Grapeland Elementary School

7171 Etiwanda Ave.

School District

Etiwanda Elementary
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:22
Type

public

School Map for Etiwanda Elementary 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 31, 2023

This first question on this survey asks if students feel excited about what they learn. The answer is an emphatic YES! THAT IS WHY THIS IS AN AMAZING SCHOOL! I had to post my Google review on here because it's unbelievable what others have posted. The majority of the parents here share my feelings. My children have continuously attended this school since 2017. I have had two sons who went through each grade, developing amazing academic skills that will help them for life. Now my daughter is in first grade here. Teachers and staff are truly nurturing and interested in each child being their best. We have such a dedicated, selfless PTA and our principals set a tone for excellence. They are everywhere - first to greet your child in the morning and last to leave any event. We had Mr. Shaw for years, Mr. Zajicek and now Mr. Beitler. We have had such wonderful library staff who help create a love of reading from the very beginning. Support staff works here with a smile on their face every day. Grapeland is arguably the best school in the school district and now one of a few schools that is nationally recognized as a Blue Ribbon school. We are truly fortunate to be at this school that we love. Grapeland IS every student's favorite place to be.
Submitted by parent on May 13, 2022

The school has a great leadership and focuses on academic progress .
Submitted by parent on April 06, 2022

If your child is struggling with the curriculum at this school they will try to push your child out. This school definitely lacks culture
Submitted by parent on May 02, 2019

We are considering pulling my children from this school because the school lacks culture, discipline, and a commitment to seeing students succeed through direct instruction. (They need to just be smart or they are left behind and frowned upon)
Submitted by parent on November 05, 2015

Both of my children attend this school, and have been for 4 years. They are both high achievers, and consistently receive outstanding grades. However, as a teacher in another district, I have to agree with others who give this school a low rating. The teachers here do not praise the students AT ALL. I feel that much of the responsibility for learning the grade level content is placed on parents. In the 4 years we've been here, we have only encountered one teacher who seemed to genuinely care about our child. My second child was left alone in his classroom on the first day of school (a genuine mistake), with no apology from the teacher. No praise was given to him for the fact that he was the first to know all of his site words. The students have availability to chromebooks, PE, and music teachers- which is amazing. However, if you are looking for a school that nurtures students, this is not it.
Submitted by parent on February 27, 2015

This school only cares about test scores , not children. They treat students and parents awful.
Submitted by parent on April 16, 2014

I do not recommend this school. Don't let the test scores fool you. I feel they worry too much about the test scores and not enough about the individual. Many of the programs that they had in place have gone away.
Submitted by parent on November 01, 2013

My son went to this school a short while (fall 2012) starting as a transfer kindergarten student. I thought this school would be an amazing school experience for my son because it is rated so high in the district. But my experience with Grapeland was far less impressive than I had anticipated. I believe my son was not given a chance to adjust to kinder because he wasn't as mature as the other children seemed, and had a hard time focusing, even though he had been in preschool. His teacher would tell me everyday (for a week) that she thought he wasn't ready for kinder, I was surprised because he is very smart, but needed to be reminded to pay attention (normal), long story short...with her advice and others I decided that mabey another year of pre-k would be best. So as I begin to register him for 2013, I was shocked to learn the district would not allow him to start Kinder because of his age! No one ever told me this. But they were so quick to get him out of there, I could not believe it! Me and my son spent all summer cramming for first grade, I believe this school is great but they did not seem interested in working with my boy from day one. I felt CHEATED to say the least.
Submitted by parent on August 21, 2013

The administration lacks effective people skills. Their goal is to be number one in the district and that is it. If you are looking for your child to be nurtured, Grapeland is probably not the best school to choose.
Submitted by parent on July 25, 2013

It's the worst public school! We thought a school with an API of 945 would match our Advanced daughters. We soon realized the school has a robotic mentality. Its teachers and administrators bully the families over ridiculous policies, such as no spaghetti straps for 6-year olds, without explanation. They make the kids play outdoors in the sun in over 100-degree weather without shade. They won't allow them to stay indoors, even by parental request. When our kids came back from school, their scalps were browned. We had to use a bottle of sunblock weekly to prevent our kids from getting skin cancer. The school administration makes no effort to understand parents' concerns, and were told they can hang up on parents' phone calls if they so desire. Our kids were not happy at the school, and turned from being hungry for knowledge to resisting going to school every day. Finally we had to pull our kids out and homeschool them. Our kids' scores continue to be Advanced, and they have access to History, Science, Art, Foreign Language, and Music that they didn't have at Grapeland. Now our kids are interested in all areas of knowledge and their academic scores have soared even higher.
Submitted by parent on April 11, 2011

Grapeland is a wonderful school. The atmosphere there is different than at other schools I've been to. Everyone on staff is very friendly. Students are well behaved and excited to learn. The school offers so many things to enhance the learning. Plus, test scores show that the school is really focused on academics. My children wake up every morning excited to go to school. I think that say it all!
Submitted by parent on April 09, 2011

This schools is awesome! My son goes to Grapeland and he absolutly loves it! This school offers so many programs and activities for their students and they encourage parents to get involved. I always feel so welcomed and the students always seem so happy to be at school. If your complaining about the teachers being forcused on test scores, hello, it's a school and we love that our students are doing so well. I'm so happy that Grapeland's teachers are so focused on my son's education!
Submitted by parent on April 01, 2011

I love this school! My daughter had been attending for 4 years. She thinks it is the best school in the world. The entire staff from the office to teachers and administrators are all friendly. I always feel welcome. There are so many activities that kids can get invoived in that no other school in the area offer. She has been learning Spanish before school and art after school. And the test scohres are phenomenal. They really work hard to make sure all kids are learning. I am so happy my child has the opportunity to attend here.
Submitted by parent on March 30, 2011

Grapeland is an incredible place for my student and all kids. I love the way the staff (office, library, teachers, playground, cafeteria) takes care of children. Everything they do is for kids and they never stop at anything less than great! Students are happy and the it shows on the teachers faces. The library is an awesome place and the support of the librarians has really help my kids.
Submitted by parent on February 28, 2011

I was very disappointed with my daughters experiences at Grapeland. The teachers seem to be so focused on achieving high test scores that they have lost sight of the individual needs of their students. The school offers many afterschool activities, perhaps to make-up for the fact that virtually no art or science is done during the school day. If the state does not test on it, it is not covered in Grapeland classrooms. Also, my daughter was bullied so badly on the playground that she began having nightmares and panic attacks. Meetings with the principal and the teacher made no improvement to the situation at all. We ultimately had to remove our daughter from the school for her own safety.