La Costa Meadows Elementary School

I'm disappointed and considering homeschooling because I don't feel my child is safe at this school. It's very sad.

First, the office staff, supervisors, etc are wonderful. Most gen ed teachers are great. If you have a special needs child, however, or a child at risk of being bullied, be very vigilant. The special ed team as a whole used to be great, but they started losing some of their best elements a few years ago, and now it is a mixed bag. IEPs can be poorly written and could have disastrous consequences for your child's future. If you have a special needs child I would suggest that you involve an advocate from the start to make sure IEPs are correctly written and applied, and that your child gets treated appropriately and fairly. Bullying is sometimes addressed properly sometimes not. Several families have had their child removed from LCM or complained these past couple of years because of lack of satisfaction with the special ed team's methods or bullying.

We have had an excellent experience here. Our third grader transferred in this year, having done first and second grades overseas in the British system. We were concerned that the level of rigor here might be well below what he experienced in the British system, so we settled in the LaCosta area because of the excellent rating of LCM. We have not been disappointed. Our son's teacher (Ms Dalmacio) is outstanding--a real gem. We have observed the class on several occasions and students are engaged and relaxed, but things are always under control. Our son made strong progress this year--and has enjoyed the experience, as well. Homework load has been reasonable, and the assignments have reflected imagination and creativity. Ms Dalmacio goes out of her way to communicate regularly with parents and is very approachable. Office staff are always friendly and helpful. I have spent the past 30 years of my career in education, and I am very impressed with LCM!

La Costa Meadows is excellent 10/10. We are very happy with the teachers, curriculum, administrators.