Will Rogers Elementary School

316 Howard Street

School District

Ventura Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:30
Type

public

School Map for Ventura 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 January 04, 2023

The best school in Ventura. The dedicated teachers and staff create a family like learning environment where kids feel confident learning, exploring, and playing. Kids at Will Rogers begin their educational careers in 90% Spanish immersion and will have a superior foundation in both English and Spanish by the time they enter middle school. As an educator myself, I am always impressed with the pedagogy employed in each classroom - not to mention the fun (I’m looking at you, Maestro Pinedo!). 10/10. I love this school.
Submitted by parent on August 24, 2022

THE WORST school my son has ever attended. Mrs. Perez by far the WORST principal myself as a parent and my son as a student can possibly ever have. Her attitude is nasty and so arrogant. My son was having behavioral issues due to several life events that occured and these people (Mrs. Perez instead of helping us she drops him from the school. This is the Reason and these are the people who are the reason why our children grow up to be unsuccessful Because of people like these. ZERO STARS if i could. Don't bring your children here parents just please don't. Our children don't deserve this type of rejection!!!
Submitted by parent on April 07, 2022

My Daugther attended - Will Rogers - First group of kids in program - had a great experience with great teachers- she is a senior now - an has been accepted 4 UC's 3 SC, as well as NYU OXY CLU,GW, Sarah Lawrence, 3 waited listed . Our Son also attended Will Rogers and is in Gate classes at Anacapa- even without doing gate class at Will Rogers -
Submitted by parent on March 03, 2020

My child has been dealing with a bully at this school and they dismiss the claims and favor the bully. We chose this school so she can become bilingual but there are no resources AT the school for parents who only speak English. Homework is sent home in Spanish and they want you to use Google translate. Teachers are hit or miss. Mrs. Dorado is by far the most the best asset this school has. We won't be back next year. Beware! Lack luster principal.
Submitted by parent on February 28, 2017

Excellent. I feel very fortunate to have such a dedicated principal and groups of teachers to guide my son through his elementary years. The two-way immersion experience is one that I am so grateful for and my son will stay on that pathway through HS. By 8th grade, he will be taking Junior level Spanish - what an incredible program. Thank you Will Rogers!
Submitted by parent on February 15, 2017

This school is not the best choice in my opinion. This was my daughter's first year she is behind from her old friends that she attended school with the past 3 years. This school is weak
Submitted by other on January 11, 2016

I love the focus on the environment, science and a second language. I love the "Fill your Bucket" campaign to assist students in focusing on how to be helpers. I love the great teachers and involved PTA. I love the principal, she is truly amazing. I love the multi- cultural environment. I love the after school care program run by LPCC. All in all it is a great school and I am very happy that my son is fortunate enough to attend.
Submitted by parent on January 05, 2016

My son is in 1st grade. We have had a great experience at Will Rogers Elementary School. We had several local schools to chose from, and I am very glad with our decision. The excellence starts at the top with leadership from Principal Dr. Cortez. She has high expectations of the students and staff and follows through. I trust her with my child's learning and safety immensely. We have also had great experiences with the teachers, who appear to work together as a team. (I'm surprised by the comments about too much homework; in our experience, the teachers have welcomed communication and been very reasonable and flexible. I wonder, did these parents try talking to their children's teachers about their concerns??)We have also never seen anything even close to resembling bullying and, frankly, I highly doubt that the teachers or Dr. Cortez would tolerate that behavior. They implement a "Fill Your Bucket" curriculum and work hard to teach the children positive behavior.We have met wonderful families at the school. The student population is highly diverse, culturally and economically, which I think benefits all of the children. The sharing of language and culture enriches the environment.Finally, we have been very impressed with the academic offerings. Not only are the teachers top notch, the school's science emphasis has allowed additional opportunities, such as science and computer labs and an outdoor habitat that the children work in frequently. We even have classes in coding this year! This is an environment that stimulates children, as opposed to a "drill and kill" mentality.I have several friends at the school, and have made many more, and we are all more than satisfied. We all plan to send our younger children to Will Rogers when they are ready for Kindergarten!Will Rogers may not have the highest API score in the district...however, if other aspects of learning are important to you (particularly, second language fluency and learning in a culturally diverse environment that reflects what California is all about), then Will Rogers is the right fit for you. I encourage families to give the school a chance. At the very least, talk to some other parents and take a tour! You will likely be pleasantly surprised.
Submitted by parent on December 30, 2015

Will Rogers is changing! My daughter is in kindergarten here and we have had a great experience so far. I am very happy with the dual immersion program for our family. I also like that the school is now an environmental science magnet. We have a beautiful garden for outdoor learning, a nice science lab, and a new computer lab. We are continuing to raise more money as a school during all of our fundraisers, surpassing past historic highs, which reflects the changing population of the school. The principal is outstanding and goes out of her way to get to know all the families and to help accommodate them. The staff and teachers are kind and friendly. The parents are invested and involved in their children's educational experience. The kids at this school are very nice - I have seen a lot of the kids in the morning helping my daughter out, offering extra food to my younger non school aged children, etc. And as an added bonus, the after school care program LPCC (Las Posas Children's Center) is amazing! The kids have so much fun. My one complaint is that I feel as though there is too much HW in Kindergarten, without enough time to complete it. In asking my friends whose children are in other programs, they all seem to have lots of HW, but with the time frame of Friday to Friday, as opposed to Monday to Friday. We could really use the extra weekend nights to complete our 10 page packet of homework!
Submitted by parent on September 01, 2015

My son went to this school from K-3 what a waste of his time. This school offers no extra resources for children who may need the help. Since my son did need the extra help due to school budget he only qualified for 15 minutes of 1:1! He never understood his homework & constantly complained about school. Teachers (except Ms. Bann) lacked communication and the principal Ms. Cortez focus was always and only about behavior. NOT academic performances! I brought to the attention of the principal that my son was being bothered at school. When my son was finally fed up and did something she tried to point the finger at him like we had never brought up this issue and asked her to address it. I do NOT recommend this school. I have since transferred my son to a different school & I have never seen him as confident as he is now! Teachers take the time to stay after class and help the students. My son is now focused and doing homework on his own without being told. Why? Because he understands what he's doing! If he doesn't his teacher goes over it with him and explains it. We're only about 3 weeks into this school year at this district and I can't express how happy I am that he finally feels confident and smart! No worse feeling than seeing your child struggle and not be heard or get the help he/she needs.
Submitted by parent on October 03, 2014

My 3rd grader has been at will rogers since kindergarten, and my younger one just started this year. I absolutely love (most) of the teachers! The immersion program is excellent and now that it is a magnet school for environmental science, the opportunities that the students will have are unique. I just feel so blessed that my children go there. The new science lab is wonderful and my kids are soooo excited about using it and experimenting! It is do hands on and all the kids that I know personally are so pumped up about learning there. Tge garden is functional, Eco-friendly, and educational. I just know that each year it is only going to get better! Go broncos!!!!!
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2014

We transferred to this school for the dual language immersion program. We were so excited about the program, and we loved hearing our child learn Spanish. Unfortunately because of the high turn over of staff, the kids are out of control. I ended up transferring my child out because of bullying and being beat up on the playground. I would never send my child here. I would never feel like they were safe. Spanish is NOT more important than safety! (I am grateful that not all local schools are as bad as Will Rogers!)