Buchanan Street Elementary School

5024 Buchanan Street

School District

Los Angeles Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:20
Type

public

School Map for Los Angeles 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 November 14, 2023

My daughter is in the UTK class at Buchanan and is having a wonderful experience. The teachers at Buchanan are great and the school has a STEM and Dual Language program, plus a greening project is also beginning Summer of 2024!
Submitted by parent on October 11, 2023

As an educator myself, I take my child’s education seriously. If you are considering Buchanan there are a few things to know. The first is that the “Great Schools” rating system (a private sector system for grading neighborhood schools) tends to penalize schools with a higher number of English learners and children of color. A language barrier may cause a lower test score (hence a lower rating) but it does not mean that a child isn’t as bright, motivated, or scholarly as a top-scoring white student. My experience with Buchanan has been that despite its lower rating, my child has had a wonderful education, enriching field trips, caring teachers, and made friendships with many local kids. Spoiler alert: Buchanan is in fact a “great” school. The second thing I’d like to address is the racial and socioeconomic diversity of the student body at Buchanan. As a minority white student in a predominantly Latinx school, my kid has had zero issue feeling welcomed, making friends, or otherwise becoming a fully integrated member of the Buchanan community. And that welcome extends to us as parents - it has been a wonderful experience for my family to attend our child’s classmates’ birthday parties - multi-generational gatherings with families that have lived in Highland Park for generations - where we have had the privilege to meet our neighbors, partake in their culture and celebrations, and make friends. We didn’t move to Highland Park to become tourists in our own neighborhood. Attending our neighborhood school allows us to participate meaningfully in our community.Last point: sadly many parents have irrational fears around school choice - that anything less than the “best” school will set a child up for failure. But examine what “best” really means to you. It can often be code for more affluence in the school community, or a whiter student body. Or sometimes “best” means a specific pedagogical approach (aka “charter”) that is different from LAUSD standards. If that’s the case then know you are likely choosing to become part of a school community that is way less socioeconomically (if not racially) diverse than your local public school. Now if “best” to you means caring teachers, dedicated staff, involved parents, and wonderful students - as well as the chance to form meaningful relationships with a wide array of people in your community - a school like Buchanan is a terrific choice.But come see for yourself on a school tour :)
Submitted by parent on October 06, 2023

When we bought our house one of the things that was important to us was our neighborhood and our community. Attending our local neighborhood PUBLIC school was always a top priority. The fact that test scores or an arbitatry ranking can influence a person before they even tour a school or talk with any families at the school is disappointing. We love that Buchanan is a few short blocks away and we can walk to school everyday. Also we love that our son is establishing roots in the community where he will grow up. Our son is enrolled in the Spanish Dual Language program and we love it!! He is not only learning a second language, but he is learning more about a culture that is not our heritage. There is also a resident school and a STEM magnet, and we've heard great things from parents of both!Another thing to note, my son has an IEP. He receives support for Speech and additional support in RSP. Both the SLP and the RSP teacher have been super supportive! (You always hear they want to take away Special Ed services and that hasn't been our case at all!)The biggest problem with Buchanan is that more families from the community don't recognize how great it really is!And let's not forget about the school yard greening project that has been in the works for quite a long time. When ER Elementary got their school greened Buchanan was the control school in a study about green vs asphalt school yards. And now it's our turn! Groundbreaking is to occur summer 2024 with completion in winter 2025. We can't wait!!!There are so many great things about Buchanan Street Elementary! I recommend you schedule a tour or reach out to families who attend to find out more!
Submitted by parent on October 06, 2023

¡Buchanan es el mejor! Seguro y peqeño con clases de STEM y en epañol/inglés. Los estudiantes tienen almuerzo y desayuno gratis y también tienen "LAs Best" en la tarde. Nos encanta Buchanan St. Elementary.
Submitted by parent on October 06, 2023

One of my sons recently began the Dual Language Kinder program at Buchanan. He loves going to school every day. The way the dual-language program is structured is working very well for him and he is excited to share the new words he is learning with me. My wife and I love that the school is so close to our house and we are looking forward to sending our younger son there as soon as we can!
Submitted by parent on October 06, 2023

Our family has been fortunate to be a part of this school community for several decades at this point. We were blessed to experience ETK now known as UTK with Ms. Pedroza, who goes above and beyond for her little ones. She is truly a gem, she teaches about diversity, community/cultures, languages, and let me tell you both of my children fell completely in love with Frida Kahlo. They would come home talking about all the amazing women and women of color along with so much more in their little 4 year old brains! Now as far as the dual language program it is truly remarkable and a testament to the schools commitment to diversity and inclusion! The program allows students to become bilingual AND biliterate in both English and Spanish while still emphasizing on math, science, and the arts. Our dual language teachers are very soft spoken and it works for our kids because they feel safe and welcome in their spaces. In kindergarten Ms. Goodelle was able to not only have my child reading in English but reading in Spanish too by the end of the school year! In first grade Ms. Rodriguez made them feel safe and special. Now Mr. Orland has our kids coding their own games in class and learning about the Battle of Gettysburg. They have reading and math competitions in class that encourage each other to continue to grow. The school itself has two FREE afterschool programs. Being a Title I school they have funds available to pay for certain positions like Drama and Art. I love when my kids come home and tell me about their day. Especially when they tell me the new Spanish words or phrases they have learned. One of the best things about the school is its upcoming Greening Project with completion date of Summer 2024!!! The whole school playground will be transformed into a green space. I believe it will be the biggest greenspace in all of LAUSD. The kids will have both sports areas and green space which is such a great balance. Basically all this to say that we love Buchanan and all of our Bobcats!
Submitted by parent on October 05, 2023

I'm in love with Buchanan Elementary! I love that it's a small school, a little hidden off the beaten track, and that we can walk to school each morning. My son is thriving in second grade in the dual language program - it's amazing to me that he can now have basic conversations in Spanish with our neighbors. In addition, the Buchanan teachers are so engaged and caring, and the principal is very collaborative with parents and the school community. The PTA plans many fun initiatives each year and it's been great being involved in the school and meeting so many other local families. I look forward to Rise Read and Shine every month, where parents and caregivers read books to students, then connect over coffee with our principal. (Thank you Cafe De Leche for the generous coffee donations every month!) And last but not least - how exciting that the school campus is about to be completely transformed with a massive greening project. Next summer Northeast Trees will be removing of tons of asphalt, replacing it with permeable mulch, planting dozens of native trees, creating habitat gardens, a food forest, water swale, shaded meadow, and multiple outdoor classrooms. Go Bobcats!
Submitted by parent on October 04, 2023

Amazing school. Amazing teachers. The dual language program is great if you'd like your children to know spanish and English. The magnet program is amazing as well. I have one child in the magnet program and the other in dual language.
Submitted by parent on May 07, 2023

Most new families in the neighborhood send their kids to Mt. Washington, Delvan or private school because they’re scared by the low scores. After months of research and talking to other Buchanan families, we decided to give it a go. We wanted to actively participate in our neighborhood instead of siphoning resources away. We’ve got one kid in the kinder dual-language and one in the 3rd magnet. Both are happy and learning and we value being a part of the community.The pros:- small class sizes. My youngest’s class has 16 kids! 3rd grade magnet has 21 or so. - the staff is great and knows everyone- big, bright classrooms (no portables) - strong support services for low income families. All the staff speak Spanish.- our teachers have both been solid. My 3rd grader loves Ms. Schmidt and says, “She makes learning boring topics fun.” I notice this too—lots of pneumonic devices and little stories to remember math functions. - free after school care (LA’s Best) - I love the uniforms because they simplify mornings. They’re not enforced, so if my kid is dead set on wearing some new outfit, it’s fine. On any given day, maybe 80% of kids will be wearing their uniform. - since it’s Title 1, the parents don’t have to fundraise every minute of every day. However, if the low-income rate drops below a certain threshold, we’ll lose money and need to start fundraising ourselves. The way LAUSD works is it expects those who can to donate and it helps those who can’t with increased funding.- a small but mighty PTA. They manage the book fair, a friendship dance on Valentine’s Day, staff appreciation week and do much more. - a lot of field trips Cons- a lot of worksheets. Coming from a “9” school, the curriculum is less project based. I suspect that it’s not to impose additional work and expense on working-class families (which honestly I appreciate too. It often felt like a second job keeping up with assignments and projects at our old school) - the yard is pretty sparse. I think there was a project afoot to redo it, but not sure where that is post-pandemic. The kids still make do though, keep busy and have fun- my kids are not a fan of LA’s Best, but other kids do fine with it. The staff works hard but spends a lot of time on managing the kids. But in general, it’s a sweet, supportive school. We have been pleased with the dual-language and STEM magnet.
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2020

We love our community school! It definitely is a hidden gem with a growing parent involvement community. Great example for our kids!
Submitted by parent on September 30, 2019

We absolutely love Buchanan. The parents are engaging and involved. The school leadership is working hard to continuw the improvements of recent years, and the teachers are hard-working and committed to our children.
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2018

The new principal has done her best to push parents away. She does not feel that it’s her job to keep parents informed about incidents on campus. A threat was made to Buchanan by a student and the police showed up to campus. Parents were not made aware of this. We found out from our concerned children. The principal was confronted about this in a meeting and blamed parents. She said it was our obligation to ask for information and that she didn’t have to inform us about the incidents like this. If she can’t fulfill her duties as a principal, she needs to leave immediately!
Submitted by parent on October 14, 2015

The magnet school is absolutely wonderful. My children are happy and feel loved by their teachers. The kinder teacher is a stellar and the teachers that follow are just as fabulous. The magnet school is truly a hidden gem and Highland Park's best kept secret.
Submitted by parent on January 16, 2014

My son is in the 3rd grade but has been attending this school since Kindergarten. Our initial thought when moving into this district was that if we found the school was lacking in any way, we'd put him in private school. Well, 3 years later we are still very pleased with Buchanan and what it has to offer. The teachers really care about their students and the principal, Mr. Baird, has been great. I am a proud Buchanan parent and am anxious for my 3 year old daughter to attend in a couple of years.
Submitted by other on February 19, 2013

One of my favorite things about this school is the participation of PTA and teachers working together. Great school to have your kids in. Love you Buchanan.
Submitted by teacher on February 10, 2013

Buchanan Elementary is a great school. I have been the Magnet Coordinator at Buchanan for the past 11 years. The teachers in the main school and magnet are dedicated, hard working and caring. They work together to plan lessons and events. The PTA is active and contributes to the school. The principal encourages new ideas and supports the staff. The parents and community are supportive of the school and the teachers and staff.