Sequoia Elementary School

3730 Lincoln Avenue

School District

Oakland Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:19
Type

public

School Map for Oakland 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 May 10, 2022

Since the new principal took over the school has gone from ok to worse. She has on several occasions mistreated my special needs son, including improperly restraining him. She has called names and has treated students poorly. The after care is a joke.. they recently lost a child who wandered off . it is pure chaos and teachers with little to no experience this year, including a Sub who took over in my Childs class who had never taken his own class.. while he has tried and generally been great, he is not equipped for a SN student in his first year . I do not reccomend this school.. there are some good teachers and the office staff has been amazing but the rest has been very very hard
Submitted by other on September 07, 2021

My daughter attended Sequoia from K - 5. She really enjoyed kindergarten, and then it was all down hill from there. I think having 5 year olds attend school for 7 hours is absolutely too long! My daughter would come home completely exhausted. The homework starts in first grade. She would do an hour of home work in first grade every night. And that would increase by an hour per grade level basically. The homework was such a struggle. She has dyslexia and tracking issues and they refused to ever help her or test her. i had to threaten legal action to get any help at all. In fact, after we managed to get an IEP in place, one teacher actually told her that she didn't believe in Leaning Disabilities and refused to honor her accommodations. We actually had a teacher tell us in a meeting, "It's not my responsibility to help her reach her potential." Omg. i can't believe a teacher actually said that to me, "not reach her potential." So this school's stated goal is to reach a minimum standard. If that's good for you, then this is your school.Additionally, the bullying is out of control. When my daughter was in first grade, she was cornered on the playground by 2 fifth graders and kicked repeatedly while the laughed. When we told the school, no action was taken. These type of incidents continued to happen over the course of elementary school. If punishments ever do happen, they just tell the kids to go pick up trash in the school yard, but no one supervises to make sure it is done, so the kids just run off and play. In second grade, the teacher called in sick every day for over half the year. Since she called in every morning, a different sub was sent every day. It wasn't until over half way through the year that the kids got a permanent sub. So basically no learning was done at all during that beginning of the year. One day I went in to check on the class, and all the kids were in a pile wrestling in the middle of the room and the sub was just standing in the corner with her hand over her mouth looking scared. Seriously, it was not even a safe situation. The principal took no action. Parents had to write the school board to have the situation dealt with. Another big problem with the school is that principals tend to stay no more that a year or two, so there is no consistency in policy or educational plans.I have no idea why this school is rated the way it is. When I bought my home the realtor warned me.
Submitted by parent on December 11, 2018

We have loved our experience so far in TK. Though we are zoned for a different elementary, we will stay because we like it so much.
Submitted by teacher on September 25, 2018

This is one of the best publics schools in Oakland, if not the best. I have worked in many schools around this city and Sequoia Elementary is doing things right.
Submitted by parent on February 28, 2017

This had been a horrible experience. My daughter doesn't like school because of the way she's been mistreated.
Submitted by parent on November 16, 2015

Our son is in K at Sequoia, and we have been overwhelmed by how welcoming and close the community is. The new principal, Mr Bertolo, knew my son's name (and nearly all the other students) immediately, and has been an advocate, leader, and educator in his first months at the school. Our son loves all the enrichment programs, and we see every day how much each child is encouraged to be themselves. The school teaches the core values of respect, honesty, responsibility, and compassion, and these themes have been woven into the K classroom from Day 1. My son has more enthusiasm for learning than I ever imagined, because the teachers, parents, and community are fun and welcoming. We can't sing Sequoia's praises enough!
Submitted by parent on May 07, 2014

Looking for a great school? This is it. Experienced, interested teachers; strong administration; extensive enrichment programming; and a diverse, tight-knit community of parents, staff, students, neighbors and supporters who pull together to make Sequoia the welcoming, warm, structured place it is. Our two older children love going to school, and our youngest can't wait to get started.
Submitted by parent on May 05, 2014

We love Sequoia! We've had kids here for five years, and continue to be inspired by the wonderful teachers and amazing sense of community. I would highly highly recommend it to any parent!
Submitted by other on May 05, 2014

I have volunteered in the library at Sequoia Elementary School for over nine years, and my admiration and affection for Sequoia has only grown. This is a wonderful learning community: dedicated, accomplished teachers, supported by a great principal, engaged parents, all serving a delightfully diverse--in every sense of the word--student population.
Submitted by parent on May 05, 2014

My daughter has been at Sequoia since Kindergarten. She is now in down to her last 6 weeks of 5th grade. Sequoia has been amazing for her and for me as a parent. Her teachers throughout have been incredibly supportive, prepared and engaged. The sense of community at Sequoia is like nothing I have ever experienced. The staff, the parents and even the neighbors are all incredibly focused on making Sequoia one of the best elementary schools in the Bay Area.
Submitted by parent on April 09, 2014

Our daughter has been extremely happy at Sequoia and truly enjoys going to school every day. This is a testament to the teachers who are inspiring in their dedication and a testament to the Principal who creates an environment where the teachers can thrive. The community involvement at the school is also amazing. Their involvement allows for many of the enrichment offerings at Sequoia, but also provides a example and model to the kids regarding community involvement and the value of education.
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2014

Sequoia is special for many reasons, but the parental support here is great. My son is a 2nd grader. We participate in Bike Day, the Back to School picnic, harvest festival, and many other community events. There are great opportunities to learn here. The parents value learning, reading, and math, which in turn supports the kids and teachers. We highly recommend Sequoia.
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2014

Sequoia is a wonderful school with a diverse parent, student, teacher community. There is strong parent support and fabulous teachers. Our family has enjoyed Sequoia for the past 3 years!
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2014

Sequoia school has been a total dream for my family. It is our neighborhood school, so we just lucked into it, and I count my blessings all the time. I have 2 quirky daughters (one is already in middle school but went to Sequoia from kinder to 5th) who have both thrived there. There is a balance of academic rigor with creative pursuits. The art program is amazing. The student body is very diverse. Principal and teachers are very accessible.
Submitted by parent on March 27, 2014

We ended up at Sequoia because my child is in TK. Sequoia wasn't even on my radar, although I had heard good things about it. We ended up loving it so much I wouldn't dream of moving schools. I used to only look at test scores but there is so much more to a school than that. To really get a feeling for a school you have to spend time on campus but I will list the things I like about Sequoia. There is an excellent principal and excellent teachers. The parent involvement is great. There's a wonderful sense of community. It's very diverse, meaning there is not one dominate group, ethnically, culturally or socio economically. The enrichment programs are so impressive. The kids learn African drumming with the greatest teacher. Every month the kids perform at Sequoia Sings where they sing and play drums. It's literally the coolest, greatest and most special thing I have ever seen a school do. The kids are taught their core values (like a school motto) of compassion, honesty, respect, and responsibility. They have art, PE, garden, drumming, music, science. It's a special, inclusive, nurturing place to attend school. Go Sequoia Squirrels!
Submitted by other on March 24, 2014

I and my wife are grandparents of three Sequoia students: a fifth grader, third grader and a TKer (transitional kindergarten). We pick up the kids after School and know teachers, parents and Principal. I have been involved as a volunteer at the School for 5+ years as a reading tutor, classroom helper and helper at various fund-raisers. I know a great number of parents and all the Teachers and the (relatively new) Principal. The Teachers are dedicted and very expert in their profession.There is not a bad Teacher some, being excellent. . I am in the process of recommending the TK Teacher, Ms. Love, for special recognition as she is truly special - keeping her very young students captivated and learning. Since we have been in contact with the School there have been three Pricipals with the first one excellent, the second not as good and now an excellent Principal again. Parents are very involved with volunteering with fund-raisers (very successful), helping out with classroom activities, after-school activities, etc. In my opinion, Sequoia School is an excellent Elementary School
Submitted by parent on March 23, 2014

Sequoia is a well-rounded elementary school that our kids will always remember as a place that loves to celebrate. We love that Sequoia encompasses many things that we love about Oakland- strong community ties, cultural/racial and socioeconomic diversity, teachers that care deeply for student growth and comfort, Principal that cares about the big picture, and supportive parental involvement. There are negatives, as there are with any school- not enough playground supervision and lack of resources or programs for children that are performing at a high level (in short, not a challenging curriculum)
Submitted by other on March 23, 2014

Sequoia is all around excellent. My grandson reads third grade books as he enters Spring time in the 1st grade. Teachers and leadership top notch as well. Play experience outside is pleasant and well supervised.
Submitted by parent on March 23, 2014

Sequoia has an incredibly warm and inviting community that inspires a strong connection among the students, the teachers, and the students' families. There is a high level of willing family participation - there is never any pressure to be involved, but families are drawn in by the inclusive and welcoming environment. Students are proud to be a part of the Sequoia community, and it's reflected in the overall atmosphere of the school. It's a place where people really take care of each other. I've seen many examples of children rushing to help and comfort a child who has fallen or who seems upset. I've also seen older kids include younger kids when playing on the playground after school. The supportiveness is also present in the classroom. We've only experienced one teacher so far, but she has been incredible. She recognizes that different kids have different strengths, and she finds ways to engage and challenge each individual. I occasionally help in the classroom, and it's touching to see how excited and proud the kids are when they've learned something new or accomplished a tough task. In some magical way, our teacher finds ways to bring that out in every child.
Submitted by parent on March 22, 2014

Folks- Sequoia Elementary completely ROCKS! Yes it's Oakland Unified, but I'm here to tell you that as the parent of an African American son with borderline special needs it has completely exceeded my wildest dreams. The principal and his teachers have worked with me and with my son. I talk, they listen and respond as well as listening and responding to my son-incredible! In addition to very motivated and excellent staff (they have amazing teacher retention) another astonishing strength is their diversity, and friends: this is the real deal tire meets the road diversity, not the diversity lite or diversity in theory that other schools claim to value and have. For instance in my son's class of 24 there are: 4 families with queer parents, 2 transracial families of adopted children, four asian, two latino, five white, seven African American and 6 biracial kids. His afterschool program 'Healthy Start is great as well.