McKinley Elementary School

3045 Felton Street

School District

San Diego Unified
Grade

K-5
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 February 24, 2025

I have attended Mckinley Elementary for 4 years. I would never recommend this school to anyone! At first I was like wow what great ratings, but the parents are clicks (petty and exclusive) talking about other parents and worse other children! If you have less than, they make sure your child feels it. The racism and exclusion my child has endured at this school is unbelievable. She constantly is bullied and excluded. Children learn what they see from their parents. She has been physically attacked by boys and emotionally bullied by girls, the principal does nothing. After constant emails and discussions. I will no longer support a school that does not support my child. Oh and let's not forget the constant fundraisers for IB. They sure do want the support for that, squeezing the parents.
Submitted by parent on February 20, 2025

My child has been attending McKinley Elementary for the past 4 years. First the positives, the teachers we've had have been beyond fantastic. They have been supportive of my child's needs (she's a twice exceptional kid), focused on the emotional needs of all the kids and have communicated well with us. Now to the not so great. The academics are poor. My child is often bored at school and fails to learn at a level that is appropriate for her. It's hard to know if this has been a result of the pandemic or just a lack of focus on academics from the school. I've been disappointed with the administration's response when I've enquired about having more challenging content for my child.Probably the biggest challenge we've faced at McKinley is the special education team. One-on-one many on the team are great and supportive, but on the whole the approach from the team has been confrontational instead of collaborative. They insist on their way and refuse to work with parents and outside support teams to figure out the path forward that would be best for the child. I know this is a pattern that other parents have experienced but not sure if this is an issue only with the school or the entire district. The last thing I'll speak to is the parental involvement... it's intense! The PTC is very active and there is a lot going on in terms of fundraisers, extracurricular programs. and meetings. It's great to have so much community involvement but sometimes it feels like it goes too far and too much is expected from the parents.
Submitted by parent on February 02, 2025

The good side. It appears like a haven from the outside with vocal parents that run this school. The bad side. Kids are bullied including mine by a boy who choked her and lifted her against a wall. My daughter has seen boys run around with their privates hanging out and when I've reported to the principal he does nothing.
Submitted by parent on February 02, 2025

My children have been attending this school for the past 4 years and I am very disappointed with the school. Despite our long-standing involvement, and support for the school, we were met with a lack f assistance when we needed it most. One of my children had a negative experience with a teacher, which led to a hostile school environment and caused my child to lose interest in learning. When we addressed the issue, the teacher responded disrespectfully to us as parents. This experience has only compounded our disappointment with the school. Given our history here and the support we've provided, we hoped for a more empathetic approach, at least. It is disheartening to see experience with the school decline since this principal took over and the lack of professionalism from staff once this teacher rallied other school members.
Submitted by parent on October 30, 2024

McKinley Elementary School has been a great experience for our family. The teachers are wonderful, and we love being so involved with community activities. Our kids have attended for almost a decade and all of the principals have been wonderful in their own way. We like the way Principal Morello (current Principal) prioritizes academic learning and teacher support so every student can have a learning experience at the school. The PTC makes it easy to be as involved as you can be, and we enjoy all the events like movie nights and variety show. I can't believe how much the parents do at this school to make it so fun. We have had some standard issues with friendship conflicts and additional learning support needs, but McKinley does a great job of working through things effectively. Very glad we are a McKinley family and enjoy our experience here.
Submitted by parent on June 14, 2024

This school does not deliver on many of their promises. The past two years with Jonathan Morello as our new principal has been negative. He has created policies that discourage parents from coming on campus, the kids and parents feel intimidated by him, he is slow to answer emails, he avoids meeting in person with parents, and he does not take accountability when his actions and policies cause stress and harm to families/students. He has influenced many programs getting cut and diminished, like cuts to music for all grades and the frequency of Spanish classes. The IB program here is often treated as an afterthought, where even my older children don't know what IB unit they are studying and they aren't getting global and world experiences that our friends at the neighboring IB schools are getting.The PTC makes a lot of money for the school, but their management with the funds is very shortsighted. Their decisions often focus on serving school staff and PTC members' needs more than meeting the student needs. It's been extremely disappointing to donate money and time while seeing significant dollar amounts spent on things that don't go directly back to the students. The PTC boasts about McKinley being a family and how everyone willing helps contribute, but in reality, families are highly pressured to constantly volunteer and donate for fundraising events, and despite everyone complaining about being burned out, no changes are made to make things more sustainable. Also, there is little space for families who are not having a positive experience at this school to feel heard and supported. Unless you are besties with the PTC president, parents with different ideas and concerns don't have much of a voice here.
Submitted by parent on August 28, 2023

On the surface, it appears to be a great school with the school's various activities. However, if you come to them with concerns or issues, you quickly get blacklisted and help is no longer available. It's hard to be at a school where the principal intentionally tries to intimidate certain parents he doesn't like. That is his way of trying to avoid dealing with problems that come up.
Submitted by parent on May 11, 2023

Between our two kids we’ve had 5 different teachers over the years now, and each one of them has been caring, engaging, and excited to teach them new skills. The IB programs like dance, ceramics, and Spanish are great. The kids come home excited about what they learned and experienced, especially after being in the school garden where they grown vegetables and fruits. The community is so positive and inclusive. The joint use playground is like our neighborhood square. Could not wish for a better overall experience.
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2023

McKinley Elementary is an exceptional school, and we feel fortunate to have both of our children enrolled here. From top to bottom, the staff takes great pride in fostering a safe, welcoming, and enjoyable learning environment for our children to thrive.The teachers are not only knowledgeable and skilled, but also kind and thoughtful. They consistently go above and beyond to communicate with us and ensure our children receive a high-quality education.The support from parents, volunteers, local businesses, and the surrounding community is remarkable. We are deeply grateful for the dedication and tireless efforts of the PTC in enhancing the education and development of all students.The International Baccalaureate program brings a global awareness and local focus to the curriculum. Through intercultural understanding and respect for all people, our children are inspired to become knowledgeable and caring global citizens.Sitting in the heart of a tight-knit community, we love seeing the neighborhood kids on bikes and meeting new families at the park. It's clear that McKinley Elementary plays an important role in fostering a strong sense of community pride.
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2023

This is our 7th year as a McKinley family and it has been some of the best years of our lives. My kids, now 3rd and 5th grade at McKinley, have been forever changed by this amazing community. They have formed lifelong friendships with fellow students and created strong bonds with teachers who have impacted them along the way. Each week my kids have dance, Spanish, garden and music as part of our school's IB program. They also have Art & Ceramics once a month. This is all paid for by the McKinley PTC (Parent Teacher Club). Thanks to their herculean fundraising efforts, my children have access during the school day to these incredible enrichment programs. Our classroom teachers over the years have been excellent and my children have a genuine love of learning because of these teachers. My children love going to school each day and they say that being at McKinley makes them happy. That is all I can ask for as a parent. I want my children to be happy, healthy and to thrive in their school environment. When they have had social issues at school, they have been dealt with quickly and effectively by teachers, counselors and staff. My children feel safe going to these trusted adults and talking about their concerns. We have had a very positive experience with both the former principal (now retired) and the new principal this year. This is such a special community and we are grateful every day to be a part of it.
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2023

I count my blessings on a daily basis that my son, soon to be a McKinley Alum, was able to spend seven years of his young life at McKinley Elementary. The school community is second to none. The teachers, the administration, the staff and the parents make this sweet elementary school a safe, loving environment that welcomes diversity and nurtures its young people so they can head into the world as community builders and independent thinkers, as confident kids who celebrate their differences and similarities. My son has had some incredible teachers at McKinley Elementary who have inspired him to take risks and be bold in his love of learning. The two principals we have had the pleasure of knowing and collaborating with are warm and accessible and dedicated to their students and staff. The new vice principal, so caring and professional, is also such an incredible asset to the school. Our daughter will start UTK at McKinley in the fall and I am looking forward to watching her grow and develop in this incredible school community. All in all, one of the best decisions my husband and I ever made for our family was sending our son to McKinley Elementary as a TK student in the fall of 2016.
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2023

Our family has been at McKinley Elementary for 9 years now. Our youngest is in 2nd grade currently (2022-23 school year). McKinley has been an incredibly important part of our lives and has served our family - as well as so many others - very well over the years. The teachers are beyond what we expected, and truly care about every student. They meet them where they are, develop caring relationships with them, and provide the academic structure and support they need. Our children have benefitted so much from the amazing teachers at McKinley. Special shout-out to Mrs. Schoonmaker, Mrs. Trocha, and Mrs. Berg! McKinley has a new principal this year, Jonathan Morello. He came in during a time of great transition after McKinley endured covid protocols including virtual learning for most of 2021-22. He was handed a school that needed nurturing, and also rebuilding and restructuring. He came in at 100% and has worked tirelessly to create a space of opportunity for every McKinley family to work in partnership with the school. This is the 3rd principal we have has at McKinley during our family's time there and he is doing a fantastic job. He is calm and thoughtful and has made significant positive changes over just one year here. The family involvement at McKinley is really just unbelievable. We have a reputation as a school with a super active and super supportive parent and guardian community and that's exactly what we have. We go above and beyond for McKinley, and the connections I have made with fellow parents here have transformed my life. There's always something fun going on, and we raise the funds needed every year to pay for the creative learning enrichment programs for every single student. I am grateful to be at such an inclusive school for not only my kiddos but for us parents as well. I would highly recommend McKinley to any family. My older student is at Roosevelt Middle School and because of the academic foundation he received at McKinley, he is excelling. The International Baccalaureate program is a way for the students to get a deep understanding of how the world works, and they take that learning out into the world. I am so grateful for McKinley and will be very sad to leave in a few years when our youngest finished 5th grade! Thank you, McKinley.
Submitted by parent on May 03, 2023

In fear of retaliation im keeping my response broad but the principal is not a nice man nor does he know how to deal with children with special needs. In fact he flat out wants to push my child out of the school. I know my kid is not perfect but i know a lot was blown wayyy out of proportion after talking to my child. Now we are both uncomfortable and that is sad because my child deserves better
Submitted by parent on May 03, 2023

McKinley was once a great school. Sadly, it has changed with the addition of a new principal, Jonathan Morello. First, please note this review is for the 2022-2023 school year. Secondly, these are my experiences and I can only speak on what my family have experienced. This school WAS heavily into social emotional support. They had strong academic performance while striking a balance between school and home. A drastic negative change happened once this new principal onboarded. The principal doesn't want to or lacks the ability to follow protocol. Now I'm left playing poker with my kids education by sending them here.
Submitted by parent on January 14, 2021

I have been beyond thrilled with the education and support my children have experienced since Kindergarten and now during remote learning. This speaks to the staff and leadership's commitment and passion for the kids. My daughter was identified by her teacher as a first grader with reading concerns. I am so happy with the early identification! The general and special education team including the school psychologist honed in on her strengths and areas of need expertly. Both my daughters have has amazing teachers along the way and continue to do so! One of my daughter's also receives speech services and her speech has improved leaps and bounds. I could not be happier with the teachers and supports my girls have received over the years, in fact, there would be too many to name- if you are a McKinley staff member that has worked with my daughters, please know I am speaking your praises! Though I said there may be too many to name, I do have to name one person specifically who is a special educator, and unfortunately they are often our unsung heroes. I actually have tears in my eyes writing this as I think about this teacher who never gave up, showed up amazingly in regular school AND remote learning. I believe she was vital in keeping my daughter engaged as we transitioned to remote learning, saved me from gray hairs as I know she always had her best interested, cared so much, and made sure she got the support she needed. Thank you to Topaze Johnson AND to all of the wonderful McKinley teachers and staff members! I am truly amazed at the dedication of these educators!
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2020

We have been a happy McKinley family since we moved into the area mid-school year a couple of years ago. As a mom, I just wanted to give a HUGE shout out to Ms. Chavira for her absolutely amazing work keeping a classroom feel during distance learning. I'm floored at how wonderful she has pivoted this to truly enriching time for my son and the whole class. I feel very fortunate to have her as our son's teacher. Our family already felt that way before the pandemic, but can't find the words to adequately state how impressed and filled with gratitude we are!
Submitted by parent on October 17, 2019

It has been great! Parents and teachers are enthusiastic and engaged. Just had a publishing party in K class and parents outnumbered kids! Great environment!
Submitted by parent on April 24, 2019

Our experience has been very positive. We love the IB standards, our child is reading, calculating mathematics, learning science and history, studying the arts, and so many opportunities to do more!
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2018

We love this school! We are military - this is my daughter’s 3rd elementary school. McKinley has been the best.
Submitted by parent on October 24, 2018

I have two children that have attended McKinley for the past 6 years. Overall, the school is great. The parent involvement is wonderful. I love the diversity at the school. We have had some amazing teachers, namely Leslie Mellos, Gina Honma, Katie Wagner, and Ashley Knox/Berg. I highly recommend McKinley Elementary.