Birney Elementary School

1600 Green Lane

School District

Redondo Beach Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:23
Type

public

School Map for Redondo Beach 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 14, 2024

As a parent, I couldn't be happier with our experience at Birney Elementary School over the past two years! From the moment we stepped through the doors, it was clear that this school is dedicated to fostering a nurturing and inclusive environment for all students.The focus on kindness is truly remarkable. Every day, my daughter comes home excited to share about the various initiatives and activities that encourage empathy and compassion among her peers. The staff goes above and beyond to instill these values in the students, making it a warm and welcoming space where everyone feels valued and respected.In addition to promoting kindness, Birney Elementary excels in creating an inclusive atmosphere. My daughter has made friends from diverse backgrounds, and she feels comfortable being herself in this supportive community. The teachers are attentive and responsive to each child's needs, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to thrive academically and socially.The curriculum is engaging and thoughtfully designed, which has sparked my daughter's love for learning. She looks forward to going to school every day, and I can see her confidence growing with each passing month. The extracurricular activities and events also provide a fantastic opportunity for students to explore their interests and develop new skills.Overall, I highly recommend Birney Elementary School to any parent looking for a nurturing, inclusive, and enriching educational experience for their child. We are so grateful to be part of this wonderful community!
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2021

Too many student per class. I saw one with 33 and another with 35 and last year was the same story. Stop cramming them in, specially when you can’t socially distance them. They don’t have hand wash stations for the kids before they have lunch. I saw them playing together touching the same balls and then going to grab lunch with no washing of any kind. Then you wonder why COVID is spreading. Some of the workers here are very rude and when you ask certain questions they give you wrong answers. I know because I called the district. This is school is not all that they think they are trust me. The kids here are are rude to each other. I see them after school hitting each other with the rolling backpacks and the teachers don’t say a thing when you tell on them. No one is outside watching them while they wait to be taken to the gates at the end of the day. I saw kids hit girls over and over and over with those backpacks, I had to yell at them from the outside of the gate.
Submitted by parent on February 05, 2020

Amazing school, our experience has been wonderful and my kids always look forward to going to school. We are very happy with Washington.
Submitted by parent on May 13, 2019

The half-day kindergarten set up is extremely disappointing. Given that "half day" is really less than 3 hours and part of that time is free choice time and recess (two separate times), it leads to an inadequate amount of academic and social-emotional learning time. Based on the assessments and discussion at the beginning of the year, it is clear teachers depend on students already entering Kinder having mastered beginning (and some middle) of year K standards in order for them to be on grade level at the end of the year. While some families can support this, not all have the resources to do so.
Submitted by parent on November 30, 2017

My son is in his 3rd year at Birney and we couldn't be happier. He has had wonderful teachers and has continued to grow socially as well as academically. The parental involvement in this school is incredible and a big part of why this school does so well. We all care and it shows in the programs and academics that are offered at this school. The principal is fairly new and though she is good with policy she still needs to work on how to better communicate with the parents. That said, I am thrilled to have a wonderful public school just blocks away from our home!
Submitted by parent on February 02, 2015

This is a review for the Redondo Beach Unified School System at the district level, not for one school in particular. If you have a high achieving or gifted child who is grads K-2, then this district is not the place for them. I am looking into weather this school system would be the right fit for my child who is performing well above his age so I thought I would ask what the school district does for children before they qualify for the GATE program in third grade. According to Educational Services, my high achieving child would be better off in a private school, as he would not receive any differentiating instruction in the classroom. I find the approach of giving cookie-cutter education unfair and it's certainly not a place where we will be sending our child. Most of the other districts have a cluster program that separates children into below, average, and above average performance groups in the classroom. According to Educational Services, there are no such clusters at RBUSD. It's one-size-fits-all learning here! It was certainly surprising considering the district's high ratings, but it's apparent that the district is only concerned with maintaing the status quo.
Submitted by parent on August 08, 2013

Congratulations Birney! This is a remarkable move forward in 5th grade Math, and area where we had been struggling a bit in recent years. Keep up all the hard work Bobcats!
Submitted by parent on July 26, 2013

We went to this school for 2 years, and were disappointed by the lack of organization, and the lack of constructive communication from both the principal and the RBUSD. Our first grade classes all had over 30 kids in them, and when we asked if any steps were being taken to reduce class size, we were never given an answer. For the following year, at the last minute they ended up creating a 1st/2nd grade combo class and a 2nd/3rd grade combo class, which to us was not a satisfactory solution, plus they never let us know that was in the works. Bad communication and lack of listening to parents. That being said, loved the other parents and some of the teachers.
Submitted by parent on May 30, 2013

Birney is like getting a private education at a public school. We have two students there and have had a fantastic experience with both. The Readers and Writers Program they incorporate is phenomenal, and one that other schools and districts are emulating. We feel so fortunate to have such an amazing gem in our backyard.
Submitted by parent on February 23, 2013

Posted Thursday, February 21, 2013 Report it Birney elementary is a fantastic school. We have two children there and have watched the school grow and improve steadily even in the face of statewide budget cuts. The school made huge gains with the addition of a new principal 4 or 5 years ago so some parents began to panic when the principal changed again in 2011. Having seen both administrators at work, I can only say that this school is blessed. The new principal is a fantastic upbeat leader and the teaching staff is incredible. The icing on the cake is the huge level of parental involvement from proactive people who are tirelessly generous with their time. In a time when state budget cuts threaten to cripple the quality of education, teachers and parents at Birney have filled the void with creative solutions that have allowed the school to continue to grow and improve. Birney received it's Distinguished School honor two years ago and it's rating has continued to climb ever since. Thrilled that my kids have the good fortune to attend this school.
Submitted by parent on March 05, 2012

Birney is an awesome school with a great amount of parental involvement and fantastic teachers. They also have a wonderful after school program for children of working parents. The administration, PTA and teachers work hard to include everyone and to make the school shine. I have spent time at several other area schools and Birney beats all of them hands down.
Submitted by parent on January 10, 2012

Birney Elementary has a wonderful parent support group at all levels. the quality of teachers are moderate and could be better, there is a decline in teachers' quality due to overcrowding perpetuated by special needs students from other districts. between 2009-2011, the vision of providing great quality eduction is deteoriorating. the administration is ignoring the issues at hands with lack of staffs at all levels. classroom size is at 30-35 students per teacher. it is a title 1 school and monies are not well spent as there are not enough teachers for quality teaching.