Guadalupe Elementary School

6044 Vera Cruz Drive

School District

Union Elementary
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:23
Type

public

School Map for Union 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 February 09, 2024

My son is in fifth grade and he loves this school. The teachers are friendly and the campus is great!
Submitted by parent on November 25, 2023

I have nothing but good things to say about this school. Every teacher (aside from one who is about to retire) were amazing teachers, especially Ms. Burguillos if you are blessed enough to have her! Because of lack of funding, in general for CA schools, the parents really really put their time/effort/money to make this school great. The extra activities they have such as dance, art vista, and physical ed was a plus. coming from a not so good school district, you really don't know what you have unless you experienced worse (which my daughter did before coming here in 2nd grade). They are also really quick on making sure kids get tested if they think there might be a problem which I was grateful for... they tested my daughter for a lisp to make sure he didn't need speech therapy but it ended up only being because her teeth were out but shocked how efficient and caring they were to make sure!
Submitted by parent on September 27, 2023

Both my children attended this school from K-5 and their experience and development over the years was excellent. They were extremely prepared for middle school and continued to achieve top grades, love to learn and be independent with their studies. What I appreciate most is that my children were taught to own their efforts to continue to succeed and this has stuck with them as they grow. I also love the extra music and dance programs that the parent teacher association provided which exposed my children to a wider range of learning.
Submitted by student on August 31, 2023

The school is awesome, from teachers to staff. Kids learning is good and teacher are friendly. The only problem is the safety sometimes and the cleanliness of restrooms but other than that this school I would recommend
Submitted by other on June 05, 2023

Well I (Daniel T ) went to this school for 5 years & he loved and also his Freinds & teachers where very kind
Submitted by parent on September 28, 2022

Our son has thrived at this school not just academically but also in the aspect of social emotional development. We were in another school district (San Jose Unified) before moving to this school, and felt the difference as soon as we started this school. Here most of the teachers are very experienced, the school management and district is much more responsive and resourceful. One thing that I particularly like about this school is that the district and the school work together to provide opportunities like parent education, seminars and talks. I believe that the social environment and community are very important in a student's life. At this school, most of the families put student education and well being first, and work with the school to achieve that goal. The extended school is on site, and has a really good program balancing homework and fun activities. We also like the school band, ceramics, art-vista, music classes, after school activities like chess and legos on site. The variety and quality is pretty good for a public school.
Submitted by parent on December 15, 2021

Guadalupe has been a very effective school for our children. One of the things that impresses me most is that there is a foundation of compassion, kindness, and acceptance not usually found in the school leadership, teachers, and staff at public schools. The principal and staff have gone above and beyond to finding solutions that support individual kids' learning styles and needs. We understand compromises have to be made but we have found that Guadalupe, and the school district staff, make the student community's well being the top priority. The school is always open to conversations and will actually spend the time addressing individual and parent concerns and they will be flexible where possible. The parent community is relatively active but doesn't seem particularly innovative and many of the funded 'extra' activities feel well-worn. The campus has been improved in recent years, with hopes to use some of the underutilized spaces for outdoor learning environments. The true strength is in caring and knowledgeable principal, the teachers, and the staff and of course the kids.
Submitted by parent on August 02, 2019

We have had a great experience at this school, academically and socially. I have one child who has moved on to middle school from Guadalupe and one child who still attends Guadalupe. We have experienced many outstanding teachers who take the time to tailor learning experiences to the individual. The new principal, Mr. Jones, appears to be an effective leader, making positive changes to the school. One of my children received some special education services and the team was great overall. Ms. Carroll is an excellent resource specialist. The grade-level teachers we have had work really well with Ms. Carroll and implement classroom accommodations to help students succeed. The STEAM program and new lab is a fun and valuable asset to the school. The PTA/GHSC is very active, providing great events like an ice cream social, art vista night, Olympics day, and a spring carnival. The downside to this is that it is run by a few very strong, opinionated personalities who also volunteer many hours at the school. I believe, as do some other parents, that the PTA has some overbearing and judgmental parents who drown out other voices and complicate being involved in volunteering or even school dropoff/pickup. To address some concerns posted by a past reviewer who stated that Guadalupe falls short of an east coast school, I grew up going to a northeastern public school and went to a top 25 university. Many parents at Guadalupe are also highly educated and have top university degrees. One thing I learned from our time in a couple different school districts was to research and think critically about our school choices. I know that many extra-curricular activities I had growing up were funded by tax payers in my northeastern public school. Unfortunately, that is not the reality in most of California, as I knew before we started at Guadalupe. However, this school tries its best to make up for that with the GHSC-funded physical education, art, and other programs. For us the positives well outweigh the negatives. Guadalupe provides a great education.
Submitted by parent on February 16, 2018

If I could give it a zero I would. Coming from the education system on the east coast all this school has done is solidify why a California education is awful compared to a New York public school education
Submitted by parent on September 05, 2014

I'm so upset with this school. My family is a low sugar family. This school feeds more sweets to my kids than I have ever fed to my kids for their entire lives! I made gluten free sugar free (with stevia and erythritol) cupcakes for my daughter's birthday yet she came home crying because kids teased her about them! I emailed the new principal about changing birthday policy to non food items only. She replied that it is a policy change that can only be done at the district level and that's it. She had no intention to go out of way for it (despite there are many obese kids in this school). I also emailed the principal about another issue between students and she bounced email to the teacher and did not want to deal with it at all! Some teachers are very hard working and very good at communicating with parents. Some are totally the opposite! We just started at a new school district that has strict non food birthday policy. I'm very happy with where my kids are right now.
Submitted by parent on August 28, 2014

I've read the older reviews of this school and completely disagree with the parents who say the teachers and principal are just focused on test scores. Year after year, my children have had caring, dedicated teachers who have taken the time to help my children with learning throughout the year. This is the greatest school ever! Every time I think of something I wish they had, I find out it is already in the works. The principal is on top of trends that need to be addressed and the teachers are the most dedicated group of people I have ever encountered. Sour grapes and unique situations may explain the negative comments made in the past. My kids have had an amazing experience here. I am so glad we live in this area.
Submitted by parent on April 04, 2013

Like many parents at Guadalupe we moved into this area to send our children to a high scoring API etc... 5 star, 10 out 10 school accepting nothing less. I have first & second grade children. We were very excited to start the year. The PTA was amazing starting the year by handing out envelopes of cash to the teachers to purchase what the district did not cover, art & music programs were in place and upcoming projects & events had tenured heads of committees. What a dream, purchased our gold membership with the tens of thousands we were now saving on private schools and off to a good start. The school was clean, organized and class sizes were 25 in each class, plenty of parent involvement taking care of the light work, library, yard duty, walkers club etc... There were many club opportunities and if the right ones were not there it seemed easy enough to bring them in. PE was a bit of an issue with the district cutting it out but I never heard a complaint about there kids not doing organized jumping jacks and the money was there to bring someone in if decided by the PTA. Why 3 stars? Education, that is why our kids are there. Not to study for Star & API testing but applied education.
Submitted by parent on September 05, 2012

We are so happy with this school. Our children have thrived here! Incredibly hard working teachers and staff. Parent participation is high, another key factor in a successful school.
Submitted by parent on August 02, 2012

The principal is focused mainly on STAR test scores so the teachers teach the student how to test well on the STAR test vs learn how to think and learn the concepts based on the principal's direction.. There is a strong parent involvement and the Home & School Club is strong supporting the arts, technology and PE. Most of the teachers are great thou there are a couple weaker ones. Overall I am pleased with my child's education but wish that the principal concentrated on the whole child's education vs testing well.
Submitted by parent on July 19, 2012

Great test scores! Unfortunately this is the only thing this school cares about. Parent involvement is good, but teacher and principal knowledge, accountability and communication is lacking. Principal and school is not focused on educating the child, only worried about achieving high marks to pat themselves on the back. Some administrators are rude. Not what you want for your kids/family. :( disappointed!