Discovery Elementary School

730 Applewilde Drive

San Marcos, CA 92078

School District

San Marcos Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:20
Type

public

School Map for San Marcos 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 April 18, 2023

2 of my children have gone through Discovery Elementary and we are so incredibly happy with the years there! Our kids are thriving and prepared for their futures and they have many staff and volunteers from Discovery to be thankful for! We are so fortunate to be in this great neighborhood with the most caring and supportive school! We have incredibly caring administrators, teachers and support staff who work hard every day to support our kids!
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2023

My second grader loves this school and so do I. They have incredible teachers and admin! Everyone here goes above and beyond for the kids!
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2023

AMAZING school. My child is now in 5th and we have been here since first. Watch year my son has had the best teacher for him. He is well prepared to go into middle school although I wish he could stay in Discovery forever. Next year I will miss Discovery family.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2023

My 4 th grader is thriving here!!!! I am amazed at the compassion and expertise of the teachers. My child had a rough year last year at a different school and I am so glad we moved and are at Discovery!!! I can not say enough about how wonderful this school is.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2023

As a parent of three Discovery Explorers, this school is amazing. My children always felt loved and supported by the teachers and administration. The environment builds positive relationship between families and all staff on campus. In my opinion, Discovery is the best elementary school in the San Marcos district because of the teachers, administration, and the families that go there. Everyone works as a team to provide the best education for all students. I love Discovery.
Submitted by parent on April 12, 2023

Worst first experience in TK ever and I'm an educator. Administration does not address issues with student behavior in a timely manner. I'm disgusted with the way San Marcos unified has been handling this unique situation. Bullying and intimidation is not addressed and continues to go on. They make exceptions and allow school rules to be broken without recourse. They don't know how to deal with unruly students who exhibit violent behaviors in TK. A whole week after a bullying incident without 1 word from admin. They have done nothing to check in with student who was bullied or check on mental well being of the bullied, but they did make sure the one who did the bullying was OK.
Submitted by parent on January 25, 2022

Wow I can’t say enough great things about discovery Elementry. My son is special needs and attended the sped preschool class. The teachers really cared about my son, like it was more than a job. I contribute my sons ability to walk to them (he’s handicapped.) People in leadership roles, and front desk roles were always friendly and informative.
Submitted by parent on February 05, 2021

My review on 02/05/21 is time relevant for parents seeking 21-22 enrollment. My son began Discovery at the TK grade, and he is now attending the 2nd grade, Spring semester. He has enjoyed two of the best teachers in the state, in my opinion. Mrs. Prescott in grade-K and Mrs. Tow in 2nd grade are exceptional! I was pleased with the former Principal and her leadership, but we lost her due to her untimely passing. Ms. Eby has stepped up as the Principal and is a great leader. I believe Discovery is the best elementary school a child can attend. During the current Covid-19 pandemic, I have seen young teachers like Ms. Phelps step up with remote learning technologies and techniques that she has mastered. It is easy to critique while on the sideline as a parent, but I choose to engage in my child's education and complement our teachers. As an informed parent, I believe your child will receive the best education in our zip code while attending Discovery. My son and I have made some great friends while attending Discovery Elementary.
Submitted by parent on January 17, 2019

While I think there are some wonderful people at Discovery as teachers and other staff, I have to give a low rating based on the principal and vice principle. For all of the 2017/2018 school year, my son was repeatedly harmed on the playground by another child. He asked for help multiple times, and nothing was ever done. Within the first month of the 2018/2019 school year, my son finally got fed up and hit the other child back. This happened twice, and both times my son was labeled a fighter. Only when I explained in detail what had been happening to his teacher, did anything change. Somehow she managed to work it out with the other childs teacher so the boys would not be near each other on the playground. She miraculously made it all stop almost immediately with just a bit of effort. Shortly after that finally ended, my son was playing with a couple of friends, when another boy and his two friends approached them. Something rude was apparently said, and my son told them it wasn't nice. He proceeded to then get kicked in the legs and testicles. At that point he again fought back and hit the boy once. He was then strangled hard enough to leave hand marks on his neck for 3 days, as well as two fat, bruised lips that he cried in pain about for an entire week. My son was spoken to without me (by the principal, because as a supervisor brought my bleeding son to the vice principal she was told "don't bring that to me, I don't want to deal with it"), and then I was simply told that he needs to work on controlling himself when he gets frustrated. End of story. I previously worked there as a supervisor, and have seen kids hurt each other on a regular basis. I believe this is now the climate of the school as the kids have learned that they will not have consequences for physically hurting another child. I will not return to work there, and my son has been enrolled elsewhere as I do not feel as though I should have to worry whether my SEVEN year old is safe and protected at school every day. As I said before, the only stars given to this school were because of other staff members that work hard and are good at their jobs.
Submitted by parent on February 21, 2018

As someone who came in mid-year from another school, I think Discovery is a good school. I think the teachers, Mr. Eddie ( love his friendly smile and bright mood every morning), and health aides are great! I do feel like the principles and front office women seem like they don't want to be there. They aren't very outgoing or friendly from what I have seen and witnessed.
Submitted by parent on June 09, 2017

We love Discovery! The teachers and staff are fantastic! The families are great and involved but not "too involved"... Great atmosphere and I love that there is no homework (other than reading) so the kids can still enjoy being kids when they aren't in class.
Submitted by parent on January 24, 2017

Wonderful school with committed, supportive teachers & staff. Parents are very involved as well. My children have attended Discovery for a combined total of 9 years, and we highly recommend it. My son has special needs and has experienced occasional bullying, but the administration has always been receptive and dealt with the problems. Students in his classes stand up for him, and all of his teachers have cultivated a very supportive atmosphere in their classrooms, encouraging the students to celebrate differences and to be kind to each other.
Submitted by other on December 08, 2016

Amazing school! Principals, office staff, and teachers are always very supportive and work hard for the safety and education of all students.
Submitted by parent on December 06, 2016

Stay away from this school. The new principal does not what she is doing and most of the teachers have moved on to Double Peak (new school).Most of the teachers left are just a peons and yes ma'am to the Principal. They are not good and have not ANY good activities as can be seen by the chaos in this school.Kids are running amok without supervision and bullying is very imminent since Teachers/principlas dont want to get involved in these disputes.This is a terrible school and a shame for San Marcos.
Submitted by parent on August 29, 2016

Love the new Principal! Ms. Geldar is extremely honest and straight forward with parents, (my personal opinion is that Discovery really needed this sort of change) she is excellent with the kids and genuinely cares for each one of the students at Discovery. In the 2 short years she has been Principal, I think she has really made an effort to get to know the students. The teachers we've had have all been outstanding as well, and go WAY above and beyond for their students!
Submitted by parent on June 13, 2016

I won't submit 2 stars because I wouldn't consider this a bad school but it's less than average. The principal is not repsonsive until a situation is escalated which is very disturbing for an elementary school. It seems they Focus on the state testing scores and the overall scores that affect their ranking. I'm not sure they genuinely want to see each class and each student prevail in their own capacity. We were at another school a couple years ago that wasn't scored as high but the teachers were phenomenal. They kept the students and parents informed on a daily basis and managed their events very well. The principal at our old school was responsive and very active with the kids and genuinely engaged with the kids and parents. Discovery is nothing like this. There is a 3rd grade teacher who is not structured or organized and doesn't have the kids learning process in mind. She should be teaching a subject at a community college not teaching multiple subjects at a secondary school to children. This was the first disappointing year since we started elementary school. I hope this isn't how it will be going forward. If you can avoid this school. I would. They are a status school not an interactive and engaging school. Super disappointed. Glad summer is finally here.
Submitted by parent on May 11, 2015

I think that the school has a bad undertone since the new principal has joined the school. She makes Discovery school an unhappy place. She can't get along with anyone on campus. Now, all the good teachers are leaving to the new school because of her. I don't know how San Marcos can have a bad apple principal.
Submitted by parent on May 11, 2015

I loved our school, until the change of administration. Recently there has been a cancelled fundraiser which are very important to us as parents to be able to hold these events. They boost morale, and promote a sense of community. I feel this diabolical decision, and the angst it has caused, is merely one of many other issues that has contributed to the building tension between the PTO and the administration since the new principal, Ms. Geldard has taken over. The sudden cancellation of this event undermines the volunteering parents, hurts morale, and, most importantly, hurts our children. Our students look forward to these events. As we see it, this has been a missed fund raising opportunity. I feel strongly that some action needs to be taken to better our school. It is not my intent to blame, but to solicit help in our desperate need of good leadership at Discovery Elementary.
Submitted by parent on April 19, 2015

Seems like ever since the former principal left, the school has been going downwards. The PTO and the administration are so disconnected. There is not enough supervision of kids during PE and recess. Kids are just made to run laps during PE regardless of how hot it gets. I wish the school had more caring environment for the children.
Submitted by other on February 07, 2014

I think it's a great school!! Everything is amazing! Exept the P.E teachers. There so strict! And they should give the students a break. There still young!