All Souls Elementary School

29 South Electric Avenue

Alhambra, CA 91801

24 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK, K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on June 05, 2024

My child began this school in 2021. I had heard the school had been going through growing pains, but we thought the dual language immersion would be so beneficial and I went to Catholic School growing up. Unfortunately, it seems this school is stretched too thin, and we get very little communication from the teachers and staff, despite multiple emails to the coprinicple asking to set up a meeting. They are also cutting much of their emotional support and special needs services for the upcoming academic year. With many children who started school during COVID needing a little more support, I think it's the wrong move.
Submitted by parent on November 30, 2023

The language immersion curriculum is nice, and my children having the ability to learn in a second language from a young age was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. However, new administration brought in during COVID is almost comically bad at their job, consistently alienating families who dedicated many hours of free time to supporting the school. Attrition in the upper grades is tremendous, as families get fed up with the treatment coming from school leadership. Not sure what the archdiocese is thinking with such hiring decisions, given this was one of the few Catholic schools in its system that was growing. Would have heartily recommended this five years ago. Now? Stay far away until leadership changes.
Submitted by parent on February 15, 2019

Our family is 100% satisfied with the experience we are getting at All Souls. I would recommend this school to everyone.
Submitted by parent on December 01, 2016

Absolutely a gem of a school! My child finished Kindergarten in June and I wanted to wait until I experienced a full year at the school so that I could give a genuine review. There are so many wonderful things about this school. The principal is absolutely the best. I’ve never seen an administrator so dedicated, hard-working, involved, nurturing, caring and committed about her school, staff and students. Ms. Fuller is the driving force behind the school. The teachers and staff don’t fall too short of her either. They are very qualified and trained to teach in a dual language setting. Most if not all have Master’s Degrees and they are just as loving and nurturing to the children. My son loves his school and he’s very proud of it which makes me very happy. The school is small so you get to know all the children and parents….there is a huge community and commitment among the parents. It literally feels like family! I think what makes this school extra special (more so than others) is that all families that attend regardless of background, have a common ground in which bonds us like no other school and which helps build a stronger community: the love of culture, language, faith and family. The fact that we all treasure and value the same things when coming into a Dual Language school like this one bonds us even more and allows us to work harder for the future of our children. At All Souls, children are not only learning how to be biliterate (English/Spanish/Mandarin) but in the process they are learning about each culture’s, respecting and loving each other’s differences, loving God, being good citizens, etc. This is so important to me especially in the world we live in today. I couldn’t have found the best combo in a school…..the importance of Catholic values and dual-language. It really doesn’t get better than this.
Submitted by parent on October 17, 2016

There are lots of Spanish immersion options in the Pasadena area, but we chose All Souls School and I could not be happier! It is brand new, so we all have input into this amazing school. My daughter feels empowered, supported and loved. The principal and the teachers and staff are all wonderful, motivated, and open to new ideas and input. They are working to create an exemplary school, teaching not just language, but appreciation for diverse cultures and backgrounds. I highly recommend it!
Submitted by parent on October 17, 2016

My family has been at All Souls World Language Catholic School for 4 years and I couldn’t be happier with the school. My oldest began in Kindergarten and my youngest is in his second year. Over the last 4 years we have seen this amazing school grow each year. Each year the school develops systems that accommodate the growth of the school. As parents we adjust to the new systems and work collaboratively with the school to improve them. In my 4 years at the school I have never encountered a situation where I have felt my kids were not in a safe environment. On the contrary, the school staff and administration have created a safe, loving and nurturing environment. I have worked in a local school district for the past 12 years and have worked with many principals. Ms. Carrie Fuller is among some of the best administrators I have known. Not only is she a hardworking principal that goes above and beyond for this school community, but she is also always willing to listen to parents and open to their feedback. All Souls is a loving community with a great group of staff and parents that are not only supportive but deeply engaged in creating a safe and academically rich place for students. Each morning the students engage in a morning prayer that stresses the importance of being respectful and kind. It is a place where children embrace diversity and work together to be build a better world. My children are flourishing in this dual immersion environment. My oldest is reading, speaking, and writing in Spanish. My youngest is already reading in Spanish in Kindergarten. As stated earlier, I can’t say enough great things about this school. Having our children at All Souls brings us peace of mind and great joy as parents.
Submitted by parent on September 08, 2016

My child has been a part of the Mandarin program since it started. I think it's interesting that someone mentioned that there aren't any books in the upper grades. That's ridiculous! The school has literally hundreds of Mandarin books. That's why my child reads so well! Now, All Souls did just purchase the newest curriculum on the market in digital form so perhaps that's where the confusion came in. Anyways, I couldn't be more proud of my student and the school that is helping her be the best she can be!
Submitted by parent on September 08, 2016

I just returned from Back to School Night and am so excited we decided on All Souls! The teachers were knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and very down to earth. My Kinder student has already learned songs and simple greetings in Spanish! I love the diversity of the community.
Submitted by parent on February 19, 2016

Our daughter is in her third year at All Souls and she loves it. She speaks Spanish and English fluently. More importantly however, she reads and writes in both languages at or above grade level and is truly becoming bi-literate. She is also learning Mandarin in the after school enrichment program, which is a great additional benefit. Principal Fuller is a talented and dedicated educator and has worked assiduously to create a loving and safe environment for our child and all those who attend the school. As this is a fairly new school, in its fourth year, we have been quite impressed with how much it has grown and will continue to grow until all grades up to 8th are filled. Satisfaction among current families is very high as 95% have re-enrolled each year. Parents have a great deal of input into the school's development and Ms. Fuller makes herself available to talk with each and every one of us. I would like to take a moment to address the negative post from October 3rd and to put into some perspective. His daughter attended our school for a total of 10 school days and 4 of those days were half days. This was at the beginning of a new school year with new staff, new students and new rules being implemented. The school grew by 1/3 in size from 100 to 150 students and things were understandably hectic. I do not doubt his veracity or anger at the situation he described. However, I do take issue with his implication that Principal Fuller was only offering solutions "simply to assuage our anger". Anyone who has had any dealing with Ms. Fuller knows how seriously she takes her responsibility to keep the children in her care safe. Currently, after drop off, all gates are closed and locked with only one secure entry into the school that is monitored from the front office. You cannot enter the campus during school hours without being visually seen and buzzed in. All adults, parents included, who come in contact with the students at school after classes start, must attend VIRTUS training and be 'live scan' fingerprinted. At the end of the school day, all children must be signed out from their afternoon classroom and only those on the parent approved list can pick them up. Personally, I feel very comfortable with my daughter at this school, and I believe it to be a safe and nurturing environment. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for All Souls!
Submitted by parent on December 08, 2015

We are having an amazing experience at All Souls. Everything from their morning prayer, their chant about being children of God that are respectable and kind, to the open communication with the teachers about how to support my daughters learning at home . . . We simply love it! All Souls is a loving and caring environment that teaches empathy, in a Catholic dual language immersion program. It has created an amazing sense of community and we have felt so welcomed by the administration and other families. The parents are provided with great opportunities to contribute to the school by granting us a large voice with the principal, who is always nothing but responsive, loving and constantly working towards building a high quality school. After just a couple of weeks, I was amazed with my child's comments about being kind and respectable to others, in two languages! She is challenged to become a better student, to learn about God, and to learn about the various cultures and languages of the world. We feel so blessed to have found such a nurturing and safe environment with so many opportunities for my daughter to learn.
Submitted by parent on October 03, 2015

I'd like to inform you of a situation that happened on campus with my daughter and 2 other kindergarten girls on September 1, 2015. I feel it is my moral obligation to ensure parents are aware of what happened. On September 1, at approximately 3:45 p.m, my wife arrived at the school to pick up my daughter. Immediately, something felt wrong and off with the situation. As she entered the school through the wide open gates (yes, we were very aware of the open gate policy, but figured with staff aware also, they would be more, NOT LESS, vigilant), she walks towards the children's play area. She notices my daughter sitting with two other girls, ONE OF WHOM IS CRYING with ZERO STAFF present or visible. These girls are 50 yards from a wide open gate that has cars coming in and out at will. Remember, anyone could be in those cars. The worst part: My wife was able to WALK AWAY with my daughter TWICE without anyone even aware!! The first time she left to look for staff, then realized, "Wait a minute, I'm leaving two girls alone, unattended." So she returned to regroup. She left the second time to look for staff again, and IT TOOK 5-7 MINUTES BEFORE ANYONE WAS FOUND! Both staff members were in the same location, around the corner, behind the play structure. They had no visual on these girls. They didn't even realize one was crying. If a child predator happened to be in area at the time, they wouldn't have needed candy or a puppy to lure these girls away. All they needed to do was grab one (or all three) and whisk them away. Any crying and protesting would not have been heard. The security camera (just that 1) is trained on the front gate only; it is watched over intermittently by staff and, to my understanding, is not recording. If something had happened, the school wouldn't have been able to provide an ounce of evidence to help law enforcement. No witnesses. No surveillance footage. We decided to immediately withdraw our daughter from the school. When we discussed these issues with the principal, she offered solutions (simply to assuage our anger) but could not provide a time frame of how quickly they would be implemented. For the safety of the children that remain, we hope and pray that the long term solutions are implemented, but we are unwilling to take that chance with our child.
Submitted by other on November 03, 2014

All Souls is a very special place! The school is small and it has very dedicated teachers who truly care about each student! The new principal, Carrie Fuller, has started some wonderful programs like yoga for kids, a school garden and enrichment classes after school. Carrie's charismatic personality and progressive leadership style encourages parents to participate fully in the school community. She sends out weekly newsletters highlighting the strides the students are making, detailing the generosity of numerous volunteers, but more importantly provides messages of spiritual strengthen and encouragement. Not only does the school provide a rigorous curriculum in Spanish, Mandarin and English, it uses current research to guide decision making and emphasizes the importance of living out the Catholic faith. The school climate is one of genuine care for each student. All Souls is developing leaders for a global society who are caring individuals upholding their Catholic values!
Submitted by parent on November 01, 2014

Where do I begin? We took a chance on All Souls last year for Kindergarten. It seemed promising, but we were weary because the school was so new. My child's Kindergarten year was nothing short of amazing! My child can communicate in Spanish - form sentences and read in Spanish! After one month, my child was singing songs in Spanish. The school has nearly doubled enrollment from last year and hired stellar new teachers for the expanding grade levels. All of the teachers are enthusiastic, approachable, and generally care about the well-being of our kids. The principal is amazing! She is welcoming, approachable, accessible, genuine, and enthusiastic. She is also a fantastic school administrator, active in the classroom and making sure her teachers have the tools and developmental support they need. Most importantly, my child loves going to school here! I feel incredibly fortunate to have found this school for my child and look forward to seeing it grow to eighth grade.
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2014

This school sounds so amazing and promising on paper but sadly it is all talk and no action. I sent my daughter here for first grade and my nephew that was in kindergarten the kids where poorly watched there was so many violent incidents with another child with my daughter and my nephew and other students the same kid and nothing was ever done even after this child stabbed another student with a pencil. As far as academics go they are lost there is a teacher there that is the Spanish teacher and she really had no patients with these kids and was short with them having them write sentences in Spanish over and over again like that's the way to learn another language. There is so much more I would like to warn parents about but I hope this is enough to warn you before you make your decision about this school. PLEASE BEWARE THEY LAY IT ON SO STRONG BUT THEY ARE NOT PRACTICING WHAT THEY PREACH
Submitted by parent on January 13, 2014

I am SO EXCITED about finding this school for my son - tri-lingual and Catholic! I was amazed to see how quickly he learned to count in Spanish - both of his teachers are GREAT. Ms. Fuller, the principal, is amazing! She is truly approachable, positive, intelligent and full of energy with a love for teaching, children and catholicism. We are so happy to see our child obtain a bilingual catholic education in such a loving and emerging environment. In addition to the focus on education and normal coursework, he has Yoga, music, piano, chess . . .and, they still find the time to take the kids on occasional field trips like the L.A. County Fair, Fire Station, Eaton Canyon, etc. Truly amazed with how much they've been able to accomplish with only two years in existence!!
Submitted by parent on October 05, 2013

This is my child's first year at All Souls and he already loves it. He's quickly learning how to communicate in Spanish while completing Kindergarten level curriculum. The teachers, principal, and staff are very enthusiastic about this unique dual-language Catholic school as are the parents who are very active in school's Family Guild. Parents have even started a community garden. This school is on its way to excellence. Definitely worth looking into. The school is expanding by one grade level each year.
Submitted by parent on October 01, 2013

We have chosen to raise our children as bilingual Spanish/English speakers and All Souls is the perfect choice for us. We also want them to be exposed to other cultures, but in a safe and spiritual community. All Souls is the only dual immersion, dual track school we know of where students are learning either Spanish/English OR Mandarin/English. This way students are exposed to all three languages, while focusing on two main ones. It is a brand new school, in its second year, with small classes and young, energetic teachers and administration. We feel like we are on the ground floor of something special and unique. Just last week the entire school did a field trip to the LA County Fair. The kids had a blast and it was a fun and safe day. We highly recommend this school for those thinking of bringing up bilingual children in an innovative and spiritual environment.
Submitted by parent on September 23, 2013

I was completely fooled by this school. I placed my chid here believing that my child would benefit from the dual language program but unfortunately La Maestra is not organized and is not very nice to the children. My child had complained about the teacher but I had to see it for myself and sure enough. I'm pretty sure the same way she spoke to the parents at back to school night is the way she approaches the children, unprofessional. The school principal needs to make some change before she loses all the children.
Submitted by parent on September 10, 2013

Not only is this the best language immersion school in the Pasadena area, but also it is one of the best schools in general if you are a parent who cares deeply about academics. On the language side, All Souls is one of only a handful of schools in the country that offers two languages, Chinese and Spanish, in one school, and they do it very well. After only one year at All Souls, your child will understand and be able to communicate well in Spanish or Chinese, thanks to much smaller class sizes and better trained teachers than are available at any of the public immersion schools I investigated in Pasadena, Glendale, Los Angeles and beyond. On the academic side, All Souls features multi-age classrooms with differentiated curricula, which means that every child learns on her level in every subject, unlike in most schools where children are shoved into a single academic mold, without regard to differences. The result is that no child gets left behind in any subject, and every child is enabled to "fly" in his or her subjects of strength. Don't let the modest facilities and low tuition fool you. For parents who are passionate about academics, All Souls is worth a serious look.
Submitted by parent on May 17, 2013

Excellent library, students, teacher and principal. This school is outstanding! People ask why my child can speak chinese?