Clarendon Alternative Elementary School

500 Clarendon Avenue

School District

San Francisco Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:22
Type

public

School Map for San Francisco 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 15, 2025

Clarendon is an amazing community comprised of two programs the general Clarendon community and the JBBP Japanese bilingual bicultural program. The school is a great option for families who would like their children to be exposed to a language through Elementary School or for families who would like a great strong general program with a focus on Arts music and stem learning.
Submitted by parent on January 17, 2025

My kids have both had a great experience at the JBBP program at this school! The parent community is really strong and involved. The school offers all kinds of extra enrichment for the kids, including language, art, music, extra PE, para educators, reading and writing support and fun school events. The teachers are all great, many of them having taught there for years, some even were students. I'd recommend the school to anyone!I agree that the turnover in administration over the last four years has been really frustrating. I still give the school a great review because I believe the strong foundations, long-serving teachers, and active parent community have been able to carry the school through this transitional time without sacrificing the experience of the students. I truly hope the principal situation stabilizes, because if it doesn't I think that will have long-term consequences for the culture of the school. But for the time being, Clarendon is an excellent place.
Submitted by parent on October 11, 2024

I currently have a 2nd grader and 4th grader at the school. Both started at Kinder in the SC side of the school. Overall, the families are great, classmates are wonderful and its a great community. however, the SC teachers and leadership have gone through a lot of churn over the past 4 years and my kids' experiences are night and day. My older one's teachers were all very experienced and passionate teachers who all retired/left SFUSD after finishing her year. They have been nothing but amazing - so amazing that some kids would rather hang out with their teachers vs going to recess. I knew what they were working on, they assigned short and consistent homework loads, pulled me in for any parental support they needed, etc... for my 2nd grader - 2 of his 3 teachers at the school were all new (1st or 2nd year teachers) and he learned maybe 50-60% of what my daughter did. some years, I am not sure what he really learned in class because teacher's expectations were so low, everything was optional, i.e, vocabulary, math sheets, etc.. The teacher's end of year assessment of my younger child was so far off from actual skill level (vs the diagnostic math test i had him do online for his grade level). Without active coaching/mentoring, I am not sure how quickly these new teachers can ramp up to deliver the quality of education Clarendon is known for.
Submitted by parent on August 14, 2024

The teachers here are wonderful! There is an active parent community that drives fundraising and the enrichment at Clarendon Elementary. However, as of recent, the administration has been a constant revolving door. We've had 4 principals and 3 vice principals in the last 4 years. Principal Van Court was the fearless leader for 12 years, when Clarendon was regarded one of the top elementary schools in SF. Our 2nd child is now suffering through the lack of consistency in leadership. We try to embrace change, but we have been disappointed with the lack of transparency in communications with the current leadership. There are a lot of "policy" issues that are not clearly communicated, leaving the parents wondering what the heck is going on with our school and SFUSD as a whole.
Submitted by parent on June 29, 2024

This is my 3rd attempt at leaving a review. My guess is that the rating would have been lower if genuine reviews were not screened as stringently as they are. Regardless, Clarendon was overall quite a disappointment. We endured Covid and hybrid. K-1 grade teachers were phenomenal, but 3 principals in 4 years is a sign that something is wrong. Teachers kept leaving, making it difficult to fill in gaps with actual qualified teachers. I pulled my child out mid-year because the quality of the teacher in my child’s class was not acceptable. (I’m keeping this all vague in hopes this review will actually get published for parents to consider.)We are a family that values diversity, and really wanted to send our children to SFUSD schools. While other families were going private or moving out of the city, we defended the district. However, it came to a point where we could not sacrifice our child’s education in hopes that things would get better. They didn’t. The current principal is defensive and when parents actually express genuine concern, she responds with accusations towards parents. I would not recommend this school for a strong, superb education. Lastly, many of the strong reviews pertain to the Japanese program. The racial diversity figures are most likely present in the JBBP side, not the regular education program.
Submitted by parent on May 14, 2024

I'm really surprised to see that Clarendon has dropped down to a 7 in the ratings. It's true there has been some turnover in leadership, and the principal last year was pretty horrible. But overall this is a great school with wonderful teachers and a great sense of community. I would definitely recommend it.
Submitted by parent on January 06, 2024

During the pandemic, we pulled our child from private school when we got word she got into Clarendon and we couldn’t be happier! My son is now there too. There was some turnover in the Principal’s office for a couple of years, but that has settled down and we love the teachers! There is a great, active parent community and a wonderful group of childcare folks. Before and after care there is worth every penny. I can’t forget the students: both of my kids have great and positive friendships at school. I would take the negative reviews with a grain of salt as most of them were written during the worst of the pandemic when the school board was failing to do their job and Clarendon was adjusting to remote school.
Submitted by other on April 30, 2023

From several accounts this school is struggling in all categories. The principal is leaving and the assistant principal can be very off-puttingly rude and many are afraid she is taking over the school. This school has fallen off the cliff and probably can't recover.
Submitted by parent on February 22, 2023

This school is getting worse! Staff and students leaving due to poor management. VanCourt is NO LONGER in charge of this school, that needs to be changed. Special education students evacuating classrooms, substitutes replacing teachers.. its a mess! Our last year here. Wonder if they publish poor reviews?
Submitted by parent on May 27, 2022

One the best school I have ever been apart the whole staff goes above and beyond to make the students are taken care of an education is a priority. Zoltan my son who on spectrum had a lot of struggles adjusting to 2nd grade they made sure we are seeing progress which wasn't an overnight thing but so thankful for everything they do.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2019

We feel so lucky to have gotten in. We have 2 kids in the program - 1 in the lower and 1 in upper grade. The teachers really care about the kids, the administration really tries to do what's best for the children and the community and the parents are amazing.
Submitted by parent on March 13, 2018

Great school! Can't be any more happier trusting the staff with the education of my kid.
Submitted by parent on December 09, 2015

The teachers are great. There are excellent suport services available if needed. Parent involvement is high. The office staff is outstanding as well.
Submitted by parent on August 22, 2013

My son has been at Clarendon since kindergarten, and is now in his last year, in the fifth grade. Clarendon has such a stellar reputation as an elementary school, I felt like we won the lottery when my son was accepted - and we DID. It's like getting the best $200,000 private school education, but at a public school, for free. The staff is outstanding, and the teachers are extremely caring and dedicated to teaching - and the parent community is so supportive and amazing, we've made so many lifelong friends, we've all even planned camping vacations together. My son learned to speak and write Japanese in the Japanese immersion program, and has learned so many creative skills with all of the resources available - art, music, chess. The before and after-school program headed by Shelley is also fantastic, and educational, too - they oversee that your child has help completing homework! I am actually heartsick that our time at Clarendon must end because my son will graduate from the 5th grade this year - I wish it went to the 8th grade! I feel so lucky and blessed our son was able to attend - it really is the best school any parent can hope for.
Submitted by parent on June 07, 2013

it really is the best school any parent can hope for. Perfect, if there is such a thing!
Submitted by parent on March 31, 2013

I feel so lucky that my children go to Clarendon. The teachers are great, knowledgeable and caring. The curriculum is excellent, with enrichment programs such as music and Italian. Yes, my children learn Italian at Clarendon and can even speak some of it. One of my children has special need, the Principal, teachers and staff work together to help her and our entire family. The Principal, Mr. Van Court is a wonderful leader. He is caring, attentive and accessiable. He listens to the needs of various students and families and tries his best to fulfill those needs. He made sure that every aspect of school stands out. He even knows every student by their name. I am very impressed as a parent. The teachers are very creative in teaching. Everyday, my children come back home telling us how excited they are at school and what they learned new. I hope all the elementary schools could have the same excellence as Clarendon.
Submitted by other on October 24, 2012

my granddaughter is so happy to be at Clarendon.She is learning well and enjoys the atmosphere. Thank you! Beatrice Wallerstein
Submitted by parent on October 23, 2012

Oh, Clarendon, we love you. My child is so happy to head off to school each day. I'm thrilled with how much she is learning, without sacrificing social/emotional learning and the fun stuff like field trips. It seems like a great mix. Expect to be asked to volunteer a lot (in the class and for special events), and receive many fundraising requests---but I'm sensing this is the new norm in many public schools---but it all seems worth it for a great school.
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2012

Great school with amazing teachers my daughter enjoys learning at school . She learned so many things about science, history and Italian that is amazing. I always feel happy to know how she is carouse about knowing new things.
Submitted by parent on April 23, 2010

The parent involvement along with welcoming teachers and administrators create a true community.