Phoebe Apperson Hearst Elementary School

5301 Case Avenue

School District

Pleasanton Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:26
Type

public

School Map for Pleasanton 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 June 22, 2023

Hearst has changed a lot in the 3 years my children have gone there. Dr. H (principal) focuses a LOT on the "Monarch Way" where every student is reminding and encouraged to be kind, respectful, and make good decisions. There are many school wide programs to encourage parent involvement, diversity, and wellness. The PTA is active and runs community events about once a month. But the shining star at Hearst is the teachers. They are carrying, forward thinking, and creative. The teachers get lots of prep time during the week while the students attend science, art, music, library, and PE with support teacher. Everything is well organized and my students love the change of pace by having a daily speciality teacher. My son has a first hand account of their Special Education resources and that is excellent as well. The criticism I would give is I wish the older grades had less screen/ computer time. It works well for independence, but my child computer often has a dead battery at the end of the day. I also wish they had an active GATE program.
Submitted by parent on May 15, 2023

After sending my son to this school I was quite shocked at the differences in his interactions with his teachers… My son has had some great teachers overall. They’ve always been supportive and kind to students but my son is from a country that isn’t considered independent so when doing a project about our heritage the teacher decided to separate kids from their own country into table groups. When my son’s friends (who speaks the same language) saw that he was writing something other what they were writing they had a long debate over something very controversial. “That isn’t a country, it’s a part of _!” Afterwards he told me how ashamed he was when he didn’t write his country. After a long time of convincing him to tell the teacher. He was made him sit alone in a where he didn’t know what to do because all the other kids had other people to work with. He felt ashamed showing me his finished project that no one wrote it like his and that other adults were commenting on it as well.
Submitted by parent on March 18, 2019

Hearst has been a breadth of fresh air. Teachers here are great and so is the community in Supporting the school. All this automatically impacts on students performance.
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2019

This is our 3rd year at Hearst and our feelings are mixed. The teachers are fantastic. They work hard to help students be life long learners vs. test-takers. The school is cliquey. There is racism and bullying. Leadership should focus on student behavioral accountability and nurture a setting where all students feel safe and included. Character counts.
Submitted by parent on September 04, 2018

This is our first year at Hearst and I simply blown away by how involved and connected the school community is, be it parent volunteers, school staff or the leadership team. The principal Mr Muniz can be seen at all important events being actively involved and his able leadership is reflected in all spheres of school administration. The teachers are very responsive and kids love the learning at school. The parents are super involved in there kid's educational journey and eager to volunteer at every opportunity. All elementary schools in Pleasanton are rated well but I believe Hearst is the best among them all. So far so good!
Submitted by parent on May 12, 2018

If your child is above average academically, don’t send him to Hearst. My daughter came to K reading and writing and was bored. The teacher just ignored her and cared only about underperforming kids. No differentiated instruction. I am so glad my child goes to another school now.
Submitted by parent on January 23, 2017

Surprised by the negative reviews. Our kids, my wife and I love this school and it's staff. I personally have volunteered for being a classroom aid and the watchdogs program. So I have seen first hand how great this school and it's staff is. They care greatly about the kids and get in front of bullying. We also know this first hand. Our Daughter was being bullied by another student. It occurred on Friday and she did not say anything until getting home. My wife emailed the teacher, we did not expect much action until Monday.... We were wrong, that night and throughout the weekend, we received responses from both the principle and the teacher. Monday Morning came and first thing they did was, identify the problem and provided a resolution. Don't know of many principles and teachers that would respond to an e-mail concerning such a touchy subject as bullying so promptly on their off time.
Submitted by other on September 05, 2016

The teacher we had yelled at students in the class and my child was scared to go to school. Teacher sent her out to get her backpack alone outside after school had started. Received little communication from teacher and it didn't seem that the teacher wanted any parent involvement.
Submitted by parent on August 12, 2016

Very happy to be done with this school. Very happy that we finally promoted out. No accountability on principal, vp, and students. Yard dutys could care less, principal and vp could care less. So sad. This has nothing to do with changes or the lack of ability of being friends with all races. The school has a large bullying issue, sexual harrasement while at outdoor ed, sexual videos being shown by other students at the school, foul language in emails using school district emails from student to student and a large division of races. If I was to have a 2nd student going into elementary this school would not be acceptable for me. I would rather homeschool. Get a new principal ...one that is not there for just a check. PUSD I think you should put out a survey and you would be shocked by how many would say how much they want a new principal, one that cares.
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2016

Academically, my child has thrived at Hearst. Even with the increasingly larger class sizes, the teachers are getting the hard work done. Common core has at times kicked me in the butt, but there are supports in place to help me, help my child. I appreciate that. My child has made friendships with children of all different races and cultures. There have been teacher and principal moves and change can be hard to deal, but I think we are making great strides. The school community likes to have fun. Lots of cool events, like an ice cream social, disco bingo, and an auction. New families just need to attend events and PTA meetings to start making connections. Truly, I think the change is harder for parents than the children. Kids are resilient and take it all in stride. My kids are looking forward to the new school year.
Submitted by parent on February 10, 2016

Sadly the school has changed. The principal that was there for years and was extremely adored by students, teachers and parents has moved into a district job. The new principal and vice principal have not continued to keep the school at the same standards. Students are not being held accountable for their bad behavior, cultures are not blending well and teachers seem to not be happy there anymore. The overall pride for the school had has diminished greatly. Hearst is not what it used to be.....
Submitted by parent on July 31, 2013

Hearst is an absolutely amazing school. We had our children in private school in Concord before moving to Pleasanton, and I'm happy to say that we are much happier with Hearst than we were with a school that we had to spend thousands to attend. Mr. Kuhfal is absolutely amazing, and knew all of my kids' names within 3 weeks of the school year beginning. The children are expected to be polite and courteous to others, and are challenged in the classroom. I am especially impressed with the playground rules that are designed to leave no child friendless. It made for a very easy transition for my kids! Academically, the school is obviously top notch as the scores indicate. It's all the extras that surprised me. I feel like we won the lottery with this school.
Submitted by parent on February 01, 2013

Excellent School. The techers are very hands-ons making sure everyone is attended to/cared for. We are very happy with the school. PTA is very strong and active. Well rounded Curriculum.