El Rodeo School in Burbank, California

“I have had my children at El Rodeo since they were in kindergarten. My experience with the elementary school teachers have been wonderful and I can say the same of the families at El Rodeo. The principal however is another story. She my have an open door policy but she's much more interested in appearances than what's good or helpful for any individual child. she pays closest attention to those families who donate the most $$ to the school.She's up in her ivory tower and in my opinion does more harm than good. The school would be a better place without her there.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The teachers are wonderful and caring, Especially, Miss Anderson. She was always kind and helpful when it came to matters with my son.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The principal never has time for the parents unless they make an appointment days in advance. Not good for correcting a situation at hand or emergencies! most of the teachers are cold and not helpful to students. The good news is that a lot is expected from these students and a student who excels has a chance to prove him/herself. I wish they had a tennis team.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Having had my children attend school in a couple of US cities and abroad, I can safely say that El Rodeo is a fine school. When people talk about inadequate or excessive homework, I chuckle because the data is clear -- homework does not matter to long term educational or life success. And when folks speak about private schools, I chuckle louder because the same thing is true. The 'hidden' secret of private schools is that the teachers are not required to be certified and are lower paid. Maybe others are willing to pay extra to subject their children to a generally lower quality education (but 'better' people), but not me. Some folks will not like the student population or the mix of folks, but there is no question that El Rodeo kids perform well on tests, participate in activities, and will matriculate to the the superb Beverly Hills High School.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I've great classmates there. I'm new on this school.”
This review was posted by a student.

“This school is not my cup of tea. First, lets look at the homework load. 5th grade and 1 sheet of writing. How are these children going to learn? There is low security, so anyone can take your child home! Trust me, do not send your children to this public school. We tried, and it wasn't working out. I sent my child to a private school and she is learning and she tells me what she learned everyday! Sometimes, I say 'I didn't even know that!' because I didn't. Spend the extra money and send a child to a private school!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The Parent Body at El Rodeo is excellent. Involved parents and nice families.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“El Rodeo greatly surpasses the quality of the pricey private school I sent my oldest daughter to for years. The academic needs of all students are met here. The brightest students are challenged and the challenged students are supported. The music, theater and art programs are superior. The principal and teachers are very attentive to the needs of students and parents. The families are so much more down-to-earth and value-oriented. The only thing lacking is competitive sports.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“After researching several schools in the area, this is one of the best schools in the public school system. Why pay for private when you can get the same level of education, if not more, here at El Rodeo. However, I will say that Pat Escalante, the school principal, is not in touch with the student and parent wants and needs. The cliques seem to be a concern for some parents but you are going to get that wherever you go. I would say to just be an active parent and volunteer in your child's classroom. This will give you a different way of bonding with your child's teacher and allows you to see how well or bad your child does as a student. The extracurricular activities and connections the kids make here are priceless!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My child has done well at El Rodeo. He started there in kindergarten and immediately his teacher recognized that he was a gifted child. The school worked with him by putting him in advanced classes and then he was put into the honors classes. The art program is excellent as well as the music, poetry and computer labs. Parent involvement is open if parents are interested and the principal has an open door policy. My son is now in 8th grade and has many friends and is happy at the school.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“This principal is useless. She does not have a clue how to run a school. The teachers are wonderful and caring.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“EL Rodeo has always been a great private level public schools. You'll find a community of parents, teachers and administrator (Specially in the most recent years) that care about their students. Everyone works from heart to make a better education system for the students. It's all about students learning. I am proud to have three children going through this school. You'd love the new principal and assistant principal. Although it was scary to see the change but the outcome has been fabulous. With this team of administrators, El Rodeo will continue to be the shinning star in the Beverly Hills School District:-)”
This review was posted by a parent.

“This has historically been a very good school that provided a well rounded education. The staff has turned over in the recent past, which has made it difficult to judge, but the newer teachers seem to be very capable.”
This review was posted by a former student.

“El Rodeo is a public school offering private school level of services to the school population. With the amount of parents envolvement available, PTA is able to raise fuds and bring in a lot of great programs to school. Programs like, Drop in zones for lunch time. Libarary at lunch time, Cultural Arts programs. Poetry, Writing skills. Reading enhancement programs and many more.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“EL Rodeo school remains an 'intimate' campus, where all the teachers know all the students, and actually care about them. The school works hard at developing the 3R's and we were amazed how quickly our daughter learned all the concepts in math, writing, etc.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Teachers are great. Too much homework. Not enough FREE extracurricular activities. Like a school play. Parents are very involved. There are no organized sports teams at all. Teachers are very concerned about students. Very white and persian - not a lot of other diversity. Lots of overly rich spoiled Beverly Hills kids. But it's definitely safe.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“After working at this school as an intern for three months, I found that it was very organized. Students were offered the freedom to explore different modalities of learning throught the use of technology, field trips, and project based learning. I was quite impressed.”
This review was posted by a teacher.

“My two oldest attended this school from '97-2003. The adminstration cares more about test scores than the students. The principal is ineffective and spineless. The population of students is mostly Persian, not white, like the the statistics states. The school is very old and the bathrooms are not kept in top working order. There is no grass for the children to play on, only black top. My children hated their overall experience there.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My oldest daughter is one week away from finishing kindergarten. It has been a tremendous experience for her and our entire family. My husband and I had considered going 'private,' but we are so happy now that we chose El Rodeo. The academics have been great. Our daughter came from a developmental preschool so we were initially concerned when we saw that some of the other students were already reading when they entered kindergarten. However, within a couple of months she was reading and has not stopped since. The teachers are great. The principal is amazing and the PTA, which I have now become very involved in, is first rate. The atmosphere is very friendly and pleasant - a very welcome change since we came from a preschool atmosphere that was not.”
This review was posted by a .

“This school is great for your kids. All three of my children attended El Rodeo k-8. We love this school and so will you. The teachers are fabulous and the parent involement in tremendous.”
This review was posted by a .