Bernardo Elementary School

1122 Mountain Heights Drive

Escondido, CA 92029

School District

Escondido Union
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:19
Type

public

School Map for Escondido Union 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 April 24, 2024

Great school, good teaching schedule and amazing involvement of families, convenient and instructive after school programs also available. We are very happy about it and got a good feeling!
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2023

I am compelled to express that my experience with the educators at this institution was not as positive as I had anticipated. While I have no doubt that the school employs numerous outstanding teachers, my personal interactions regrettably did not reflect this. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a continued struggle into the subsequent year, ultimately influenced our decision to seek educational alternatives.On a more positive note, I was genuinely impressed by the school's commitment to creating a vibrant community spirit. Their efforts to cultivate a familial atmosphere and their success in engaging the families in this vision were laudable aspects of the school environment.However, my interactions with certain teachers were less than satisfactory. Despite my earnest attempts to foster a constructive and harmonious teacher-parent rapport, I found it challenging to bridge a communicative gap that seemed to persist. Notably, while warmth was extended towards my child, which was heartening to see, the same openness was not mirrored in our adult interactions.Moreover, I feel it necessary to comment on the logistics of the school's parking situation. Although I recognize that the predicament of vehicular congestion is not a direct fault of the school, it presents an area ripe for improvement. The implementation of measures such as crossing guards or traffic facilitation could significantly enhance the safety and efficiency of the school's transport arrangements.In summary, while I admire the school's overarching ethos and community initiatives, I believe there is room for improvement in the domain of teacher-parent engagement and traffic management.
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2023

I loved the family engagement but there were other things that I did not like about this school. 2 out of the 3 teachers that our child had were just ok, while one was absolutely fantastic. On top of it, there was a lady who yelled at me on two occasions while I walked in the parking lot to my car (she thought my car was on the street, but it was not, it was in the parking lot). I feel that she felt she had authority over me, a parent, and even though I wasn't doing anything wrong, she treated me like a child. The fall festival is always fantastic. I love the award ceremonies.
Submitted by parent on February 25, 2023

My child went to Bernardo for 2nd grade because of the great things we had heard about the school. Unfortunately, we found the curriculum to be subpar and my child’s teacher in desperate need of an early retirement. She was pleasant enough to parents, but would complain incessantly about kids asking to use the restroom as a way to avoid class. Keep in mind she’s talking about 7-8 year olds in 2nd grade, not teenagers in high school. She complained if students asked too many questions during lessons, or if they asked for more challenging work, and that the school should reduce the school week instead of having a half day every week. When asked if she could provide more challenging work for my child, she replied that students “just had to grin & bare it”. Not an appropriate comment!! This school is geared towards children who are into reading and writing, but falls short for children who excel at math and science. 2nd grade science consisted of one 5-minute student presentation to the class every week. No lecture by the teacher or hands-on lessons for the students. Such a missed opportunity!
Submitted by parent on December 21, 2022

This school has no parking and the principal will not get a district crossing guard or do anything about people parking in unsafe places and children crossing the street from every which way. There’s a stop sign at the cross walk but you would never know it because no one observes the stop sign legally. Making left turns from the right lane across crosswalks. Don’t live here. Parents will park on private roads and in front of your driveway with no repercussions from the city or the school. Avoid this school at all costs.
Submitted by parent on August 23, 2022

Fantastic neighborhood school. Highly engaged teachers and PTA. Campus is very nice, safe, and has a wonderful vibe.
Submitted by other on March 15, 2021

The teachers and staff are very understanding, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. They actually listen to the inputs of parents and not just public officials. Compared that to other schools at other school districts in the county, Bernardo did exceptionally well.
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2020

Bernardo is an amazing elementary school. Our girls have been there for TK and Kinder, we love all the teachers and staff. A wonderful, loving environment for children to grow and learn.
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2019

Our 6th year here and I am SO impressed with Bernardo. Amazing teachers, and parents are encouraged to be involved. They finally brought back the gate program and it seems they are starting to understand the need to provide resources for their advanced students. Lots of enrichment opportunities. Couldn't have asked for a better elementary school experience for my kids.
Submitted by parent on August 09, 2019

Such a awesome school! Have a current 5th grader and a 7th grader who attended Bernardo and loved every minute! Awesome teachers and principal !
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2014

Bernardo School is wonderful! We moved here a year and a half ago from Poway, and couldn't be happier! I have always heard that Poway schools were the best, but I have to say, I am far more impressed with Bernardo! Excellent teachers and staff, great after school enrichment programs like chess, Spanish, guitar, and weekly art and music classes! Great PTA with no drama is a big plus too!
Submitted by other on March 24, 2014

This school was amazing I'm a eighth grader at woodland park and previously went to Bernardo. This school is spectacular and amazing. All the teachers are nice and well educated. School is interesting. There's a great selection of cafeteria food and many fun groups and clubs. The school is large so I like it.
Submitted by parent on October 08, 2013

My school is a place with an amazing Kindergarten teacher named Mrs. Borecky!!! We are so thankful to be in her AM class. She runs things so smoothly and is a beautiful example of a caring teacher. She makes parents feel so welcome when they volunteer. The way that she runs her class is so multi-dimensional...she uses music and sign-language and makes things so fun for the children. She has a wonderful incentive program for the children and is very consistent in all things pertaining to the whole child according to their individual personalities and needs. We're so grateful!
Submitted by parent on September 10, 2013

Love this school. Both my kids go here. The staff is so friendly and my kids are thriving in all areas! There is tons of parent involvment, lots of activities and it is just an all around great school!
Submitted by parent on June 09, 2013

We moved to Escondido 2 years ago and my two children (Grades 1 and 3) have attended since my son was in pre-school. We love this school! There is such a sense of community here and the parents involvement is amazing. The PTA funds the music teacher, many of the field trips, and many of the small events that happen throughout the school year to reward the kids. The curriculum is very good, with focus on math, science, culture, and history, as well as the standard reading and writing. They have a "Friday Sing" each week to recognize high achieving students and to get all of the teachers and students together and give them something fun to do. We love Bernardo!
Submitted by parent on June 04, 2013

The quality of education my child is receiving there is great. Since we've only experienced K & 1st this point, I can't elaborate too much, but there has definitely been a good foundation laid and now we will continue on! I do have a suggestion for the school, and that is that the office staff be a little more welcoming. Many parents have commented that they have felt, simply walking through the door, that their presence is an inconvenience. Same here. They do good work and I'd love to be able to express my appreciation more, but I've never been able to develop a good rapport. School is intense these days, from Kindergarten on. I know the importance of education and what this means to classroom structure, the teachers' approach to students, etc., but it seems that we are forgetting that the kids learn compassion & kindness through peaceful guidance and example. Ok, I'm rambling. In a nutshell: good, strong education. Presence-wise, office staff needs a little tweaking, same for a good number of the teachers.