Foothill Elementary School

13919 Lynde Avenue

School District

Saratoga Union Elementary
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:18
Type

public

School Map for Saratoga 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 April 24, 2024

This school is on their 3rd principal in 4 years and will hire another new one next year.Without proper leadership bullying has prevailed in the school. The teachers are exceptional and the school has a lot to offer students but student safety and wellbeing is overlooked.
Submitted by parent on March 25, 2024

A fantastic school. Supportive staff and engaged teachers. Active parents. Beautiful setting. Clean and safe.
Submitted by parent on December 19, 2020

We had a very negative experience in this school. My child experienced a lot of bullying throughout her time here. We had a teacher who seemed very sympathetic to begin with but soon just ignored the situation. Only when the bullying included racist language were any steps taken but when the same unkindness was repeated in now coached words it was again ignored. My child had a very bad time here. It was bad enough that we moved out of this district. I see my child learn and flourish and be confident again despite covid in her new school. The time we spent here was really terrible and really when I look back I am astounded that we had that experience in kindergarten with a supposedly experienced teacher. So much was wrong with the way she spoke to my child and spoke about my child.
Submitted by parent on October 14, 2019

Regrettably, I submitted my review below without making a special mention of the staff- they too are awesome. Smiling faces abound and lead to a warm, inviting and nurturing place for kids to learn and parents to navigate.
Submitted by parent on August 16, 2018

Very supportive and friendly staff and parents. Love the environment and diversity.
Submitted by parent on March 02, 2017

Foothill is a wonderful school! The teachers and staff are excellent, the environment is warm and caring, the facilities are great, and the students are smart, motivated and eager to learn. I also love that the TK/K programs are full-day, there are great enrichment and after school options, and Mr. Bosco the Principal is very approachable. Our 1st grade teacher, Ms. Barco, is just terrific with students and parents. The curriculum is fast but very organized and well planned. I appreciate the emphasis on developing writing skills from early on, and that students with advanced skills in reading or math are given the opportunity to excel. Parent participation is a bit lacking, but I don't believe that takes away from the many positives of this school.
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2014

It used to be a good school, but it is going down over time: 1. There are 1-2 school site council parents who have their own agenda, they only want what is best for their own kids instead of for the entire school, and Bosco is too weak to stand up to them. Those parents are driving "differentiated" classroom starting from 1st grade, they only want their own kid to receive advanced math/lang.art material, they don't want others to access to the same material because they don't want them to catch up. Why hide it from other parents? Why make it so secretive if you have done nothing wrong? Bosco is too weak to lead those STC. 2. The teachers will tell you that every kid will be provided with the same resources, curriculum, homework...etc, but it is not the case in reality. 3. Only a few teachers provide weekly email updates to the parents about what their kids have learned in class that week, some teachers only give you monthly updates while most others provide no updates whatsoever. Bosco is too weak to lead those teachers so there is no teacher accountability. Other reviewers have similar comments about No leadership from Bosco and No accountability from the teachers.
Submitted by parent on September 25, 2013

We moved to this community last year and its our son's second year in this school. We have had nothing but the best experience so far. Mr.Bosco is a wonderful, large hearted Principal who knows almost all kids by their first names. He often drops into classes and watches the teachers interact with kids. He is always at playground during recess mingling with kids and talking to them about how their day went. He genuinely cares that each kid is happy and takes pleasure in their success. The teachers have been warm and most importantly accepting of all differences. This is definitely not a school for kids who are only academically oriented as the motto of the school is not only pushing education but bringing a much more well rounded encouraging environment for all. We would definitely recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on September 24, 2013

Both of my children have attended since kindergarten, we are now on our way out. Thank goodness. The teachers are nice, for the most part. Mr. Bosco is nice. But there is NO vision. NO progression. NO teacher accountability nor principal accountability . The teachers do as they please depending highly on parent involvement. The staff has been doing the same things for years clearly before my children started. It's sad and frustrating to watch. My children will be fine. But many many moments of the natural curiosity of world and learning have never been tapped into because of teacher/administration complacency . And , " well, this is how we do things... " mentality. Foothill and perhaps the district as a whole needs house cleaning. Money and high test scores do not equate great teaching. In an area with so much, foothill offers very little.
Submitted by parent on August 28, 2013

Did you notice that they grouped all the good kids in one class? We expected the class will be a mixed group but it is not. J. Bosco needs to do something about it, currently the classes are not balanced!
Submitted by parent on August 22, 2013

Totally agree with the previous parent reviewers. This year's class placement is unfair and way too extreme. I'm so disappointed in the Principal and some of the teachers' judgment to place the students in this order. I hope they'll re-evaluate and review the criteria for future placement. Unfortunately, this year's arrangement cannot provide a well-balanced environment for the students to learn from each other.
Submitted by parent on August 21, 2013

I like many aspects of this school, such as student diversity and culture. However, I was very disappointed in the class assignments this year. Just as another reviewer had commented, the most advanced/mature students are all placed in one class. What is interesting is that class has the largest number of the teachers' kids. Is it really coincidental? We as parents do not get to pick our kids' classmates and teachers, yet it seems that teachers get to do exactly that.
Submitted by parent on August 18, 2013

Classes are not balanced for students achievement levels: some classes have high concentration of high achievement students, others have high concentration of low achievement students. Aren't we supposed to have diverse classrooms?
Submitted by parent on August 18, 2013

It is only fair that the students receive the same level of curriculum/homework and have access to the same level of resources regardless of their achievement levels.
Submitted by parent on August 18, 2013

Foothill needs a strong principal who can provide great leadership and vision. Mr. Bosco should care about providing the best opportunities for majority of the students to learn and to grow instead of just focus on a small group of top students. For those students who are placed at "average" level are already 1 year ahead of their curriculums, but yet they don't have confidence in themselves because the school does not really care about them. Those top kids who are 2-3 years ahead of their grade levels should consider skipping a grade. Foothill needs a principal who can look at the bigger picture and who can help majority of the students to learn, to grow, and to build confidence.
Submitted by parent on August 17, 2013

We have been in Foothill for 4 years and I agree with the other reviewer that this school is for kids who already learned the curriculum and are at least one to two (or even three) years ahead of their grade levels; if your kids don't know the curriculum in advance, then they are out of luck. Furthermore, this school is not for busy working parents because the teachers expect your kids to know the curriculum before coming to school. We also noticed that they seem to place the top 1/3 students in one class with teachers who have the most seniority, and the teachers with the least seniority get the bottom 1/3 students.
Submitted by parent on August 16, 2013

I am disappointed with most of the teachers and the Principal--Joe Bosco. The teachers don't "teach", they often send home HW without teaching the kids first, they want the parents to teach the kids and they only do review/assessments. Futhermore, J. Bosco has little experience in dealing with important issues, and he does not understand the needs of the children. He groups the kids based on their academic levels as young as 1st grade, he evaluates the kids based on their academic capabilities instead of who they are; he puts all the star kids in one class, kids with special needs in the other class, and kids with average grades in the 3rd class. This is totally imappropriate, he is leading the school toward the wrong direction! Aren't we suppposed to have a diverse elementary school? If your kids are not placed on the top 20% of the class by 1st grade, your kids will never get a chance to catch up or to receive the same curriculum to excel in the future (especially boys matural later than girsl), this is extremely unfair for the rest of 80% families who are also tax payers. Foothill needs an experience Principal to provide great leadership and to set the right directions!
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2013

We are new to Foothill this year and our experience with all of the staff has been outstanding. The teachers are warm and show genuine concern for their students. The Principal, Joe Bosco is kind and friendly and attends all of the functions - he even helps with the valet queue sometimes! The curriculum is balanced and meaningful. They teach students the 3 Rs as well as how to be a good person and citizen. It's a great place for any child to learn and grow.