Glen Park Elementary School

151 Lippard Avenue

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 parent on August 25, 2023

My daughter is a 5th grader at Glen Park and we have had a wonderful experience. My daughter loves learning and going to school and has had excellent teachers and one good teacher out of her six years there. Many teachers have been there for a long time, and some even went to school at GP themselves. The principal, Ms. Zarr, and PTO are doing a great job, and I don't have anything bad to say. The community is strong and supportive, and we all weathered the pandemic together even though it was difficult. The students, educators, and staff are diverse, and equity is paramount. You are not asked for money constantly, and all activities and lunch are free. The PTO does a great job supporting teachers, staff, parents, and kids with a back-to-school BBQ, fall festival, Halloween dance, teacher events and gifts, and many other activities throughout the year, which are all free for students and often include dinner. The on-site aftercare program is fun, comfortable, affordable (it is subsidized by the PTO), and if they ever come close to capacity, they hire more teachers so nobody is turned away. It was started by parents at the school over 20 years ago. Around 80% of the students go to aftercare so it is a seamless transition, and my kid loves going there. They have clubs on Friday they choose for a few months at a time including Rock Band with the vice principal, Mr. Michaels, and Mr. Jairo; cooking; robotics; arts & crafts; garden with the gardening teacher; martial arts; etc. I am so grateful my kid has gotten to go to school there and loves going to school.
Submitted by parent on October 03, 2022

We have been at Glen Park for over 3 years now, including the virtual learning during the pandemic. When people ask what we like most about the school we say the people. The teachers are amazing and support the entire student - their academics, their well being, their diverse cultures and their specific learning needs. Ms Zarr is the current principal and was previously a teacher in the school. She understands the what the students & the teachers need to be successful, having spent years in a classroom, and takes those understandings into consideration with the administrative decisions her role requires of her. The school has an amazing 6 year Spanish Biliteracy Pathway program (K-5) that gives our native Spanish speakers the opportunity to learn in both English & Spanish, becoming biliterate. There is an active English Learners Advisory Committee that advise the school on what our English learners and their families need. There is an active Parent Teacher Organization that supports the entire community of the school with actives for families to come together and celebrate. And community is what we as parents feel everyday at clap in, when the staff and students start every morning on the yard with announcements and a declaration that they came to school to learn and yes, they can do it!
Submitted by parent on January 10, 2022

This school is a hidden gem. Teach turnover is minimal. There are many teachers who have been there their entire careers and there are teachers that send their own kids to GP. Principal Zarr has become a dynamic leader and has been an effective and comforting communicator as she navigates the entire community through the pandemic. I appreciate the equity and inclusion are the forefront of every decision--from admin to the classroom to the PTO. The community here is strong.
Submitted by parent on April 28, 2021

I have been a parent at Glen Park School for several years and have been very happy with the community, the teachers, the leadership (two principals) and the inclusive philosophy of the school. My children have thrived there, and we have found a wonderful family community, including friends who will last a lifetime. While remote learning has not been ideal, it has been a tough time for everyone, and I wouldn't blame the school leadership or school teachers for any larger dysfunction at the school board or district level. And while no school is perfect (including private schools, based on my friends' experiences), I would choose the community and the struggles at this school again every time.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2021

I love Glen Park Elementary School, and have been incredibly impressed by our teachers, principal and overall school community throughout the pandemic. We're lucky to have both our kids (K and 3rd grade) at GPS, and couldn't be happier with our teachers or with the great community. Amazingly, our kids still love school and love their teachers -- despite all the limitations of learning via zoom. 100% of our teachers returned for in-person teaching, in comparison to <90% district wide. Of course we can't wait for things to get back to normal, and are disappointed SF District hasn't figured out how to get all kids fully back in-person school (for so many reasons). But I have been so impressed by how GPS has handled the past year, most importantly the quality of teaching GPS has been able to deliver through distance-learning this year.
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2021

Our child is in 3rd grade and we love Glen Park and now one in Kinder. We love the clap in morning assembly and the camaraderie it creates between families, Friday morning dance party, the Friday clubs, the teachers, the after school program is great for what we have to pay. It has been wonderful. All of our kids teachers through the 3rd grade have been dedicated and excellent. Last year our child had some concerns with reading and one of the teachers pulled her out of after care on her own to help work with her to bring her up to speed. It was unprompted and we really appreciated her extra support. Now our other child started Kinder during the pandemic and Zoom learning. Despite all the challenges that all the kids, teachers and parents are having they have been doing the best they can. We are always amazed how the teacher is able to keep Kinder kids engaged and excited to join school.And one of the best parts is the diversity in the school and how our child learns about various social justice issues. As a POC we found this was an important part of how we ranked our school choices. The way the families from the bilteracy pathway and English pathway families help contribute to events like the School Carnival has been amazing to see. I think there is more work to do in this area with improved integration but it is a work in progress.
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2021

There are many wonderful things about Glen Park, but ultimately the school leader is ineffective and a poor communicator, and that has a negative impact on the entire school. Ms. Zarr was until recently a teacher and her sympathies clearly lie with the teacher's union. This has many positive impacts for sure - she has an excellent relationship with staff and turnover is low. But during the pandemic, the negatives have become very clear. We saw that Ms. Zarr was unwilling to push back against the intransigence of the teacher's union and unwilling to try to get staff to do more than the bare minimum distance learning required under the union contract. We saw peers at other schools have a better distance learning experience than our child. And when it came time to begin reopening the school for in-person learning, we saw the same dynamic at play, which resulted in a worse schedule and less instructional time for the majority of students. Some might say this is an acceptable outcome at a school that really values equity (as further explained below), and I might agree, but when decisions are made opaquely and communicated late, it is hard to give Ms. Zarr the benefit of a doubt.This weak leadership is a real shame because Glen Park is in many ways a gem among the sea of SFUSD elementary schools. It is the rare school that is NOT almost entirely Black/Latino/a or White/Asian. It is 50% Latino/a, 10% Black, 25% White. Its demographics match our diverse city better than the vast majority of public schools and it blows away all the private schools. Not only is it diverse, but the teachers do such a truly excellent job at educating the whole child. The school has a full time librarian and full time social worker and children receive unconditional positive regard from the moment they set foot on campus before the day begins to the last minute of aftercare. Equity and accessibility infuses every decision made by leadership. And, with the prominent exceptions noted above, parents of privilege are on board with this ethos and feel like they are part of something bigger than their own family and narrow self-interests. In the first two weeks of kindergarten, my child learned more about being kind and understanding of students with disabilities than I did in my entire public K-12 education. Up until the pandemic hit, I felt like my child was on the path to grow into a curious learner and a kind and considerate person.
Submitted by parent on May 08, 2020

We went here for a few years and this is the last.The 5th grade teacher this year has been hard for us to deal with and now she is judgy during the online classes like before.
Submitted by parent on February 26, 2020

Keeping in mind that inequities exist public education; Glen Park has some dedicated teachers/staff. I am happy that one of the 5th grade teachers left and they have brought on new experienced staff.. After school program is great for the $ we pay; altough some priviledged families may feel otherwise.It's diverse, lots of enrichment, and lots of heart if you participate in the PTO.
Submitted by other on June 21, 2019

Never having to deal with on of the 5th Grade teachers again is something I'm very happy about.
Submitted by parent on December 15, 2017

Glen Park is a lovely and very diverse school. Several things make it stand out. We LOVE the 8:40 start time. It would be hard to get our son to school at 7:50. Every morning we clap in, hear announcements and kids give performances. Fri is dance day - fun way to begin the day! The school just hired an awesome dance teacher to work with the kids. The children love the PE teacher, Mr. Bloom! We have education outside so sci/enviro studies are taught in the garden and the chicken coop with the flock of hens. The librarian is so sweet and the library is colorful and well stocked. The kids visit every week. They also visit the local sfpl once a week in afterschool as well as go to the canyon. The afterschool program is run by a very dedicated woman. They have great programs such as chess club, tae kwon do, soccer, cooking, crafts and spa club. The teachers are very communicative, the standard homework is given but a bit “optional.” The teachers use readers/writers workshop and not only did my son start reading in K but he also wrote and illustrated a book on cheetahs. The kids have publishing parties where other classes come to hear them read their work. My son is also leraning a LOT of math (adding/substracting in K). He comes home very politically aware and we discuss social injustice and political topics he learns about at school. The teachers use a pax program with positive discipline; the kids get “tootles” for positive behavior. The school is inclusive so kids with learning differences are in the classroom which I think is wonderful for all. My son is a very active boy and I was worried how he would do in a more formal setting after preschool, but the staff are supportive of encouraging all kids and he is thriving. We needed a pyschoeducational eval for dyslexia in our child and the literacy specialist abd pyscholigist were communicative, kind, and so helpful during this process. There is a MSW on site and optional meditation in the AM. Each grade has 3 classes, 1 is a Spanish bi-literacy program. One of the huge bonuses is our school is very diverse and all the kids have fun playing together and learning about others’ cultures. The PTO is super mellow and the parents are all fun and down to earth. Most live in glen park. It’s becoming more and more popular and definitely worth checking out!
Submitted by parent on September 03, 2017

We have been thrilled with our first year at Glen Park School. If you're N involved parent and looking for a wonderful learning community, GPE is an awesome place to be.
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2017

My child and family have all learned and grown so much from our Glen Park school experience. It is a very nurturing and loving environment.
Submitted by other on May 18, 2016

Jean Robertson is an outstanding Principal. It has become a neighborhood school the last 2-3 years. My son started kindergarten in 2014. The PTO is very strong and their is a great since of community. Principal Robertson and teachers so far have embraced learning differences and challenges and go the extra mile for our son. Don't go off the GreatSchools.org rating system - go see for yourself!!! A+
Submitted by parent on March 19, 2015

We got into Glen Park three years ago. It's our neighborhood school and we went in with a little trepidation because we'd heard mixed things. Luckily principal Jean Robertson came to the school that fall, and has made so many changes that last year -- when our second child got into Glen Park -- we felt extremely lucky. The teachers are great: caring, dedicated, excellent educators. Jean's energy and vision were just what was needed to kick off a true school-wide revitalization. The neighborhood has taken note -- in the past two years, there's been a marked increase of neighborhood families requesting Glen Park -- and the school also continues to attract a diverse student body from Glen Park and beyond, which (to us, anyway) sets it apart from some of the trophy schools in SF. Please don't let our low test scores deter you. That's old data; with Jean's influence, I am confident the numbers will improve soon.
Submitted by parent on January 28, 2015

Glen Park School is one of those SF public schools that is making an amazing turn around. Mrs. Robertson, our innovative leader/principal, is beyond capable to make our school one of the most progressive SF public schools. She took her last school, Grattan, from a dump to pretty much the best school in the district. After 3 years of her guidance, we already have pretty much every extra curricular activity, from full arts program (music, instruments, visual, dance) to social emotional programs to our outdoor project-based garden classroom. One thing that might help parents who look at this sight is that the low 2/10 score is based on testing that is more than 2 years old and that actually don't even exist anymore under the new core curriculum. Do not base your idea about our school on that score because it's just not accurate!
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2013

I would like to give this school a 3.5 but I feel that it is heading strongly towards a 4-star school. The Principal, Ms. Robertson, is starting her second year. She replaced a popular Principal who had been there for 29 years and Ms. Robertson is bringing a new perspective, new energy and giving the school a invigorated charter. The school has a great after care program and is developing a garden project this year. The only negative lies in Parental involvement. Many of the other top schools and even schools on par with Glen Park have PTO organization that raise over $300k a year. Glen Park is well under $100k. The PTO is improving but it will take a lot of highly motivated parents to push this school up to the levels of Alvarado, Clarendon and even Sunnyvale. But we will keep trying!
Submitted by parent on September 11, 2013

Hoping this school will remain a SF Hidden Jewel, we are VERY happy with the diverse staff, warmth, and down to earth PTO this school community has. Currently there is a FT Counselor, Literacy Specialist, Outdoor Education Coordinator. School leadership is pushing literacy and empathy curriculm so only good things are to come.
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2013

Glen Park is a great school with a student population that is truly representative of the great diversity that San Francisco offers. Glen Park has great teachers and a very, very competent new principal. My son has attended Glen Park since Kindergarten. He is in 4th grade now and is excelling.
Submitted by parent on September 05, 2013

My daughter just started Kindergarten this year and we have been very happily surprised by Glen Park. The parent involvement is strong and the new principal is highly promising. I believe that Glen Park is becoming a strong and enjoyable school. The teacher has been facilitating the transition and my daughter, who typically has difficulty with changes and transitions, has been supported in the right way to ease that big adjustment. We are hoping to get involved more and more and to support this school in its efforts.