Sunnyside Elementary School

250 Foerster Street

School District

San Francisco Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
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 December 10, 2024

Kindergarten: We started at Sunnyside in 2020 when my child was in kindergarten. It's been amazing to see how the community has rebounded since the COVID days. Our kindergarten experience was as good as you could expect for a Zoom kindergarten year -- I was so impressed at how well our kinder teacher was able to engage the kids over video, and I've seen first-hand how amazing they are in person. They take the time to help the new kinders adjust to not only Sunnyside, but the school environment. The kinder students enter the yard through a different entrance for the first 6 weeks of the year to help them adjust to the school, which seems like it really helps make the transition less overwhelming for our youngest students.Educators: We've been very happy with our teachers between K and 4th grade (currently in 4th). The staff has an average tenure of ~8 years, so when new teachers come in, there's already a strong foundation with the other educators in the grade-level team, which I think really helps with a smooth transition into the staff.IEP process: My child had an IEP for our first three years at Sunnyside. We had a good experience with the IEP process, and felt goals and progress were reported on as expected.Learning: Being one of the youngest in the class, and adding Zoom kindergarten on top of that, our child was very behind in reading in kinder and first grade. We were really happy with the support of the teachers and staff -- we obviously helped out at home too, but I really attribute the complete turnaround to Sunnyside's educators. My child is now reading above grade level thanks to the support they received.Community: The community was adjusting to post-COVID for our first few years at Sunnyside, but it really feels like each year the PTA is able to do more, and hold on to what is important to the Sunnyside community of today. You do tend to see the same 20-30 parents volunteering, but I think families who want to be involved are always welcomed in whatever capacity they can contribute.
Submitted by parent on September 13, 2024

I've waited and mulled over writing a review, particularly in light of SFUSD's state takeover and looming school closures. This school has a high autistic and ADD/ADHD population that is not being served until/unless their behavior becomes violent. As a homeowner and member of the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association, I have invested interest in this school. At the neighborhood association level, I have advocated and participated in funding for several years to have an inclusive school yard. A patch of astroturf for soccer does not inclusion make. Despite strong opinions from other parents against the current principal I tried, for years, to see the good in Dr. Spoering. My experience is that she comes from a place of "no" in all negotiations, actively gaslights parents and denied my child early interventions that cause me out-of-pocket expenses. Yes, there is an involved PTA. "Fun runs", opening doors at drop offs and selling cookies do not match the amount of state credit that kids who meet the criteria for additional funding bring into the school. Has the PTA met an additional 30k per child? If so, I stand corrected.In writing this review I hope to resource other frustrated parents advocating for children who learn differently. The mainstreamed autistic children in this school are bright, funny, and quite possibly the smartest kids in the school. They are not recognized as such. I'm advocating for parents to have ineffective staff, including the principal removed from the IEP process. Demand recorded zoom meetings, I'm sure my identity is clear to parents in this demographic I've spoken to, I'm happy to share knowledge and will attend IEP meetings at no cost to parents. Having this type of advocacy would have saved me thousands of dollars in attorney and IEP review fees from outside providers. I can echo other reviews stating that test scores in the private school systems indicate that grades are inflated and basic skills are overlooked.We had some fantastic teachers, we saw many teachers leave. Those teachers make less than one-third of the principal's compensation.
Submitted by parent on April 13, 2024

Sunnyside is an excellent school with experienced teachers, nice facilities and a strong school culture of learning and inclusivity. Many parents are involved in the school and volunteer regularly. The school has high expectations for student behavior. I have been pleased with the admin and teachers, who are experienced and good at parent communication. I have had my doubts about the district but this school has been wonderful for our family.
Submitted by parent on October 08, 2022

My child was mercilessly bullied and this was hardly noticed by staff, in our few years here we saw allot of teachers and coach jam leave, some of this came with budget cuts but some is just the changing culture of a “rising school”. The individualism of families in million dollar homes driving German cars and switching their kids out to private is very evident, this is a magnet school for lower performing zip codes and a parking lot for its own zip code, parents openly talk about getting out of public before jr high, we found that our kid (though getting good grades) was way below his grade level at private. Though sunnyside won’t admit how many kids should be repeating grades due to learning loss, the entrance tests tell a different story.Rough kids are never disciplined, the school social worker has them signing contracts for behavior that don’t hold any weight. We had reports of open threats of violence at least weekly. Stuff that would be a felony for an adult is glazed over with a “restorative conversation” among 7 year olds. It will help if you play soccer, have your kid wear shin guards all day as kicking is a common salutation among peers. I felt like I needed to deprogram my son from the casual violence in this school. Kids are constantly telling each other to “shut up” or worse and the bullying is out of control particularly after returning to in person. As this is one of the better SFUSD schools they get some good teachers (we were there k-3) but they don’t stay, I don’t think the new principal is bad, I think the school was a mess when she stepped in. I think there are a handful of involved parents willing to do the uncomfortable work a mixed income school needs and allot of checked-out parents who shuttle their kids from this free option to a screen. The school adjusts to the non existent attention span of techies children with busy work, there is little room for collaborative work or individual growth in a school this size, moving to private we see longer projects and more collaboration but we are also repeating a grade by moving our child as the school will not hold kids with obvious delays back. We were constantly told our son was “doing fine” when he’s a full year behind.This was a working class neighborhood school. Today this is majority single income homes with a few diversity hires, it actually reminded me of my first Silicon Valley job in the early aughts, utopian but an unstable environment with a revolving door
Submitted by parent on September 24, 2022

The school before the pandemic had had a principal who had been there for a few years and the community now has had some difficulty adjusting to the new leadership and readjusting to what seems to be a new/return to normal from what we've seen. That includes readjusting expectations of school staff, teachers, other parents, and everyone else affected by the pandemic and school system closures. Not saying everyone is perfect. This place feels like a small neighborhood school, even if you don't live in the actual neighborhood. The kids for the most part seem to have adapted to the changes with bumps along the way, assuming to be age-appropriate. The learning loss that is said to be widespread also appears to be overall less here, which is a big credit to the teachers and the work they have put into these past two years, as well to the caregivers who were able to invest their time back in 2020-2021 when we were still remote and overwhelmed. Recesses seem calmer this year, too. There are parent staff members who are lunch monitors and additional parents can volunteer. YMCA staff run the before and after school programs and sometimes help at lunchtime, too. There are two SDC classrooms but the playground equipment could use an upgrade to support their needs. The PTA is active and provides art projects, gardening activities, cultural and community events, and fundraises to support itself and help the school site.FYI, this GS website still says times are 8:40-2:40, but in 2021 SFUSD changed the time to 9:30-3:45 every day but Wednesday, when it is 9:30-2:30 for early release.
Submitted by parent on September 16, 2022

Our experience of Sunnyside has been largely positive. Walking to school nearby has connected us with other families in our community and there are truly exceptional teachers. The students are from many different races, ethnicities and nations, reflective of the neighborhood and population of San Francisco (though lacking socioeconomic diversity). Our child has made friends and expressed positive experiences with peers during lunch and recess.
Submitted by parent on August 29, 2022

Children who bully, many unkind parents, teachers are split between totally apathetic and caring. The administration has changed a lot in recent years, so no knowledge of that.
Submitted by parent on May 04, 2022

We are sad to see the best parts of Sunnyside seem to have diminished over the last two years. The teachers are great, but there seems to be more politics amongst the leadership and it feels insular. Parents we’ve talked to feel shut down when trying to suggest solutions to make things better. All schools have issues and certainly the pandemic has put a strain on these essential roles, but we really miss the community and the sense of support. It feels like there is a lot invested in selling an image of how great the school is doing, but the actual sentiment is not aligned and there is little substance behind this. Teachers seems stressed and defensive (not supported).
Submitted by parent on December 30, 2019

Excellent. We've had a profoundly wonderful experience, after a seriously traumatic prior experience in a private school. This place truly caters to the whole child and pushes them to excel academically and social-emotionally.
Submitted by parent on November 05, 2019

With a super engaged parent community, the school has an incredible set of resources, enrichments, and constant fun activities for the kids and families to do. The teachers are skilled — many are excellent — and create a nurturing, engaged, and positive environment. They seem happy to be there, which is infectious. We also really appreciate the diverse student body and involved, thoughtful parenting we typically encounter. In our five years there, we’ve consistently observed the other kids to be smart, curious, active, and kind.
Submitted by parent on March 19, 2019

Love this school, staff and community so much!
Submitted by parent on February 01, 2019

Horrible school unless you are heavily involved or a stay at home mother. If you are a working parent they look down on you and treat your child less than. I have had 3 kids go to this school so I have experience.
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2018

10, it's the best!! I love our diverse, inclusive community!
Submitted by parent on October 23, 2018

I think the parents and teachers are great. But, Sunnyside needs new leadership who can do more to actively support those who are different or behind. Something is missing . My daughter is in special education. She is not making progress and I often feel like I am an outsider despite being an active and present parent.
Submitted by parent on October 11, 2018

I read many Greatschools reviews as one small part of the very arduous SF elementary school application process, so although we are relatively new to Sunnyside I would like to give back by reporting on our experience so far.Sunnyside was our first choice in the lottery, although our attendance area school is a different and very popular school. We were thrilled to get in and chose it over several private schools. I'm confident that we made the right choice. From the teaching staff to the school community, Sunnyside has been impressive so far. Our daughter has learned so much already and it is clear that she feels very much a part of the community. Her teacher is an amazing mix of calm discipline and friendly effervescence. She takes the task of creating a community of learners very seriously and is an excellent communicator.Our daughter feels at home at Sunnyside. Many teachers and parents have taken the time to learn her name. She walks down the halls introducing me to people like she owns the place. Teachers greet her by name, joke with her, get down at her level and generally give the impression that they are willing to take time to spend a few extra moments with her.I am also impressed with the organized and intentional approach to social-emotional learning. In general, Sunnyside seems (from the outside at least) to try to have a clear plan for how they are implementing programs, such as the one targeting social-emotional learning. I worked in the school district for a few years, and one of the things that worried me was that I often saw new curriculum or ideas tried without a clear and intentional plan for implementation. The parent community at Sunnyside is very active, but there does not seem to be undue pressure to participate if you do not have the time or means. I have found other parents to be friendly and generous with their time.
Submitted by parent on October 07, 2015

We are having a very positive experience at Sunnyside. Here are some of the reasons:-Dr. Marcy is an excellent leader who balances the demands of an active parent community with the teachers'/students' needs and overall goals for the school. She prioritizes teacher development and focuses funding where needed. Very approachable and involved.-Our teacher is caring, organized, focused, loving.. She balances focused differentiated teaching with great group activities… She takes the time to write the parents *every week* with an update of what the kids are working on.-The parent community is actively involved, not pushy, welcoming of everyone. A very soft no-guilt approach to fundraising :). Lots of fun community-building events. Lots of parent/family volunteering. *Always* an ear out for everything that is happening at the school.-Coach Jam… The PTA-funded activity leader, PE teacher, and energy ball. She is fun, really commands respect from the kids, and keeps everyone active and safe. She runs “being respectful and safe” competitions between the classes with a trophy each week to the winners. A very positive addition to the school community.-Gardening Curriculum. There is a PTA-funded gardening teacher who helps coordinate the general green areas/gardens of the school and also maintains the education garden/curriculum. Another positive.-After school enrichment classes are all a huge hit. (To the point where they need to increase spots to meet demand).-Online communication… The school uses Taproot which is basically a school social network site that facilitates communication between teachers and parents, etc. It keeps a central calendar. It allows everyone to contribute and also stay up to date (as much as you want).-The renovations are done and look awesome. The school yard is large, enclosed and a safe happy area.-It feels like there is funding for everything that is important.The most important thing though is the overall feeling we have with the school. My daughter loves waking up and going to school. I love dropping her off, saying hi to the other parents and listening to the morning announcements when I can. We always feel welcome. It always feels positive. We are really happy we made the decision to join this school community.
Submitted by parent on September 11, 2015

Sunnyside is a fantastic up-and-coming school, and we could not be happier with our experience here. The teachers are incredibly engaged and nurturing, and the principal sets a wonderful tone for the school community. The PTA is filled with wonderful, down-to-earth parents--the kind of people I'm truly excited to spend time with and volunteer alongside. The facility was recently renovated and the building and grounds are ~amazing~ now! The classrooms are bright and sunny and well organized, and the play yard is well supervised. The school has an incredible array of enrichments--both during the school day and additional options offered during after care. Gardening, music, movement, PE, and art are all built into the school day. From the Kindergarten orientation to the fun-filled Friday assemblies on the school yard, everything about Sunnyside has surpassed my expectations. I truly could not be more impressed, and we were looking at private and catholic schools as our point of comparison. I truly cannot imagine a better fit for our family and I feel extremely fortunate that we get to call Sunnyside our school home.
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2015

Our family feels quite lucky to be apart of the Sunnyside community. The school offers so much for my daughters education. Plus all the extras like gardening, engineering with Legos, partnerships with the opera and ballet, music, cooking and science classes just to name a few. The PTA is warm and welcoming and the principle is passionate about reading and writing for the school as a whole. The school was under construction last year and the outcome is a beautiful new campus! Welcoming community, well rounded education and a brand new campus makes Sunnyside a top notch school in San Francisco!
Submitted by parent on March 10, 2014

This has been a wonderful school for our family. My son has had 2 years of great teachers so far and we love being part of this warm community. This is a great and growing neighborhood school with many families from Bernal Heights, Mission, Glen Park, Sunnyside and the Excelsior.
Submitted by parent on September 10, 2013

My daughter has gone to Sunnyside since Kindergarten and she is now in the 5th grade. This school environment has improved every year she has been here, along with their STAR Test and API scores. Sunnyside s API for the past 4 years: 2010 API: 768 2011 API: 807 2012 API: 825 2013 API: 862 What more could you ask for in the public school. The teachers are all dedicate and the principle is very approachable. There are also many enrichment activities outside of the classrooms that help to support the curriculum. Students can choose to participate in any of these. Science Night, After School Arts, Music, Dance, Lego and the Opera connection helps enhance this school community. Every grade level has outside soccer teams that they can join etc. I highly recommend this school especially with new renovation begin next year, which means new buildings, and update rooms.