Linwood E. Howe Elementary School

This school, from the principal to the families, has exceeded our expectations. I think it is underrated, but probably because the students who are learning English aren't doing as well on tests as other students it is ranked lower than it seems like it should be.

The staff is neither experienced nor effective at helping kids with disabilities succeed educationally or integrate with the general population at school.

Parent community is wonderful. Every great thing is parent-driven. Every day PE and heavy emphasis on art, theatre and dance from strong, local, corporate support - kids love it all. If you choose to enroll your child here, be prepared to volunteer in and out of the classroom, and to donate money. Ethnic, racial and income diversity is great. Wonderful environment for secular families. Average learners or disabled students thrive here. After 2 years, we are moving to a district with stronger academics and framework of challenging high-achieving students.

We feel very fortunate to be part of this wonderful school. We started our child in K this year and are so happy with our choice. I moved here a few years ago and was told that Farragut was the "only" school to consider in Culver City, but I didn't like the extreme helicopter-parent vibe there nor its lack of racial or economic diversity (even though my family is white). Lin Howe is much more down to earth, with a focus on educating the whole child and fostering a sense of community. The K teachers are caring, close-knit, and work together as a team. They give the students choice time for playing in the afternoons -- so important for young kids to make friends and have fun at school and not have it be all about academics and learning at such a young age! And I love that they get recess and PE *every single day* to let their bodies run and move and get strong. The academics are rigorous for this age but the teachers are very supportive of different learning styles and are good at making suggestions on different ways to reinforce reading and math concepts at home. The after-school Cornucopia program has tons of interesting classes and activities for the kids at a relatively low cost. High level of parent involvement. Tons of all-school activities and family fun nights. I can't recommend it highly enough.