Daniel Webster Elementary School

465 Missouri Street

School District

San Francisco Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
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 other on April 22, 2024

TRANSFERRED FROM FRAZIER ELEMENTARY; OFFERED A DOUBLE AT DANIEL WEBSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL; GRADUATED ON TIME!!
Submitted by parent on June 05, 2022

We would like to advise parents looking a schools for their children of the negative experiences we’ve had during the last year at Daniel Webster Elementary, in order to bring to light some of the treatment of our Kindergartner by the principal at this school, and, thus, to explain the reasons behind our decision to move our family to another school in the district for 1st grade.Our child was an energetic, intelligent, and social bilingual Spanish/English student in the Spanish Immersion program at Webster. He started Kindergarten this past year, and it took him some time to adapt to a classroom environment. Over the course of the school year, we worked closely with his teacher to set up a rewards system to help Xavier focus on specific behavior goals and both the teacher and we noticed a steady improvement in his social-emotional development. Despite the progress he was making, we noticed that the Principal consistently singled out our child for his behavior, referring to him as “disruptive” and “defiant,” and said his “social clout” influenced other students to follow his lead. Over the course of the second semester, we received no indication from the Principal of any sign of improvement over the course of the year.By the end of January, we consistently observed fearful behavior from our child every time the Principal was near. When walking him into to school, if the principal was out front, he would attempt to hide behind me until we had passed by and then run up the steps to class. The Principal seemed to consistently expect the worst from our child, and we worried that our 6 year-old would internalize these negative expectations, thinking of himself as a bad student and a problem child in spite of the fact that, academically, he was excelling. We’ve also observed that, not only did the Principal have a seemingly unshakable negative impression of our son, he also failed to support his teacher. During our interactions with the two of them together, he would consistently cut her off or talk over her, and their conflict resulted in her not only leaving the school, but the district entirely.
Submitted by parent on June 17, 2021

We’ve loved the community at Daniel Webster. It’s a small school thst allows children to thrive. Class sizes are small, and the teachers are fantastic!
Submitted by parent on March 08, 2019

Very positive. Our child is learning a lot socially and academically.
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2018

Great small school with engaged parent teacher community, the test scores do not tell the entire story. The school has a large percentage of English learners and low income students and does a great job supporting all students to succeed.
Submitted by parent on March 30, 2017

DW is a wonderful and diverse school with strong parent involvement and sense of community. My child is in kindergarten, and all three teachers on the kinder team are awesome. He also loves the stage write program, art, computer class, dance and the after-school program which offers great clubs and outdoor play. As working parents we also really appreciate that there is affordable after school care available for all students. The school was renovated top to bottom in 2015-2016 and our new principal, Ms. Betti is fantastic. This school is a gem and we feel so lucky to be enjoying the fruits of a true community effort.
Submitted by parent on March 25, 2017

Daniel Webster is a real community school where the parents, the teachers and the locals community have come together to create a real gem of a school.The school was recently remodeled / renovated, and this has done so much to brighten the environment. Don't be concerned by the low test scores. A large amount of the kids attending are ESL learners, and another third are English speakers in an immersion program, so they have the additional challenge of having more than half of their students effectively being taught in a non-native language! For anyone interested in the benefits of dual-language education (We were, which is why we chose DW) you'd be hard-pressed to find a better school.
Submitted by parent on December 21, 2016

Daniel Webster is the epitome of a true "community" school where the parents, the longtime teachers (very little churn) and local community have contributed greatly to the warmth, care, and focus on quality.The school was recently rebuilt from the ground up, and the new facility is gorgeous, and inspires our children to be active learners, while still having time to be a kid.I am frustrated to see the data on low test scores, but given that 2/3 of each grade are Spanish Immersion learners, and that English proficiency tends to build post-Third Grade for immersion learners, I'm not surprised.
Submitted by other on December 19, 2016

DW is amazing! We were first attracted due to Spanish immersion, but stayed even though our daughter was placed in English track due to the strong parent community, dedicated teaching staff, and upward swing with new school and principal. This is a supportive community for dual working families with a fantastic afterschool program. My daughter comes home speaking about the values of being responsible, respectful, and safe. She learns from being around bigger kids, but also loves her "kinders". When parents looking for a school ask about "hidden gems," this is it! My daughter would come home telling me about art class, or laptop time, or art time. It surpassed our expectations!
Submitted by parent on December 15, 2016

Daniel Webster is an increasingly strong school with a very involved parent community and a well-managed PTA. Teacher turnover is minimal and the new principal and entirely remodeled facilities have made it a better environment than ever before. It is also useful to note that unlike many other elementary schools in the area, Daniel Webster has afterschool program availability for all students – so that removes one otherwise stressful item from the list. These are pretty good after school programs to, with art, soccer, a chess club, a Lego club, and all kinds of other things.
Submitted by parent on December 14, 2016

Our child is in 4th grade Spanish Immersion and has been thriving there since K. We have had amazing teachers every year . There is a strong community of families . The school is in a newly renovated building as of this year and it is a great facility.
Submitted by parent on December 14, 2016

I have twins in Kindergarten at Daniel Webster this year (2016/2017) and we love it! Both kids are in the Spanish Immersion program, each in a different class (so we have experience with not one, but 2 teachers). We love both teachers and would not trade them for anything! Being in 2 classes gives us the unique opportunity to see how the grade teachers work as a team and collaborate and support each other, a model that is working very well. The school is small and close knit which we love. Parents are very involved and the PTA is fantastic. There are lots of enrichment programs funded by the PTA and we are pleased with the diversity of the education as well as the diversity of the student body.The principal is new and energetic and very well liked and respected by both the parent community and the staff. The start time is not too early for our little ones (8:40) and we had no trouble getting into the after school program, ASEP (which is outstanding) even though we signed up very late.We have a brand new building and facilities this year so everything is fresh and clean and beautiful. We commute in from outside the neighborhood and appreciate the easy freeway access and easy parking around the school. We also love that the kids get to enjoy inspiring hilltop views and sunny Potrero weather! If you are interested in Spanish Immersion and want a bilingual education for your kids, Daniel Webster is an excellent choice. My advice is to hang in there and be patient. You may not get in on the first round, but if you are willing to wait it out, most kids eventually get in. We had to wait until the Wednesday before school started to get the second twin in and we know several kids who got in after the start of the school year. You will get in!
Submitted by parent on December 14, 2016

My daughter is in 3rd grade Spanish immersion and is thriving there. The teachers and staff are thoughtful, rigorous, and love these kids so much. The communication is excellent.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2016

Both the Spanish Immersion and General Education programs are excellent. The school is extremely diverse and the students work well together in this environment. My child is in K in Spanish Immersion as an English speaking child and her teacher is dedicated to keeping her on track with testing in this new language. We're extremely happy with our experience so far.
Submitted by parent on January 22, 2016

We love the teachers and the community that makes this school an incredible place for our children!
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2016

Extremely supportive and involved community of parents and faculty and really creative and energetic teachers.
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2016

Because of the great, supportive community and the awesome teachers, Daniel Webster is a *wonderful* place for children to learn. Our two children have grown up from kindergarten to third and fifth grade at Daniel Webster, and we couldn't be happier with a school. The parents, teachers, and administration all work hard to make Daniel Webster a place of strong education, support, and joy.
Submitted by parent on January 11, 2016

We moved to the city over the summer, and by the time we had found a place to live we were almost out of time to get our child into any SFUSD school before the start of the year. We were seriously considering Daniel Webster in part due to its proximity to our home, but we were wary of the bad reputation it seemed to have amongst some of the older folks we had met during our house search. Our expectations were pretty low initially due to poor feedback from neighbors who have lost touch with what a GEM this school has become, and the faculty and staff have FAR exceeded those expectations. The primary campus is closed for renovations, and the school had many unknowns leading up to the first day of school, but as far as we can tell they have thought of everything. This school year in a shared building with a high school has run incredibly smoothly! The principal has communicated with parents at regular intervals as well as when there is an unforeseen change or an emergency (and there have been a couple this year). The school community is strong, and many parents are heavily involved--a fact that also makes this school strong and very special. Our child's teacher is in her first year, but she is receiving excellent coaching from some of the more seasoned staff. You wouldn't know by the way she gracefully conducts a class of twenty or diligently maintains communication with me, an individual parent. I am so thankful for the efforts that have been made by parents and staff alike to turn this school around, and I am excited for my children to be a part of it's bright future! I heartily recommend Daniel Webster Elementary!
Submitted by parent on January 11, 2016

We have our child enrolled in kindergarten at Daniel Webster and could not be happier about the school, the community and the extra curricular programs thus far. The teachers are confident and very well educated; Their is a plethora of programs offered during the school day and even more in the after school program; The parent community is very involved and focused on making the right decisions for the school and the community. (See Taste of Potrero for community involvement). Attend a tour and see more about all the great things the school has to offer.
Submitted by parent on January 08, 2016

I have 2 kids at DW and the thing I love the most about it is the community. The parents are thoughtful, engaged and committed to helping every child succeed, not just their own. Just look at the crazy success that Taste of Potrero has become, all run by volunteer parents! There is also a real diversity among the students - not just racially, but socioeconomically as well, which I appreciate, and which reflects the diversity of the neighborhood. Our teachers and staff are really committed to their students and very accessible. Several send their children to DW, which speaks volumes. We are in the immersion strand which enables our kids to be taught by both immersion teachers for part of the day, which is great. I would love it if they could also be taught by the GE teachers - I was surprised to see how amazing they are. I also love that it's a small school, and the admin and teachers seem to know all the kids' names, whether they've taught them or not.