Findley Elementary School

4155 Northwest Saltzman Road

School District

Beaverton 48j
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:22
Type

public

School Map for Beaverton School District 48j

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 other on January 08, 2024

very very bad and boring and unsafe and everyone is mean
Submitted by parent on October 23, 2023

Highly recommended. Some old reviews criticized that the high test score is due to "parents pushing kids" but things have changed from my experience as of 2023. The staff and teachers CARE about teaching and communicate a lot with parents. They host a lot of fun events for the neighborhoods as well. BBQ, Fall festival and parades so far this year. They help kids learn in a fun environment. I'm lucky my son's class has only 21 kids so the teacher-student ratio is great. He is a little bit emotional at the beginning of K but school provided a lot of support and communicated with us consistently. I didn't expect this much care and support before he started K. So far I am loving the school and will give them 5 stars for sure.
Submitted by parent on March 02, 2023

Stalwart staff at this school that sets the benchmark for transparency with parents. Findley is led by strong servant-leadership from the top (Principal), and tenured admin and teacher staff who bring many years of experience and diversity to their craft. We are blessed to have Dr. Sherry Marsh as principal. She not only is clear in her approach, but she is hands-on anywhere that's required. I saw her serving as replacement duty at the crosswalk the other day in freezing rain conditions. I've seen this and other servant-leadership actions in her throughout her tenure at Findley. Every school faces unique challenges that a balancing act in today's world. I think the team at Findley do a phenomenal job that is a model for many to follow. Couldn't be happier to send my two kids through their program.
Submitted by parent on May 15, 2022

Strong support for all learners. We don’t send our kids to weekend or after school learning - they play sports and do outside activities but they still do very well. Lots of complaints about affluence in the surrounding area - yes, there are many engineers, tech folks and executives in the Findley neighborhood and we all care deeply about our kids and so it comes out in what we prioritize. If you don’t prioritize learning and achievement maybe don’t go to a school that prioritizes that. The principal, specialist staff and most teachers are excellent.
Submitted by parent on May 01, 2020

New to BSD. So far great with Findley elementray. Class teachers are really good. Both our kids learn alot. have lot of fun at the school. we can see it.
Submitted by other on July 29, 2019

I'm a former student. The building is great and the teachers are fine. The school colors are cute and the mascot is a dragon. A lot of the reviews say that a lot of students are tutored outside of school. I'd say that's somewhat true but isn't the whole story. This school has a high Asian population and some of these immigrant parents might send their kids to Kumon, but a lot more of them also teach their kids to read and do math before they start school and outside of school so that they're somewhat above grade level. The white students also come from well-educated families and this school belong to the most privileged ZIP code in Oregon. However, there was always a separate advanced math class when I went there, so it's not as if everyone is a super genius. Most students learn according to grade level. The environment encourages kids that aren't academically inclined to do better at school. There was also never any bullying when I went here.
Submitted by other on June 10, 2017

As a parent and volunteer in the Beaverton School Disrict for many years, I speak from experience when saying Findley Elementary has a reputation of being a very high-performing school over many years. Many families move to the surrounding neighborhood so their children can attend this great public school!
Submitted by parent on November 05, 2015

Love this school!! My son loves going to school, he learns a lot at school (No extra tutoring outside school time) all in a FUN way!!! He never felt pressure
Submitted by other on May 20, 2015

The school is rated high as the parents are pushing the kids, thereby pushing the test scores. This is a highly affluent and book-smart area, with kids going to many regular tutoring or classes or home "before/after-schooling" from young. Any school's state test scores will be 10/10 with such students.
Submitted by parent on February 28, 2015

Findley's test scores are great but they represent the school demographics and the corresponding pressure for academic performance from the parents representing the majority of that demographic. As said by other reviewers, most students take outside tutoring and attend Saturday classes, leaving no room for other activites such as sports or simply enjoying life and developing interpersonal skills. This pressure and the school's strange rules about "no winners" doesn't prepare kids for real life. There are better schools nearby and even if you live in the Findley school district, you can request administrative transfers through the Beaverton School District to either Bonny Slope or Terra Linda. Terra Linda would be probably easier to get in. Even though Terra Linda's scores are not as high as Bonny Slope's, Terra Linda offers programs that are customized to each kid's ability such as IXL for math or Accelerated Reader for reading. By the way, these comments are based on comparing notes between parents from Findley and Terra Linda.
Submitted by parent on December 15, 2014

Findley is a good school and teachers are really good. In my experience, the reason the school excels academically and students are up to 3 grades above grade level is because most parents make their children put in lots of extra efforts beyond what is taught at school. Outside tutoring (Kumon, Brainchild, Mathnesium etc.) is a norm. Many have been tutored from pre-school onward and come in the school above grade level. So if your child isn't a prodigy or does not get lots of outside help, it is like any other good school. (See other reviews) Pressure to be above-grade level is felt by all kids, and bright children who don't get the extra tutoring and are at grade level can feel inferior. It is a great school as long as you are aware of this and can keep your child feeling secure no matter whether of not your child gets extra tutoring.
Submitted by parent on October 27, 2014

What an awesome school! First, I love how diverse the school is, many nationalities are represented. It's like a mini "world" representation within the school and all the kids mingle and get along. Lots of expats' kids attend- which is great, everyone is welcome and all cultures are embraced. What great life lessons the kids learn just to all be in the same classroom together and learn to respect each others' cultures. Second, this school is ready to challenge kids- with challenge math classes for each grade level, and "walk-to-read" levels, each kid is developed at his or her own pace. The teachers make it academic and ...fun! The parent support is FANTASTIC! All the following programs are parent led: Passport Club- teaches geography (my second grader knows where Algeria is located); Findley Flyers is the running club (my 1st grader ran a marathon last year throughout all the lunch-recesses); Art Literacy -teaches the kids about 6 famous artists throughout the year (my kinder-kid knew the term "abstract art'). Plus, Findley is in the process of becoming an International Baccalaureate School - PYP, so kids learn Spanish and the PYP attributes.
Submitted by parent on May 29, 2014

My kids go to Findley, and I sub in other schools in the district. For the most part the Findley kids are doing work 1-2 grade levels ahead. The environment can be a bit high pressured, especially in the higher grades, but I still love the school. The families really care about the kids and the staff work hard. The new PYP curriculum is wonderful and my kids like it.
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2014

Findley is overrated. The test scores are high because of the demographics and socio-economic status of the parents. The class sizes are way too big and there is little personal attention unless you are in the top or bottom few in your class. We continually asked our kids' teachers for more challenging work but never got any. There are some good teachers but I think they are overwhelmed. The rules of the school are strange as well and don't allow kids to be kids and develop interpersonal skills - no running at recess (because someone might get hurt), no winners at playground games (someone's feelings might get hurt!), etc. We moved to a nearby district and we, and our kids, are much, much happier.
Submitted by parent on February 25, 2014

We moved last summer to be at Findley Elementary specifically and have not been disappointed at all. The teachers are phenomenal- they communicate with us regularly and professionally, challenge my kids to do their best, and seem to enjoy being there every day. The PTO and administration are organized and approachable as well as effective. We enjoy that the kids have opportunities to interact with kids of all grades and abilities; the expectations for students seem to be in line with what we have for our children so we feel like it's a fantastic fit for our family. Both kids have gotten personalized attention despite larger classes. The only thing we would like to see more of is technology in each classroom and in the curriculum but that's a state budget issue, not necessarily a problem specific to Findley.
Submitted by parent on November 14, 2013

The teachers' dedication is phenomenal. My seven year old daughter gets personalized (!) homework. Parent participation is plentiful and awesome. My son gets extra challenge math because he has a math talent and he also gets extra reading classes because he is at grade level and ... wait for it ... therefore he is at the bottom of his class. But the greatest advantage Findley offers is excellent peer example. My kids simply want to be in line with or exceed other kids. With peers performing well, their motivation gets boosted beyond my expectation.
Submitted by parent on August 15, 2013

This is a great school with great community. Very high academic standards and huge pool of exceptionally bright students. Teachers and Principal has been great and community around it really brought to the highest possible results. Beyond academics the school supports huge social, cultural and sports activities enriching the environment. This is more like "private school" due to huge parental + staff involvement.
Submitted by other on August 15, 2013

School is hyped by the other parents. The school results coordinate with parents pushy ness. Kids do not learn to respect each other but wealth.
Submitted by parent on September 12, 2012

Our son is attending his third year at Findley and my daughter her second. We joined Findley after much research. Findley has not disappointed us and has done great things for our family. Our son has opened up quite a bit and the school and the teachers have given him a well rounded development. Teachers take personal care and stay in touch. There are advanced classes in areas where the kids are talented and gifted. The parent network is tight and the school has an excellent community to support it. We have a great Scout, Soccer, robotics, music network for outside the school development. As a perent you have ample opportunity to participate in class and learn about your child and his/her class. Some of the teachers are truly outstanding, but ALL are reasonably good. The principal is smart and has some undisclosed approach to decide which student goes to which class. So far, we are thrilled with 4 of 5 The downside to Findley is its own popularity. The Beaverton school district did not handle the budget situation well and schools are getting hit. With the recent layoffs of teachers, the class sizes are getting bigger - kids may lose the personal attention if not fixed.
Submitted by parent on March 03, 2012

Children perform at higher than grade level. Fabulous teachers who have total control of their classroom and make effecient use of the school day to rapidly transition from one lesson to another. My daughter loves the school and the huge variety of learning "activities" that take place. She never wants to miss a school day because she knows of something new and exciting taking place on that day. Their is a clear reason the school has outstanding ratings - outstanding school leadership, outstanding teachers, and outstanding parents make for outstanding students.