Carrillo Elementary School

2875 Poinsettia Lane

Carlsbad, CA 92009

School District

San Marcos Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:19
Type

public

School Map for San Marcos 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 December 05, 2022

If you want to be discriminated against this is the perfect school for you. It’s a joke of a program from the top down. There are some nice teachers, but if you're anything other than typical get ready to be discriminated against. No homework given to kids so when they enter middle school they’re completely unprepared. Overall a poorly put together school
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2019

Excellent! We love Carrillo Elementary. They are inclusive, challenge the students and provide resources for students that need extra help.
Submitted by parent on December 19, 2018

If I could, I'd give this school 6 stars. There are of course the plus and minus in everything. Yet, the plus from Carrillo elementary school supremely outweighs the minus.
Submitted by parent on September 07, 2018

The staff at Carrillo are amazing. My two sons learned a lot very quickly and had tons of fun in the process. The teachers and principal so everything they can to make school an enjoyable place to learn and grow.
Submitted by student on February 11, 2018

I would rate this school five stars on experience.
Submitted by other on August 26, 2016

We moved from a local community specifically so my daughter could start Kindergarten at Carrillo. The teachers are wonderful, caring individuals and the location is idyllic--such a peaceful campus. Parent involvement is high and communication from the staff to parents is constant. My daughter is now in 3rd grade and wouldn't want to attend any other school.
Submitted by parent on June 17, 2016

This school is all about your child(ren)! They have very organized and structured classes! They also involve the children the community, health, and physical activities!
Submitted by parent on October 06, 2014

We moved form a different state. I was excited for my child to go to Carrillo because I heard a lot of great things about it. I was very disappointed with the front desk staff. They are so rude, never smile, they do no make you feel welcome at all! I was even more disappointed with my child's kindergarten teacher after she told me there will not be a kindergarten graduation, but when I was picking my daughter up from her last day of school, she was crying because other parents came to their children's kindergarten graduation and I did not! This was not ok with me and when I confronted the teacher, she told me she did not know that they will be holding a kindergarten graduation. Really??? Overall I think the only reason this school is rated so high is because of the rich families that attend Carrillo.
Submitted by parent on August 24, 2014

They say you can't make requests for teachers but they allow PTO parents to do so. If they're going to they might as well say it, maybe more parents would join the PTO. It's so obvious who the favored teachers are, just look to see which teachers the kids of PTO parents and other teachers get. Sherwood followed by Whelan & Danielson in 1st, Yates followed by Rhodes in 2nd (Saulino if you have a son), Cummings followed by Martin than Shultz in 3rd, Duke followed by Mariano in 4th (Cochran may become a favorite), Woods followed by Lancon in 5th and Folk seems to be a new favorite too in 5th. Suppose some have to get the less favored teachers but hate watching all the PTO kids get one of the top favorites ALL the time. >:( And if parent requests were known and those teachers knew they weren't popular, maybe they'd try to improve their act.
Submitted by parent on August 18, 2014

IT IS VERY UNFORTUNATE, BUT THE REASON THE SCHOOL IS RATED SO HIGH IS ONLY DUE TO PARENT INVOLVEMENT. THERE ARE VERY, VERY FEW TEACHERS WHO REALLY CARE OR LOVE WHAT THEY ARE DOING. IT IS THE PARENT VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE CARRYING OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION. BOTH WITH THEIR VOLUNTEERED TIME AND FINANCIAL DONATIONS. THE CHILDREN ARE PUT LAST SINCE THE STAFF WILL COVER FOR EACH OTHER AND SWEEP PROBLEMS UNDER THE RUG IN ORDER TO PROTECT ONE ANOTHER. VERY SAD FOR OUR CHILDREN.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2013

Carrillo Elementary School is the best public school there is! I have been there 8 years now with 3 kids going there and have only had amazing teachers and staff for my children. There is a lot of parent involvement also. My children feel safe there and have made great progress in their academics. Carrillo will prepare you for middle school for sure!
Submitted by parent on September 12, 2013

Carrillo Elementary has wonderful parents that are willing to volunteer tremendous time and energy. The PTO generates substantial financial resources for the school. However, the teachers do not take advantage of the resources available to help students progress. The school might be ranked as a 10 by the state (#378 in the state) but this is because of the heavy parent involvement. The school number ranking should be hire, but many of the teacher s take this as an opportunity to do less. The school is second to last in ranking for the City of Carlsbad. The rankings for the City of Carlsbad are (#57, #192, #195, #347, #378, # 391).
Submitted by parent on December 07, 2012

Despite the potential to be a great school this school is just mediocre. The pieces required to be great are there: good facilities, good students, families who value education and have adequate financial resources. Unfortunately they just can't seem to put it all together. The previous principal was fantastic. The current principal has allowed the school to slide into mediocrity. The teachers range from amazing, to pleasant, to lazy, to down right mean...many seem like they are just going through the motions. Each year the school year begins with enthusiasm, by mid-year the students are ridiculously behind schedule and then there is a mad rush to catch up in the spring before STAR testing begins. There are many parents who are willing to give their time selflessly to help in the classroom. The PTO is another story. They seems to do a good job raising money each year and there are undoubtedly many hard working, well-meaning parents involved with this goal. However, many of the PTO leaders seem to use their positions as a means to get what they want for their own kids (class placement, etc). It's disappointing to see the unrealized potential of this school.
Submitted by parent on November 29, 2012

Carrillo has changed so incredibly much over the past few years and I m sad to say not for the better! The amount of money and fundraising they constantly badger us for is outrageous. Carrillo also wastes so much learning time on flag salutes with awards related to running and behavior. But, the kids who do get Triple E s and Honor Roll get shunned and receive their awards in their classrooms to not upset or discourage those students who aren t making the grades. What happened to rewarding and promoting academics? By showing ALL kids academic awards and not just cheesy running and behavior awards helps instill and prepare our kids for the real world!
Submitted by parent on June 10, 2012

Carrillo is a great school...perfect? Of course not. Just like any school it has its issues but all in all it is a really good school and my kids are getting a great education. I would suggest to parents to get more involved. The pressure to donate is only there because the state is taking away more and more. I would suggest to some of the reviewers to join the grant committee or help in raising funds for the school.
Submitted by parent on May 31, 2012

Pros: Staff super friendly and seem very competent, great social atmosphere for kids, teachers doing a great job with many students and limited resources Cons: The funding crunch has caused the school to do questionable things to students while chasing money. If a child misses 5 days in a year, they are barred from a trip to a pool/water park. We cut trips to visit family (including elderly residents she may not have much time with) short to meet this, but when I chaperoned the party (on May 29), I saw at least 5 kids in just my kids class get to watch the classmates leave for the party while they were effectively publicly shunned for something they (as first granders) have no control over. Kids are also made to attend repeated hyped-up fundraising assemblies, a few of which would be fine with me, but the pressure on kids (and their families) is constant, and as with the pool party, the kids are made to watch as other kids get prizes etc for getting more money. Be prepared to spend a considerable amount not to have the staff make your children feel like they have failed and let down their school.
Submitted by parent on April 09, 2012

This school is doing wonders for my child socially. We move a lot and I usually had issues with my daughter's happiness and lack of friends. Not here. The teachers and kids seem to be loving and accepting. It must be that there is little drama coming from upper class homes. Whatever it is, it makes a happy student. She is involved in the activities. There are many to choose from. Improvements to be made include the lack of parking. Maybe they should make a parking structure for the regulars. Also, children who excel at academics need to be recognized and encouraged more. Do they have a GATEs program? Many of the children there are from successful brainiacs, despite how good the school is, this is a great influence on the high test scores. So do we have to move back to the ghetto to get some recognition? I hope they do something. Put it in gear, please.
Submitted by parent on March 12, 2012

Let's do a comparison. First, let me say that community is a school starts with the principal, then trickles down. If the principal is not at the TOP of her game, then the system fails. At Carrillo, the principal does the minimum possible because this is a job, not a career for her. She collects her paycheck as does the least that she can. This trickles down to the front office. Please do not something like smile, it may hurt and you don't get paid to smile. Why is this important? Is a school of 900+ students if the first thing you see is a grumpy face how do you feel all day? At Alvin Dunn Elementary, the principal knows her students, smiles, her job is her career, her happy nature affects everyone around her. The front office staff goes above and beyond to assist, and make you feel welcome that you are at their school. Such an awesome difference. We have attended Twin Oaks Elementary, San Marcos Elementary, Alvin Dunn Elementary, and Carrillo Elementary. If you based choosing a school on principals, we would never return to Carrillo. She should retire.
Submitted by parent on March 15, 2011

Carrillo is a great place for kids to go to school! There are fabulous teachers and tons of parent help! The campus is always clean and there are tons of afterschool programs to join ! With Education being a sore subject in CA--- you would never know it at Carrillo! They truly love the kids and that is what matters most! A great community an a fabulous place for your child to go to school! My son loves to go to school everyday and can't get there early enough! That says alot about a school!
Submitted by parent on March 08, 2011

A lot of the reviews are correct, this is a good school but with a lot of faults. The teachers are in general very good and some are excellent, but I agree that any sort of complaint contrary to how the school is run falls on deaf ears with those in charge. They do push the children, but some are progressed when they should obviously be held back. They lack severally in science and arts, they claim to be focused on math and English but spend a ridiculous amount of time at flag salutes rewarding those who run, surely this is extra curricular and academics should come first, which it does not. They rely heavily on parent funding and participation which does provide many programs but gives those 'clicky' parents too much power in the school and certain staff pander to those 'in the click'. Class sizes are too big and students get lost if they don't cause problems, there is no provision for those who are not struggling to excel, just meet the requirements. The parking lot is not designed for the parents of 900 kids with no school bus it can take 40 minutes just to get to you child for pick up. My children are happy and learning and this year have amazing teachers to thank.