Meadows Avenue Elementary School

1200 Meadows Ave.

School District

Manhattan Beach Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:20
Type

public

School Map for Manhattan Beach 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 23, 2024

When evaluated holistically, it's an underwhelming experience here at Meadows. For as intimate as the school seems there's a glaring lack of community. We expect more from the school's education and social-emotional skill areas considering the school system reviews and how often MBEF asks us for donations. Resources and instruction are subpar for the neighborhood. Teachers are a grab bag - some are wonderful while others leave much to be desired. We have been fortunate to have decent teachers but other parents have shared uninspiring accounts of their children's instructors. The same can be said about family engagement - some things are done well, while others leave a lot to be desired. Communication about grades and progress could definitely be better when weighed against the frequency of superfluous communications. You may want to setup rules for your inbox to help with the latter. Additionally, communication is one way and it is a challenge to get in touch with teachers or administrators on an individualized basis - even great ones are unresponsive. The weekly class emails and are essentially it. Monitor/Admin staff are quick to assign blame before investigating incidents. Principal Krz. is seemingly nice unless your child "gets in trouble". A fellow parent shared that their child, a 6 yr old, was identified to be suspended for a minor collision on the playground. Office Manager is alright and front staff Michelle is always kind and helpful.
Submitted by parent on November 20, 2022

The scores used for this low rating are outdated by at least three years. The current CAASPP scores for Meadows are some of the highest scores in the entire district. Please update this rating. This school strikes a balance between rigorous academics and a strong social-emotional support system.
Submitted by parent on May 11, 2018

Teachers are involved with our kids and keeps the parents informed. Meadows academics keeps our involved while striking a balance with other extracurricular activities. Thumbs up!
Submitted by parent on January 27, 2017

Both our girls are at Meadows and thus far, we’ve had a great experience -1st grader and 4th grader. Teachers are engaged with both the kids as well as the parents. The principal, Mrs. Whitt-Stopp, is great – involved in elevating the school as well in touch with the parents. Kids love her. Meadows, like the other elementary schools in the district, continues to set the bar in the state!!
Submitted by parent on February 15, 2015

Both my boys went to meadows and had an incredible experience. Given both had ADHD and both required additional support, the school stepped up and provided them with quality education. The former principal was tremendous, involved at every step, and the new principal is starting in the same footsteps. Teachers are involved, parents are very involved, and the education foundation adds another $5M in funding to make the school district that much better, restoring Physical education, keeping class sizes small and adding a science specialist. we went from a private school to meadows and found the transition wonderful (and the cost savings tremendous).
Submitted by parent on January 02, 2013

It saddens me that we couldn't make this school work. My son attended public pre-K in South Torrance, and had a wonderful experience. We moved to MB and started him in Meadows for Kindergarten and the transition was such a disappointment. The classroom setting did not allow for any semblance of creativity or right-brained thinking. It was a disaster for my son. He changed into a self-concious, fearful child I did not recognize. I was not thrilled about the teacher's rude treatment of the volunteer parents either. The principal was very, very kind and I appreciated her approach, but we ultimately were not allowed to do a teacher change, and so we opted to move our son back to the Torrance district. It felt like a drastic move, but my son is now thriving back in Torrance where he is allowed to express his creative side. We're so happy we changed schools. It's sad to me, that such a highly regarded school system is really letting talented right-brained students fall through the cracks.