Washington Elementary School

270 Washington Street

School District

Santa Clara Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
Type

public

School Map for Santa Clara 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 December 17, 2024

Both my children were a part of Washington Open. It has been a very positive journey and I truly think that WO is one of the best schools.I grew up in a neighbor city, attended the rank 10 elementary school there and excelled. However, when I compare the level of maturity, confidence and analytical capabilities that my children have developed to myself, I see that they are far ahead of where I was at their age. I would credit this to the WO model and their implementation of parent volunteering. I've attended education seminars with consultants and based on their research have suggested thinking of child development via stages.The experts recommended at the elementary stage, the priority should be community. Where the children and parents form connections, feel safe, supported and receive guidance. These are also the years where social-emotional development is very critical, especially for kids who are not innately outgoing. The earlier they develop these skills, the better setup they are, for the rest of their lives. In addition to my kids having grown in such ways, I have also grown as a better parent. It gave me confidence to navigate Middle School with the skills I have developed and refined. Also having many parents friends to chat/consult with to compare/when in doubt has been priceless.In terms of academics, WO does as well as any other public school. There are a portion of parents that do outside tutoring, of which our family does too. We spend about 5 hours a week helping our child with outside coursework. My older child now attends a private school that is one grade-level ahead of public schools. Between what they learned at WO and what we have done, they were able to score well enough on entrance exams to get into our preferred private middle school. If we were at a conventional public elem school, we would still do tutoring anyway.One of the takeaways that WO tries to instill for each child, which I highly admire and never had at my 10/10 elementary school when I grew up, was that each student would have "trusted adults" beyond their own parents. Sometimes children might be scared to tell their parents things that we should know, but they might tell another "trusted adult" or a "trusted friend". This came into use when our older child attended Middle School in their 1st yr and experienced a harassment incident. Our child didn't want to worry us, but told their "trusted WO friend". We were able to learn about it and kept our child safe.
Submitted by parent on May 28, 2024

We enrolled our child in Washington School with high hopes that the abundance of parent volunteers would enhance the learning environment. However, reality couldn't be further from our expectations. While parents are expected to dedicate numerous hours volunteering, the focus seems to be more on delegating tasks to them rather than on the teachers actively instructing. Consequently, classrooms often descend into disarray, with parents unsure of their role and children left undisciplined, as there's a reluctance to address misbehavior when it arises.The school, in essence, operates more like a daycare center. It prioritizes fun activities like arts, crafts, and playtime, which the children adore. For parents who appreciate the social aspect, it offers ample opportunity to connect with others. However, nearly every parent I've spoken with has had to supplement their child's education with tutoring or additional support outside of school because the school does not teach much.If your priority is academic rigor, this school falls short. But if you're seeking a safe and enjoyable environment and don't mind shouldering the bulk of teaching responsibilities at home, then it might suit your needs.We made the difficult decision to transfer our kid to another school after 3 years. It was a very though choice but we know it is the right choice. Everyday my kid comes home and say how much fun school is but for us parents at home. we spend countless hours doing math and teaching subjects that are not taught at school. As much as we want our kid to have fun and enjoy school, we know that life is not all fun and game and without discipline at a young age and proper teaching, they will struggle once they go out in the real world. 9 out of 10 parents I have spoken to have expressed extreme disappointment to the lack of education at Washington but afraid to remove their kids but they have grown custom to the environment and have made good friends. Being a lottery school doesn't automatically equate to excellence. The high student scores are attributed more to the fact that almost all the students come from supportive, loving families, rather than the school's teaching quality. In essence, the credit for the school's performance lies with the parents, not the institution itself.While I appreciate the kindness of the teachers I've met, my primary concern is my child's education and their ability to learn effectively.
Submitted by parent on March 23, 2024

Washington Open is a hidden gem. The community is tight. Heavy volunteering is required. All the activities and events throughout the school year can be overwhelming for first-year parents. But that’s what make Washington Open a 5-star school. Teachers are caring (to kids and parents). My kids learn a lot through hands-on and field trips. Other than academic, the school also focuses on social emotional learning. It takes a village to raise a kid. Washington Open is my village.
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2022

We have a 4th and 2nd grader at Washington Open. I have to express how lucky we feel to be here. From talking to my friends, it seems like many schools did not handle the pivot from in-person to distance learning well last year. In contrast, though it did take 2 weeks to get setup, once it started up, there was a clear daily school schedule. Each child got their own chrome books and we picked up materials packets from our Teachers on designated days/time for each class. In the morning, all the kids logged into their Google Classroom, and started class with their teacher and classmates. During those two weeks, the school had disseminated a fun comic about Zoom/Google Classroom etiquette. That was really great. And my kids had class regularly with classmates throughout the day remotely. They had P.E. and it was a lot of fun for them. The kid still have field trips, virtual ones. We still did Open Sing together, online. Since we are a parent-participation school, I still did my Reading Program for the kids regularly on Tuesdays for my group of kids and that was so special to get to interact with them. My kid went through a year and half of distance learning and it worked well for us.We are fortunate that as a parent-participation school, we have a lot of parent volunteers. So our techy parents (and fellow techy teachers) have really helped the rest of the staff and parents get all the kids up and running and solving any issues. Hopefully this gives an idea of how well and successful Washington Open pivoted to online school.Now we’ve been back to school this year and it’s been a great year. Per district requirements (we feel very lucky to be in this district), the kids sit apart during meals (unless they choose to squish together with their friends). Masking is required of all people on-campus with few exceptions. The school does surveillance testing weekly with both rapid and PCR. Once they find a positive, they get sent home with instructions on how to handle/return. This, in addition to masking, has served us very well and so far there has been no at-school transmission, Also, I wanted to give kudos to the district that before we returned from Christmas Break, the District passed out 2 rapid tests per child (this was during the testing shortage) and that spared a lot of positive individuals from being at school on the first day. Very well done.Our district also has a testing center just for the kids and their family members. Oops, ran out of space…
Submitted by parent on April 14, 2021

My kid attended grades 3-5. Third grade was underwhelming, but 4th and 5th made up for it. The extensive volunteering was annoying but worth it to have my kid actually enjoying school. The school's not perfect but by far the best of the four she's attended. I wish WO went through 8th grade.
Submitted by parent on March 16, 2021

While we had a nice school environment, when Covid hit, we realized with Distance Learning, our child was far behind academically. In all subjects, unfortunately. We have had to hire tutors to catch up on very basic things. I will say that there are some exemplary teachers there, but fewer than advertised. While the concept of an "Open environment, catering the whole child" is a good thought, it has not been true for all. There is bullying that goes unnoticed and teasing. I am sure that is the case at a lot of schools, but witnessing it first hand was uncomfortable. I'd say the highlights of this school are the experiential field trips and parents working in the classrooms. But, be forewarned, you will be teaching the children in your small group. The third grade Pioneer unit, fourth grade Balcultha are priceless. You see kids shine and come into their own. It is a good school, not great. The adults are very cliquish but open to new parents joining their groups. Academics are not a strong point of this school. There is also no homework until the 4th(?) grade, can't recall.
Submitted by parent on September 23, 2019

This school is one of the best I've encountered. They truly care about the whole child. While not all teachers are amazing - you are going to encounter that at every school. There is a good balance between academics, public speaking, the arts and community service.
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2019

This was the best school my kids went to and had the most nice caring teachers and best staff that they have ever had. I would recommend this school to any one that is k-5. We love Washington Open we love coming back we hope you know you made are kids and us happy.
Submitted by parent on January 08, 2019

Too much pressure on parents; it seems if parents are popular and contributing more, kids directly correlate to that and has the advantages or disadvantages.
Submitted by parent on August 31, 2018

Intense pressure on parents and ineffective teaching particularly around disabilities
Submitted by other on April 13, 2018

We love WO. It has been excellent community for our family. I know my daughter is cared by other parents as much as I do. I work full time, but volunteering for the kids something I am looking forward every week. They have excellent reading support group and art program. After school program is very safe and full of play like we used to in our childhood and I love who work there. Field trips are phenomenal, very well organised by the teacher and the responsible parent. Open sing is a tradition and you just need to be there to understand what it means to be the part of this beautiful community. This school is not everyone, but it works pretty well for our family. Make sure you attend the school meeting before you apply.
Submitted by parent on February 13, 2017

High diversity.School Administration is good ( Reporting, Student Tracking, Initiatives, Sports activities etc).Teachers are good ( I have review for Grade II and Grade III).Fair student policy and no bullying.Bus and Pickup/Drop service is excellent.Focus on concepts, activity based learning.
Submitted by parent on March 23, 2015

As with any major decision, you have to consider what is right for your family. We love WO and have had a great experience. Though this school is not known for being academic, we have had a positive experience and any concerns have been addressed; our child has grown & improved in areas where we were concerned. A new principal came in our second year and she has approached obstacles very professionally (keeping the children as the main focus). A few other reviewers mentioned the 'gossipers,' this is going to happen anytime you get groups of people together and it is all about how you communicate with those people. Our family has never had a problem with other parents or staff at school but I sure every person will have a different experience. If you want to be in a school where you can truly be involved, Washington Open is worth looking into.
Submitted by parent on January 23, 2015

I cannot agree more with the previous review and cannot describe better the atmosphere. There is this false impression of community harmony that attracts parents to the school only to realize after couples of months how much gossip and fakeness resides under all this. The K teachers are great, so it is hard to realize immediately that the academics are missing from the whole child concept. For us, 3rd grade was a total disaster with 3 teachers barely communicating with each other. Therefore, the information we received about our child was contradicting and deceptive making us to take paths we regretted. It could have been worse if some teacher would not have come back to help. Finally, we found in 4th grade that long waited and promised academic recovery. The school philosophy and vision are misleading parents making them believe that this is the ideal place on Earth to have their children educated. In reality, it is only a bunch of teachers who know what the whole child concept is about and do everything to keep it alive. And there is another bunch of teachers who hide behind it to make an easy day to go to work. In other words, this school is not what it seems.
Submitted by parent on January 15, 2015

Potential parent beware! We heard plenty of whole child , and you ll be lucky to be admitted (BS) that we decided to look past the negative reviews and only focus on the good. Unfortunately, we were admitted. At first we were excited to be a part of our child s community and invested wholeheartedly from fundraising to aftercare; but things started to change they went from bad to worse, much worse. Our child was put into dangerous situations and when it was mentioned the supervising staff it was shrugged off as not a big deal. Behind the friendly faces of the parent group and staff is a vicious bunch of gossip hungry, fake individuals who feed off wide-eyed kindergarten hopefuls. This is not a negative towards our teacher, she was lovely. But we are thankful EVERYDAY that we got out when we did. Your child s wellbeing both educationally and emotionally will be better off elsewhere, not to mention your time and money. Good luck and don t be misled.
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2014

My family absolutely loves Washington Open! We've always educated our kids using the "learning through play" style. We went to a parent participation preschool for 3 years and then onto Washington Open. I was told by a few other non-WO parents that my children would not receive a good educational foundation here, as there really is no academic structure. Well, after a few years at this school, my children are both excelling at academics and socially. They aren't afraid to ask questions and they love the field trips and how hands on the learning is. Thank you WO for providing my kids with a great learning environment!
Submitted by parent on October 04, 2012

My child attended WO for Kindergarten and first grade, this year we have moved out of state and are attending a more traditional, academic school. I love WO and miss it a lot. I enjoyed working with the kids and getting to know all of them. I loved the community spirit and I felt genuine warmth and caring towards myself and my child from all the staff and teachers I met. I love the center style small group learning at WO that allows teachers regular 1-on-1 time with the kids, classroom flexibility for fun and interactive projects, and allows kids to learn from many different types of activities. They also get plenty of socialization time. It was a fun and happy place to be. I can't speak to the academics of the upper grades. I think parent involvement (supplementation) is always a must regardless of the school type. I felt the K-1st activities provided a foundational understanding of numbers, and promoted a love of writing and reading. The children learn more from interacting with numbers, words, people, and problems in different ways than from direct instruction. Our new academic school gets great test scores but doesn't inspire my love (yet).
Submitted by parent on August 14, 2012

I am very disappointed with WO!!!! Both of my kids were there since Kinder...and I just pull them out this year. The whole child concept is great, but my children isn't whole because they didn't have the academic side of it. There are good teachers and not so good either, but more missed placed than anything. If you have kids that is going into third grade...good luck. You need to supplement a lot at home. They don't teach them anything..!!! Oh don't even think about bringing it up to the principal...she won't help, but make it your problem to deal with. The teachers are way too entiled there. I was disappointed to say the least. From what I heard and experienced...WO was a good school that has gone down hill.
Submitted by parent on July 13, 2012

I am surprised by the response of parents to a neg. review. I think that while some of what the person said might be from personal feelings, I don't think that you can count it out. WO is NOT academic . The reason children do well on Star is because of parents who supplement at home. The teachers have gotten a little lazy and feel entitled. I have heard 3rd grade teachers say they don't get paid enough to put up with the class. I find that interesting since santa clara teachers are the 5th hightest paid in the state. I think that we can be both acedemic and social, it doesn't have to be one or the other. I also think that the principal is more worried about her image than making sure that her teachers do their jobs.The only way you can make it a better school is to acknowledge the problems and find solutions, sticking your head in the sand and pretending the school is perfect is not the option. I also resent the notion that if you disagree then its not the school for you, That is like saying there is no room for discuss. & change. Lets not forget that WO was started by parents who wanted change and a better learning environment for their child, that didn't mean sacrafice education.
Submitted by parent on July 08, 2012

As a parent of Washington Open, I am very surprised by some of the negative reviews, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. This has not been our experience at all. WO is not a place were as parents you are always going to get your way, but we have found the school to be very fair and balanced with all decisions. We have found the teachers and staff to be very professional; concerned that our children are getting the best all round education not just academics, but social and emotional, and learning life/people skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives. This has been a great fit for our children, a caring fun environment where children are allowed to learn with teachers that truly care about our children s development. I have found the Principal to take charge and deal with all issues that arise and not sweep anything under the table or to ignore them no matter what the issue may be. WO is a unique environment for learning that may not be right for everyone, but it has been a wonderful fun experience for our children. Oh and they are learning a lot, both academically and in developing life s skills, the end result will be successful adults.