Micheltorena Street Elementary School in Burbank, California

“My daughter is in second grade and in her second year at Micheltorena. While yes, she is one of very few white children at the school, we couldn't be happier with her at Micheltorena. We have a dynamic, whipsmart principal, committed teachers (her current teacher taught her first grade class and will be following the class through 3rd or 4th grade) and kind, hardworking fellow students. We don't have the bells and whistles of neighboring schools, but we have a growing PTA and Friends of Micheltorena fundraising group, and the school is getting better and better. Please, look beyond the test scores; many of our children speak English as a second language. The future is very bright here!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Considering the amount of trepidation I had about my kids going to Micheltorena, I couldn't be happier. So many parents in Silverlake would rather spend thousands of dollars on private before even *looking* at this school because of the lack of diversity in the population. I'm here to tell you that every kid should have the opportunity to be in the minority at least once in their life, and this is the best place to do it. The teachers are great, the principal is great... and this is after two years of expensive private school for my oldest son. I would pit this school up against those lost dollars any day. These kids are more ambitious, more eager, and generally sweeter than the 'entitled' kids over at Ivanhoe. It has some problems, but the involvement of the community and the dedication of the principal and staff makes up for it.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The focus at Micheltorena is on the students and on participating in the Silverlake community in a positive way. Michel has a creative, tightly knit staff that works together to share ideas, and a dynamite new principal who supports students and schoolwide positive behavior from students. The school revived the PTA and is working on bringing together parent support for projects that support students and teachers, such as a comprehensive PE program. The kindergarten playground recently received a new jungle gym. All classes and assignments are conducted in English, but most of the teachers are able to speak Spanish, which is helpful to students who have recently relocated from another country, and helpful to clarifying communications with parents. This is a great community school that will be made even better with your involvement at meetings and activities.”
This review was posted by a teacher.

“My daughter attended this school, for four years and I can not compare all the schools (two-both private$$$) she has attended to this awesome school. I don't live in the area any more but would move in a hot minute, if I could, to give the the education she received at Michel to her again and to her siblings. In addition we do not speak Spanish, nor found it a concern to her academic success. There API score always went up, if you consider all the 'English Language Learners' are in the school.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Do not judge a book by its cover. There are many schools that are considered outstanding because it is said that they have excellent staff, excellent programs etc. One thing to check about a school is what kind of educational values do the parents and staff share in that school. Micheltorena has some good teachers but that is not enough when I think about my child's academic success. If parents were involved in the right causes and administrative support was stronger, not just some but all teachers would do an outstanding job. I am dissapointed at Micheltorena School. The best thing about this school is the kids. They seem to make a great effort in their learning.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My daughter went to this school for kindergarten and will be returning for 1st grad. This school does have its problems, but all in all, I am very happy with the school and the education my daughter is receiving. The principle invites parent input and is very easy to work with, the assistant principle is very enthused and always looking for ways to fund and start new programs (we will be an arts propo type school because of her and she is starting an after school gifted program open to all grads). Being a title one school (meaning there are more then 40% of kids on free lunch) the school receives a ton of money that helps fund stuff like the full time nurse and a full music program. Biggest problem: Languages 1. Most of the involved parents speak Spanish only (I speak no Spanish) and the parent committee meetings are held in Spanish. Although the principle does offer translating, I know that stuff will be lost in translation. 2. The food service people speak very little English and my daughter speaks very little Spanish, this has caused some problems.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I recently attended my 8 year-old son's back to school night, and was frustrated that the entire session was conducted in Spanish, with another teacher translating in English. This causes me great concern that the teachers may be forced to speak Spanish in the classroom in order for the non-English speaking children to understand the lessons. This is detrimental to other English speaking children, especially when they are designated 'special needs,' like my son. Micheltorena offers music to the students, and the education is decent.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The school is in a poor neighborhood with many esl children but the education was fair”
This review was posted by a parent.