Tom Kitayama Elementary School

This school has helped me excel in my learning in many ways.They a great dedicated staff the loves what they do,and they care about the kids.They push kids to do their best and only their best.The parent community is also very good the parents are always helping out and participating,and they are always there to help.The community is great,and you will never be left out because the students are very nice.Overall,a very nice school that offers a lot of great things for the parents and students.

The school is friendly and the principal, Ms. Metzinger, is outstanding. She is truly concerned with the students and their learning and strives to make their experience the best. I love this school, the staff and the principal!
--Submitted by a parent

Very good school in so many ways teachers are dedicated and committed to the kids. You can feel the good energy there. Ms. Metzinger is an excellent principal she waits in the crosswalk and welcomes students and parents. I love the place! I wish it went up to 7th grade.
--Submitted by a parent

I have 2 kids that are studying 3rd grade in this school. They have started with 2nd grade in this school and they absolutely love it. I am very happy with the quality of teaching. I am also pleasantly surprised with teachers' prompt replies to emails. The school also has an excellent PE and music program. Overall, I am absolutely happy with the school. Go bears!
--Submitted by a parent

Great leadership and a wonderful experience for the students. Parent involvement is high and the dedication to students is impressive.
--Submitted by a parent

I have 2 kids - my son attended this school and my daughter currently goes to the school. The staff and teachers are very caring and really do show that they want the best for your kids. The teachers keep a great line of open communication. My son learned a lot and really enjoyed going to this school - he actually got into the GATE program. Go Bears!
--Submitted by a parent

Kitayama has a dedicated and caring staff. The students feel happy and secure allowing learning to be the focus of their day.
--Submitted by a parent

My son has been a student at Kitayama since Kindergaren. I have been really blessed to have had all great teachers. My son is now going to the 4th grade. I would like to thank all of the wonderful teachers . You all have been a great influence in our lives, but I must give a special thank you to Ms. Foster. She really took time out to help my son in a area that he was lacking ,and didn' t have much confidence in (reading). I know Ms.Foster has moved on ,but I wanted her to know we appreciate her and her colleagues.
--Submitted by a parent

I have 2 children that attend Kitayama and have had two very different experiences. I have a child that is a very capable student and a special needs child. With my first child, she is a very good student and had great teaching. All of her teachers were very good and seemed to really care about her learning. She has now graduated to 6th grade. However, my other child who has ADHD has been treated very different. I feel that the teachers she has had except for one have seen the problems she has but instead of addressing her issues, they have pushed her along to the next grade. I have also had problems with the administration as far as principal and vice principals to provide my child with the things that are necessary for her to learn. This is very disappointing.
--Submitted by a teacher

The staff at Kitayama overall is very good, but not excellent. There are many teachers who do a great job, but others who are just average. Therefore, the level of academics varies too. Like all schools in this district, they are required to take music, P.E., and science as additional classes. The level of parent involvement is decent, but could be better. It's always the same parents helping out. The best thing aout this school is its location. It's nestled in the center of a new housing development. The homes are very nice and neughborhood is very safe. Ironically, however, many of the kids who live in these homes attend private schools, not Kitayama. So Kitayama's scores aren't as good as they could be if they actually had more of the neighborhood kids attending. Still, if you look at the other schools in this district, it's one of the better schools.
--Submitted by a parent