Thomas Edison Elementary School

2950 Hurley Way

School District

San Juan Unified
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:20
Type

public

School Map for San Juan 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 February 07, 2025

This school is the hidden gem school in the district! Before you ask "Why are the test scores so low? Isn't this a "bad school?" let me elaborate on what test scores truly reflect for a moment. For the most part, test scores across the US reflect students' socioeconomic level and parent education. The more affluence a student has, the higher the scores. The less affluence a student has, the lower the scores. Affluence is also closely tied to race in this country, so do the math there. This is an incredibly diverse school that celebrates its diversity. Many of the students are English language learners, and almost half of the school is in the dual immersion program where they learn in Spanish most of the day. So yes, test scores are lower than the more affluent and homogenous schools in the district, but that does not mean that this is a "bad" school. Far from it. My child has been in the dual immersion (DI) program for three years now, and we have been blown away by the quality of the teachers. They are truly top notch. Outside of the DI program, all staff and admin we have interacted with have been incredibly caring and effective. We also went through the process of getting a 504 for our child (accommodations) and this process was very smooth. Everyone has been very accommodating of my child's needs, and even teachers and staff who haven't had him in their class are well aware of his needs and support him. Lastly, since I know this is important to many people, a parent of a kid who is in the special education program told me that the SPED program is also top notch. This parent selected this school specifically for their SPEd program.
Submitted by parent on February 06, 2021

My child is in the dual immersion program. The teachers are amazing so caring and full of energy. The PTA is also very caring and want to help all the students in many ways to make their experience better. My child loves this school and wants to attend through 8th grade. I appreciate the diversity in the dual immersion classes and enjoy the international festival. The after school care is affordable and they help with homework and provide other activities. All the faculty that I have encountered have been caring and enthusiastic creating a great environment for my child to grow. Thank you Thomas Edison!
Submitted by parent on May 19, 2015

If I could give this school no stars I would. This is the worst school my children have attended. I have never been to such a disorganized school. The principals, teachers, and staff could care less about what goes on at this school. And the students are the most disrespect kids I have ever encountered, even the kindergartner They can bully, curse, and talk very rude to the teachers and nothing is done about it. I have an 8th grader and a kindergartner so I see both sides and the behavior from the students. I have seen teachers in tears because the kids are so rude. I have had problems several times with both of my kids, went to the office and spoke with teachers and both the principal and vice principal and absolutely nothing was done. On 6 different occasions. I have filed a complaint with San Juan unified, and have had my kids removed. Do your self a favor, if u live next to this school and its your assigned school, fill out a form to have your child transferred somewhere else.
Submitted by parent on April 21, 2014

My son Is in 6th grade an gos to Thomas Edison School, The teachers an staff are very helpful an intune with my chid in teaching him on the right path so hes able to grow into a fine student ive found they go the extra mile in getting them ready for the yrs to come in higher grades I feel they truly care about each child as to whole class
Submitted by parent on November 19, 2013

I am not happy with this school. My children have been here for the last 6 years and I feel like there is so much lacking. I agree there is minimal parent involvement. I also feel like the admin is horrible. I do not feel like principal/vp are not engaged at all w/ parents. I was at a meeting and the vp did not even introduce herself to me and seemed irritated to be there. There are SO many behavior problems, horrible test scores AND I feel like the parents/children who are getting the most involvement and help are the dual immersion classes. My children were at the school before it was a language insitute and I feel like they do not get the focus that the dual immersion classes do. I feel like my children's classes lack because there is only 1 english speaking class per grade. Not so for the dual immersion so they are getting a more hands on and quality education. Bottom line is i feel my children are falling throught the cracks and I am ready to pull them out and write a letter to the school board. Thoams Edison needs some serious help and I feel it needs to start with the Principal and VP.
Submitted by parent on September 23, 2013

The school has a lot of potentials but the school environment is very chaotic and disorganized. We were not told where to meet and what teacher was assigned to our child on the first day of school. Back to school night didn't happen until 3 week after school started and parents were not informed until couple days before. There was no homework for the first 3 weeks of school. There seems to be no one in charge at all at this school. There is loud hip-hop music blasting away when kids are waiting to go to class. The school janitor with tattoos covering his arms and legs also doubles up to watch kids as young as 4 years old in the cafeteria. School yard supervision consists of adults screaming and yelling at kids. The principal doesn't seem to try to connect with parents and kids. His is only seen running from meeting to meeting and holding up the stop sign in the parking lot. My child looks terrified when I drop him off every morning and I am about to pull him out and put him in a better school. He said he is more afraid of the adults there than the kids. This school is no place for any kid to learn.
Submitted by parent on August 16, 2012

Today is the first day of school (8-16-2012) for my son. While I have no review to submit; I'm encouraged to hear that many parents remarks here give me hope and leave me encouraged. I think we can all work together to help our children do well and of course that starts with a "little we time" with them at home. I look forward to great news in the coming school year.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2012

My son is in dual immersion Kinder. We moved mid-year from Willow Glen Elementary in San Jose CA. where he was in the dual immersion kinder The class sizes are smaller, the teachers and staff care. My son has learned so much here in a very short time. On the other hand, there is a lack of parent involvement here, which is the biggest problem I see. The PTA is not as proactive as WGE. There seems to be more behavior problems with children, which I feel more parent involvement would mitigate. I see kids whose parents pack them a roll of Oreo cookies for lunch and other junk food, these are children who need brain food, I have been shocked every time that I have gone into the lunch room. There is no recycling program, the garden is supposed to be starting up this month, late due to funding. Funding is another issue at this school, there seems to be funding problems everywhere you turn here. At WGE, the PTA was great about filling in all of those gaps. Where as WGE lacked for nothing, Thomas Edison lacks much. I hope to see more parent involvement.
Submitted by parent on February 13, 2012

My daughter's attending the early kinder program and is doing great! The after school care is very inexpensive, yet full of activities, cooking, sports teams, etc. The principal is very enthusiastic as well. I wonder why the scores are so low... it isn't the best neighborhood, a lot more english learners than the school my older daughter goes to? I haven't seen behavior issues yet, but it seems sad that something is preventing the teachers from teaching, or the students from learning. Whether parental involvement in homework, the school, or all-around effort to enrich their children... with all of the programs this school offers (they are getting a drama club and they have a garden with chickens), is the problem the elephant in the room, or something less obvious?
Submitted by parent on June 08, 2011

I am very happy with my daughter's experience in kindergarden in the Dual Immersion program. I love her teacher and the principal, and although the school has some pretty daunting numbers when it comes to state testing, I feel confident that my daughter's education this year has been above average, and I believe that working with her at home has counteracted any possible negativbe effects of attending a school with lower STAR scores.
Submitted by parent on January 23, 2011

My child moved here from another school, and we couldn't be happier. The dual immersion program has been great, and we love the after school programs offered in conjunction with the park district. The principal has great vision for the school.
Submitted by parent on March 11, 2010

Our principal Mr. Lindeman is absolutely fabulous the teachers and students love and respect him. He gives 120% to his job. I don't think that these ratings are accurate. The teachers are inspiring and there is many extracurricular activities offered and even more are being proposed for next year. Our school is a hidden jewel tucked away with a small community feel of roughly 350 students which is perfect for an elementary school. Everyone knows everyone and no one is lost in the shuffle. Our school offers programs that no other school does in San Juan District. There is kick start kind. and next year will have dual immersion starting in the kind. class being taught english and spanish. As far as test scores they are going up everytime! Highest improvement in the district. I love this school and think of it as home away from home!.
Submitted by parent on March 04, 2010

I have had 4 of my children go to school here since 1968. There are many caring teachers & staff here. Times are tough financially, but the love and learning continues on .
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2008

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