Miraloma Elementary School

175 Omar Way

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 January 22, 2025

We have a first grader at Miraloma, and love how engaged the school community is. Most of the teachers are highly experienced with long tenures at the school. Parent community is very engaged, with a strong PTA presence and engagement. It’s a place where people can feel accepted for who they are - caring, connected, and inclusive.
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2025

We have a first grader at Miraloma and she has been thriving at the school. She has made friends and really likes her teachers. The teacher tenure is pretty good at an average of over 15 years. The parent community has felt welcoming and very involved. The school has an early start at 7:50 am and the afterschool program is on the school site and goes to 6 pm. The community surrounding Miraloma feels safe and is a walkable area near Mt. Davidson. The school is next to Miraloma Park, which has a baseball field, soccer field, tennis court, basketball court and playgrounds.
Submitted by other on January 13, 2025

first of all, the principals own kid goes to the school which should be a conflict of interest but this school has lots of boundary issues that go unaddressed.the soccer group is positively insufferable and in some cases just plain mean. the have a lot of power at the school and with sfusd so their power isn't going away anytime soon.just a lot of talk about equity and inclusion but nothing real for most
Submitted by parent on November 05, 2023

We have been part of the Miraloma community for 5 years now. We have felt proud and lucky to be part of such a supportive, warm, and friendly community. Our children have thrived at Miraloma and love going to school. The neighborhood is awesome and the children feel very connected to each other and to staff.
Submitted by parent on May 02, 2023

My neurodiverse child is thriving here. His teachers are meeting him where he’s at. There’s a lot of non-academics integrated into the school community- Mileage Club on Fridays, Soccer teams, etc. - and he has a chance to be a leader vs working hard/struggling in the classroom. He is advanced in math and the teacher has accommodated this aspect of good learning style. His teachers have been fantastic. The family community is warm and very active. There is often some sort of school event, making it easy to meet other families. The principal is warm and a thoughtful leader- seems to know many of the kids’ names including mine.
Submitted by parent on March 18, 2023

We have been at Miraloma for a few years now and could not be happier. The teachers are impeccable and what's equally wonderful is the fact that our child is eager about going to school. (Over Thanksgiving break he kept asking when school started again.) The families are kind, welcoming, and engaged. There are many events, both large and small, that really make the school feel like a small community. I am highly impressed by how much our child has learned and how engaging and multifaceted the learning process is. The teachers are attentive to each child as an individual (both academically and emotionally) and we have found a tailored approach for our child to meet them where they're at and help them flourish. There is support whenever needed, that is met with compassion and understanding. The extracurricular activities are fantastic -- we have been very impressed overall by just about everything. There are still some elements that are coming back after being on hiatus from COVID and we look forward to more of those pieces returning (sing-a-long, additional snack program, etc.). And I thought the 7:50am start time was going to be a deal breaker (I am not a morning person) but I am honestly surprised that it hasn't been a big issue for our family. Overall, we highly recommended Miraloma!
Submitted by parent on February 15, 2023

Our kids are in 5th and 3rd grades at Miraloma. We've had a wonderful experience at the school. Our kids have loved each and every one of their teachers and we have been pleased with the academics and the social support they provide. The community is particularly strong and we've felt like we've developed wonderful friendships through the school. We are two working parents. Unlike a few of the others who have posted comments here, we have not felt like the parents are cliquey. We've felt included in the community when we've wanted to get engaged (for example the trips to the KOA every year).
Submitted by parent on May 26, 2022

We moved our kids from private to this school partly to get away from elite bubbles, but we found Miraloma to be worse. Cliquey, parent community, highly tone deaf to working class families with full time jobs or not in their social circle. Definitely a lot of white fragility and privilege. It was like high school in terms of social circles for families...mean girl moms cultivating the same in their kids, promoting their own agenda, controlling PTA meetings. Giving this school stars only for the 3rd and 4th grade teachers, who were great, seemed able to do differentiated learning, and were inclusive. Although I had no direct experience with this, kids with IEPs were often left out in the cold and some struggled mightily with getting their kids' IEPs met with the current principal. Poor attention to equity issues, especially around neurodivergence. Entitled, disrespectful white kids. Flat out racist and classist comments from many parents--flabbergasted. Guess it could be great if you're white, live in the neighborhood, and are there from K. Good luck trying to come in from the outside, especially of you're not white, upper class, or aren't a soccer family. Luckily, we recovered in middle school and were able to enjoy the diversity and kindness of SF families in middle school.
Submitted by other on July 19, 2021

If the school were just cliquey I would be able to handle it, but it's the adult mean-girl atmosphere that's hard. The principal seems to be there just to do his time before moving up in the ranks. I can't predict he would ever make any hard decisions to bring in real equity and balance of power within the community. If I believed there was stellar education being delivered to my kin, I would try to let go of some of my concerns about the greater message being sent due to this school's structures in place. I didn't see anything impressive and I see better academics somewhere else. I don't recommend the school and we aren't going to be part of the future.
Submitted by parent on May 13, 2021

CAN NOT TRUST YOUR CHILD WILL GET A FAIR OR QUALITY EDUCATION AT THIS SCHOOL. This school used to be highly rated but has demonstrated this is no longer the case. The school acts independently of SFUSD and the department of ED guidelines and standards. The academics are poor and do not meet standards. It does not feel like a public school, they seem to make their own rules. The leadership is very poor and the community is cliquish and unkind to those who do not/ can not participate, have different opinions, don't donate, etc. It feels very unwelcoming to the point that it reflects down to the students. The PTA leaders seem to run the school and have more say over what happens at the school than the principal - but only if you're in the inner circle, they do not listen to all parents and disparage others. It is a toxic community and the students suffer the most from this.
Submitted by parent on April 21, 2021

I think this school works if you live in the neighborhood and have a lot of time to devote to school activities. The culture is extremely click-ish and those parents who work full time and have little time/energy to socialize will constantly feel left out of the 'fun'. That then translates to the children- because they learn from their parents. Miraloma has some of the kindest and caring teachers, but children also need to be around kindness outside of the classroom as well. This is not an inclusive community despite some very caring teachers and staff.
Submitted by parent on September 03, 2020

Extremely poor experience. Teachers do the bare minimum or less because leadership does not encourage them to do more. Bright kids are not challenged and ignored. Culture is click-ish and people who are too busy to devote themselves to school interaction can be made to feel left out and like their concerns are not heard. Outdated teaching and social structure. Had to work hard to get my children out and into a better school.
Submitted by parent on May 21, 2019

Miraloma is a fabulous school. SFUSD puts handcuffs in so many ways on teachers - they are not allowed to provide differentiated learning, they have virtually zero funds for the classroom, there are almost no funds for non-academic activities (ie/gym, music, art), and the approach to bullying must be "restorative justice" which is ineffective but the school's hands are tied. The teachers here are caring and do the best they can for the students within the constraints of SFUSD, and the PTA does a fantastic job of raising funds to support a full time gym teacher, classroom needs, organic fruits and vegetables for snack, art, music, and more. The PTA community also generates a ton of parent volunteer hours to support those efforts as well. Finally, the new principal is bringing a new method of leadership to the school, which is a sound methodology, not usually found in schools, and so is a little uncomfortable for some.
Submitted by parent on May 16, 2019

The school has a wonderful parent population, community and PTA. Unfortunately, there is no differentiated learning, no classroom support for the teachers, gifted children are bored and children with learning differences are struggling. This year’s parent, teacher and student poll rated bullying and safety, lack of special education support, and lack of teacher support as the biggest problems facing the school. Ineffective leadership has been ruining what was, just a few years ago, considered a great school to get your child into.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2019

It was better in the past, but is on a downward path.
Submitted by parent on August 02, 2018

My son just completed kindergarten and is about to enter 1st grade. We couldn't be happier with his school community and teachers!
Submitted by parent on March 17, 2016

Miraloma has an incredible community. Unfortunately, there is no emphasis on differentiation in the classroom. If your child is at grade level or below, you will have a wonderful experience at the school. If your child is above grade level, she will not be challenged. Teachers do not go outside of the curriculum to provide advanced students with project-based learning. Homework is laughable and there are endless worksheets. If your child is advanced she will complain about being bored and unchallenged. We love so much about the school (community!!!), but academics are lacking (basic multiplication in the 3rd grade) and not much can be done as teachers have no assistance in the classroom and can't possibly focus on working with kids wanting a challenge.This is a common complaint from many parents.
Submitted by parent on January 05, 2015

We love Miraloma! Our two kids are thriving at this great school with wonderfully caring teachers, staff and principal. The teachers and principal really care that the students are learning with their whole minds and bodies - lots of attention placed on physical and social/emotional learning, not just straight academics (which are also top notch). The school community is very warm and inclusive, bringing families together to play, learn and support the kids in every way possible. It's a school where there's a lot of parent & community financial/volunteer support, too, which enables the kids to experience a much wider range of activities. We feel very lucky and you will too!
Submitted by parent on October 03, 2014

Miraloma is a great school with fantastic teachers and a history of strong principals which is being upheld with our new principal, Sam Bass. We love the inclusive community of parents who work together to support all of our students both through fund-raising for wonderful enrichments and services (class size reduction, art and music programs, garden program, organic snacks daily for the whole school, school social worker, etc) and through creating a cohesive community which recognizes the concept of "it takes a village to raise a child". I consider myself a shy person, but I have found the community to be extremely welcoming to anyone interested in participating in the school at whatever level. We feel fortunate that our children have Miraloma as their elementary school experience.
Submitted by parent on October 02, 2014

We truly won the lottery when my son got into Miraloma 5 years ago. This is everything we were looking for in a school. The teachers are amazing and I can't say enough positive things about the leadership. The old principal (Mr. Machado) was beloved so many were a little nervous about getting a new principal. Mr. Bass has risin to the challenge and has taken over the reins of the school without missing a beat, despite the added challenge of a school under construction. And the best part of the school is the warm and open community. Each grade goes on an annual grade-wide camping trip which means you really get to know not just the kids in class, but their families as well. Miraloma is truly a special place.