Lagunitas Elementary School

One Lagunitas Sch Rd.

School District

Lagunitas Elementary
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:12
Type

public

School Map for Lagunitas Elementary 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 June 11, 2024

We have been part of the Lagunitas School District since 2017, when my son entered kindergarten. Four years later, my daughter began kindergarten there as well. Now named Lagunitas Community School, with elementary and middle school programs, the school is thriving and provides a well-rounded education to students from TK to 8th grade. We love everything about this school. The beautiful campus setting, surrounded by open space, is dreamy. The teachers are excellent, and there is a nice balance of core academics, enrichment like art, Spanish, and garden, and social-emotional learning. Plus, we have a valuable partnership with the San Geronimo Community Center, which provides countless benefits to kids and families, including affordable after-school care and tutoring, middle school mixers, sports teams, and other fun activities. My kids thrive at this school, and I feel lucky to live in the San Geronimo Valley.
Submitted by parent on June 11, 2024

Lagunitas Community School is a special place. My children are supported and challenged academically and emotionally. The staff and teachers are excellent and inspiring. The parent community is strong and supportive and involved. The school is also a Community School, which means it believes a child’s success begins with supporting them as school and at home. The Community Center offers so many supportive and engaging services that create a healthy and thriving environment for our children and parents.
Submitted by parent on October 28, 2021

We feel lucky to have Lagunitas as our local public elementary school. It’s very unique to have two programs to choose from and both programs offer an impressive list of enrichment programs (Spanish, art, music, gardening, PE, movement, etc), which is particularly hard to come by in public schools these days. The campus setting can’t be beat and there is a deep sense of community with lots of involved parents and long-standing traditions.The caveat: We moved recently from a much more urban area, and this school can feel pretty small at times. On the flip side, there is a tangible advantage to having low student to teacher ratios and so many resources available. My advice: Explore the two programs to figure out what works for you—they have unique flavors with fans on both sides.
Submitted by parent on May 13, 2021

School is hypocritical and administration and school board is completely out of touch with the community and current parents. The administration doesn't do anything about bullying and several students left the school while my child was going to school there.
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2016

A district of of educators and parents who are passionately involved with the children's education on a daily basis! The Open Classroom has a parent co-op model for K-6 and the Montessori Program follows the Montessori philosophy for K-5 kids. The Middle school is just across the black top from the elementary school, so siblings and friends stay connected through those years.This small district offers the benefits of a tight knit community where everyone knows each other. All of the programs focus on educating the whole child, so there is art, music, theater incorporated with match, science and reading. A large number of parents opt-out of standardized testing for their kids, so I think the test scores are a questionable measure of the education here. If you are thinking of enrolling in the Lagunitas District, sign up for one of the program tours to see if it's a fit for your child.
Submitted by parent on August 29, 2013

3 program choices in one public school district? Yes there are communication issues. Ever been in a public school that doesn't have those? I can understand some of the concerns around making sure kids with special needs don't fall through the cracks. But again... This is a public school. This district (with the support of the majority of the community) has chose to buck the system where kindergarten kids are pressured to be able to read by 1st grade and generally running a "factory" style school so those kids can be stressed, overburdened and suicidal by HS. (Hyperbole for effect...) my fourth grader reads great and the emotional literacy they work so hard on to teach is invaluable. They teach kids to work together and problem solve. And DIRECT parent participation (not just kvetching at PTA and teacher conferences is key and the cornerstone of the programs. I can't speak to the middle school issues yet.
Submitted by parent on June 12, 2012

The positives: Parent choice: Waldorf Inspired (NOT to be confused with true Waldorf), Montessori, Open Classroom & Middle School. Beautiful campus in a great setting. Forward thinking district w. good intentions. The Negatives: The flipside of having 4 different programs is the school lacks unity & good communication. Programs & parents are always fighting for limited resources ie. teachers and $. This constant battle causes LOTS of friction/name calling/petitions/in-fighting. In my experience they do not test for, or care much about students who have learning deficiencies. When my son left to go into 4th grade at another school, he was at a 1st grade reading level. Is that the sign of a good school? There is barely any ethnic diversity & Spanish is'nt considered an important subject for students. We are in CA right? We arrived @ Lagunitas excited to be a part of a great community and when we left, we wished we had done so MUCH sooner. Educate yourself about the programs & the fiscal health of the district & get the dirt on what's going on before you make the commitment, don't just take it at face value. Something is wrong when a school has a new principal every 1 or 2 years!
Submitted by parent on December 14, 2011

The Montessori K-5 program is excellent, then it goes down from there. The middle school is academically way behind. When my son was in 7th grade he was an A student in math. I thought he was doings great until we moved out of the area and he enrolled in a new school to find out he was at 4th grade math level! It cost us in hundreds of dollars in tutoring so he wouldn't get held back. The teachers are old and Bitter and need to move on. I heard they get a new principle every year as the school board who have the same members year after year, make the final decisions and there is no way of making positive changes. We thank god we did not purchase a home there as we would have been stuck in a horrendous school district. .
Submitted by parent on October 09, 2010

This school is unique and one of the only schools in the area to offer opportunities that other public schools simply don't have. The curriculum is holistic and the children are exposed to both academic and hands on caring for animals and a garden. There is music and art, there is caring and ongoing support from those of us who feel lucky our children were able to attend such an incredible public school.