Sycamore Elementary School

225 West 8th Street

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 May 24, 2024

I have a TK and a 2nd grader attending Sycamore and both love it! the teachers are wonderful the school board is very helpful highly recommend Sycamore Creek
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2024

As a parent having a Kindergarten here at Sycamore Creek I have been very pleased with our experience so far. It offers a lot of great enrichment through stories and hands on activities for the children. It is NOT your basic traditional school with kids sitting at desk quietly working on worksheets. This school offers a lot of body movements and times of concentration. Their major focus is offering age appropriate activities and learning materials for the students. I appreciate this to many schools expect to much of these little ones. They have a ton events and the parent involvement is high, which makes our events that much more magical. The school is TK-8th and after attending their parent education night I am even more excited for my son to continue his journey through. This school offers a unique kenestic skill learning. I love the fact that the teachers follow them through 1-8th the teachers better understand your child rather than changing every year. I highly recommend we love. I also wanted to note that seeing this is a Charter school and it's a Waldorf the teachers more education than most teachers. They have there normal California teaching credentials plus the Waldorf training of a few years. So they're not only fully credential Educationally but they are also specially educated about the human as a whole acknowledge their needs developmenlly and incorporate that with their learning. The students physical, social, emotional and well being of the child are a high focus on their students. You will not get this at other schools.
Submitted by parent on December 18, 2019

We are so happy and lucky to have found Sycamore. The entire school is focused on the well being of the students and they focus on the whole child, not just test scores. They engage the children in hands-on, project-based learning that invigorates their imaginations and nurtures their curiosity and love of learning. I couldn't be happier.
Submitted by parent on April 08, 2019

the staff and the principal are very caring.
Submitted by parent on May 25, 2014

We have been very happy with Sycamore. The academic standards are high, the teachers are easy to communicate with, the school encourages creativity and critical thinking. When my child was experiencing difficulties with math, I e-mailed the teacher and worked with her over the next few weeks on the strategies to help my child. The teacher encouraged exploring different approaches to solving math problems, and that's what did it for my child. I like the free spirit of the school because my child thrives in it. The school, however, is definitely not the best for children who need more structure for effective learning.
Submitted by parent on May 19, 2014

Worst school ever. The principal does not know what she is doing.I wouldnt send my dog here
Submitted by parent on May 19, 2014

this school puts different age groups in one class which is a good initiative unless the teachers are properly trained. Best way ofcourse would be with a Montessori credential. This is not the case at Sycamore there for it lacks the benefit this multiple age mix could create.
Submitted by parent on May 18, 2014

We enrolled our son at Sycamore for one year with high hopes and expectations but ended up moving to Chaparral after a couple of disappointments. Bullying is a problem, as one previous poster mentioned. Of course, kids bully each other in every school from time to time - that can't be avoided. What matters, I think, is how the school handles it, where by 'school' I mean every member of the faculty from the principal on down AND parents. In our case, the problem is that my son was bullied by the child of a couple of parents who were completely unwilling to recognize or let alone deal with the situation and that the administration failed to meaningfully intervene. My son's situation just wasn't a high priority. At the same time, we weren't very impressed with Sycamore's academic quality. I really like the concepts of mixed-age classrooms and all that in principle. Maybe the problem was in the implementation. One way or another, our son just wasn't learning at a speed that I thought he could be learning, and that problem was very quickly eliminated at Chaparral. I don't completely dislike Sycamore, but I don't think it's living up to its potential. Sycamore students deserve more.
Submitted by parent on May 14, 2013

Wonderful school which encourages children to think independently and teaches them to engage the world in which they live.
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2012

I'm glad a couple of you are having good experiences with your child. For us it turned into "home schooling" because the school was more interested in presenting something they viewed as "creative" rather than teaching the students how to read. For us, their priorities were upside down, or, more probably, they didn't know what their priorities were...
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2012

My kid was bullied at Sycamore and the principal had no idea what to do about it. Thankfully he is in a kinder place now.
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2011

Sycamore is a great school, the principal is awesome, ALL the teachers really do care about each individual student they are loving, compassionate, creative and dedicated. The teachers are absolutely amazing, the communication is much better than anything I have experienced with other schools- It is easy to feel a part of a community because parents get involved, there are so many volunteer opportunities, and it is nice to be around so many like-minded, creative and interesting parents.
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2011

Sycamore is a great school with children who are independent and taught how to think. Teachers find creative ways to teach standards while encourage students to develop in all areas. The students are kind to one another and do especially well in junior high and high school. You can always tell a Sycamore kid - they are the ones who smile when they think about their elementary school experience
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2011

If you read the reviews, take into consideration when it was written. Anything before September 2009 describes a very different school than what is here now. Poor Sycamore has fallen into the California school abyss.