Peabody Charter School

3018 Calle Noguera

School District

Santa Barbara Unified
Grade

K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:18
Type

charter

School Map for Santa Barbara 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 February 04, 2025

Peabody Charter is not a good school.Rude special education team. Horrible classrooms. Admin not so great.
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2022

Very disappointing experience and lackluster school in my opinion. I do not recommend Peabody and know many parents who feel the same. My children have been bored and unchallenged with lackluster teachers (although there are some truly great teachers at Peabody too, we just didn’t happen to get them). No music program, no STEM program, no formal art program besides ceramics occasionally (which my kids do love). I’d look elsewhere for a high quality education that sets kids up for success in junior high and beyond.
Submitted by other on August 22, 2020

I am very impressed by this school & am so glad my grandchildren are attending!
Submitted by parent on September 12, 2019

This school is great if you have a typical learner who is a rule follower, but not for kids with trauma or learning differences. Punishment is how they deal with struggling kids. They need to look into trauma informed care training for everyone from Drama teachers to playground helpers.
Submitted by parent on April 01, 2019

Poor. There are some great teachers but god forbid you have a problem and need to get the administration involved - they are flat out horrible. There is no other way to say it. Sad because we held this school in such high regard until we had a problem.
Submitted by parent on June 21, 2017

Both of my children love their teachers and going to school at Peabody. There are strong academics as well as special classes like Dance, Drama, Ceramics and PE offered on a regular basis. There is always something fun going on at the school and they work hard to address the needs of the whole child. I can't say enough good things about the school.
Submitted by parent on April 27, 2017

My son, who had many difficulties at the beginning of school is now thriving due to the hard work of the administration, teachers and support staff. You do have to work with them as a parent, but if you do your child will thrive at this school.
Submitted by parent on February 03, 2017

The principal and assistant principal are two of the worst administrators we have ever seen. They clearly play to the big donors of the school and frankly do not care one bit about anyone else. The school does not have an anti-bullying policy and there are problems all over the place but the administration does little about it, especially if it is related to any of the donors' kids. A comment from a parent on this website from 2012 states the following:"I am disappointed with the new principal that came from Washington Elementary. He was rude and arrogant upon meeting him and seemed disrespectful to his staff."Well, clearly nothing has changed since Principal Barnett started at the school and it has only gotten worse over the past 4+ years. There is definitely a disconnect between the administration of the school and many of the teachers. While some good work is done in the classroom, problems exist outside of the classroom and the basic communication between administration/teachers/parents is often times non-existent. If your child has any special needs or experiences problems at school and you expect the administration to do something about it, think again - this might not be the place for you.Many local school officials refer to this school as having "gone rogue" and that is pretty accurate. The principal is extremely out of touch with the day-to-day of the school and defers everything to his assistant principal Bolton who is extremely rude and dismissive. The Board at this school is not engaged with the problems at the school because the principal keeps a tight wrap on what is really going on around there. The principal has a tremendous ego and is quick to refer to himself as the superintendent of the school, not just the principal as he is referred to throughout any district documentation - really?Take a look at the fine print of the parent handbook and ask a lot of questions before you enroll your kids at this school. It's a good place until you have a problem and then there is absolutely no oversight from the district because it is a charter school and can do pretty much anything they want to.
Submitted by other on April 17, 2014

Peabody Charter has helped develop some of the finest minds and wonderfully well rounded young people since it's inception in 1928 when it opened as Fredrick Forest Peabody Elementary School. It has been 53 years since I last attended but when I visit today I see the same vibrant young faces and the most dedicated staff you can imagine. Students, teachers and parents are still all on the same page working diligently, and with great joy, to make the Peabody experience the superior one that it has always been.
Submitted by parent on February 12, 2014

It's interesting how relevant old reviews are today. The school is fine, but if it were located anywhere else, it may not be considered a good school. Yes, there are some good teachers, but just as many bad. In general, most have been there too long and some seem to take their jobs for granted. Four years ago, a parent with a 6-year gap between her children's ages, posted "The younger one is simply repeating project-per-project everything that the first child did, without the introduction of any new ideas, methods or approaches. So true! Peabody alumni from 15 years ago have shown me samples of the same projects. It's as if the school has been locked in time and is operating in suspended animation. It's time for new ideas and fresh blood to reinvigorate Peabody and its curricula.
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2014

We switched from a Montessori school to Peabody and couldn't be happier with our decision. Our children have flourished academically and socially. The teachers are enthusiastic and clearly love their jobs. They strongly encourage parent involvement and you're always made to feel welcome.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2013

Peabody is a great school! I am so glad that we live in the area and that our son will attend for the next 7 years! We love our kindergarten teacher and we have been pleased with the rigor of material taught. Demian Barnett (principal) has a great vision for the school and works hard to make the school a safe learning environment. Julie Bolton (vice principal) is very approachable and works tirelessly for the success of the student body. The small class sizes (as compared to other public schools in the city) allow for individual attention for each child, and the daily home cooked cafeteria meals (by our amazing Chef Laurel and crew) are a rare exception to the traditional, government-sponsored, cafeteria food. If you are fortunate enough to live in the neighborhood, then Peabody is an educational gem - not to be missed!
Submitted by parent on November 17, 2012

Peabody operates as a charter, so it has a pretty autonomous operation. They have a wonderful school garden. However, I am disappointed with the new principal that came from Washington Elementary. He was rude and arrogant upon meeting him and seemed disrespectful to his staff. I hope he was just having a bad day.
Submitted by parent on June 07, 2011

Wow---on October 9, 2010 a parent posted a comment that is spot on. However, rating this school on a star system is difficult. If you are comparing it to many of the other public schools around the country, then it gets a 5. If you rate it just on teachers, then it also maybe gets a five. If you rate it on its own overall merits, I'm afraid it comes up short. Peabody is a pleasant school, but there is certainly nothing cutting edge or outstanding about it. My kids have a large age span; one entered kindergarten as the other entered 6th (seniors). The younger one is simply repeating project-per-project everything that the first child did, without the introduction of any new ideas, methods or approaches. It s interesting that the teachers don't get burnt out from the repetition.
Submitted by parent on May 21, 2011

This school does have some amazing qualities being the cafeteria witch uses organic ingredients and its own personal chef. yum. However, when it comes to the children, especially if you have a child with special needs, the staff including the principal or horrid! They are rude to the children, even ruder to the parents, and do nothing to help the child. They are only interested in what is best for them and easiest for their day. They use outdated power play on the children instead of positive teaching and reinforcement. Our experience with this school has been to say the least a major disappointment.
Submitted by parent on October 22, 2010

Great parent support and great Principal.
Submitted by parent on October 09, 2010

School is a bit focused on fundraising, fundraising, fundraising. Preferential treatment is given to those who donate the most money or raise the most money. The principal is ok as long as you don't bring up any problems. The classrooms are old portables and there is very little supervision of the 700+ children on the playground. It has some stellar teachers but some really bad ones as well. Feelings are a bit mixed.
Submitted by parent on April 19, 2010

peabody is a great neighborhood school with lots of wonderful families and parents who volunteer
Submitted by parent on December 04, 2009

N/A
Submitted by parent on March 21, 2009

N/A