La Mesa Elementary School

1 La Mesa Way

School District

Monterey Peninsula Unified
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
Type

public

School Map for Monterey Peninsula 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 teacher on December 11, 2024

La Mesa Elementary provides a safe, positive environment for students and families. Teachers, administration, and parents work together to support student learning. I find the energy around campus to be positive and exciting. Students are actively engaged in learning and are supported by parents and staff!
Submitted by student on September 15, 2024

A kid brought a knife on to the campus there’s fights almost every day at the school the food they’re serving the kids is so unhealthy and most of the teachers don’t even show up and the kids are instructed to watch videos on what to do
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2020

The two years spent at this school were terrible.
Submitted by parent on January 18, 2020

Our daughter has been doing fantastic in this school. We have really seen a growth in her, and the teachers are great. The building itself could use some upgrades, but that doesn’t affect the learning environment really. Highly recommend this school!
Submitted by parent on June 04, 2019

Overall, my kids enjoy it. The schools they were used to before were all about work, work, test scores, and very little outside/creative/recess time. I love the fact that this school has more outside time. It seems to be well-balanced. It could use some improvements to it's appearance though!
Submitted by parent on March 30, 2019

This is by far a good school in Monterey area.
Submitted by parent on September 21, 2018

This school is really rough around the edges, like literally the school is old and falling apart. The playgrounds are well maintained and most teachers are great. This school is primarily made up of military students and it is the parents and teachers that make this place. The curriculum seems incredibly dated. The school is not progressive. My fear is when we move to another state my children will be behind.
Submitted by parent on August 09, 2018

I would give this school a great rating!
Submitted by parent on November 30, 2017

The school leadership is very ineffective. Multiple teachers getting suspended for the way the treat children... Do I need to say more? On a positive note, the school has a phenomenal PTA.
Submitted by parent on November 15, 2017

I initially thought this school would be decent at least, however the testing scores are very deceiving. Most kids who attend this school are either military kids or the children of international students. Most of these kids have studied overseas or have come from good DODDS schools which make them excellent and advance than the average. So, this school is lucky to get a lot of these already outstanding students and they test well every year. This school deserves no credit for how well the students score on tests because they were already good to begin with. This school is probably making them go backward or fall behind other schools. If you truly love your children, enroll them elsewhere. Stay away from this school!
Submitted by parent on June 11, 2017

We are un-enrolling our children from this school due to poor leadership, a building that is crumbling and a staff who are more focused on test scores than the quality of education that children should have or need.
Submitted by other on September 12, 2016

I have been a teacher at La Mesa for a number of years. I have also been a parent. Both my son and daughter attended La Mesa School since kindergarten. I was very happy with almost all the teachers my children had. I knew them as personal friends who worked long hours, both weekdays and weekends, because they genuinely cared about their students and wanted to offer the best possible educational experiences. The demographics change periodically due to a variety of factors. While the school is currently primarily military, we have a significant number of civilians. Of the military, a significant percent is foreign, offering a unique educational experience to all. Of the civilian population, the number of gifted students mirrors that of the military students, including both my children, who consistently scored in the 98-100 percentiles on standardized testing. It is unfair for critical parents to cite that military students deserve credit for La Mesa's high scores, since these parents do not have access to anyone's scores other than those of their own children. As highly educated as many are, they often object to children of color attending the school and equate these students with poor academic performance, unacceptable behavior, and view them as nonmilitary (i.e. "civilians"). Over the years there has been a concerted objection to civilians attending the school, and a minority of well educated, highly vocal parents have advocated that La Mesa become a DOD school for the express purpose of excluding civilian children. Regarding parent-teacher communications, teachers make phone calls, post message boards outside classrooms, send home newsletters and use email/Class Dojo in addition to individual teacher websites located on the La Mesa website. The teachers and parents have always worked closely together to raise funds for the school because we do not qualify for the same types of funding as other schools. We do have some issues which prevent me from giving a 5 star recommendation, but 4 stars are certainly warranted.
Submitted by other on July 23, 2016

This school is a mixed bag. Previous comments are on point about the military kids holding this schools academic ratings so high. If not for it being directly placed in the middle of officer housing, and primarily filled with the kids of higher educated parents, the scores of this school would be the same as the surrounding area. Unfortunately, that means the kids attending will have education outcomes below what they are use to. This is frustrating for the parents. I DO NOT fault the teachers, it is the the district. That being said, when you meet the office staff and get a bad feeling about the school, listen to your instinct. There are lots of charter school alternatives. I recommend looking at Big Sur Charter in Monterey.
Submitted by parent on May 01, 2015

I have nothing but great hings to say about this school. My student has been at La Mesa since Kindergarten and has had nothing, but positive experiences. Being a local to Monterey I have seen the education being provided in other local schools. La Mesa teachers are amazing. I have had the same teacher for my son for second and fifth grade. She excels in keeping the students motivated to learn and providing a supporting "fun" environment that is still very rigorous. This school is a community and the community supports the school. They ask a lot of the parents, but the programs are well worth it. I love this school and know my child is more than prepared for their academic future.
Submitted by parent on March 13, 2015

LaMesa's scores are NOT a reflection on the school but a result if the demographics of students that attend the school. The school, in reality is performing VERY poorly. The faculty and staff are (on a whole) unprofessional, unprepared and ineffective (or worst and causing damage). The new principal (who expected more out of his teachers then ever occurred) is resigning at the end of the year. Their claim to greatness is the PTA funded programs, which may be going away next year and their test scores which have no reflection on the classroom teacher or school. Save yourself the frustration and your children the wasted year and heartache and seek other school options.
Submitted by parent on March 12, 2015

This school is in trouble! The new principal is giving up after less than one year on the job and resigning at the end of the year (after years of having an ineffective one.) The PTA is involved and pays for the PE teacher and science labs. Parents volunteer to teach art etc. Unfortunately, it looks like MPUSD is trying to strip these programs from La Mesa even though they do not pay for them. This is the BEST performing elementary school in MPUSD solely due to the fact that the majority of the children come from other locations due to military moves. If you are considering La Mesa due to convenience, please reconsider. There are several charter schools in the area, call them, see if they fit for your family, you will not be upset by avoiding this school.
Submitted by parent on February 25, 2015

One of the 4th grade teachers coerced her students into buying retail products from her, using their own money and without parental consent or knowledge. When confronted, this teacher insisted there was nothing wrong with her behavior and that selling to 9-10 year old children (who aren't capable of understanding what she was doing and who she is in a position of authority over) was just like anyone selling things to co-workers in an office. If you're military and considering living in La Mesa to attend this school, please reconsider.
Submitted by other on November 30, 2014

I read past reviews, which are based on the past principal. This year La Mesa has a new principal who is working with many dynamics from the past. That is quite a challenge but he is devoting many hours and problem solving to support the district's new directions--one being to turn this school around (see reviews). If you want your school to improve, give this principal your support. The principal, alone, cannot change years of misdirected leadership and teaching. I believe he has the school's best interest in mind, for all concerned.
Submitted by parent on September 03, 2014

This schools reputation is not deserved. There is a large population of military children that stay for a short time and boost the school's test scores. The higher scores are consistent year to year as every year there are new students that came from better schools. Local parents that value their children's education transfer their children to this school expecting great things. Almost immediately it is obvious the high test scores and good reputation are fluff. The class sizes are large. The teachers are hit or miss. Lunch time is a negative experience due to poor time management, overcrowding, and warnings that recess will be taken away. Their funding has been cut. They do not have a school nurse. Communication is poor. Orientation was three weeks into the school year and children were not allowed to attend. This school is right in the middle of a military neighborhood. Military.... That means they do not have grandparents that live nearby to watch the kids. The school completely ignores the needs of the military and local community. Sad.
Submitted by parent on March 04, 2014

We moved into La Mesa for this school and have been sorely disappointed. Classes are huge (28-31) with one teacher. You will notice the school's issues as soon as you speak with the front office staff...every interaction was with rude ladies who made us feel like an inconvenience. Getting time with a teacher is next to impossible as is trying to communicate with them. The overall attitude is to get the kids through and if you are a parent raising issues you are ignored. There is a high turn over of students due to the military population being here for very short periods of time. Overall I do not at all recommend La Mesa and wish we had been warned before moving in the neighborhood for this school. stints. Overall the issues we expeetienced were