Hicks Canyon Elementary School

3817 Viewpark Avenue

School District

Tustin Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:26
Type

public

School Map for Tustin 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 13, 2025

Hicks is a wonderful school! The principal and administration are supportive and responsive. The PTO and community are among the strongest. My kids love going to school and they feel safe and well supported. The school has excellent family programs, extras for kids like sports, theater and robotics and a counselor who teaches social and emotional wellness. It is one of the newer schools in the district so the facilities are in very good condition. Overall, our family has been very happy to be a part of this amazing community.
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2023

The best school for bullies. My kid was at Kindergarten this year. We had to pull him out of the school after two months due to bullying.My 5 year-old kid was constantly bullied at recess for two months and the administrators didn’t stop the bullies. The vice principal talked to the bullies but they denied what they did to my son, and they didn’t even apologize. And bullying incidents kept happening. My kid had a concussion, came home with bruises, was pushed to the ground, was punched, was kicked, was spit on, and was teased. His hair was pulled.The principal and the vice principal both simply said boys at that young age don’t know how to put their hands to themselves. They told me they would watch the kids better, however my son was bullied again and again for two months. Even on an anti-bullying day! I realized how naive and stupid I was at that point. I should’ve never trusted the administrators.The school said they contacted the bullies’s parents whenever the bullying incidents happened. However, when I ran into three parents of them, they had no idea their kids were bullying. At least, they felt bad and their kids admitted they hurt my son and they apologized.Unfortunately, there are parents who know their kids hurt my son but the parents deny. If you are the parent, and when we run into each other, please have your kid apologize to my kid. We need it for mine and yours.Note : My kid was told he is a role model of his peers by his teacher and she said she’s amazed by his mature behavior. How calm he was and how good listener he was. This is very sad because he misses his good friends and his teacher.
Submitted by parent on March 12, 2023

My kid goes to this school since last 2 years. I'm quite happy with education and learning environment. School offers many after school extra circular programs and frequent events, which helps kids to engage and participate. Must recommend.
Submitted by parent on November 18, 2022

Not safety and also educational not on the level
Submitted by parent on August 09, 2022

Great school, horrible principal. It was a very very bad experience with the police and social worker thanks to her. I just ignored everything, and it was not easy as I do always remember that I am a mom, not a toxic principal with a horrible personality.
Submitted by parent on April 16, 2019

Very high. This is a great school. I was a military child myself and went to many different elementary schools. I can tell Hicks is a cut above.
Submitted by parent on April 12, 2019

I’m very happy and so is my son. Great school with great programs! Wonderful teachers and leadership!
Submitted by parent on April 12, 2019

Our family has been a part of the Hicks Canyon family since 2011. My son was there from 2011 until he graduated 4th grade in 2015 and my daughter is a second grader, currently attending since 2016.We have had nothing but great experiences with both our kids! The teaching staff is awesome at Hicks. Both of them have had great and amazing teachers who have immensely helped shape their formative years. Even though Hicks is a public school, I have always felt like my kids got a private school education. It takes a village to raise kids and Hicks has definitely been a great source of support to us. We are truly grateful for Hicks Canyon Elementary School administration and staff, and proudly recommend it anyone who want a top notch education for their kids in a safe and secure environment.
Submitted by parent on April 12, 2019

Fantastic! So happy we live in the Hicks Canyon school area.
Submitted by parent on April 11, 2019

I enjoy watching my child’s interest in attending a school that provides excellent facilities, motivating staff, and an environment that allows her to thrive.
Submitted by parent on March 01, 2018

All of the teachers and staff we've come in contact with seem truly passionate about teaching children and seem to keep up with the latest research and technology. There are several other schools, districts, even countries that come to Hicks Canyon to see all that the teachers are doing at our school. It's an all around great school.
Submitted by parent on June 17, 2017

Parents should be able to rate the teacher's performance
Submitted by parent on February 06, 2017

Our family has been at Hicks Canyon since 2011 and we’ve had a great 5 years at this school. Our boys have made good friends and we’ve had great experiences with their teachers. Despite it being a big school, we’ve always felt like it was a tight knit community. The technology is up to date -- every classroom has a smart board and students have access to computer labs, iPads within the classrooms. They also offer a lot of educational programs that kids can do at home as well (Lexia, ST Math, Raz Kids, etc…) and they have a great library! I would highly recommend this school!
Submitted by parent on February 06, 2017

We have had a great experience at Hicks Canyon with both our children. We left Hicks Canyon years back when class sizes were increased and we came back because we realized that even with the larger class sizes, the quality of the education was better than the highly rated private school we moved to with its small class sizes. The teachers we had were a great fit for both my children. We love that the teachers are very tech savvy and are continuously looking for new and interesting ways to teach.
Submitted by teacher on January 17, 2017

The teachers and staff work well together to support the needs of students.
Submitted by parent on December 15, 2016

Overall I think the quality of education is good at Hicks. All the teachers our child has had are excellent and in general the kids are nice and the community of parents is active and supportive. Also, they reduced the class size to 24 which is a positive step. One issue though is that they've made a large number of changes in both staff and faculty in a short period of time and since then the overall communication from the school has been less than optimal. Examples of this include sending out notices for events/meetings at the last minute (or even after the event has passed), changing timing for gate open/close at pickup/drop off, and increasing enforcement on tardies without advanced notice. Most of these are relatively minor nuisances and probably have a reasonable explanation, but the lack of proactive communication has been off putting. I hope this works itself out as the new team gets more stabilized and I also really hope they are done with all the changes.
Submitted by other on August 29, 2016

36 students per class, with no plans for improvement. This is very worrisome. Undue stress on teachers and kids will get lost.
Submitted by parent on February 08, 2016

We are so thankful Hicks is our school. We have seen many new elementary schools growing in the area. As much as everyone are talking and drawn to newer schools , Hicks is an established solid school with great teachers, neighborhood and parents. My kids are very happy and enjoy learning. Some parents may want more quizzing and homework, but I prefer my kids enjoy learning and have positive experiences with teachers and school. The CDC after school program is also a well-run great program. They have thoughtful activities and kids are making friends outside of their classes.
Submitted by other on October 08, 2015

We are very happy with Hicks. Academically challenging curriculum, caring staff, diverse student body. I agree with the 10 rating and am happy my boys attend this wonderful school!
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2015

Cannot tell enough good things about this school which hasn't been told yet!!!This is surely one of the good things which is actually good. Both my kids went to this school and both are doing excellent in the middle schools. First off they have positive environment and amazing motivational atmosphere for a growing minds. Kids were really involved in the school which showed their belonging. That's not just me but a bunch of parents we are in touch as a common group from same school!. A very big shout out for Ms.Pessy, a truly dedicated teacher...