O. N. Hirsch Elementary School

41399 Chapel Way

School District

Fremont Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:20
Type

public

School Map for Fremont 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 08, 2025

Hirsh Elementary is small school with tight-knit Community. School has very active PTA, also Principal Arroyo is deeply involved and genuinely cares for Children’s educational journey and sense of community. PTA organizes free courses/clubs for kids to explore like Robotics, chess clubs, debate, music etc. Hirsh’s proximity to Horner Middle School has added advantage for shared infrastructure and also it’s easy to drop kids with different age group.
Submitted by parent on September 03, 2024

Small school with families who value education and a great PTA.
Submitted by parent on March 31, 2023

Small school but education focused families . PTA runs many programs and kids benefit from all activities chess, music , math .
Submitted by parent on January 27, 2023

The teachers are great and so is the staff, however the principal- Christina Arroyo is incredibly insensitive. My child and others have been embarrassed by the way she barks instructions in public areas. she has a megaphone that she uses right outside the parking lot and i’ll give you an example- someone else’s child - they were very young- was walking with their pants sagging a bit but their hands were full. This child was walking with their parent, however Principal arroyo decided to use her megaphone and announce to the entire parking lot repeatedly that said student needed to pull up their pants. her general demeanor is incredibly rude and just from observation it is clear that she has no respect for the students, other staff, or parents. this school is great but the one star review is solely because of Christina Arroyo.
Submitted by parent on December 26, 2022

The parent run math olympiad program is a big attraction of the school and a testament of the focus and dedication of PTA and especially Radhika madam who is leading it. There are regular monthly tests being organized, graded and solutions provided to help train and prep the kids for Maths Olympiad. We are lucky to have such a program in our school and hats of to the parents and Radhika madam organizing it.
Submitted by parent on December 24, 2022

I have 2 kids, my older one went to Warm springs elementary, Horner middle and younger one is going to Hirsch elementary now. Among the irvington feeder elementaries this school benefits from close proximity to Horner middle and Irvington high. Dropping 2 kids is easy even if you have one going to middle and one going to elementary as all three elementary, middle and high schools are in walking distance. While we moved because of the proximity and location, we have been pleasantly surprised by the Hirsch elementary school. Size wise its a bit smaller school compared to the others which also makes it a lot more closely knit community among the parents and the kids. The school has an amazing principle and a very active PTA. PTA organizes a ton of programs which enriches the kids. The school has a very solid after school program with activities like debate, chess, etc. The school also benefits from the infrastructure available from Horner middle and often uses their facilities for organizing programs. Overall this is a great school which will only get better due to its location advantage.
Submitted by parent on November 22, 2022

Great school with extremely active PTA. Parents are involved in Maths Olympiad, Math Kangaroo, debate, chess, music, etc. This is only one of the few elementary schools in the bay area which offers debate at the elementary level. Parents are actively involved in making the school better. Love the parent community in the school. The school helps in building community and attracts newer motivated and education focussed families to the area.
Submitted by parent on September 08, 2021

The principal Ms Arroyo is very involved and truly listens to the parents, the teachers are very kind and easy to talk to. They have been doing a great job especially now given the pandemic and all it’s challenges.
Submitted by parent on January 23, 2019

Its a a great inclusive school which supports kids with learning disabilities. The teachers are well trained. Its a happy feeling visiting this school.
Submitted by parent on June 06, 2018

it is good and i like it.
Submitted by parent on May 14, 2015

Like the other reviewer, my son was overloaded from James Leitch but we have been very happy with Hirsch! His teacher is warm but firm and does an amazing job in her classroom despite having 30 kids w at least 15 different cultural backgrounds and a huge variety of skill levels. She even developed an in-class. parent-led program (book club) for her high achievers while she works w the lower achieving students. Impressed bc many teachers ignore the high achievers leading to boredom and a hatred of school. Good office staff (again - if you treat w respect). Really like the principal. She is visible and holds a coffee hour every month for parents to drop in and talk (very brave in a school w a demanding parent population). PTA tries to do many activities but lacks good parent participation. Good after school activities. Would be happy to have my son stay here is if wasn't so far from our house!
Submitted by parent on April 27, 2015

We were offloaded from James Leitch to this school in the year 2014-15 for the 2nd grade. We were very concerned as this school was a atleast 4 miles in the wrong direction every morning for us plus the school looked a bit older as well...but over the last 7 months we have been super impressed with the teaching staff and principal...My son's teacher Mrs Keller is amazing, we have never come across a teacher of her level of caring and concern...our son has gained confidence, and is an excellent performer - THANKS 100% to Mrs Keller...recommend this school to others...
Submitted by other on December 04, 2014

2012 and below for this school was fantastic, but after the new principal, it was never the same. We have better food now though, but the thing is, the STUDENTS her SWEAR A LOT. They SWEAAR SOOO MUCH!!! Even the nice people join in and start saying terrible things. People even start doing innapropriate things to each other, say rude things about pop stars, and especially act EXTREMELY CRAZY!!!! Well, this is for the 6th, 5th, and 4th who are the older kids. And older kids are supposed to be the younger kid's role models, right???? Well, the younger kids will probably start copying them thinking it's "ok", but it's seriously NOT!!! Sorry Hirsch Elementary School, but I give you one star. I moved because of all of this.
Submitted by parent on September 03, 2014

This is the best rated school in Irvington. Although smaller then the surrounding schools but It still has produced a large amount of talent.
Submitted by parent on August 18, 2014

My daughter started at Kindergarten level in 2013 and she has had a good experience so far. The teachers provide a good learning environment and the kids enjoy this. The only downside, as with all public schools in California, is that a lot of school work is pushed down to the home and not enough time is taken to impart it at school. For working parents, this can often be a huge challenge to meet.
Submitted by parent on April 23, 2014

I have a 10 years old son that attended Hirsch since kindergarden . He loves the school. I volunteers for activities. Hirsch and Hirsch PTA are amazing. They put together many activities throughout the year that bring the community together. The teachers are all great, honest and supportive . I am happy that we have a great public school in our area.
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2013

My son recently completed his 1st grade. Due to over number of students enrolled for 1st grade last year (2012), Hirsch has additionally added a new class room and hire a new teacher. My son got into the new class room with new teacher. We are worried knowing that the the new teacher was less experienced comparing to the existing teachers in the school. However our worries are gone within 2 months, I can see my son is keenly reading and writing for his journal and doing his math very well. The new teacher Mr.P**a was really good he observes kids and knows what they lack and focuses on improving their skills. When ever we had any question about the subjects, or about our son's progress he has patiently explained how he is currently, where he is concentrating on improving further his reading writing skills. Overall 1st grade turn out to be a nice experience for us and good class for my son.. I wish the teacher continue to help the students to progress further in their skills. Mrs. C***y used to be the principal, she is too kid involving in all the activities for kids and mingling with teachers as well as to the kids. 5 Stars :-)
Submitted by other on April 16, 2013

Really Great School! I love the great teachers, staff members, and a caring principal! Keep it up Hirsch!