 
 
87%
Math

The state average for Math was 65% in 2012.

124 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
92%

2011

 
 
91%

2010

 
 
100%

2009

 
 
86%
Science

The state average for Science was 60% in 2012.

124 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
97%

2011

 
 
96%

2010

 
 
95%

2009

 
 
85%
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

English Language Arts

All Students82%
Females81%
Males82%
African Americann/a
Asian96%
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latino55%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
Other Pacific Islandern/a
White (not Hispanic)83%
Economically disadvantagedn/a
Non-economically disadvantaged82%
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability84%
English learnern/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only84%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talentedn/a
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduaten/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)n/a
Parent education - college graduate81%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate87%
Parent education - declined to staten/a

Math

All Students86%
Females88%
Males84%
African Americann/a
Asian96%
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latino64%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
Other Pacific Islandern/a
White (not Hispanic)84%
Economically disadvantagedn/a
Non-economically disadvantaged87%
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability88%
English learnern/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only87%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talentedn/a
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduaten/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)n/a
Parent education - college graduate88%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate87%
Parent education - declined to staten/a
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

The different student groups are identified by the California Department of Education; if there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

English Language Arts

All Students81%
Females89%
Males73%
African Americann/a
Asian89%
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latinon/a
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White (not Hispanic)75%
Economically disadvantagedn/a
Non-economically disadvantaged83%
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability84%
English learnern/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only82%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talented96%
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduaten/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)n/a
Parent education - college graduate83%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate77%
Parent education - declined to staten/a

Math

All Students91%
Females93%
Males88%
African Americann/a
Asian100%
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latinon/a
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White (not Hispanic)86%
Economically disadvantagedn/a
Non-economically disadvantaged90%
Students with disability73%
Students with no reported disability92%
English learnern/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only89%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talented100%
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduaten/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)n/a
Parent education - college graduate95%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate87%
Parent education - declined to staten/a
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

The different student groups are identified by the California Department of Education; if there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

English Language Arts

All Students93%
Females96%
Males92%
African Americann/a
Asian97%
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latinon/a
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White (not Hispanic)93%
Economically disadvantagedn/a
Non-economically disadvantaged93%
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability93%
English learnern/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only94%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talented100%
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduaten/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)n/a
Parent education - college graduate90%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate96%
Parent education - declined to staten/a

Math

All Students93%
Females96%
Males92%
African Americann/a
Asian97%
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latinon/a
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White (not Hispanic)93%
Economically disadvantagedn/a
Non-economically disadvantaged94%
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability95%
English learnern/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only94%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talented100%
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduaten/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)n/a
Parent education - college graduate92%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate96%
Parent education - declined to staten/a
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

The different student groups are identified by the California Department of Education; if there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

English Language Arts

All Students93%
Females98%
Males89%
African Americann/a
Asian98%
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latinon/a
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
Samoann/a
White (not Hispanic)91%
Economically disadvantagedn/a
Non-economically disadvantaged93%
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability94%
English learnern/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only93%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talented100%
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduaten/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)n/a
Parent education - college graduate92%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate95%
Parent education - declined to staten/a

Math

All Students92%
Females97%
Males89%
African Americann/a
Asian98%
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latinon/a
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
Samoann/a
White (not Hispanic)91%
Economically disadvantagedn/a
Non-economically disadvantaged93%
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability93%
English learnern/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only93%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talented100%
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduaten/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)n/a
Parent education - college graduate90%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate95%
Parent education - declined to staten/a

Science

All Students97%
Females97%
Males97%
African Americann/a
Asian98%
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latinon/a
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
Samoann/a
White (not Hispanic)98%
Economically disadvantagedn/a
Non-economically disadvantaged97%
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability98%
English learnern/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only98%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talented100%
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduaten/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)n/a
Parent education - college graduate95%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate98%
Parent education - declined to staten/a
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

The different student groups are identified by the California Department of Education; if there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

Breaking down the GreatSchools Rating

GreatSchools Ratings are based on the most recent standardized test results for schools. Use the breakdown ratings below to compare types of students at this school. Learn more »


Student ethnicity

Ethnicity This school State average
White 54% 28%
Asian 26% 8%
Hispanic or Latino 8% 49%
Multiple or No Response 7% 3%
Filipino 3% 3%
African American 1% 7%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0% 1%
Pacific Islander 0% 1%
Source: CA Dept. of Education, 2008-2009

Student subgroups

  This school District averageState average
English language learners 113%N/A24%
Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program 24%N/A52%
Source: 1 CA Dept. of Education, 2008-2009
Source: 2 NCES, 2008-2009

Home languages of english learners

Language This school State average
Spanish 28% 85%
Mandarin (Putonghua) 15% 1%
Vietnamese 15% 2%
Cantonese 13% 2%
Korean 9% 1%
Farsi (Persian) 4% 0%
Japanese 4% 0%
Portuguese 4% 0%
All other non-English languages 2% 1%
Arabic 2% 1%
Armenian 2% 1%
Punjabi 2% 1%
Source: CA Dept. of Education, 2007-2008

Average class size

  This school District averageState average
Average class size 23N/A25
Source: CA Dept. of Education, 2007-2008

Teacher experience

  This school District averageState average
Average years teaching in district 6N/A11
Average years teaching 8N/A13
Source: CA Dept. of Education, 2008-2009

Teacher credentials

  This school District averageState average
Full credential 100%N/A96%
Emergency credential or waiver 0%N/A2%
Source: CA Dept. of Education, 2008-2009
Notice an inaccuracy? Let us know!

26900 Peters Canyon Road
Tustin, CA 92782
Phone: (714) 730-7540

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