Rancho Elementary School

I bought the house I did so that we would be at this school because I had heard great things about it. I was not disappointed, while it isn't a private education it is better socially and academically then the school my son was going to in a much more affluent neighborhood near my parents house before we moved here.

I was skeptical at first when my child went to rancho not because the school, but because of the neighborhood. There are a lot of Caucasian families there, and there not use to a lot of colored African American students they often judge a lot and are not very friendly if you are poor or different. I do believe the Principal has done a really good job with what she has to work with and I believe she does care unconditionally for any student no matter color or race ! Can’t speak for everyone involved .

When we first moved to Novato, our priority was to buy a home in the attendance zone of a high-performing school. We researched for a short time and found Rancho School. We spoke to some community members and got positive reviews about the school, however, when we enrolled, we learned that there was a lottery system was exclusively in place at Rancho. Anyway, we got the lottery, and I enrolled my son in the school. He said the school was pretty good and that he enjoyed classes while some parents and I were impressed about the school's test performances, which were some the highest in the county. Later, there was a heated debate going in NUSD to switch Rancho to a neighborhood school. I understood then based on all the facts that were given to me that the only reason Rancho was high-performing was because it skewed student demographics and the lottery system discriminated based on race. We still continued at Rancho, and even though it is still high-performing, it is going downhill fast. The leadership and teachers are good, but I was disappointed with its lottery and how it took away resources from those who needed it the most.

Excellent school and great teachers. The staff has done a great job of transitioning to a neighborhood school over the last few years without losing the focus on student achievement and parent involvement. The PTA is highly involved in making Rancho the best school possible - which is really what makes any school successful.