Chester W. Nimitz Elementary School

545 Cheyenne Drive

School District

Cupertino Union
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:20
Type

public

School Map for Cupertino Union 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 October 18, 2024

Nimitz is a very good school, and it has a lot of diversity. Many teachers are very caring and good.Special call out to Ms Lin from 3rd grade. She really provides a wonderful and growing environment for my kid.The classes are not too hard, and little to no homework. I wish the level is more challenging for students.There was an incident involving with another student. I think the Principal handled it reasonably. The PTA and school provides music & art classes. There is soccer & basketball team for upper class kids, which are nice!
Submitted by parent on August 12, 2024

Our 2nd grade teacher was very rude, and often times slow to respond or never responded to our questions or concerns. When she finally did, she acted like she could not be bothered. My child also felt her teacher was always yelling at the class. In terms of bullying, I couldn't believe one boy punched and slapped other kids. I saw so many misspellings and errors, seems like the teacher doesn't grade much of anything. While the principal and front office staff were nice, unfortunately my child absolutely hated her teacher and experience there.
Submitted by parent on March 13, 2024

So, let's chat about Nimitz for a sec. Specifically, I want to dive into how things roll with the front desk crew and the principal. Spoiler alert: there's room for improvement.First off, when you stroll through those doors, don't expect a red-carpet welcome. Nope, it's more like a "who-are-you-and-what-do-you-want" kind of vibe from the front desk squad. It's not just about being busy; it's like they've got a force field of disinterest around them, and not interested in making connections or helping parents feel at ease. Simple questions or requests can feel like you're asking for the moon.And it's not just me – other parents have mentioned feeling like they're interrupting something sacred when they approach the front desk. We're not asking for a song and dance routine, just a little basic courtesy, you know? Now, let's chat about the principal. They've got this aura of authority that sometimes feels more like a brick wall. It's like they've got their spiel ready to go and ain't nobody gonna deviate from the script. Sure, being firm is one thing, but a little flexibility and understanding wouldn't hurt.Now, I get it, running a school is a tough gig. But a little bit of empathy and communication can go a long way. Nimitz could definitely benefit from dialing up the friendliness factor and showing parents they're valued members of the community.In a nutshell, Nimitz has some homework to do. Building a more welcoming and responsive vibe would make a world of difference. Let's ditch the stiff routines and embrace a more down-to-earth approach to making things better for everyone involved.
Submitted by parent on March 04, 2021

I am an Indian and extremely careful where my kid attends school. I got Nimitz based on where I live and I am very happy to see how it turned out to be. It's a great school. The teachers in KG and First grade are very attentive. I could see my daughter developing very well in both academics and extra curriculars. She progressed very well after joining Nimitz. The teachers pay attention to each and every student based on their needs. The teacher created groups based on the reading ability and helped the students very well based on their needs. Also there was ample of homework provided during lockdown to keep the kids busy. My daughter was doing her work independently and blossomed well. Me and my husband have attended best schools and universities in India and US and have high expectations and are not easy to please. Nimitz fulfilled our expectations. I do not understand the low ranking so do not pay attention to it. CUSD told us it is due to this school being in Sunnyvale compared to other schools being in Cupertino and they are more like yelp ratings. The teachers here are well educated and have tons of experience so your kids are in good hands.
Submitted by parent on May 04, 2018

Love the 4th grade team and administration. Highly recommend this school
Submitted by parent on March 27, 2018

Let me start with the Principal. She is very disciplined and has got good eye for school rules and laws. She is very active and good lady. Keeps track things microscopically. The staff is helpful, especially the librarian is a very good lady. But the school needs teachers who has passion for teaching with teaching techniques and not go by their educational degrees. For this point this would apply to the entire educational system at the time of hiring teachers, which is very crucial for the future generations to get educated. Good teachers brings good name to the school and particularly not the infrastructure. A teacher should know the pulse of the student, they should be able to make a dull student to a better ones. Impart knowledge beyond books. so coming to the point to Nimitz i personally feel they should go for skilled teachers., my child is in this school for couple of years., and better sports coaches .. they are in short of sports coaches too., so apart from this the staff are good, nothing in personal. Finally as parent we need our child to have better education and other extra curricular activities where in few children can make their profession s too in their future.
Submitted by parent on December 12, 2017

Bully issue needs to be resolved . Leadership and safety need to be improved
Submitted by parent on October 20, 2016

Really having gud experience.My kid is enjoying alot.Their teaching skill is entirely different. earlier i was bit hesitant seeing the school rating.But now i am satisfied.
Submitted by parent on October 12, 2016

The teaching staff at Nimitz reflects to a significant degree the exceptional diversity of the student body. The school also seems to attract perhaps more than its fair share of male teachers which is definitely welcome. The school has had stable leadership under Principal Ito for a number of years. She is very hands on and very present in all activities during and after school, with both kids and the parents. Her solid, respected leadership means that the community always has someone to go to, and the resulting lack of drama is refreshing. Of course we are fairly new to the school, but our interactions with the teachers/administration thus far have all been very positive, low key, respectful, and productive. There are great health-oriented and social-emotional programs in place for the children -- some relatively new -- and the regular paid yard staff is dedicated towards getting to know each child as individuals. Our kid is definitely fortunate to be a part of this special community both inside and outside the classroom. HINT: all these kids end up in CUSDK8 middle schools which all receive the highest possible rank. Let the kids learn more than just math, reading, and writing at well rounded schools such as Nimitz.
Submitted by parent on August 14, 2016

My son graduated from Nimitz this June.He spent six wonderful years there and had fantastic, engaged, dedicated and highly experienced teachers. Mrs. Ito, a principal, and Mrs.Kropp a vice principal are the best and the most responsive professionals, loving and just toward children and cooperative with parents. The school population is very diverse, both nationally and socially. It's a World in small, really. RTI program for leveled reading, Soul Shoppe (anti-bullying training), Recess 101( a special PE program ), Art, Music, Math Olympiad, Math Night, Science Night and many other events are all focused for benefitting students and their families. PTA is strong and welcoming. Overall, we had the most pleasant experience.
Submitted by parent on January 10, 2016

My daughter is studying in this school for the past 2 years. It's been a good experience. She's improved on her English, math, creativity and interest in sports.
Submitted by parent on May 29, 2015

I have very bad experience with this school. My son is in third grade now. He was put in the ELD program since he was in the first grade. The teachers don't care about students at all. They always yell to my son when he didn't answer their questions or not pay attention in the class. He feels bad and low self-esteem. He used to be a very active kid. But he doesn't even talk at school now. I feel very upset and don't know if I have choice to transfer to other public school. Hope someone can help me.
Submitted by parent on April 30, 2015

We have had a very good experience during my child's first year at Nimitz. The Kindergarten team is fantastic and students have a chance to work with several teachers in addition to their main teacher. My child's Kindergarten teacher, Mr. Morwood, is energetic, funny and skilled. My child absolutely adores going to school every day. Mr. Morwood is also extremely good at responding to parent concerns and questions. I have found the Principal and Assistant Principal to be responsive and helpful. The school wide activities at Nimitz are appropriate and well-planned. I appreciated the recent school 'math night' and the Walk-a-thon earlier this spring. This is an extremely diverse school, both racially and socio-economically, which I think benefits the students greatly.
Submitted by parent on September 24, 2014

This school is not equipped to conduct TK classes. The TK teachers at Nimitz seem inexperienced and lack the know-how of dealing with 4-5 year olds. We are surprised with school's liberal policies when it comes to physical bullying. There's a lot of hitting and pushing in all 3 TK classrooms that the school does not wish to acknowledge. Its sad that Nimitz was chosen as one of the TK centers.
Submitted by parent on June 22, 2014

This is a response to "A parent " who talked about the bullying problem in March 2014. Your situation is not alone. We used to attend Nimitz and chose to leave when the school didn't deal with the situation quickly and fairly. The situation lasted for more than 6 months and still wasn't dealt efficiently. My kid was miserable during that whole year. I should have pulled him out sooner! I think you did the right thing to pull your kid out of there abruptly! We transferred to another public school. Let me tell you this, not every school deals with the bullying situation the same way. After transferring to the new school only for a month, I knew my son will be safe in that environment. Whenever there was teasing or bullying, the teacher will call out both parties and also "all" (no kidding) the bystanders and witnesses to make sure the situation is clearly understood. When dealt this way, all students knew no one can be immured of punishment for being a bully and all students will feel safe. In my experience, Nimitz didn't deal with it this way. The principal at the new school is absolutely wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better one!
Submitted by parent on March 06, 2014

My son has always enjoyed learning here. Teachers are kind, dedicated, and creative. However, in 1st grade, my son was physically bullied by his friend multiple times. The kid and his parents were given warnings under the table but that was it. Although physical bullying stopped, this kid turned hostile - he made nasty comments and even threats to my son. The other kids were clueless as to what happened. We reported him again but it didn't help. Worse yet, more kids including my son's friends joined in the teasing as if showing off. After months, my son was so frustrated that he did not want to go to school anymore. So we left abruptly. To be fair, this problem may not be unique at Nimitz. Because of large class size and shorter school days, there is little room for character education. Kids could be picking up values from the corrupted media. And when something happens, the school's response is indifferent, inadequate, ineffective, and invisible. We moved the kids to a small Christian school. He liked God's rules and appreciates daily behavior checks. After our bad experience at Nimitz, all is not lost. We learnt to be very appreciative of a positive learning environment.
Submitted by parent on February 09, 2014

This School is Very Good.My son likes it very much.They focused on reading.teacher is very good.Take care of every single child.
Submitted by parent on November 26, 2013

This is a great school.The kids do their reading, writing, and arithmetic, while also not skimping on coordination development, science, art, and creativity.
Submitted by parent on October 22, 2013

Nimitz is a fantastic school. The teachers are awesome, very involved and caring. The academics are focused on.They have Raz -Kids for reading, Step into Writing, reading groups (RTI), The new principal and asst. principal are doing a great job. Extra Curricular activities like Running Club, PE, Music, Art, Library, Field trips, etc and After school programs like Fun on the Run, and others offered by Cupertino Parks and Recreations The diversity is celebrated in this school. PTA organizes Movie Nights, Science nights, Halloween, Multi-cultural Holiday celebrations, Walkathons, Bake Sale etc. My daughter has been here since K and is very happy.
Submitted by parent on January 10, 2013

In my experience with schools that rank ten thye fully meet the childs academic growth with the parent and do not complain about communication or delay to respond to parent communication. My first experience and my daughters first experiemce with a school below ten has proven to be less then that ten for many reasons other then what the district tells you when your neighborhood school is full. My daughters neighborhood school is a ten but she can t go becasue it is full. I can tell tje difference big time between eight and ten schools.