Community Magnet Charter Elementary School

11301 Bellagio Road

School District

Los Angeles Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:24
Type

charter

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 other on June 06, 2023

My daughter has attended CMCS for two years. She enjoys going to school every day and she has a good relationship with her current and former teachers. Parents are very involved in the school, and in my experience being involved has felt community-centered and not exclusive. As a family of color, we have appreciated the racial and socio-economic diversity of the school and love that our daughter has a diverse friend group and that she feels a sense of belonging at CMCS. I wish there were better transportation options so that students could do extracurricular programming at the school after hours without having to drive. From a rigor perspective, I would say it's fair-to-solid. Overall, we enjoy being a part of the CMCS community and are very happy to have chosen this school for our family.
Submitted by other on June 03, 2023

We are wrapping up Kindergarten for our children and I can say it has been an excellent experience thus far! We were told to apply for Magnet points and did not expect to get it, honestly we were considering other schools because I really wanted our children to have a foreign language. In addition, it was initially challenging to get a good sense of the school during COVID times because all the info sessions were virtual.Well, our twins hit the lottery and were accepted! Given the school's reputation and ratings, we could not turn down the opportunity.We kept them in separate classrooms, which allowed me to get a little more insight. In addition, I made time to volunteer as much as I could. Since this is Magnet, families are all over and many children are bussed, including ours. I would imagine it is harder to feel connected for those that are unable to make time to volunteer.It's hard to gauge, but many are surprised by my children's reading skills in Kinder, and I've even had a few friends ask me to send them our homework. So I think we are doing pretty well. I've also heard about quite a few schools deteriorating post-covid and am glad CMCS has not suffered the same fate. There is a very active parent community, which raises ALOT of money for the school to cover enrichment classes/programs and support the school. This is still part of LAUSD, so that does add a certain layer of frustration. The current Principal, Toni, has been amazing at navigating it and did an excellent job of securing whatever funds she could for the school.I can't speak to special / gifted education or discipline issues, as we did not need or experience them. They were very clear that they do not offer a separate program for gifted. In Kinder, they send home a weekly report which lets you know how your child did. The icing on the cake is the campus. They have so much green space and it is safely tucked away. Once accepted, we were blown away during the parent orientation. All in all, we have truly enjoyed our experience this far and are very happy with the decision to join the community family.
Submitted by parent on March 17, 2023

Everybody hyped up the school so much. However, I could say that the school is not "that special" after three years of attendance. The school is good at providing general education and bringing all students to meet the standard bar. It also has a beautiful campus tucked away in the Bel Air. However, it does little for kids with academic abilities above the curriculum. They did not even have any program for gifted kids. Lastly, it is a lie that the school said there is no bullying. We witness bully every so often, but school takes it lightly. And if the bully's parents are wealthy or actively involved in the school business, there is no consequence for them. As many other reviews said, the principal is dismissive and lacks compassion. There is no progress, only degrees, under the current administration.
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2023

If your child has any kind of learning disability, or you think they could, run, do not walk away from this school. Now that I have had some time and distance away from this school, I am saddened to say that CMCS does not provide free and appropriate public education to all their students. Their special education department is under resourced and staff is uninspired. We felt that classroom teachers are not properly trained in identify learning disabilities and the resource team assessments were not accurate. Looking back, with the additional context we now have at a new school, and with more information on my child’s disability - and now having made such great gains after years of no progress — I am so sad to write this review. CMCS, please do better with your amazing resources so all kids have what they need to succeed.
Submitted by parent on December 06, 2022

When I first wanted my child to go to this school, it was a 10/10. It has declined greatly over the years. They tend to lump your child into a pigeonholed category and then he or she doesn't get to get out of that image in their minds. Which is SO important as little ones grow and learn and change. They do not like the boys as well as the girls, for sure. If a boy acts too much like a boy, they act like there's a problem. Then they punish them by not letting them play during recess or lunch! If they'd let them burn off the extra energy, they'd be less inclined to bounce around in class. Math needs to be emphasized more than they do now. It's a fairly well-rounded education, but it's certainly not worth the hype that it used to get. The principal does not seem to care about the kids much. She can be very dismissive and seems to want the problems to just... go away. I'm sure this school is better than most, especially in CA these days (public, anyway), but I expected it to be this wonderful learning space where children, even boys, were encouraged and taught very well and given above-average opportunities. Instead, we got a blah elementary school with a few exceptional people. Oh, and there is a group of parents who get involved and basically take over everything. Unless you want them dictating what your child does and how and when, I suggest you get heavily involved, whether you have time or not. This group of parents with my child are absolutely awful, and it seems to be supported and encouraged by the administration, for the most part. So no, I do not recommend this school.
Submitted by other on October 01, 2021

I had the best time at CMCS. Made so many friends here, and the staff is so kind and amazing! Love you community!!
Submitted by parent on September 22, 2021

I know that everyone has their own experience, but ours could not be more different than the previous review. Every school has had to figure things out on the fly during the pandemic, and the Administration at Community Magnet has been exceptionally communicative, transparent, and responsive. The Principal and other staff consistently go above and beyond, and Despite distance learning for all of the 20-21 school year, the school still provided enrichment activities including PE, Technology, and Art through live instruction, not pre-recorded videos. Now that we're back in the classroom, the school's leadership continues to be
Submitted by parent on June 27, 2021

My son has been here since kinder and now entering fifth grade. He loved his kinder teacher (Fanahi), grade 3, and 4. All the other grades were good too, but K,3,and 4 really stand out. He enjoys music class and art. One of his favorite enrichment classes has been the improv class he had. The principal and magnet coordinator are amazing. Truly child centered and responsive to parents. The year spend online during Covid could not have been any better. The school went above and beyond to provide kids the best experience. The bus experience post- covid was spectacular- I am floored by the level of organization that was in place! Community is truly a community of parents, teachers, and students that all come together to make each day a great learning experience.
Submitted by other on June 06, 2021

I am a former alumnus of that school. It is the best school in Los Angeles. Whether it's the library or the computer lab or even the garden. The school really brings out creativity and is a Community as mentioned. Even though people were spread out all over the city there were so many events that allowed parents to get to know each other as well. The community was generational as teachers often taught older and younger siblings. Lucky enough for me I was able to meet my mother's kindergarten and second-grade teacher who were there from the time I stepped foot on the campus until the time I left. I had classmates who had multiple siblings in the same school and also had the same teachers. There were around 5 new teachers added while I attended and many of those we had already known from being Aids or administrators. So many of the teachers that were there when I was there are still there. this school has stayed quite the same for about 12 years. This school hands down is one of the best schools in the city let alone the state.
Submitted by parent on May 03, 2021

we love our teachers in the school. they do try very hard. my main concern is the administration and main office staff. it seems they are not very capable of running a big school like this. it was chaos since COVID started and everything turns online, and it was chaos again when kids are all going back to school. 1. the communication is often scattered through multiple emails or channels. sometimes a couple throughout the day. you have to pay specific attention to such emails or you are completely lost. it seems difficult for admin to aggregate all info and share it in one channel. there are multiple communication channels and parents really need to spend time picking up info here and there, in order to get the full message. Most of us are full time working parents, and that made our life horrible.2. lack of coordination and lots of bureaucracy. it seems various depts. are in charge of bit of info here and there but they don't coordinate well. To get a zoom link or get something from school, you called the main office, they told you to go to person a, person b, and person C for item A, B AND C. So in order to deal with the school, you are dealing with many small individuals. Teachers have to do a lot of their own communication already, now the admin work? I see that's really waste of their time, when they are supposed to focus on teaching. why need admin staff then? all these bureaucracy from the principle made me sick. And good luck if you want to get in touch with her. 3. after school care is really a joke. Not much of supervision. my kids came back without finishing any homework. pretty much kids are killing their valuable study time just surfing on ipad for nothing. School promised to offer extra-curriculum, music, art, technology blah blah blah...but we didnt see or receive any of them during in person nor online. if that's where the donation and tax money goes, it was a shame. in general, I think the school have great teachers, some are so "self-esteem" that their eyes are rolled up in the sky, but you got these no matter where you go. mostly, the admin office and principle seems less capable than average in their leadership, coordination and communication. all they care is to build their chain of command and bureaucracy, and make the teacher parent relationship much more difficult.
Submitted by parent on April 30, 2021

We are in our 5th year here at CMCS, and while this year has been profoundly different than any other year, we have found this school to be exceptional even in these challenging times. We have spoken with other parents around the city and the country, and my husband and I keep saying how lucky we are at this school!! The teachers have done an incredible job with the distance learning that this year required, and even going back to school with a hybrid schedule only 8 weeks before the end of the year, everyone has adapted beautifully. I am beyond impressed with my son's teacher this year, who not only has kept her class on target with the learning requirements of the grade, but she has also brought meaningful social-emotional learning (SEL) to the forefront. She is a great listener, is positive and encouraging, and has made every child in her class feel "seen" even when on zoom. The school staff (Principal, Magnet Coordinator, Administrative Staff, and more) have done a wonderful job of making sure that everyone feels supported and heard. They even went above and beyond by creating fun experiences for those who drove to school to exchange materials during online learning. The campus is absolutely gorgeous! It is well cared for, in a beautiful setting, and the school offers fantastic enrichment classes such as dance, art, drama, PE, technology, music, and more. I had my hesitations about sending my (then) kindergartener on the bus, but he was thrilled to be on it! It was not an issue at all. We have been extremely happy with this school, and the only downside is that we have but one more year. This school is fantastic!
Submitted by parent on April 12, 2021

This school used to be one of the gems in the district. Worth the drive or long bus ride. The relationship between parents and teachers made it a uniquely special place for students to grow up. A true community. New leadership and a typical district attitude has made this once amazing school just so so. Many better options closer to home.
Submitted by parent on March 08, 2021

Honestly, when we first got accepted to this school, we didn't even know where it was! We just applied for points and then suddenly we were pulled from the wait list for kinder right before school started. Now we are in 5th grade at Community and are so glad we accepted and spent the last 6 years there. My child is so happy at this school. Sometimes the commute it hard, but overall it is worth it. Homework - is not heavy at all at any grade level. In fact, I worried that my child wasn't being challenged, but her test scores are great and she is getting into great middle schools. Teachers- We had one year with a teacher we didn't consider challenging or exciting, but ALL other years, our teachers have been outstanding. They are caring, smart and creative: all of them! They also work as a team and that is really important. You can feel the synergy and the sense of "community."Character- We have had two principals since we have been there and both have really strong character and feel it's important to teach the kids about how to grow and value each other. Bullying is not tolerated and diversity is celebrated. it starts at the top and both principals have been really thoughtful people who truly want kids to succeed and find joy in learning. Leadership- Over the years my child has had numerous opportunities to shine in different ways. My child has really become an independent learner and thinker. Campus- Parents are always welcome on campus (pre- pandemic) to help and run activities and fundraisers or just come in and say hello or pick up your child. It is really a unique campus and I know we will miss it. Office staff is super nice, friendly, and helpful. I am not making this up- they really are. I wrote this review because as we are getting ready to leave to go to middle school, I realize how lucky we are to have this unique experience at this very special, loving school. I worried that my child was too pampered or coddled at times, but she is a confident, young lady now and knows who she is in 5th grade. I would love to take all the credit, but I know I owe a lot of thanks to the teachers, staff and her friends at Community. If you get in to this school, make it work out. It might be far from where you are, but it's worth it!
Submitted by other on March 05, 2021

We have been at CMCS for 3 years and love it so much! I appreciate that the school doesn't see art, music, dance, library and PE as "extra", but as an integral part of a whole education. Our son is disabled and has a pretty extensive IEP, so I was surprised to see negative reviews about the school's approach to learning differences. I have always felt like he is supported and valued as a part of this community, and each teacher and therapist has been helpful, effective and open to our family's or even doctor's suggestions. Whatever might help him succeed has always been considered, even during online learning.
Submitted by parent on February 22, 2021

Our family has been at Community since 2012 and have enjoyed every moment of our time there. As in live, it's not always perfect and great but if there are any concerns, I feel we can speak with our teacher, any of our staff members or our Principal openly and discuss our concerns and reach a solution together. When we were going to school in person, you will see the Principal and Staff welcome the students as they arrive school in the morning and waving goodbyes in the afternoon when the students board the bus or valet line. Since virtual in March 2020, our Principal and staff work hard to communicate regularly with families via Sunday evening blog, monthly newsletter, monthly Tea Time w/Principal and Monday Morning Message (formerly Friday morning assembly). The teachers are caring and ensure every student receive all the support they need to be successful - whether it is referring students to a CATCH mentor or staying behind for small group time. Our enrichment programs offer a variety of subjects, besides weekly Technology, Library and PE classes, there is also a rotation of music, dance, art and drama throughout the year. The amount of homework assigned seemed to be appropriate by grade, due to everything done on screen, it may seem a bit much during virtual learning. Community transitioned to virtual learning very well and kept our students engaged in the Spring. When Fall started, there are definitely more structured. We are definitely looking forward to returning to school in person soon!
Submitted by other on January 12, 2021

This school used to be great, because the principal used to be great, but she moved on to another school. This new principal is rude and dismissive, so don't expect to be heard if you go to her. It's school policy that everyone uses first names. This principal did not participate in that policy in the beginning, but now calls herself by her first name, finally, but with Principal in front of it, so as to elevate herself above everyone else. She also doesn't care about parents' concerns, that we've experienced. Arrogant and righteous are not values we want in a principal. Apart from that, we had some decent teachers. Some are definitely better than others, but as another person pointed out, children with any kind of special needs get the message that there is neither room nor time for them. We saw many kids leave because of this, which was sad. There is definitely some discrimination going on on a few levels, and it shows in the kids, too. They say there's no bullying, but my child has seen it happen a few times. This is no longer the desirable school it used to be.
Submitted by parent on August 12, 2018

CMCS has a beautiful campus, diverse students, a great and caring staff, teachers, principal who all care very much for the students and are all passionate about what they do. Even the parent volunteers are amazing. You have hit the jackpot if you have a regular functioning child. It is just to warn parents with high functioning special needs children, that this school is probably not for you. You will fall in love with it, and it will be heartbreaking when they can't offer what special needs children need.
Submitted by other on May 02, 2017

Excellent in all of the areas that I observed
Submitted by parent on February 25, 2017

Awesome! My daughter and I enjoyed it very much! I love how much she learned in her kinder year here
Submitted by parent on March 18, 2016

CMCS is the best. The teachers are amazing, the principal is fully engaged, the staff is super friendly and positive. The environment is conducive to learning. It is so peaceful and tranquil - an ideal place for an eager student. The only downfall is the after school program. It is expensive and lacks substance. Other than that, you would be hard pressed to find a rival school. My child loves going to school, and never complains. Sometimes he does not want to get picked up. During school breaks, he can't wait to go back.