Chaparral Elementary School

451 Chaparral Drive

School District

Claremont Unified
Grade

K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:22
Type

public

School Map for Claremont 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 31, 2025

My child attended this wonderful school from K-6 and it was a truly amazing experience for our family. Although there were 3 different principals, the quality never wavered. The 1st one moved out of state, the 2nd one was promoted to the district and the current one was hired from an area competitor. The administrators, teachers from K-6 AND the BLAST program are dedicated, professional, caring and knowledgeable. My child ended up being diagnosed with moderately severe ADHD and the 504 review process and accommodations that he received were life-changing for all of us. Now, as a middle schooler, my child maintains that those were very memorable and fun times. I couldn't agree more. It was a wonderful foundation. Moving onward and upward now and we have been well-equipped to do so. Highly recommended!!
Submitted by parent on December 01, 2023

My daughter is in Kindergarten with Mrs. VK after attending Western Christian for the last 3 years and absolutely loves it! She comes home every day sharing what she learned and how much she loves learning with her peers. The parents in the class are very engaged, we see many of them at birthday parties or school events like movie night. The school loves volunteers and many parents help out often. Our principal is out in the front of the school every day with a big smile and greeting kids while helping with drop off.The BLAST program has been amazing, my daughter doesn't want to come home! She has so much fun and it's my understanding that in the further grades, they do their homework, a major help to us working parents! While Western Christian gave us an amazing experience, my daughter has never been more excited to learn and grow! I HIGHLY recommend Chaparral. Be engaged, work closely with your child, and you won't be leaving reviews like some of the ones I've seen below.
Submitted by parent on June 21, 2023

There are many issues and a probable contributing factor (that is possibly unknown to staff and its population) is ethnocentrism. Despite Chaparral calling themselves “multicultural,” there seems to be a lot of miscommunication with families with strong cultural identities, who may parent their kids differently, and who may possess different educational expectations. A starting point is to hire teachers/substitutes/staff of varying cultural backgrounds and not just hire the like-minded or someone who is “one of us.” If your kid falls into the average range (not needing too much intervention or not being above grade level), or if your kid fits in the same social expectation as the dominant culture, you might be accepted here.
Submitted by parent on June 04, 2022

My daughter started here in Kinder and is now a rising 5th grader. She had attended Sumner for TK and we thought we would keep here there but she confided to us that she wanted to change schools. Claremont allows families to choose which elementary school they would like to send their child to, so we shopped around during the Kinder open houses, and we felt Chaparral would be a good fit for our family. It has met and exceeded our expectation. All her teachers have been engaged and tremendously supportive. She has needed some additional reading and math support and Ms. Cooke has been amazing in this role. Ms. Candice in BLAST is tremendous asset to the school and is so good with the kids. I can't say enough how wonderful this school has been for our family. My daughter is truly blossoming and I am grateful to Chaparral for providing a caring, focused, and fun environment.
Submitted by parent on May 30, 2022

This school made my child, lets say special, Jimmy was always a curious child, maybe too curious.
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2018

My daughter just started Kindergarten at Chaparral and I am absolutely blown away by how amazing this school is. Mrs. O'Connor is the new principal and I truly feel so blessed to have her as my daughter's principal. You can see how much she loves her career by her great attitude, always outside in the morning welcoming the students and she always has a smile for everyone. She is very professional and you can just tell how much she loves the kids. She truly is special! We were also blessed with Mrs. Upshaw as my daughters 1st teacher, she is another amazing and special person. My daughter has already learned so much from her class. She is very involved with all the students, she has 18 years experience and it really shows through. I am lucky enough to volunteer in her class and every time I do I always leave learning something new. The kids really adore her and it is so cute to see how many run up and say hi or bye every day. They truly love their teacher.I am truly grateful for our experience at Chaparral. Everyone has been amazing and I love how much they allow parents to volunteer and get involved. It has been a true blessing.
Submitted by parent on May 15, 2018

Principal is very unprofessional. There is no clear policy on handling behavior problems and bullying. Bullies never get a consequence. In fact, the victim is often blame for speaking up and treated poorly. There is no "real investigation." The system that seems to be in place, is pulling out the victim from class and accuse them for making a scence (speaking out regarding bullying) the victims are not supported and they definitely do not make them feel safe. I am both a parent and worked at this school. Leadership is horrible.
Submitted by other on June 27, 2017

I’m going to stick to talking about school-wide discipline only. There appears to be no system or policy in place for handling behavior problems. There is no follow-through for anything. Bullies don’t ever get a consequence - maybe a talking to at best. And get this, if your child addresses a concern on the playground, and the perpetrator lies/denies it, your child is screwed. The teacher never thought to ask,..”who were the witnesses” and maybe ASK the witnesses??? Nope. Instead, they say, “well, so and so said he didn’t do it.” Oh...so that solves it? That’s why the lack of manners, kindness and level of misbehavior on the playground are never dealt with. It’s not in the classroom that you have to worry about your child’s safety. It’s on the playground. And if there is a school-wide discipline policy, it’s apparently weak. The Principal seems really nice and fair, but still it seems like Admin is afraid to do their job and create a safe environment for all. I think many of the teachers there are nice, but this one particular incident I have to say - a teacher went so far as to pretend to care (because it’s addressed in email and she needed to cover her bases); but in truth, she never even tried to help and get to the bottom of things for the sake of all involved - just gave lip service. She did NOT take even ONE proactive measure. Was so tempted to bring this to the Principal’s attention ...especially because the false sympathy was just SO incredulous. There were just no words for the lack of INTEGRITY. So what’s the point in pushing the issue (what we have to say would be like speaking a foreign language - can’t expect her to understand).
Submitted by parent on November 16, 2014

Excellent school. My husband and I are 100% satisfied with the academic quality and social experience at Chaparral. I give equal credit to the school itself, that is, the teachers and administration, and to the my fellow families, who seem universally dedicated to ensuring that Chaparral is the best that it can be.
Submitted by other on October 18, 2013

Chaparral Elementary is an outstanding school being in the prestigious Claremont School District. Teachers and staff are great!