Field (Eugene) Elementary School

3600 Sierra Madre Boulevard

School District

Pasadena Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:22
Type

public

School Map for Pasadena 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 August 04, 2023

I am the parent of 2 students who graduated from this school and have mixed feelings about the program.The good:We are heritage speakers and I felt very strongly that my children not only be able to speak Mandarin, but are also literate in the language. I chose it for my kids because of the 90:10 immersion model. My children have acquired a good command of the language (for US born and raised kids), and I am generally happy with their progress in Mandarin. The bad:The main issue with this school is the revolving door of inexperienced teachers. The average teacher at Field has a tenure of under 3 years, with many of them brand new teachers who just graduated from a teaching program. This mostly has to do with the economics of Mandarin dual language immersion programs; there are too many programs and not enough qualified teachers. Many teachers will start their teaching careers at Field, and transfer to another school district with higher pay once they have amassed some experience. This problem has gotten worse over the years, and I do not see it improving anytime soon. Over the 9 years I had been at this school, I can only recall 1 or 2 years when the school was fully staffed (i.e. a Mandarin teacher for every class) on the first day of school in August. In the 23-23 school year 2 classes did not have permanent Mandarin teachers until January. The lack of a stable staffing situation means that luck plays a big rule in the experience of a particular child. Some kids go through the program relatively unscathed, while other kids have long term substitutes year after year. Even though the teachers work hard and try their best, their relative lack of experience also mean that they are less effective at their jobs and less adept at dealing with behavior issues. In addition, families without any Mandarin support at home often struggle in the program. The school doesn't have a strong system in place to support non Mandarin speaking families, and many families resort to tutoring in order to keep up. This has also led to a decrease in the racial diversity of the school over time.I don't regret sending my children to this school, but I do not feel comfortable recommending it to other parents. If Mandarin is important to your family and you are willing and able to deal with the instability then Field will work out just fine. If you just want to send your kids to school and not worry about their education, I recommend that you go elsewhere.
Submitted by parent on June 27, 2023

This school is phenomenal from start to finish in every single aspect. I expected my bright, eager student to succeed anyway, but this rockin’ principal, this amazingly gifted group of teachers, and this solid support staff, is doing a beautiful job every single day of molding an entire student body into outstanding humans. This school is the shining star of PUSD and I truly hope the board keeps their hands off. Let this visionary dream thrive! FIELD MICE FOR THE WIN!
Submitted by parent on November 17, 2022

Have two kids here at Field Elementary and I have to say how impressed I am of what this school offers. This is a rare 90/10 mandarin immersion school in the heart of San Gabriel Valley. The teacher, staff, and principal care tremendously for or the kids and the level of parent involvement is overwhelming. You know you have a recipe for success when you combine super involved parents and a motivated caring staff. The only downside is also partially due to the super involved parents because there are very vocal parents who have their own personal view on how the pandemic should be handled. I don't think it's the school's fault but I can safely say that staff did their best to toe the line on keeping everyone happy.
Submitted by parent on November 16, 2022

Field Elementary is the best kept secret in PUSD with its 90:10 dual language Mandarin immersion program. We have been impressed with the high quality and tireless dedication of the teachers and staff. Our children are non-native speakers and our oldest exceeds in the level of fluency for her grade. There is a strong parent volunteer community who is dedicated to enriching the overall school experience with events that celebrate both Chinese and American cultures. We highly recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on October 11, 2022

This school just started embracing critical race theory and equity after they got a new principal last year. She does not follow up on parental concerns and many parents are pulling students from the Chinese immersion program! School is on its way down!
Submitted by parent on August 09, 2022

Gonna be completely honest here. This school can not keep decent teachers in the classrooms. We are left with bad substitutes that come into the school and they are lazy and the principal is slow to respond to the complaints. In our particular case, our 3rd grader scored into the 7th-grade reading with a Lexile score of 905L, but scored "progressing toward the standard in reading". Plan to pull our child due to the lack of effort from the principal down to the temporary teachers.
Submitted by other on January 05, 2022

The teachers here are very helpful and effective, making a great community of parents and staff.
Submitted by parent on August 07, 2020

Field has a bullying problem and unfortunately the parents are the biggest bullies.They bully the principal and the staff while making assumptions about students and complaining that there's not enough punitive punishment. They don't consider that disagreements and learning resolution is part of growing up. They also don't consider that there might be medical issues, divorce, poverty involved. And frankly I don't think they consider it because many of the parents are wealthy, and the label "BULLY" is so much easier than introspection.Ideally they would like to just kick all kids with any sort of issues out of school, or call cops on them. They would also like to hang out at school at all times, install cameras and monitor every single interaction without allowing kids to make mistakes or resolve issues.
Submitted by parent on June 20, 2020

Field has a bullying problem - switching the bullies to different classes and even grades does not fix the problem and only exposes even more students to physical and emotional injuries. The dual language aspect is great but I would rather have my children safe. Teacher retention and quality is also an ongoing issue at this school.
Submitted by parent on November 15, 2019

I would LOVE for my kid to learn the language, to have this be a DUAL (I have to put this in caps because I think it is forgotten by many of the parents) Language Immersion School, but I think my dreams might be dashed. Unfortunately, the school is becoming a private single language/culture school where anyone who is different is not understood or welcomed.
Submitted by parent on November 07, 2019

There is a strong sense of community at this school. Parents commit a lot of time volunteering and supporting the school. The annual fund donations poured in from generous families this year and even surpassed the original goal amount. It was record-breaking and goes to show how much parents are involved to improve the school and help better the student's academic experience. It's amazing!
Submitted by parent on November 02, 2019

Overall I really think this school should be more inclusive of other non-Chinese students and families. Being that this is a public school, the mentality of the parents seems to reflect that of private school parents. Unfortunately, not all families with children at this school have the luxury of one stay at home parent that can dedicate 2-3 hours daily to homework. If you are a non native mandarin speaking family, you can add 1-2 more hours to trying to help your child with Mandarin. I wish the approach at Field would be assist non native speakers more than just trying to develop a school for Chinese Americans that want their children to attend a Chinese school for free. This is a public school open to children from various cultures and backgrounds whose parents want to expose their children to a different language for many reason. My fourth grader who has attended since kindergarten, has told me many of their classmates are leaving the school. About 3 have left in the last year with about another 4-5 making this their last year. The ones that have left or are leaving are not Chinese and have struggled, not just in the language but with other subjects as well.
Submitted by parent on August 21, 2019

My non-native speaking children have thrived at this school. There is a true sense of community, and a commitment to shaping the whole child despite an emphasis on Mandarin. While there are economic struggles as a public school, the community has come together to make it the most dynamic school within the Pasadena School District. It is one of the best kept secrets in Pasadena - competitive with the city's many notable private schools, providing the highest ROI.
Submitted by parent on August 08, 2019

If you are a non-native Chinese or one of the parents of your Child is non-Chinese you will most likely get stuck with a new teacher that has not taught in a dual immersion program at Field... its been 4 years in a row and our Child has yet to be in a class with a veteran teacher... The Principal is just lax and it not proactive to make changes for the better. You can complain all you want about it and he does not really care. Good luck if you plan to enter this school and your Child does not speak Chinese at home....
Submitted by parent on August 15, 2018

This school has come a long way since we first started. Parents need to be prepared to understand what are realistic expectations for their child's development in an immersion program; the cost of learning Mandarin has its costs to your child's education. Overall, we've had a positive experience with the teachers but PLEASE realize that not every child is suited for this type of program and your child will suffer academically if they don't do well in a structured environment that doesn't offer much flexibility in teaching to diff levels. That said, the community is great and we've met many wonderful families that are so engaged in the school. The library is one of the best in the district, the school festivals are a joy to attend, and the science night is a product of the committed parents who enrich the program with science. It's a place where you can see is built on the labor of the parents.
Submitted by parent on December 19, 2017

Abysmal experience at this school. I took my child out. Current public school is head and shoulders above Field. Staff is unprofessional and defensive rather than focused on the well being of the students.
Submitted by parent on June 07, 2017

Awesome experience! My dd just finished kindergarten and loves speaking, writing, and singing in Mandarin. Her English reading and writing is also on par with english mainstream level. PTA, school boosters, and parent volunteers is very strong. This year parents/PTA helped renovate the Library as well as teacher's lounge. They also put on amazing events, such as Moon Festival, Fall Festival, Chinese New Year, and Family Science Night. Highly recommend this school to anyone!
Submitted by parent on May 18, 2017

I have 2 children at this school. They are learning so much Mandarin at school. There are so many great teachers here. There are also so many involved parents that help make the school an amazing place to be. No school is perfect and we've had growing pains as the Mandarin program is entering 8+ years but I feel that things are getting better each year.
Submitted by other on February 03, 2016

Teachers are great. Parents are very involved in school activities- gets better and better every year.
Submitted by parent on January 14, 2016

Mandarin Chinese Program in this school is the best choice for gifted children. They do not spend their "6 hours per day" in school "learning" something that they have learned long time ago.. By the end of Kindergarten-year, children speak fluently their new language, and by the end of the 1st grade, they can write paragraphs in Chinese. It is amazing!! I believe, it is very beneficial for their future. Teachers in this school are amazing. They are very creative, very kind, and really care about their students. I would recommend this school for children who like to learn, and for parents who would like to give more opportunities to their children..