Barnard Elementary School

2445 Fogg Street

School District

San Diego Unified
Grade

K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:20
Type

public

School Map for San Diego 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 October 27, 2022

Your kid can learn Mandarin for free. It's a public school, which is amazing. We had a few duds for teachers, but mostly the teachers were excellent. My child received a very strong, well rounded education. The downside is many of the children won't learn Mandarin very well. But, my child did. Recommend!
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2022

My family and I have been a part of the Barnard family for ten years. My older child finished Kindergarten to 5th grade. My younger child is currently in 4th grade. My experience has been wonderful. I am truly grateful that we have this unique and special school in San Diego. My kids have learned more Mandarin Chinese than they could have from weekend Chinese school. The teachers are incredibly hard working. Even during distance learning, during COVID, the teachers did an amazing job. They balance being strict and having high expectations with making sure the kids feel loved and supported. The PTA is strong and parents are engaged. The office staff is friendly and understanding. The school is very diverse and my kids have enjoyed many of the extra curriculars and after school programs that are offered. Hopefully we will return to normal soon so parents can help volunteer on campus, and the kids can have field trips again.
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2022

I have two kids currently at Barnard. They absolutely love going to school everyday! I feel proud to send them there. The accomplishments of all the kids truly amazes me. In a nut shell, the positives: community- to include kids, parents, teachers and all staff, fun yet challenging environment, the opportunity to learn a language we do not speak in our home and immerse in a new culture. Incredibly grateful my children have the opportunities provided by Barnard.
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2022

We had a wonderful time at Barnard Elementary. My son went there from Kindergarten to 5th grade. All of the teachers and staff were so supportive. It was also great to learn about another culture and learn another language. I would highly recommend this school to other families.
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2022

I spent nine years as a parent at Barnard Mandarin Magnet Elementary School (2013-2022). My son and daughter both completed the K-5 Mandarin immersion program and now are in high school and middle school respectively. My kids loved the school, its teachers, and the three different principals that were present during their years there. My kids have an incredible knowledge of the Mandarin language and of Asian culture. We have visited China three times. Interacting with locals has been a positive and joyous experience. We plan to continue with the Mandarin immersion program through high school.But there is so much more to Barnard than just Mandarin. The school offers an excellent, well-rounded ELA, math, and science curriculum. Their extra language skills only enhanced their engagement and absorption of other topics. The PTA offers a ton of wonderful extracurricular activities. My kids learned so much, made great friends with diverse families from throughout San Diego county, and collected terrific childhood memories of the many great times at Barnard. Highly recommended!
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2022

I have two kids here and both kids love it here. I love the community. The parents, PTA, staff, teachers are all so welcoming. I have had many email correspondence with the school nurse, office staff, and teachers, all of them have been prompt and attentive. I really like the new principal. He’s been very hands on. He knew my UTK student by name, walked him into the cafeteria personally in the morning for breakfast and ran laps with him during running club to try and encourage him. My kids love their teachers and PE coach.
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2022

My son is 8 years old currently in 3rd grade he had attending Barnard since Kindergarten, we are a not Chinese speaking family but we prioritized language learning in our home. We been amazed by the progress of our son in Mandarin learning and how confident he is communicating in Mandarin ! The cultural enrichment is a big part of learning another language and Barnard does an outstanding job at it. We love how diverse and inclusive is the school, we have not experienced any bulling or discrimination on any type. Communication is very good at every level, from the Teachers, office staff, Principal and PTA. There are 3 different after school programs on site, I recommend Three Treasure they have a Mandarin Tutor as part of their staff. Our experience is been 100% positive, academic and personal, my son is happy and looking forward to go to school every day.
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2022

This is our second year here at Barnard. We have been over the moon with the academics in which our daughter is thriving learning Chinese as well as excelling in the more traditional subject matter of elementary school. We have had an amazing experience learning about a different culture and embracing that into our lives.
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2022

Have two kids here. They have always had great teachers and support staff. An awesome environment that creates a real community with kids, families, and teachers. I would Highly recommend though because it’s Chinese immersion you probably need to start in kinder or 1st grade.
Submitted by parent on September 16, 2022

Very diverse community, feels good to be here with our multiracial family. Mandarin learning is going well so far for my eldest (1st grade). I am impressed by the teachers’ professionalism and the length of time they have worked at and committed to the school. We have a new principal this year who is excellent so far and has experience in this immersion language style of learning.The PTA is strong and extremely supportive…I think this is key to having good family-staff relations and for bringing in more resources to the school.So thankful to be here for a few more years.
Submitted by parent on September 11, 2022

We love Barnard. Because it’s a choice school the parents are very engaged and committed to the kids’ learning. We have a stellar PTA that raises over $100k per year to provide supplemental learning software and programs, field trips, library books, science and art programs, extra teaching assistants or counselor time. The school and PTA partner together to put on an amazing Chinese New Year festival, and various other events. The teachers and staff are great. My kid started speaking Chinese quickly and exponentially grew her reading skills as well. She loves going to school.
Submitted by parent on February 22, 2020

My son started Kindergarten at Barnard in Fall 2019, so far we love it! He is just a six year old boy who would rather play than sit in class all day, so very challenging in today's competitive Kindergarten environment. At one point we were contemplating private school, but for us what was most important was to be fluent in another language, or at least the eventual understanding that he's competing with jobs from across the globe. There is a lot of Mandarin in Kindergarten, 80%/20% ratio, so parent do have to supplement the English the first year. At six my son would be considered behind in reading by normal standards, but good at Math. This is also due to the fact he's not really interested in school yet. So far his teacher is very understanding and supportive, and gets it that he's just still really immature and he just needs time. We're working together so he himself understands why reading progress is important, little by little, but more importantly is that he loves to go to school. He comes home everyday singing a Mandarin song, and Barnard does a great job at teaching Kindergartners Mandarin through play and song. Social and emotional development are so very important in Kindergarten, and we are very happy that his teacher and the school push this part of education given San Diego Unified's need to push the systematic instruction more. It's only our first year, but so far Barnard is excellent. Lots of parent involvement behind the scenes to push the school to be one of the best Mandarin schools offered. There is also a Mandarin IB program that goes through to Middle and High School. So lots of potential. After one semester, he already understands basic conversation. I've also heard the Middle School kids who finished at Barnard, their Mandarin is very conversational. Bottom Line: If you want your child to have a good social upbringing, global perspective, and a skill that will go far in our more global economy, go to Barnard!
Submitted by other on November 15, 2019

Sorry, but I regret going to this school for education. There are better schools around here that probably teach better, because the teachers here showed favorites and least favorites.
Submitted by parent on June 14, 2019

Our son just completed kindergarten. He loves Barnard, his teachers, and friends. We speak no mandarin at home but so far he has shown no fear or anxiety about being exposed to so much mandarin at school. The parent community is extremely involved and supportive.
Submitted by parent on November 12, 2018

Great school small school feel with parents that do their best to stay involved and participate in their children's learning and education. We do have to supplement reading/ writing English but well worth it considering our children are benefiting from dual language learning. We are preparing our children to be global minded and cultivating an appreciation for cultural diversity.
Submitted by parent on March 16, 2018

Our daughter and son are having an excellent experience at Barnard. Our son is in kindergarten and already speaks Mandarin! Our daughter is in 4th grade and has excelled in both her English and Mandarin studies. We love that the Confucius Institute from SDSU comes to teach our children different Chinese arts. I have always appreciated that Barnard incorporates the arts into the education program. There are also 3 options for after-school care and 2 before-school programs, along with many different after school clubs. There is a good amount of parent participation and the principal has a strong background in running immersion programs. I feel like we are getting a private-school education while being a part of San Diego Unified. I look forward to our kids continuing their Mandarin studies into middle & high school.
Submitted by parent on March 14, 2018

I can't imagine a better school for our daughter. The principal is so active and caring. She makes a big difference. Believe me, I knew the other principal and he was never there, always absent for solving problems. Had he not left we would have left the school. It always seemed that it was about him, not our kids. But enough of that guy. Our school rocks! The teachers and interns are superb and the entire staff work as a team. We have the best Coach in the entire universe. Parents participate, collaborate and care. Kids learn and are happy. What else do we need!
Submitted by parent on March 13, 2018

5stars out of 5, Barnard is a great school for triple x generations , my two daughters love to go to school everyday, love afternoon activities , admire and respect their dedicated hard working teachers .We are non related mandarin family but my 2 girls speak exercellent mandarin.I never heard of any bullying stories.Two Thumbs up!
Submitted by parent on March 08, 2018

We are so spoiled by the PTA at our school. My kids participate in art contests, community festivals, school plays, classroom crafts, after school programs, and so much more. Imagine a school where 450 kids actually want to hang out at school on a Friday night in order to participate in "literacy night". Plus, there are so many resources for the parents. Before we started kindergarten, the PTA arranged summer playdates, a dine-out, orientations, sent weekly email tips, signed us up for their newsletter, matched us with a parent mentor, and rolled out the red carpet for us. They even had a morning coffee event on the first day of school to make sure we all got through that first day on a good note. I can't thank the PTA enough for all they have done. I have visited a lot of schools and I have a lot of friends throughout the county/country. No other school does this much for their students or parents.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2018

It's been amazing. My kids Mandarin is amazing and the school is a wonderful community with active parents and PTA, caring staff, and dedicated teachers and interns.