Which SLO County school is the best fit for your child? We break down the options
Trying to figure out where to send your child to elementary school?
San Luis Obispo County is home to dozens of high-quality public schools, private institutions and charter schools.
The Tribune spoke to experts and parents to determine the best elementary school options for families in the area.
Some parents sought out schools with top-notch academics, dual-language immersion programs, or a wide array of extracurricular activities. Others selected campuses based on their community, culture and distance from home.
Here’s what to know about deciding on an SLO County school:
What to know about SLO County public schools
San Luis Obispo County has more than 40 public elementary schools.
The schools are supported by public funds, which allows them to provide an education to all enrolled students for free, according to the California Department of Education.
In California, the quality of education at public schools is highly dependent on where you live, according to Frank Adamson, an associate professor of education leadership and policy studies at Sacramento State.
“(Parents) need to look into what kind of infrastructure does the public school system have around it. Is it well-funded?” Adamson explained. “If so, then you may have a public system that has all of the bells and whistles that you would want.”
When San Luis Obispo resident Alicia Veium was searching for a public school, she wanted to find a place in town where her twin sons, Hans and Walden, could receive a good education.
She and her family toured Hawthorne Elementary School in their neighborhood and were impressed by the principal and the curriculum. However, she wanted her sons to possess a skill she had never gotten to develop — speaking a second language.
“Here was this skill I can’t teach my children. I only have a beginner’s level (understanding) of Spanish, and it’s something I always wish I was better at,” Veium told The Tribune. “So the chance to give that skill to my kids meant a lot.”
When she learned about Pacheco Elementary’s dual language immersion program, Veium enrolled her children in the school’s lottery system. After being placed on a waitlist, Veium’s children eventually found kindergarten class spots at the school.
Beyond the prospect of her sons learning another language, Veium is grateful that Pacheco Elementary gives them the opportunity to learn about other cultures.
“I want them to learn as early as possible that not everyone experiences the world in the same way as them,” she said, “so that hopefully, they grow up to be the kind of adults (who) stand up for others, who fight against discrimination and injustice.”
As a big believer in public education, San Luis Obispo resident Arielle Leva told The Tribune that she always wanted to enroll her children in public school. Still, it was also a priority to her that the school was nearby and community-oriented.
“It was really, really important that our family could walk or bike to school, both for the everyday joys and convenience,” she said, “but also for my kids to be able to ... connect with friends with ease.”
Her son, Lazer, is a second grader at Bishop’s Peak Elementary in San Luis Obispo.
He independently walks one mile to and from school every day, Leva said, adding that the daily walks have been a huge “confidence booster” for her son.
Why do parents send kids to private school in SLO County?
Parents and guardians in SLO County also have the option to enroll their children in more than a dozen private schools in the area.
These types of educational institutions offer full-time instruction on a variety of subjects. They operate outside of the jurisdiction of the California Department of Education and most state education regulations.
At most private schools, students must pay tuition.
“Private schools have less regulation than public schools, so they’re able to tailor to certain types of preferences of families,” Adamson said. “So you can have religious, you can have college preparatory, and in general, you’re getting what you pay for.”
However, due to private schools’ smaller scale, not all can provide a wide array of extracurricular activities, he noted.
Private institutions also tend to enroll a more homogeneous population, making it easier for kids to connect to their peers.
However, that can be detrimental to children’s socialization because they are less exposed to people from different backgrounds, Adamson said.
SLO mother Paige Rothe said she enrolled her son Max into first grade at SLO Classical Academy in the fall because he had “a hunger for a different academic path.”
“Their educational model is extremely robust. … It’s almost kind of like a college,” she said about the variety of programs where he can select classes that suit his interests.
Rothe said her family tried public school when her son was in kindergarten but soon realized he needed a more academically advanced school with a less “one-size-fits-all model.”
“We didn’t want to prune his wings, to put him into kind of a square mold to accommodate others,” Rothe explained. “We wanted to put him in an environment where he could grow into the full sense of himself.”
What are benefits of attending SLO County charter schools?
Another option for elementary school-age children and their families is charter school.
Charter schools are typically created when parents, teachers or community members get a charter petition approved by a local school district governing board.
Adamson explained that charter schools began as curricular opportunities to launch new pedagogies, even though some focus on math, science or the arts.
“They have morphed, in some cases, into a replacement for the public system,” he said.
The underlying argument is that charter schools offer higher education and a more competitive landscape for enrolled students, but Adamson said that’s not always true.
“Charter schools do not improve performance at all locations, and they usually have equity issues,” Adamson said. “That being said ... often charter schools have the same thing as private schools, where they have a particular focus, and then they may be very good at doing that.”
Andy Sims enrolled his daughter, Ellie, into fourth grade at Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter School near Avila Beach two years ago after she attended Sinsheimer Elementary School in San Luis Obispo.
Sims said his daughter grew bored with the general curriculum offered at Sinsheimer Elementary and was bullied frequently at school.
He worked at Bellevue then and knew the charter school would better fit his daughter.
Sims said Ellie’s class had a fantastic group of girls whom she quickly befriended, and she was completing much higher levels of work.
“One of the benefits and downfalls of Bellevue is that it’s very small,” he said, “so you can’t escape if things aren’t perfect.”
How to pick an elementary school in SLO County
Step one for parents — do your research, Adamson told The Tribune.
He said the most important thing to consider is whether a certain school fits your child.
Adamson suggested that parents look at these significant factors to make that decision:
Geography: What is the distance of the elementary school to and from your home?
Teachers: Are the teachers at the school certified and experienced?
Class size: Are classes small or overcrowded?
Extracurriculars: What activities, like sports, arts, and music, are offered outside of class?
Type of instruction: Is classwork geared towards testing curriculum standards or providing a full-spectrum education?
“Go out and find the schools that are within a reasonable commuting radius of your house and see what they’re all about,” he said. “Go to parents’ nights, talk to principals, find out what their programs are, find out who their teachers are and figure out whether you think your child is going to be a good fit in that environment.”
