Indian Valley Elementary School

Susan Drews--I am appalled of how someone like her could be a school principal. She has no manners, no social skills. I am not surprised that no one liked her at Walnut Heights and that she transferred to Indian Valley. I am not impressed by the teachers either--Some of them are too old, and have no patience with younger children.
--Submitted by a parent

School has regressed over the 4 years we have been here, so much so that we are considering moving. Parking problems have increased and some parents line up early to block the road to the school thus actually preventing access to the children in case of emergencies which is illegal. Good teachers but the lack of funds mean that kids get absolutely nothing but the very basics.
--Submitted by a parent

We are new to the area, and all of our dealings with the district office, the school, the office staff, and the principal have been terrific so far. Our son loves his new school and his teacher. He received an extremely warm welcome, and issettling in more smoothly than we could have hoped. So relieved! My only reservation is that parents seem a little cliquey/unwelcoming to new families because they already have such great rapport and familiarity.
--Submitted by a parent

My child is going to this school, and my opinion about it is to some extent controversial. I can tell that academically the school is very strong. The teachers push children well beyond the school program. The majority of teachers are very professional: we were lucky with the 2nd and 3rd grade teachers. A few seem to have selected a wrong profession. There are 2 biggest disappointments for me in the school. First, the teachers assume that your child has to come to school already well behaving. But I would say they come to school to learn how to behave, and if the teacher has a class of a size bigger than she can handle, it does not mean it is a child's fault. Second biggest disappointment is the principal. I don t want to be negative, but my bios opinion is that she is unprofessional, disrespectful and rude. One time of talking to her was enough for me, and I hope I will never have to talk to her again. Bottom line: you will get good education for your kids in this school, but if your child is not perfect, you may not enjoy it.
--Submitted by a parent

As a former parent at Indian Valley, all I can say is I'm so glad I'm not there anymore and my kids are even happier. Although there are a few excellent teachers there I don't think they are the norm. Both of my children regressed academically there. In one year of school, I witnessed poor leadership from the principal that filtered down into the classrooms. It's a school that constantly picked politics over the safety, education and well being of its students. IV has great potential and wonderful involved parents willing to do just about everything, but until the leadership embraces a positive empowering approach for children, they will continue to fall short as a school and the kids will suffer. If you only compare it to Mt. Diablo then you'll be happy but when your world is bigger, IV is a 2 not a 10.
--Submitted by a parent

LOVE this school (starting our 3rd year) and LOVE this community. Yes, money is tight - but compared to the Mt. Diablo School District - we should all be grateful. Positives: Teachers who are dedicated to making the best of a tough time, care about the kids and actually enjoy being part of this community. Parents are available to volunteer to compensate for the larger class sizes (still not as large as MDUSD!) Of course, there are groups of parents who become entangled in social politics - an unfortunate side effect of having involved parents. Aside from the few complainers, the community is wonderful. The fact is, public school is not free - anywhere. Do the best you can with what you have and try to make it positive for the kids. As for buses? What?? Great idea but not a high priority in this area - never has been.
--Submitted by a parent

I am actually really upset with this school. First of all they give my child subpar education in over crowded classrooms. Now a few days before my child is going to go back after summer break they give me a list of items I must buy and money I must pay for fees and "donate" to the school fund. THIS IS PUBLIC SCHOOL PEOPLE - I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO GIVE YOU ANYTHING!!!!!!! I would not mind donating to the cause if I saw they actually cared, but they do not
--Submitted by a parent

Get far away from the Walnut Creek School District and Indian Valley unless you want your child out selling over priced items door to door throughout the year, stuck in over crowded classrooms with teachers that are not very qualified, or in a district that seems to care less about your child s future. They do not even have school buses which cause a chaotic and endless line of large suburban vehicles polluting up the hills every morning and afternoon!!!
--Submitted by a parent

Great setting but poor facilities, an enervated and ineffectual school board, and no funding due to a lack of school board initiatives. Our children have attended a number of school districts over the years, throughout California and neighboring states, and with all honesty we have never witnessed such an unsatisfactory school and school district. So much we are forced to sell our property in a bad market (that we only purchased last year) to go back to a district that actually cares about our children s future. Physical education only one day a week and only part way through the year, no school bus services, well overcrowded classes, and unqualified teachers that sacrifice true development through a faulty progression program, along with an endless list of other issues including kid sales requests throughout the year are only a number of issues that plague Walnut Creek.
--Submitted by a parent

Indian Valley is an excellent school, but lack of funds really limits what they can do.
--Submitted by a parent