Villa Park Elementary School

10551 Center Drive

School District

Orange Unified
Grade

K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:26
Type

public

School Map for Orange 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 03, 2024

I am incredibly pleased with Villa Park Elementary. I have two kids here. Both are exceeding grade-level standards. Both wake up excited to go to school every day. The teachers are incredible! They have not only taught my girls well, but they make learning fun. The STEM day for 2nd grade has been a blast and the many creative projects students complete each year has really helped my daughter’s master the subject. There are also tons of opportunities to volunteer in the classroom and on campus. Lots of parents are very involved and you can see the benefit it brings to the school. I also appreciate that the principal takes concerns seriously and handles behavioral problems quickly. She is always thinking of new ways to motivate the students and I appreciate that.
Submitted by parent on October 09, 2024

The school and OUSD are not teaching the writing curriculum. They are only teaching to the state tests. The principal and OUSD know this and have admitted it in writing. They won’t change. Most of the parents with ability have moved to private school due to VPE failings. Most of the gate kids all leave due to the substandard instruction. It has gotten so bad they had to pull the gate parents into a meeting asking us not to move our kids because what was left was not meeting grade level standards and looked bad on the schools performance. If your child has special needs stay far away, this school was found out of compliance twice last year with special education related maters. Do not go to this school or this district they are a mess.
Submitted by parent on August 25, 2024

At Face Value, this school looks promising and great. However I was extremely disappointed the ratio of kids to Teachers. I was anticipating the classes were going to be smaller when I saw the emails asking parents if they knew any other parents with students to send them to VPE. For anyone looking for smaller classroom sizes this is NOT the school. From the first day you can tell this school has a clique, the students from prior year(s) get almost love bombed by the teachers and showered with attention, new students not so much! if you are new to this school and have a child that has a learning curve it sad to say, they will fall in the cracks. It almost seems like the Teachers are tired, overwhelmed and do not want to "deal" with the challenge. They appear aloof with exception of the TA's in the room who seem to be great and understanding. If your child has special needs or needs any extra guidance this is NOT the school to send your child(ren) to.
Submitted by parent on September 11, 2023

I currently have two children enrolled in this school with two more entering in the upcoming years. My husband and I sought out a home in Villa Park so we can be within the radius to be enrolled into this school (although there is an option for open enrollment) and are not disappointed with our decision. The teachers are engaged and go above and beyond for the students emotionally and academically. My children are always eager to go to school and make sure to greet previous teachers. My children have different learning styles and I feel confident they are gaining knowledge through various teaching modalities while also getting the opportunity to explore other ways to learn a subject. Front office and the principle are always open communication and offer many different ways parents can get involved. extremely happy with VPE
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2023

My kids currently attend VPE and we are so happy there. The teachers are incredible - years and years of experience, and really invest in the students and their progress each year. The school truly feels like a family and there are so many fun traditions and events for the students (and the parents).
Submitted by parent on August 28, 2023

This is a great school for young learners. The parent involvement is amazing which makes it a supportive environment for all the kids. Definitely recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on August 23, 2023

Seems well organized and the new principal is very involved!
Submitted by parent on May 11, 2021

Truly amazing school! At the beginning of the year my daughter struggled and was behind, she worked with Mrs Kaminski and Mrs Smith and is now reading above her grade level! The level of commitment, enthusiasm and knowledge these two teachers possess is so impactful and extraordinary! Mrs Beggs, the principal is wonderful as well, she takes concerns seriously and always helps as much as she can. Even the office staff is amazing! We are so thankful to have our daughter attend this school!
Submitted by parent on July 15, 2016

We love VPE! The school staff and teachers are all very good. Each grade has fantastic teachers and parents never need to "settle" for mediocrity. The school buildings are really old and that's about the only probem
Submitted by parent on December 23, 2015

My children went to VPE for three years before they moved to another school for the GATE program. The good things about the school is that there is a lot of parent involvement, there is a sense of community and there are some fabulous teachers here. Also, this may seem minor, but the pick-up and drop-off lines are well run and supervised. However, it really is the luck of the draw between teachers that give it their all and those that are doing the bare minimum. By this, I mean having the parent helpers correct all the work and providing no real feedback and suggestions about how to improve in areas such as writing. Both my children are advanced readers and when asked about any differentiation for the different levels, I was told it would not be possible, unless I lead the group. So, I did. But it certainly did seem to be a theme with the prior principal that if you wanted anything done, or had any suggestions, you had better be prepared to run it yourself. It sounds like the new principal is a go-getter. I hope she will start pushing some of the teachers to go beyond the minimum. My children were woefully unprepared for the GATE program when we transferred because they hadn't been encouraged in first and second grade to do more then meeting baseline of grade proficiencies. It made the transition harder than it needed to be and it also confirmed my decision not to send our youngest here even though all the kindergarten teachers are great.
Submitted by parent on May 11, 2015

This school suffers from poor leadership (principal) and indifference to individual student needs. This may be a symptom of all public schools these days but its a real shame. Kids that are above average are bored to tears and kids that are struggling are completely abandoned. Don't complain because parents are blamed for academic problems and supposed to be full-time teachers on the side. The teachers are so overwhelmed with the large class sizes and the new common core curriculum that its a complete disaster for the kids. I'm so disappointed and worried about what this means for our kids, we're going back to private school where the teachers care about the kids and the administration holds their teachers accountable.
Submitted by parent on June 11, 2014

Their are great teachers at VPE, and a few I think stink. I think the homework they send home with the kids in all grade levels is ridiculous and I think they should spend more time on core subjects then on all this ridiculous projects that have no meaning academically. They should teach math, reading, writing, history and science repetitively not jumping around teaching to whatever test they think is important to help the schools test scores. I also don't care for the detentions and demerit program, I feel this tears our children down not help them, especially when your child has learning problems and is not put into proper resources to get the help because of budget cuts. Then your child is stripped of all of the end of the year activities do to falling in the cracks and not getting the help they needed all along. The school needs to teach and not be a boot camp to our children. We are not teachers, we are parents. Keep the curriculum at school and teach it. First it's Star test, now Common Core, let's just teach common sense and normal curriculum to our children.
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2014

very great school, but student of month award is not great always same students recive.
Submitted by parent on May 07, 2014

This is a great, safe school with a great group of parents and teachers. This is my seventh year here and am pleased overall. The teachers and parents work well together with many parents helping out on campus each day. There is a dad's club which helps with events and also raises thousand of dollars. However, there are a few areas of concern: 1. The amount of homework is borderline ridiculous. 3-5 pages every night and even assigning homework over Spring Break - really? This starts in 1st grade. 2. The content of the curriculum is pretty bad. Now this may not be the fault of the school, but rather the district. I once brought my child's homework to his teacher and asked her to solve the math problem, to which she responded "I know! It doesn't make sense, but they make us teach it anyways." 3. Lastly, the principal is far too concerned about MONEY. She spends little time with the kids, sets rules that are a joke (dropping off and picking up) and leaves several messages every night to which 95% of them have to do with raising funds. I do however like the fact that she does make the kids dress appropriately.
Submitted by parent on April 23, 2013

VPE is a great school with very involved parents and teachers. Every school has its challenges, both financial and academic, but VPE strives to get past the challenges by coming up with creative solutions. The teachers are a tight knit group that seems to enjoy working together despite differences in age, personality and experience. There are a group of parents that seem to be at every event, fundraiser, fieldtrip and classroom party, sleeves rolled up and ready to work. There are other parents who contribute financially to fundraisers and sponsorship opportunities. And then there is the other 70% of the school... Reaching out to these parents to get involved in any small way is neccesary and vital to the success of our children. This school needs many physical improvements to the buildings and grounds, but it's slowly getting there due to a diligent group of parents. Overall, VPE is a small neighborhood school with a lot of spirit and loyalty and pride. Tradition is important here. Many parents were students here, themselves. This school is a wonderful school and we are proud Bobcats!
Submitted by parent on December 01, 2012

My kids have been attending this school for 2 years now and I couldn't be more pleased. The principle, Debra Larson, is warm, friendly and accessible. The teachers are wonderful and I love that they radiate how much they enjoy what their doing and the tremendous impact they have on the kids. This school - teachers and principle - is off the charts fantastic.
Submitted by parent on January 13, 2012

I am not sure what principal the reviewer from 3/7/10 is talking about but the principal at Villa Park Elementary never walks the playground, never greets the kids and the only time she comes out of her office is to yell at parents through a bullhorn who pause a little too long to pick up their kids after waiting in a 300 yard long line that creates traffic hazards on Katella Ave. We have been at this school through 4 principals and this is by far the worst I have ever seen this school. So sad.