John Muir Elementary School

2955 Claremont Avenue

School District

Berkeley Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:18
Type

public

School Map for Berkeley Unified School District

GreatSchools Rating

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on November 19, 2024

John Muir is a phenomenal school and has only been getting better in recent years. Excellent principal and leadership team that led the school to receive the National Blue Ribbon School Award in 2024. Very involved community and a beautiful school campus; enrichment opportunities for students abound. We're so grateful to be a part of this amazing school community.
Submitted by parent on January 10, 2023

I moved to Berkeley during the pandemic and how to younger elementary school children who started at John Muir. The community, the staff and the grounds are wonderful. I feel very fortunate to have landed at John Muir during such a precarious time and would recommend it highly to anyone interested in a public school education with strong community and teachers/leaders!
Submitted by parent on January 10, 2023

John Muir Elementary is a hidden gem. When we were looking for elementary schools in our zone, we toured all three. John Muir was our second choice...only because we live 2 blocks away from our first choice. Our initial disappointment quickly faded as we came to see what a magical place John Muir is. It is a public school that feels like a private school. Being the smallest school in the district, John Muir naturally has an intimate, welcoming community. The teachers love the school and working with one another. Our daughter is now in 4th grade and has loved every single year. Her teachers have been wonderful & lead with kindness, patience and empathy. Her BUSD curriculum is ahead of where her friends at private school are. BUSD's music program is amazing. Kids choose what instrument they are interested in (after trying them all out) and borrow free instruments from the district for 4th & 5th grade instruction. The economic and racial diversity at the school is wonderful - students learn from one another's varied life experiences. Our new principal is extremely experienced, personable and helpful. He prioritizes the right things and knows how to navigate tricky situations with ease. Our daughter had to deal with an episode of bullying and the teachers, staff and principal jumped into action to stop it while making her feel safe, calm and equipped to handle it. She feels the comfort of community and loves that because it is so small, she knows everyone at the school.The campus is absolutely beautiful. The, auditorium, library, huge grass field, the track, basketball courts, play structures, garden with a little amphitheater, the creek and a little stage under a redwood grove are all truly ideally. We love how science class can be held along the creek & art projects can be outside under the trees. The aftercare options are great. BEARS & Kids in Motion offer consistent morning & after school hours. The PTA sponsored after school classes are offered in 2 sessions per year and offer fun extra activities like Basketball, Ceramics, Chess, Cooking/Baking, Creative Writing, Drama, French, Kala Arts, Origami, Soccer, Spanish, Track, and Yoga. It's been a good, easy, low stress way for our daughter to try out things to see if she likes them. I highly recommend John Muir Elementary!
Submitted by parent on January 10, 2023

Both of my children went here. One is currently in 4th grade. Ever since we joined we have been welcomed by a lovely community of families and teachers. The school is not just a safe and beautiful place, where kids get to play in a creek and read under redwood trees but also a great school full of committed and experienced teachers. We have a wonderful principal and in contrast with a lot of other schools post-pandemic, we have a stable and consistent group of teachers. The last few times I've come by to pick my kids up early, I see kids with clipboards doing science experiments and playing soccer on the field. There are two great after school programs (BEARS and Kids in Motion), I've had my kids in both and they loved them both. There is a great music program, science classes, library program and a set of optional after school classes (chess, ceramics, foreign languages...) Overall I'm really glad we made the choice to send our kiddos here.
Submitted by parent on January 10, 2023

I have two children currently enrolled in John Muir Elementary. We love this school. The curriculum is great, teachers are totally invested, experienced and excellent, and the principal is wonderful. The building and grounds are lovely. The after school offerings are varied and plentiful.Prior to attending John Muir, our children were in private school in SF. We feel our John Muir experience is on par, and indeed better than the private school experience -- we're getting a top notch education and NOT paying ~$40K/year for it. The community is lovely as well. Many parents participate in events and volunteer often.
Submitted by parent on January 09, 2023

John Muir has wonderful teachers, very low teacher turnover, and a fantastic school community. We got a new principal in 2022 who is incredibly experienced, well respected among teachers and parents, and is strengthening many aspects of the school community. It has an incredible campus including a beautiful school garden, creek and an outdoor science classroom. In addition to in-school extracurriculars (dance, music, art, gardening, science, and more) we have an awesome intramural program with a a wide range of afterschool classes - everything from soccer and tennis to baking and origami. The aftercare program is so popular that many parents who's kids attend other BUSD elementary schools choose to send their child to aftercare at John Muir. Overall, we love John Muir for the amazing parent community, incredible teachers and staff, and strong leadership. (FYI, it looks like some of the old reviews written here are actually not about this school.)
Submitted by parent on January 09, 2023

Absolutely love having my kids at John Muir!
Submitted by parent on February 26, 2019

Disappointing... the principal is not an advocate for the children,she works against the parents that try to support and protect the child against bullies.
Submitted by other on April 27, 2018

Outstanding, they helped bring our 7 year old out of his shell. In the past he has been withdrawn & not engaging with other kids, this has all changed.
Submitted by parent on June 21, 2013

Transitional kindergarten here is play-based, but the academic progress of our child was as impressive as the social skills gained. Parents love this school for its pretty seamless diversity; the personalized attention allowed by its small size; the pastoral feel of its creek and playgrounds (though near a busy intersection); and its late start time. Normal-hearing students get well acquainted with the deaf student community. Principal Audrey Amos is receptive and level-headed. The PTA is of course smaller than other zoned schools, and succeeds based on deep commitment from those willing to step up. They do seem entrenched in traditions that are working well. Communications could be better with the transitional K High-5 classroom, but this was its first year so improvements are surely on the way. Support for parental involvement in reading is encouraging.
Submitted by parent on April 23, 2013

We have a kindergartner at John Muir and love the grounds, the community, the extras, and the care with which our child is taken care of.
Submitted by parent on March 31, 2013

John Muir is a wonderful small school with a beautiful campus, high quality teachers and principal, a great (private) after school program (Kids in Motion) and a dedicated core parent group. We can only hope that BUSD does not screw it up. JM needs better outreach to parents and families who do not live nearby (many are bussed in), an in-home tutoring program particularly for poorer African American and Sp. language kids, who still exhibit a strikingly stubborn achievement gap, and a higher percentage (50%) of neighborhood admits (now kept by BUSD to below 12% of applicants, which drives too many middle class Berkeley families into private schools). Allowing more of a neighborhood preference would foster a stronger sense of community, with consequent better parental involvement, better student peer modeling and more money. This should be combined with a diversity program that focuses on actual diversity, and not political favoritism and cheating in admissions by Oakland and Richmond residents.