Baldwin (Julia) Elementary School

280 Martinvale Lane

School District

Oak Grove Elementary
Grade

K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:21
Type

public

School Map for Oak Grove 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 May 24, 2024

We have been at this school for the past 5 years. Our second child just finished her first year at Baldwin and our eldest is going into his last (6th grade). During our time here I have experienced all the grades and many of the teachers, including 2 principals. The teaching staff is pretty awesome and really do a great job of trying to connect with the students and families. Many of them have been employees within the school district for years and are well experienced. I will say Baldwin has really made an effort to help students post covid deal with emotional and social development. I have been happy with my children's time here and would recommend this school to other families in the area. The surrounding community has seen an influx of families within the last 3 years with parent engagement, participation and volunteerism growing yearly. All of this has helped establish a sense of community that seems to be focused on intentional inclusion, diversity and improvement. That old saying "it takes a village" to raise children can be felt in the friendships our family has built within the school with the staff and fellow Baldwin families.
Submitted by other on April 25, 2024

The new principal that is at this school has let this school turn into trash. She lets kids get bullied and does not give the parents a call until after the fact it has happened 2-3 times. She favoritism kids and so does the teachers. If something happens to the child she suggest and or makes the child stay with her during break and lunch. School has. Become trash with bullying and she does nothing about it
Submitted by parent on August 25, 2022

My old daughter went there for two years. She loved the teachers and the schools. Teachers taught hands on art and crafts and had a lot of fun with field trips. She still remembers and highly spoke about this school and teachers there even though we moved to Cupertino area latter. Teachers there are very experience and really cares about students. I saw her teachers with kids waiting for parents who were late to pick up kids.
Submitted by parent on March 06, 2021

School indeed underrated!Teachers are very professional. They efficiently practice differentiated approach for children.Parents actively support their neighborhood school.
Submitted by parent on March 04, 2020

Excellent and helpful Teachers . Have good planning for students academic success.
Submitted by parent on January 15, 2020

We are so happy at Baldwin! My kids love their teachers and are growing academically and socially/emotionally! It is a sweet school with dedicated teachers, staff and principal. H&SC is a small but dedicated group that is there to continue fostering community. We love Baldwin!
Submitted by parent on February 05, 2019

Overall we have no complaints. We are a household with two parents working outside the home, but we do our best to volunteer and stay in tune with the Home & School Club so that our voices can be heard and we can do our little part to help Baldwin and its great staff succeed in educating our children to their highest potential. We look forward to enrolling our two other children at Baldwin in the future!
Submitted by parent on February 27, 2018

Between my two daughters, we will have spent 10 years at Baldwin. As active parents my wife and I have had a great experience with Baldwin. Our Teachers are very special to us as I imagine many Teachers are to other parents elsewhere. I highly recommend my school to other families. Our new front office staff has been a breath of fresh air. Our new Tech academy, granted by San Jose Tech museum is a positive step towards STEM. Our new transitional kinder grounds are the cream of the crop facilitoes. Please look at our school for your children, you will not be sorry.
Submitted by parent on February 06, 2018

Baldwin his a gem. I went here many years ago and now my 3 kids have attended Baldwin. The teachers are very caring and the school has continued to benefit from upgrades making it a great campus. They offer so many programs now including Pre-K, TK, BASE, GATE home to Camp Invention in summer, many after school activities and One Yard at recess. Also a Tech Academy of Innovation approved campus.
Submitted by parent on October 20, 2017

I have two kids at Baldwin. Teachers are great, they work hard and use various teaching strategies to provide instructions. So far I am very happy with this school. I saw the great school rating for this school dropped from a 6 to a 4. But then all schools in this district have their ratings dropped 2-3 points. This is probably because of the new common core testing. The third and sixth graders who took the new SBAC test were barely in the new common core system. I hope in few years the the ratings will smooth out and it will reflect the real picture of this kids & staff.
Submitted by parent on June 07, 2017

I would rate this school a 10. The Baldwin Staff is an extended family to the students. They offer a great support system for the students, great resources, parent involvement is welcomed and the staff is very well trained. I love Baldwin elementary, I would recommend this school to all of our friends and family if they all lived in the school district.
Submitted by parent on June 01, 2016

Baldwin Elementary School is a great and diverse small school in South San Jose : parents, kids, teachers and staff all seem happy each day. Having a good atmosphere at a school cannot be underestimated : it faciliates learning and makes kids not want to miss a single day of school. My daughter had the good fortune of attending Mrs Piazza's kindergarten classroom and it has been a fantastic educational experience. While there is plenty of room for improvement and based on my dauther's experience so far at , I would rate Baldwin Elementary School at 9/10. I highly recommend kindergarten at Baldwin Elementary and I look forward to another great academic year at this school.
Submitted by parent on April 15, 2016

My family moved to South San Jose at the very beginning of the school year and I was apprehensive at first to send my kindergartener to Baldwin based on reviews from this site and elsewhere. My fears were quickly abated after meeting my son's excellent teacher, the principal and other Baldwin parents. This school has a staff that is dedicated and caring and goes far beyond the requirements for their job in order to make sure students are provided a rigorous education, have enriching activities and are well cared for. The sense of community on campus is growing as both parents and staff are very welcoming and inviting. My suggestion is not to form an opinion of a school before you have seen it for yourself. You may be pleasantly surprised, as we were!
Submitted by parent on April 14, 2016

I've been pleasantly impressed with my experience at Baldwin. Although all of the negative reviews and outdated API scores, mid-range rankings gave me pause - I must say that the actual on-the-ground experience has been incredibly positive. The staff goes above and beyond to teach and mentor students. My kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Piazza has blown me away - an amazing communicator, teacher, and caring person. She gave an impressive Early Literacy talk at Back to School night - and all of the students were proficient readers and writers by January.The campus facilities have been renovated and improved throughout the past few years. New parking lot, improvements to classrooms and beautiful murals!! We also have a budding parent community that is really improving things at school. If you are considering this school - know that you have an opportunity to join a community where students are valued and you can really get involved to make a difference.
Submitted by parent on April 14, 2016

I believe any school can be successful and positive depending on how you invest yourself into it. My family has had a good experience in all of our years at Baldwin. My youngest is now a sixth grader and I have been a Baldwin parent since my 15 year old was a preschooler. My kids love Baldwin and that is what is most important to me. They have gotten good educations, they have gotten good support from the Baldwin staff and we have enjoyed being a part of the Baldwin community.
Submitted by parent on April 13, 2016

We are almost finished with our first year at Baldwin School my son is currently in Mrs. Piazza's Kinder class and prior to attending I was nervous mainly due to some of the below comments. However, my experience at Baldwin has been fantastic!! My son is currently at a first grade reading level (probably even higher since our meeting with his teacher) and is really enjoying his time there. Mrs. Millner is extremely open and helpful with any questions or concerns that I have brought to her attention. I also have met some amazing families within the community. We are looking forward to many years to come and hope to have an even stronger community here at Baldwin!
Submitted by parent on July 15, 2015

The principal is awful doesn't interact with the parents or students. If you can get a district transfer do it. Some teachers are great others not that great.
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2015

Echoing the concerns about the principal and the overpopulation. I have twins, both in the same TK class. We've been having lots of issues with the TK teacher & concerns are not being addressed by the principal or the district. 1. TK has so many kids that teacher can't keep up & is forced to resort to reacting to bad behavior rather than promoting good behavior. 2. The nursing staff can't/won't deliver first aid or even help with a simple bathroom accident. 3. There are many security & safety concerns failing to be addressed by the principal as well -- bathroom policy (kids getting locked outside during class), what to do in the event of a shooter on campus, etc 4. Our kids are backsliding and the TK teacher is encouraging it. Son is told to use right hand to write, even though he's left-handed (illegal). Daughter is told she can't read well (she's at a 1st grade level, she just gets lazy in class). More issues than this, but I've hit the character limit. This school is not a great place for younger children to spend their days. It seems that the issues we've experienced aren't as pronounced for some of the older classes. I'll be glad when my kids start at Ledesma next year.
Submitted by parent on August 26, 2014

This school is overpopulated and the teachers are put in a very difficult position. The School principal does not have a plan and does not care about parents concerns.. The school's web page has no current information and phones always send you to voice mail. This school is the worst school in the Distric. Avoid it.
Submitted by parent on June 05, 2013

I moved my son from a private school to Baldwin last Fall. He's in 2nd grade. He has had the best teacher so far here at Baldwin. Very helpful, guides the students well towards high academic goals, very creative and hard-working. She has spent so much time with my son after school to make sure he turns in his work. My son isn't the easiest kid to work with. He doesn't like doing worksheets. Over time, with his teacher's help and diligence, my son turned around and improved academically. My son has focus issues so he's not the easiest kid to work with. His teacher really went above and beyond in communicating our son's progress to us. We're very lucky to have found such a caring teacher, his principal and the community overall. The school really appreciates parent's involvement. The home school club is also a very helpful set of parents working together to continue improving the school. I have never gotten this from the private schools. I hope more and more parents get involved with their kids.