Ellis Elementary School

550 East Olive Avenue

School District

Sunnyvale
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:23
Type

public

School Map for Sunnyvale 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 January 28, 2025

My son and family love this school!The teachers are kind and enthusiastic!
Submitted by parent on June 17, 2024

Ellis is such a special place. Their international fair is so fun. Every parent really steps up and builds a community around these kids. They’re so loved and supported
Submitted by parent on April 23, 2024

Excellent elementary school that keeps getting better with the new buildings and rehabilitation. The parent community is unbeatable and I’m so glad to be a part of it
Submitted by parent on June 09, 2022

This is a great school. I think what is dragging down the rating is equity score, which is a problem in multi-lingual and mixed income communities. I’m really glad they’re upgrading the infrastructure and building a beautiful new building too
Submitted by parent on March 30, 2021

My kindergartner has flourished at Ellis. He has gone to transitional kindergarten and kindergarten here. The teachers have been great. The principal is very friendly and present. We have seen his reading and math skills develop well. The teachers are very supportive and create a great environment for learning, and balancing a very diverse class.
Submitted by parent on March 30, 2021

Ellis is a wonderful and supportive community, with great teachers and instruction for the students. We weren’t sure based on the ratings, but they are completely misrepresentative. The principal is excellent and very involved, communicative, and open minded. We have only had wonderful teachers who offer great energy, kindness, and well-structured teaching. The student body is very diverse, and a definite advantage here. We love the school, and are so happy to be a part of the Ellis community!
Submitted by parent on March 22, 2021

This is a very good school with dedicated teachers. Don’t go with the rating. Teachers are always ready to help kids.
Submitted by parent on June 05, 2019

Great till 2nd grade, 3rd grade they had no teachers and my student had to wonder class to class for a good teacher. 4th grade teacher was good but due to personal problems she had to leave so again my kid had to deal with change. 5th grade was most disappointing with a bully, arrogant and bias teacher. I wish i could get my kid out after 3rd grade. Anyways, I could not move on time please consider my personal experience before enrolling your kid to Ellis because I was completely stressed.
Submitted by parent on July 14, 2018

Ellis is awesome school with great teachers.They focus over all development of the kid.Thanks to all the teachers and staff and most of Principals for their great efforts
Submitted by parent on May 24, 2018

We've been delighted with the school. The Principals, teachers and staff are extremely helpful, kind, available, responsive to enquiries and care about the students and families at the school. As parents of a kindergartener we've had several questions and have always received a friendly, clear and timely response. The school rules and assemblies focus on developing strong character traits and a good personality. It's hard to explain on paper how impressed I've been with the school. I'm excited to be part of this community for the next few years.
Submitted by parent on November 16, 2017

Ellis is a hidden gem, so much more than it appears on paper. The Principals & every teacher we have met are caring, accessible, and passionate about students leaving the school loving to learn. This is the only Elementary school in the Sunnyvale district so far that has implemented the Reader's & Writer's Workshop curriculum out of Columbia University's teaching college, and the results from the 3rd grade pilot that they showed at the last PTO meeting are already stunning. The administration and teachers have done an amazing job finding the right curricula for this diverse student population, that serves and encourages all children not only to achieve beyond their own level, but to love to learn. The trajectory of this school is only upward from here. As parents who care passionately about our children's development both academically and in character, we visited schools and spoke to several Principals around the area before we chose this school for our child. Mr. Panosian was not only immediately responsive to our email, he met with us and gave us a personal tour of the school where kids would run up and give him hugs...this type of accessibility and care tells you a lot about a school. Every teacher we have met is the same - passionate, enthusiastic, and skilled at what they do. Even in Kindergarten, they do assessments at every trimester to ensure the kids are learning and improving at their own level. They switch classes based on level for English language development. Kids who excel above grade level are encouraged within their classes to keep learning at their level, and also to support the teacher in teaching skills they have mastered to their classmates...helping them not only develop further academic skills, but empathy and character as well. You can’t manufacture this type of encouraging environment. The student population is beautifully diverse, reflecting the actual demographics of the city, and our experience is students here are open in spirit, not entitled, empathetic, and happy. Joyfully, our child is thriving...loves to go to school, has already grown leaps and bounds both academically and relationally, and has an attitude that is hungry to learn.
Submitted by parent on November 15, 2017

Ellis has far exceeded our expectations of a neighborhood school. I am a former teacher myself, so for the previous 2 years I have been reading reviews on Ellis, trying to decide what sort of school it was. I do not believe that previous reviews did it justice! My husband and I have been extremely impressed by the caliber of teachers, leadership from the principal (Mr. Panosian) and school staff, and the overall environment which fosters student learning. The teachers work together to differentiate and meet individual student needs. I was concerned as to how teachers could meet the needs of so many students when levels were so varied, but Readers' Workshop, Writers' Workshop, switching classes for ELD, and more help to tailor learning and challenge students on an individual level. Coming into the school, my son only knew one person, but now he comes home every day with new stories of what he has learned. He is eager to attend school every morning, which is immeasurable to me as a parent. I have seen growth in him in not only the academic sphere, but socially, too. I love the diversity he experiences on a daily basis in his classroom, and how all of the kids are learning together what it means to be active participants in a mixed community. We didn't know what to expect from this school initially, but we couldn't be more pleased to be part of the Ellis community. Go Ellis Eagles!
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2017

This school has been fantastic! We left a charter school and moved back to Ellis and we are SO HAPPY! The teachers have been fantastic, the homework load is reasonable and the children are loving school!
Submitted by parent on August 07, 2017

Its one of the greatest schools that I have ever seen. The teachers are so approachable and kind and they help us with whatever questions we have for the school or the kid. I Love this school, and I am eager to send my second kid also to ELLIS!!!!
Submitted by parent on June 08, 2017

Mi hija mayor estudio 6 años en Ellis y la pequeña ya va a cuarto grado y estoy muy satisfecha con el aprendizaje que han tenido, los maestros y el personal directivo nuestros hijos pasan mucho tiempo diario en la escuela y es muy importante sentirnos con la confianza de que están en una escuela segura,con personal capacitado y que siempre tienen tiempo para escucharnos a los padres de familia gracias
Submitted by parent on May 13, 2017

This school is full of caring, effective teachers, and a principal that is accessible and thoughtful about education. If you're on the fence about whether to do public or private, come pour into this neighborhood school with us. Encourage you to look beyond numbers and take the time to visit and get to know the school. You'll see a place where your child's character and understanding of the world will be developed in ways you can't manufacture or plan for.
Submitted by parent on July 20, 2016

My daughter kindergarten teacher was very negative from the start. She neglect students who are struggling and focus only on students who don't need the extra help. My daughter come home everyday and has had something negative to say rather than telling me what she has learned. And the front desk staff is rude to me.
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2015

The teachers and staff are great and very encouraging to the students. My daughter has gone here for last year and I am highly satisfied with the education she is getting. The class population is very diverse, a reflection of Silicon Valley, and the International Festival was a lot of fun and well run. The neighborhood is nice and safe and I like that a lot of kids walk to school here. I am glad that my daughter is in this school.
Submitted by parent on October 31, 2014

It's really ashamed how the school has not been taken care of in the last 2 years, because they don't want to spend any money. The areas where our kids eat are filthy, the cafeteria is completely run down and old, and they haven't painted or power washed the outside area where our children play or the bathrooms since last year. It is a good thing that we have a great teacher for our son, otherwise he would be going elsewhere. It is unnecessary and not acceptable for a child's school to be run down, especially when us parents are always contributing funds in one way or another.
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2014

First experience with USA public school and wow... This school is really good. Perfect blend of Education, extra curricular and fun... Principal Eric is the best thing which happened to this school. Spends lot of efforts in making this happen and looks like this is the only school is district where student - iPad ratio is 1:1.