Third Street Elementary School

201 South June Street

School District

Los Angeles Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:21
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 October 23, 2024

This school is a gem. Our daughter thrives there both academically and socially. very grateful to be there.
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2023

We've come from other schools (private) before coming to 3rd Street and it's been a great experience. Both my kids enjoy going to school and always come home excited to talk about what they learned. No school is perfect of course and there will be some teachers that may be more motivated than others - but overall the school is strong. The admin team is also great with a very enthusiastic principal. The parent community is amazing and the parent volunteers are strong. Because 3rd street isn't a title 1 school, they do not get much funds from LAUSD so the booster club relentlessly works hard to fundraise for great things like tech lab, teacher aides, PE, drama classes, art classes, campus beautification to name a few. Parent volunteering is vital for a school to be successful and that's the case with 3rd street. There's also a new program called Making Caring Common (Harvard Educational program) which discusses/teaches/facilitates social emotional skills each month to all the students. Again something like this wouldn't be possible without the fundraising and parent volunteers.
Submitted by parent on August 02, 2023

We have had an amazing experience at Third Street. We came in at 1st grade from a private school (it closed during the pandemic) and Third Street has exceeded our expectations. The community of parents, teachers, staff and of course students is so supportive and caring. Some feel there is too much homework but I think it is by no means overwhelming and great to prepare our children for the future. This is a very academic school which we love. The school is also running a pilot program from Harvard called Making Caring Common which is teaching empathy through the school and curriculum. We can not say enough great things about Third Street!!
Submitted by teacher on January 22, 2022

Mismanaged operations, questionable use of donations, inexperienced teachers, old and run down and rude staff. Poor leadership.
Submitted by parent on August 03, 2020

My child has attended Third Street since TK. We are now going on 3rd Grade and we have had an awesome experience so far. In reaction to some of the negative comments on fundraising and parent groups: The school is certainly not perfect, and it is not a Title 1 school so we have to raise funds from the community for teacher aides, PE, field trips, art and tech programs, etc. I'm thankful to all the parent volunteers who devote a lot of time, energy and effort into making sure our kids get these programs. It may seem like there is a small group of parent "influencers" (the few that are always visible in campus). There's a lot of work to be done around the school and not enough staff and volunteers. I know a few of them and I can confidently say they are always advocating for what's best for ALL the families at school, regardless of their ability to contribute or volunteer.
Submitted by parent on February 24, 2020

We absolutely love this true neighborhood school! Incredibly supportive families, polite and respectful students, first-class teachers and progressive administration. We couldn't be happier!
Submitted by parent on June 10, 2019

Great school, great loving and caring teachers and staff.
Submitted by parent on August 04, 2017

Third street is a good school in LAUSD. It's not GREAT, but good. Not too impressed with the PTA/FOT clique and their lack of welcoming any new ideas. Turned off by the Dual Language Korean program, which seems pretty counter productive when it's majority native Korean speakers. Many parents want their kids in these classes because of "better" teachers and that's sad. Haven't had an issue with teachers, but do wish that LAUSD would let this school think outside of the box and challenge the children more or give them a more creative curriculum. Teaching to the test is such a waste of time! I feel that staff (yard teachers, office staff) could use a bit of sensitivity training when dealing with the kids. I know it's frustrating sometimes, but that's the job. If you don't like dealing with children and their parents, find another school. I'd also like to see Third street adopt an alternative after school program. So many bad experiences here, many complaints from other parents. Apparently the person running it needs a job (or someone in the district owes her a favor) and couldn't care less about the quality of programs being offered. Very frustrating. Please look into STAR after school programs for our kids!New principal is here as well, so hopefully changes are coming.
Submitted by parent on March 02, 2017

My daughter attended Third Street for kindergarten and we had the most positive experience. Her teacher, Mrs. Navarrette, was just the most wonderful teacher- warm, caring, smart, and fun! The curriculum and learning environment are great and the community of friendly families was really special. Third Street may not be the highest ranked school, but there is an overwhelming number of smart, motivated, and talented students. It is a true gem in LAUSD!
Submitted by other on May 23, 2016

We started at Third Street and then had to move to Valley View for one year - couldnt have been happier when we got to move back to Third St. Such great parent involvement, the PTA, the FOT - the staff, the teachers, very happy with my daughters being here.
Submitted by parent on May 11, 2016

3rd Street is a great neighborhood school, and my child loves it here! For such a small school, they have tons of programs and the staff is top notch. The students do art, drama, music, PE, computer lab and library time each week. Homework is kind of a chore but maybe that's ok. The teachers really keep you in the loop so you know where your child is academically/socially. The parents are super involved and they have an onsite after school program. It's nice to know we have a school were everyone is welcome to be involved and the children are so comfortable and challenged. The test scores are pretty good and overall our experience has been super positive.
Submitted by other on May 27, 2014

I graduated from 3rd Street in 1949, and it seems as if it's still the same great school now as it was then. It was always in an affluent area. Don't remember any bullying though. Maybe we called it something else.
Submitted by parent on May 22, 2014

Third Street is not a perfect school, but you will not find a better example of collaborative teaching than the production of the Fourth Grade play. All four classes have it's own cast; Mr. Pratt gets each student to shine in his role, and each teacher rallies the parents to assist with sets and costumes. The hard work of Mrs. Cha, Mrs. Choi, Mr. Bassett, and Mr. Karchmer is evident in the final productions. Every student at the school is inspired by the performances. It is truly remarkable! And, a testament to the importance of the arts in public school.
Submitted by parent on April 11, 2014

My son attends third street elementary, this is a phenomenal school. The teacher's are amazing!
Submitted by parent on December 09, 2013

My oldest attended Third Street from K-5th grade, my youngest from K & is currently in 4th grade. This is an Amazing School. Hands down. A focused & passionate principal, teachers, active parents & FOT a 501 C3 Non Profit, that fills in all the Basic needs that LAUSD has CUT (Proper Custodial, Full Time Librarian, PE Supervision on playground since 2012) & Beyond-State of the Art Tech Lab, Music, Art & Theater, Field Trips & Teacher Stipends. All these cost $, Public school is not Free, it requires Both Labor & Funds to round out our children's educational experience. This school is almost 90 years old with an Amazing track record, history & in my eyes has never been better. Sure, Parents are Not Prefect in their Approach in addressing these Serious $ or Labor intensive needs & a few teachers are not a good match for your child, but given the Option Annual Giving amount (less than $100 a month) & what this school pulls off, it's a miracle. My 7th grader has not dipped Academically And goes to an Arts Magnet w/ Honors classes. I believe that Third St. has properly prepared both my children for the future & sometimes that required 2 hours of Homework till we figured it out.
Submitted by parent on November 09, 2013

I feel compelled to comment on some of the previous postings. My older son attended Third Street and my younger one is currently there. Is the school perfect? Of course not! and Yes, a lot of parents are affluent [God bless them I say], but some of us are plain middle class working stiffs. Fundraising is emphasized because unlike other schools, this schools does not receive a lot of extra funding from the district. The lab, teachers' aides, and the library is fully funded from these funds! But more importantly, everything is VOLUNTARY. If you have an issue please attend the parents meetings and VOICE your concerns. I don't contribute every year, but I make sure I donate my time by helping in the school clean up and whatever else I can find time to on top of my 50 hours of work. The school's janitorial staff was largely reduced due to cuts and it was only recently reinstated to levels last seen before the financial crisis. My son enjoys being at the school and I think the administration and teachers do a superb job! Again, if you have a specific concern, talk to the Principal, your child's teacher and come to the meetings and express your concerns or suggestions openly. Good luck..
Submitted by parent on September 05, 2013

This school is so disappointing. I know most of the families who live in this neighborhood are affluent, but for them to be so controlling??? I agree with the parent review dated august 8 2012. These parents always ask for monetary contributions/donations. I opened my son's homework folder to find an envelope asking for money so the cleaning lady will clean classrooms year round. Don't they have custodians/janitors employed by the school to do this? Why pay extra for another cleaning lady? I'm afraid this is only the beginning. I hope anything, like this will be discussed first with all parents before sneaking an empty envelope to a child"s homework folder. I confirmed with another teacher from another public school that teachers and janitors help each other in classroom maintenance and cleanliness.The teachers in this school probably don't want to get their hands dirty. And since a lot of parents are rich, it's easy for them to just say say to this donations. What about the other parents who are just getting by from paycheck to paycheck? It;s hard to just give money away for their ridiculous reason.
Submitted by parent on August 24, 2013

My daughter just started the kindergarten this school. First of all, parents who are volunteering, do not let the teacher do her job. Teacher just sit and volunteer parents do her all stuffs. Even grading....its kindergarten but volunteer parents do not see that 5 years old kid is trying her best to assignment. If she erased a lot in order to write nice ....she gets 3- or less color then 2.. Why there is no encouragement? Then continuously asking donation... for teacher and school? For donation, omg so much hustle. Right now i am not really happy with this school.
Submitted by parent on June 15, 2013

This schools high API scores lull parents into thinking it s a great school when it isn t. The neighborhood socioeconomics and a high percentage of students attending after-school educational facilities will always bolster the API. Big problems are that the school lacks administrative leadership (hard to determine who s in charge) and strong teacher community (resulting in low teacher morale). The principal was too busy to attend an important school bullying meeting or decide if the technology lab had violated federal policy by giving emails and passwords to students without parental permission. Results are that some school policy and mediation are shockingly deferred to parent volunteers. Some teachers are great but parents warn each other who to avoid, including teachers that are burned-out, use TV as a babysitter, screamers, and the disengaged (who spend more time on personal laptops and less on instruction). By fourth grade there is an exodus for charters, magnets and private schools which is sad because this school should be great. Enrollment is kept up by issuing permits that are not offered publicly.
Submitted by parent on May 23, 2013

My child has been at 3rd Street for three years. It's been a great three years socially and academically. The teachers have been amazing, challenging, engaging, warm and professional. There is indeed an effort to make sure children prepare for the annual state testing, but in a way I find to be completely appropriate -- what is tested is what should have been learned that year, so why not test?! The curriculum is traditional -- rigorous study of language arts and mathematical concepts -- and uses those core skills to explore social studies and physical sciences. Thanks to district programs and parent-funded providers, my child benefits from visual arts, music, drama and technology "pull-out" classes during the school day, as well. Is everything perfect? No. It's chaotic and messy, as one might expect any place with 750 kids between 5 and 11 years old to be. Limited resources make sometimes routine things (fixing a lightbulb, trimming a tree) a bureaucratic challenge. But parents are invited to take ownership, to get involved and make a difference -- in whatever way they can. I, for one, have enjoyed the challenge, and think my child will leave the school well-rounded for it!