Mary Farmar Elementary School

901 Military West

School District

Benicia Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:20
Type

public

School Map for Benicia 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 July 25, 2023

Mary Farmar is a wonderful school. The atmosphere feels close knit and community oriented. My children have had overwhelmingly positive experiences.
Submitted by other on January 16, 2023

As a former student, i did not like this school at all. In 3rd-4th grade i was bullied constantly. I'd come home crying everyday. The principal (all 3 that i had to experience) NEVER did anything. Along with that, i moved classes in 3rd. The teacher i had before i moved classes was horrible. She had no sympathy for me, nor any other of my classmates. I remember vividly when she made me sit outside in the cold when i was crying because she didn't wanna hear it. in 1st-2nd though, i did have a good amount of friends (which eventually moved and i was then introduced to the newer fake friend group.). And lastly, in kindergarten. Kindergarten was horrible. I was constantly bullied by another child in my class, and as expected the teacher did nothing about it. My teacher at the time did not ever tell my mom anything, i came home crying daily and my mom was not told why i could have been crying. Horrible school, do not recommend
Submitted by parent on April 06, 2022

We have had excellent teachers at this school. The families are lovely and it is a stellar community of support. The building is average (it is an old school) but there are upgrades coming soon.My children are having a wonderful experience here. (1st and 3rd grade)They really focus on kindness and it shows!
Submitted by other on September 09, 2016

My son attended MF for three years. We found that the quality of education is average. There are better schools across the bridge in Contra Costa County.
Submitted by parent on October 19, 2015

Stuffing 25 kids in a classroom where they can not get their academic needs met is wrong, especially when the teacher is making a salary of $85-95/yr. for 180 days of work per year (look it up on Transparent California...also look up the principal's salary, over $110k while kids are stuffed into classrooms. District superintendent...$200k). To compensate for ineffective classroom instruction, teachers send home mountains of homework to pass the work onto parents. Is this really okay w/ parents, whose property taxes are funding this ridiculousness? Our funding should go first to smaller classes, where kids can actually learn.
Submitted by other on August 11, 2015

We have a grandson in Kindergarten 2014-15. He had an excellent teacher who gave him knowledge and experience in all parts of every subject. I helped in the classroom every afternoon, so I know how much the children learned. His homework was not excessive and after he got into a routine, he did it without complaints and still had plenty of playtime after school. Kudos to Mary Farmer.
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2015

We were here just for one year and, for the most part, were quite satisfied with the school. The one major frustration was the amount of homework given to kindergarten students. Our son had 16-20 pages of homework a week. He was in an after school program that helped with homework, but still had to do homework in the evening for 1-2 hours a night to complete it. He started off loving school and enjoying homework; however, he began to really hate the homework over time because of the amount. After moving away, we've really struggled to change this. He is able to do his homework, just has not overcome the dislike of it from kindergarten. It has improved as we've been at schools with better balance.
Submitted by parent on December 11, 2014

This is a great school with a very involved Principle. There are some challenges when it comes to the 4th grade teachers. I believe that there is a couple, from my experience and discussions with other parents that just need to RETIRE. There were times when my child didn't want to go to school just because of the teacher belittling them in front of the class! I spoke to parents who actually moved their kids out of the school specifically because of these teachers. It seemed like they had a huge power trip . After surviving the 4th grade my child began to love going to school again. So with that said great school, just beware of the 4th grade teachers!
Submitted by other on July 22, 2013

It's a pretty good school though when i was there( im going to the middle school now) a lot of kids were cliquey and in my 5th grade class there was a lot of drama and the teachers tried to stop it but couldn't. And the yard duties? Please. One word: TERRIBLE. Two kids got in a fight like ten feet away from one in the direction she was facing and she just stated and did nothing while the kids were beating each other up and me and other people had to stop them. The field trips were good though
Submitted by parent on March 05, 2012

Love it! This school has great administration, great teachers and great parents. I've never had a problem reaching my kids' teachers or speaking with the principal. I specifically picked Farmar because of the family-like atmosphere and diverse student body. My son experienced some difficulties earlier this year with another student and I could not be happier with the teacher's response. Still offer a great selection of after school programs.
Submitted by parent on February 19, 2010

That last review is really unfortunate. We've been at Mary Farmar for 4 years (2 kids) and have always experienced the staff to be warm, dedicated, and terrific, from teachers to principal to support staff. It has a true sense of community and we've been fortunate to be part of the Mary Farmar family!
Submitted by parent on October 30, 2006

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