Meadows Elementary School

1101 Helen Drive

School District

Millbrae Elementary
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:21
Type

public

School Map for Millbrae Elementary 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 December 18, 2024

As a parent, I am deeply upset about the inappropriate messaging being delivered from the school to my child regarding LGBT topics. While I fully respect others' views and believe in teaching kindness and acceptance, I strongly feel that young children, who are still developing their understanding of themselves and the world, should not be exposed to messages that could lead them to question or deny their natural sense of self. Encouraging respect for others should never come at the expense of confusing or undermining a child's own identity. This approach to education is misguided and harmful, and I believe it needs to be addressed immediately.
Submitted by parent on November 13, 2024

Fantastic school in the Millbrae school district. I would 10/10 recommend this school based on the educators. They are passionate and work hard.
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2024

Excellent staff. Teachers are committed and great educators that actually care about their students. Love love the parent involvement.
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2024

This is a very good school. There is a ton of parent involvement and staff is amazing. I’ve sent all my kids here and would continue to recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on May 18, 2024

This school was an amazing. Don’t let the old one star reviews full you. The principal and staff are great and the parent involvement is very high. It is a great place place to go to school. We sent both our kids there and are very pleased with their education
Submitted by parent on December 21, 2022

Meadows is a great school and we love it! We have been part of the school community for the past 5 years. The parents are very involved and make it a friendly and active community. The new principal, Ms. Waslif is amazing, caring and involved in school. Under her leadership, the school has created a STEM lab, book nook, rewarding student system called Meadows Buck, and made the school safer by involving older students into Safety Patrol program. My kids are doing very well and flourishing.
Submitted by parent on July 03, 2022

The new principal is very strong she listens to the parents along with pushing the teachers to perform. After a few years of instability the school is back on track. This is a 8,9 or 10 school so don’t let these rankings fool you.
Submitted by parent on June 02, 2022

The new principal, Catherine Waslif, talked badly about special education children in front of other parents, which is very unprofessional. She is biased towards certain children. Disappointed in her leadership skills.
Submitted by other on October 11, 2021

Great SPED teachers and the principal is so nice. Wonderful grounds.
Submitted by parent on August 13, 2021

Extremely frustrating. Teachers have no passion and simply throw homework to kids and parents. They marked everything perfect and 100% without even looking at how the kids did and what the kids didn't understand. Homework looks almost the same from K to G4. Kids learn nothing.Teachers don't care about disciplines as long as they can still talk. Kids will only be called out if they talk too loud but literally kids can do whatever they want in class, which has led to all kinds of chaos for the class. 20 mins lunch time but kids spend half of the time lining up and waiting. Don't expect kids can eat well.
Submitted by parent on September 03, 2013

I can't say enough about the wonderful staff and volunteers that make our school such a safe learning environment!!! The teachers come in on the weekends and stay late after school because they are so dedicated to their students. I am a proud parent and volunteer!!!
Submitted by parent on July 28, 2013

My child has been attending Meadows for several years now. Given the lack of state funding the teachers do the best they can with what they have. There are some wonderful teachers here. Schools are not like they were 20 years ago. They now rely on enormous amounts of financial and volunteer support from the families. I agree, that unfortunately that seems to come from the same small group of families. Parent involvement is low and it affects the school. I also see the lack of flexibility in the classroom. They are definitely driven to get their school Star Test number up. They truly teach to the test and if your child isn't keeping up then they're quick to point you in the way of having your child evaluated. I have heard that many of the children do go to tutoring classes like Kumon and the like, so if you're just sending your child to school to learn, expect to put in a lot of extra work yourself. It makes it seem like your child is falling behind when they're not. I don't think the teachers have the time or the help to let each child be an individual in many cases. I continue with Meadows because overall I know my son is getting a great education with caring teachers.
Submitted by principal on June 28, 2013

During the 2011-2012 school year, our teachers were involved in alot of professional development with respect to differentiated instruction, writing strategies, the new ELD curriculum, and the ELD strategies to mention. During the 2012-2013 school year, our highly dedicated teachers have been involved with ongoing data analysis of our students to close the achievement gap so that more children are proficient and advanced. Despite our economic woes throughout the state of California, the Meadows staff continues to demonstrate professionalism and a strong work ethic to ensure that every student excels at our school. It is an honor and a pleasure to work along side dedicated professionals at our school. During the 2013-2014 school year, our K-3 classes will have 28 students. Our kindergarten classes will be extended fifteen minutes daily commencing in the Fall 2013. The kindergarten day will begin at 8:15 AM and end at 11:50 AM. Each day, a group of kindergarten students will stay until 1:15 PM to receive additional academic support at our school. We are excited about extending our kindergarten day for the upcoming school year. Our school is an outstanding school with a highly dedicated staff, wonderful parents, and great children! Our school has the highest test scores in MIllbrae (API 912). Our Meadows PTA has worked hand in hand to provide us with the necessary "tools" for our children to succeed academically. Our PTA has purchased 9 SMART Boards this spring 2013. Our parents have donated monies to support our children received a world class education equal if not better than a private school education. Now ALL classrooms will have a SMART Board in it. We are working together to support more updated technology in our classrooms to enhance the teaching and learning process so that our children will be at the top as 21st century learners. Our dedicated staff is involved in extensive professional development this summer (on their own time) along with me to continue our professional learning as lifelong learners with respect to the new Common Core State Standards which will take effect in 2014-2015 throughout our country. It is an exciting time to be in education with the new Common Core State Standards just around the corner.
Submitted by parent on June 27, 2013

Like many have said, California public schools have been hit hard by budget cuts and sadly, it's impossible to say that Meadows has been unaffected. The student to teacher ratio is now at least 1:30 (our child's Kindergarten class started the year with a 1:32 ratio with only one teacher and limited classroom assistance). The day is very short, just 8:15 to 11:30 everyday and the classroom work & homework seems to be mostly from state-issued workbooks. Additionally, donations and funding seem to be a big problem, with a remarkably small percentage of families donating compared to other school districts (and sometimes it's just the same families donating over and over). Compared to Burlingame, Belmont, San Carlos, etc, Meadows has a much lower amount of privately donated funding. Meadows does have good test score results and the principle is fabulous, she has truly performed a miracle in still be able to provide the basics to the students while keeping tests scores high. But tests aren't everything....sadly I feel that even a formerly good school like Meadows is not immune to the California economic debacle and we will be enrolling in private school next year.
Submitted by parent on February 10, 2013

Meadows is a school with a great community of parents and students, with a very hard-working principal. The classrooms are no exception to the over crowded, under funded rule. All of California's schools are a victim of that situation. What makes Meadows stand out is the dedication of the principal and PTA in overcoming that issue. Sadly, the state budget cuts mean some sacrifices: large class size, no library, art, music, and very little PE or Computer. However, the school does the best it can. They offer sports, art and music after school. They are starting a chess club. The school does a lot of enrichment activities during school (Lunar New Year Activities, Spirit Days, Awards Assemblies, MLK projects, art projects in class, music assemblies, field trips), and the teachers work hard to do the best they can with what they have. The test scores are high and getting higher each year. The PTA is excellent, and fully supports the school. Yes, it is over crowded and under funded like ALL CA public schools, but the hard work of the principal, teachers, and parent volunteers makes up for it. Over all it's a great school, and is earning a reputation as the best in Millbrae.