Lakeview Elementary School

The Pros: Tremendous parent involvement and support. Strong PTO. Teachers who care and have a lot of classroom experience. High test scores. The Cons: 30:1 ratios in the classroom and there is a bit of a "drill and kill" philosophy in the classroom with a lot of worksheets and desk work (don't expect experiential learning to happen too much). Currently no music curriculum in lower grades, PE two times per week, and art is done by parent volunteers. Classroom ratios are a school district issue. The board is a bit of a mess and does not take into account parent feedback and concerns regarding class size. That said, there are issues with declining revenue due to less students. With large class sizes come some social issues for kids in the younger grades and some bullying behavior that could be prevented if teachers didn't have such big classes, in my opinion. My star rating would be higher if the district could figure out some innovate ways to lower class size and provide a more well rounded education.

This is a wonderful school! This is our 4th year at the school and my older child has had great teachers each year - dedicated, patient, challenging, good communicators. I am always impressed with the quality of work done in the class. My younger child was in the Jr. K (pre-K) class last year and the teacher was wonderful! She has a quiet demeanor, and had amazing classroom control. My child loved her and learned a lot in her class. I volunteered in the classroom regularly and saw what a great job she did with the 4 and 5 year olds. We are lucky to have a school where the parents get involved and really care about the school. Because of generous parent donations, the PTO is able to pay for many things that the school otherwise would not have, due to California state budget cuts.

One of the best schools in the city. We have been going to this school for 6 years now. I have 2 kids at Lakeview this year. Great School, Principal, Teachers and Staff.

We have moved in the neighborhood, and I am very pleased about our teachers. They are very experienced and organized. And the school is not too big and feel very close to everyone. Of course, the classroom with a nice lake view is a bonus.