Barrett Elementary School

895 Barrett Avenue

School District

Morgan Hill Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:19
Type

public

School Map for Morgan Hill 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 08, 2020

I strongly recommend this school, even tho it has very low ratings. Barrett Elementary is a school on the outskirts of Silicon Valley. This means that the students are mixed: some come from high-income tech families, while others (more than half of the students) come from low-income families. Since more than 50% of the students come from low-income families, the school is designated a Title I school and receives extra funds. This is also the reason for the poor ratings: a lot of students are children of seasonal workers with poor English skills. While the school has an English development program, it is impossible to get these kids up to speed immediately, and as a result they score lower in state mandated tests. Obviously, that affects the ratings in a negative way.In the classroom, every student is treated equally, and in some cases it is impossible to tell which families are low income. This I feel is a very good thing; a child does not choose its parents. The school focuses very heavily on reading and math, but especially reading. I agree with the principal that this is one of the most important aspects of elementary education as this sets up the student for future success. One cannot learn if one cannot read. All the teachers I've worked with so far (which, since I'm also volunteering, is quite a lot) are great people and excellent teachers. Every student and their family is treated with respect, regardless of their background. Struggling students are redirected to intervention programs as soon as feasible.My child has been at Barrett for 3 years now, and thanks to their reading intervention, is doing great.
Submitted by parent on March 19, 2019

Excellent, don't let the score scare you. The teachers are Phenomenal, engaging, motivated and seem to love what they do.
Submitted by parent on November 15, 2018

Poor.... most parents are great but the few trouble makers combined with teachers just wanting a pay check results in poor outcome.
Submitted by parent on June 16, 2018

Students perform well academically but I do notice that the school does have a hard time getting parents to become involved. The school support staff needs improvement especially in the area of communication whether it's a parent or a student.
Submitted by parent on February 26, 2018

Our daughter started kindergarten this year. The priciple and her staff is great. This is a very supportive enviroment where children learn in their own pase. My daughter new just the alphabet when she came here 5 months later she is reading books, name signs when we drive and subtittles on tv! She has always been good at math and she gets to excell at this in her own tempo. Thumbs up for Barrett and her wonderfull kindergarten teacher!!!
Submitted by other on December 10, 2015

I can't say it's terrible because my son is happy and I'm happy with his teacher. He is in kinder and we moved mid season to this school. In just our second week there has been a situation between another kinder teacher and myself. I was confronted while picking my son up from school with yelling and aggressive behavior. This was in front of students and other teachers. Her emotional state was not one u would expect to be around children. It concerns me that she would feel inclined to behave this way towards a parent and makes me concerned for what might happen if she's in a stressful situation with a student and nobody is around to watch. After walking away from this women I spoke with the principal but she brushed it off like it was something she didn't want to hear. When I first came to this school to tour I had been greeted with many smiles and now what I feel are false faces. This woman was the first classe for kinder to tour and had actually hoped my son would be in her class she was seemingly that nice. I have seen the true colors of this person and am happy he did not end up in her class. Unfortunately I do not want my child containing at this school next year.
Submitted by parent on March 20, 2014

Barrett is a great school for all children. My daughter is a high achieving student that learns quickly, is extremely motivated and loves to learn. Her needs have been met by each of her teachers over the past four years. They have moved her into flexible groups for reading and math to meet her needs. They have met with her individually and challenged her to take on new learning. However, what has impressed me the most is the teachers taking the time to teach her about life- teach her to collaborate in teams, teach her to negotiate her ideas and teach her to value others. Barrett is a unique school enhanced by a diverse group of students and a smart, thoughtful, hard working staff.
Submitted by parent on November 16, 2013

It is true that the API scores of Barrett are not the same as Charter School or Nordstrom. However, they have been showing growth in the last couple of years. If you are looking for a school with a 900+ score that teaches to the tests and if you find comfort in children who are all economically, racially and educationally the same as your family, this is not your school. Barrett students are diverse, because of their diversity, they are learning to be students of the world. They honor each other, and they are part of an eager community of learners, where everyone is valued. The teachers are incredibly dedicated to their students, and they work effectively with parents as a support team for each child. In our experience, our very cognitively gifted child was found to have significant social skills deficits and some non-verbal learning disorders. In other schools, because he was achieving above level grades, he might have been turned away from services, but not at Barrett. They want children to get all the help they can to be able to achieve their potential in the classroom. Parent involvement at the school is also very high. Barrett was a wonderful fit for our family.
Submitted by parent on August 14, 2013

I agree with some of the other parents. This is by far a school for non english speaking students. This really takes away learning from kids who are native english speaking. The principal is good and so are the teachers. But my child was far above the average level when it came to education. I had to ask for more homework at times and my kid seemed bored. If you are white and with smart kids, give Nordstrom a try.