Pacific Rim Elementary School

1100 Camino de las Ondas

Carlsbad, CA 92009

School District

Carlsbad Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:20
Type

public

School Map for Carlsbad 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 August 19, 2024

This school has been wonderful for my son! As a new student, he has made a ton of friends, the teachers are very kind and caring, and this school provides STEAM, music, art, and PE classes, which not all schools do. We are so happy with the progress he’s made and I feel that he’s getting a well-rounded education.
Submitted by parent on May 24, 2023

Heavy focus on attaining rankings over any other success criteria. If they perceive your child will make it more challenging for them you will feel like you’re being pushed out. There is bullying that certain students know how to get away with. Volunteers that monitor behavior may not be well trained to deal with this. Academically they go the extra mile to ensure children are not falling behind. Bathrooms are not well maintained and students frequently make a mess of it. My children would try to avoid using it which wasn’t good for them. All in all a mixed bag. Probably a bit overrated given it has attained a name for itself in the area but there are areas that this school does excel in.
Submitted by parent on January 28, 2023

My two boys attend PAC Rim... and i can vouch for the academic progress done each year.... great school,staff... we moved all the way here just so the kids can attend this school!
Submitted by parent on July 25, 2022

We have had 4 children at Pacific Rim. All the teachers and staff are very kind. We have never found the curriculum/homework to be demanding, and I am personally surprised each year when the children do so well on their state exams. It really comes down to the quality of the instruction from the teachers in class. We moved to the neighborhood for this school 10 years ago, and it was one of the best decisions we ever made. The school has helped our children reach their full potential, providing a strong foundation for their education.
Submitted by parent on June 18, 2019

Ranked #11 in the State and #2 in the County.
Submitted by parent on January 07, 2019

Terrible...principle has an inferior complex and the kids pay for with demanding workload that are at the detriment to the students.
Submitted by parent on October 30, 2018

If your child does attend this school, I would highly suggest volunteering as much as possible so you can get a feel for what is actually happening here first hand. Very backwards system, and like many others here have already mentioned, all they care about are school test scores and ratings to be “Number 1.”
Submitted by student on August 12, 2018

I am a minority and therefore have struggled with feeling part of the community. Overall, this area struggles with acceptance and understanding of individuals who are racially diverse. We have lived here over 8 years and it has gotten a wee bit better. My now 14 year old’s first week experience was coming home crying because kids told him he could not play with them because he did not have blue eyes.
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2017

My husband and I are not happy with Pac Rim. The principal seems arrogant and seems more content in blaming students rather than staff for incidents. He also had the students yell "recess is dumb and recess is stupid". We don't teach our kids to say such negative things and recess is actually important for many reasons. Overall this school is just not a good school and cares far too much about high test scores than anything else.
Submitted by parent on March 15, 2017

I am glad my daughter will be leaving PAC Rim, this school cares more about test scores and fundraisers than the individuals.
Submitted by other on June 06, 2016

My boy & girl twins attended this school for all of elementary school and the Principal, Mr. Devich and teachers are awesome!! They are a CA Distinguished School and parent involvement is extremely high.
Submitted by other on February 02, 2016

Thank you to Mr. Devich and the dedicated teachers at Pacific Rim for educating my children. The principal here is fantastic- he has high expectations for himself, his teachers, and the students. His work hard/play hard attitude is infectious and he dishes out tough love to the students who need it most. You won't find bullying or profanity at this school because of this kind of leadership. Mr. Devich regularly visits classrooms and preaches character values. Yes, there are a few downsides to this school. Because it is overcrowded, it can sometimes seem clique-y and competitive. The office staff is not overly welcoming or friendly. The teachers often assign too much homework and school drop off and pick up can be a headache. However, I strongly believe the pros outweigh the cons.
Submitted by parent on April 30, 2015

This school afforded my children an excellent elementary school education and the school Principal was engaged, knew most students by name, and showed real enthusiasm for his job. The teachers here are top notch!
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2014

My experience at this school has been quite different from many of the other parents that have posted here. I am not the least bit impressed by this school or its principal. In several years and across different grade levels my child has been exclusively taught by worksheets. There is very little room for creativity. Boys commonly struggle in environments like this. It is the prototypical 'teach to the test' school. Taking away recess and even PE (California schools have been sued over this) from kids that fail to finish their worksheets seems common practice. One would think that it does not take a genius to understand that a child who has a hard time focusing on mundane worksheets in class needs more and not less time to let off steam and run around during recess and lunch. I don't feel they care about the individual student's success and well-being as long as their overall test scores stay up. Since the same type of teaching occurs across different grade levels, I can only conclude that it is the principal's mantra to teach this way. The new common core standards might be an eye opening experience here, at least I hope so. Something has to change.
Submitted by parent on March 21, 2014

The school is supported by a great principal, dedicated teachers and active parent involvement in a beautiful location.
Submitted by parent on December 09, 2013

Had to reply to the parent complaining about special needs kids. Our experience was EXACTLY the opposite. The school went out of the way to help my daughter and was always open to discussion when needed. Pac Rim has some issues when it comes to class size and funding, but that's not the school's fault. If you're in North County SD, Pac Rim can't be beat.
Submitted by parent on October 13, 2013

Moved from NY and chose to buy a home based on the schools available. Our concern a was substandard education. CA schools do not rank well. After research we found the best elementary school available and home values in our range. My child thrived at Pac Rim. The principal Rob't Devich is in a class by himself. Not only did my daughter receive an exemplary education but she is a person that treats others well, understands the value of "giving back", and emerged with a confidence in herself that will enable her to achieve her dreams. While not take away our contribution as parents so much of this is due to the "heart" of the school. Non academic achievement is recognized on an ongoing basis at Pac Rim. Mr. Devich consistently delivers "good character messages"...Making good decisions today? Treating your neighbor as well as you would like to be treated (Golden Rule) Taking care of your responsibilities? The messages that the our children need to hear to become productive members of society, good citizens and great parents. Pac Rim ranks in the top 10% in CA. My daughter will be able to pick and choose any college/career she wishes due in large part to Mr. Devich and staff.
Submitted by parent on August 08, 2013

While the test scores are fantastic at the school it is way too crowded. The average class size is 33 and the school is impacted with classrooms that need to be redone. Moved my child from this school. Just too many kids!
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2012

I have had two kids in Pac Rim and I absolutely love this school. Mr Devich runs a tight ship and it works. When we first enrolled here I received a call from him after the first week, explaining that my son was not meeting the standard and spelled out to me exactly what the problems and issues were. I was so impressed and relieved to finally be in a school were the kids were so cared for. I have so appreciated our time here and am so grateful for amazing teachers and volunteers. I wish we had Mr. Devich all the way through 12th!
Submitted by parent on July 07, 2012

It was a very hard decision to pull our child from Pac Rim this year. Mr. Devich is a godsend to this school and our family has been most appreciative to him over the years. The teachers for the most part are very good, especially Miss Glassey and Miss. Blakely. However, there were some issues at the school that we were not satisfied with. The computer, science and music programs at Pac Rim are lacking compared to the private schools in the area. The GATE program is not very good either. I know it is due to a lack of funding, but I just feel that the education is too focused on the star testing here. Bullying seems to be a creeping issue here as well. Mr. Devich does a good job of keeping it under control, but he can only do so much, it says a lot about the type of parents of these kids that attend this school.