Rio Del Mar Elementary School

819 Pinehurst Drive

School District

Pajaro Valley Unified
Grade

K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:18
Type

public

School Map for Pajaro Valley Unified School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on January 13, 2025

My child had a terrible experience all around. There were lots of promises made for my child who is special needs, but no follow through. This school did not honor my child's IEP. I was warned this could happen, but I did not believe it. Bullying was an issue, one teacher was aggressive towards my child accusing my child of something that was not true, and I witnessed another teacher making fun of one of my child's disabilities.
Submitted by parent on March 14, 2024

Our family loves Rio! The principal is amazing and fair. Her child attends the school so she is certainly designing a school she would want her child to attend. They hold children accountable for their actions and try and make the learning opportunities equitable. My first child has attended since kindergarten and my second will attend kindergarten in the fall. My child feels safe, valued, and heard. Most importantly she is learning to LOVE to learn! She has great friends with amazing parents. Just like any school you have to teach your kids how to choose strong and support friends. Highly recommend.
Submitted by parent on October 16, 2023

Administration & staff are professional, caring and have high, yet realistic expectations for students. My child loves the afterschool program and all of the extracurricular activities.
Submitted by parent on December 13, 2021

We absolutely love Rio! We were bit worried based on the reviews, but we are very happy with our child's experience so far. Teachers and staff are very friendly and hands on. My son loves his principal and librarian! No issues with bullying either. My son comes home happy every day.
Submitted by parent on June 22, 2021

Don't let the old reviews sway you. This school is fantastic. Some of the best teachers and staff I have worked with are at this school. The parent alliance is highly involved in making sure the school has all the materials it needs and holds many beneficial yearly events. As with any school, parent participation makes all the difference. Work with your teachers and voice any concerns to the administration. They are always receptive and responsive.
Submitted by student on February 08, 2017

This school is amazing and I have been at the school for 7 year and it was the best 7 year ever
Submitted by other on May 31, 2015

What a disappointment. We were so excited about this school when we moved to the Rio area but after attending K though second grade we pulled our child out. Academics were taught only at the most basic level. Teacher quality is poor overall. Bullying is rampant. Teachers and the administration do not intervene productively with problem kids despite "lip service" that policies will be adhered to. Kid's that have cultural, religious or race differences from the main school population are more often ostracized and victimized.
Submitted by other on June 03, 2014

I was bullied, beaten up and picked on by not only the students but by some of the staff due to my origin of birth!
Submitted by parent on August 23, 2013

awful! DO NOT ENROLL YOUR CHILD IN THIS SCHOOL! I had to pull my child out on the first week because of a bloody knee. She is so depressed from this school she has not talked to me since we left. I really wish I could rate it 0 stars. Everyone gets bullied there. Also most of the teachers yell at the students. This may seem childish but every word is worth listening to.
Submitted by parent on June 19, 2013

We moved to Aptos from Sacramento this year. Rio Del Mar Elementary has been great! It is a high ranking school so I was worried it would be filled with entitled children and parents. It is casual an friendly as well as amazing academically! The kids arenice and respectful, the teachers are great and the principal is impressive We are very happy here.
Submitted by parent on October 08, 2012

Unfortunately, we had to pull both our children out of Rio Del Mar Elementary because there was no opportunity for our sons to excel. Our oldest son was there through third grade but, because he was such a nice kid and strong student, he was constantly being seated between kids that caused problems in class as a "buffer" or his teachers counted on him to help explain concepts to struggling students. When we asked for this to stop we were ignored. Our younger son was about to enter kindergarten, but we received several very rude phone calls from the new principal telling us she "advised against" enrolling kids who are on the young-side into kindergarten. We told her he was already starting to read and understood basic math concepts, but in the end she was so aggressive with us we didn't want to put our child into a situation where he wouldn't be welcome. In the end both my kids flourished in the local private school - worth every penny. Kids there are kind, teachers attentive, and everyone is welcome to move at their own pace.
Submitted by parent on July 20, 2012

The reason the children score high on tests is because the curriculum is pressed on them at a very fast pace. Worksheets galore. The teachers try to insert as much art as they can but they are frustrated because the fast pace of learning does not leave much time for it. The Spectra arts program leaves about one hour per week for art/music. What the school lacks is a program or game plan for teaching kids how to be nice to others. Kids are kids, and those who act mean or even violent toward others on the playground get away with it almost every time. There are no set consequences and the teachers are not on the playground during recess. It is a free-for all. If your child does not like rough play (verbal/physical), your child will be swallowed whole. More parents need to speak up when it comes to creating an atmosphere of peace. If more parents make this a priority, I think there can be a change.
Submitted by parent on February 17, 2012

We really love this school because the teachers have been very kind and energetic and the principal is educated, thoughtful, very responsive and well spoken. It's in a really beautiful ocean view setting and parents are very involved. In our class we have about three volunteers a day so the teacher is always supported. The teaching is traditional/progressive and the classrooms are spotless, bright, sunny, cheery with plenty of supplies. I would say there is not a lot of diversity at Rio Del Mar, this is a predominantly affluent, white suburb, which is representative of the school.
Submitted by parent on February 26, 2011

We pulled our child out of this school due to the overwhelming and relentless bullying he experienced here. The bullying is pervasive at all grade levels unfortunately. The girls are no more immune to this environment than their male peers. I have never seen such ruthless behavior in young children. The school is too large to effectively manage the problem and the parents seem more interested in socializing with one another than taking action.
Submitted by parent on November 14, 2010

Though Rio gets the great blue ribbons, there is a well known fact in the community about RIO... Zero Tolerance bullying but that is just not the case. Victims are made to confront their tormentors. As anyone knows, kids (people) recant their stories for fear of retaliation. Rio does not follow their own rules of discipline. I have talked to other Unified school employees who have pulled their children out of RIO for the lack of action on the part of the principle(s). I have talked to many parents whose kids have been bullied and their tormentors rarely get suspended, expelled..just a colored note w/ a slap on the hand. Parents and kids are made to sign a contract (that lists the consequences for bullying - that are not enforced). There is 1 assembly in the beginning of the school year re bullying. Effective? If the Administrators @ RIO were in touch w/ the realities of the playground they might change things. But they are out of touch. The parents of kids that I have talked to are afraid to go to school at times. As my (bullied) child says: "School sucks". Their motto is: "Where open hearts and open minds rule". Really. 1 on 1 w/ rio admins do not work.