I applied for the lottery believing this was the best possible school my daughter could go to. I had previous connections to some staff and the best principle I've ever met, Greta Bouterse. I absolutely love Frau Claudia & Holt, and despite my multiple requests being denied for my daughter to be in the latter's class, after jumping through all of the other hoops, we put her in the school anyway. Sadly, just after the cutoff date for applications to other charter schools closed, Superintendent David Sciaretta and the Board deviated from their charter, firing Principal Bouterse under suspect circumstances, truly undermining the foundation of the school and damaging relationships with parents, faculty and staff. This single blow has been truly devastating to our community, and has shattered our confidence in Sciaretta and the Board, who seem corrupt, power-hungry and lack transparency and integrity. We have yet to receive a reason for this firing, after 23 years of excellent service by Greta, 12 as Principal. Furthermore, despite parents and faculty showing up en-masse to meetings, airing grievances and raising objections, with hundreds more emailing in, requesting that Superintendent Sciaretta and the Board hold true to their charter and divulge information, all requests unheard or denied. On site, there is consistent physical assault, bullying, teasing, and unhealthy, unsafe, and unnecessary negative interactions that are not being resolved in quality manners. Office staff deny requests for restorative justice, there is no on-site nurse, and many of the teachers lack quality pay or resources to support their needs. Many of whom are paying out of pocket for supplies, with parents also donating to make up the difference. All this while Sciaretta has spent over 300,000$ on advertising and has a ridiculously large salary as well. The administration of Sciaretta and the Board is appalling, injust, disheartening, and disappointing. Many efforts are being made to protest, demand transparency and a return to the schools charter. I will be enrolling my child in a different school next year. It is pathetic and unconscionable to see the downfall of this school, once a heralded, prestigious institution of our community. Do NOT SUPPORT this corrupt administration, demand justice be served! read more

Love this school, my daughter is blessed her teachers and staff are amazing and a great influence thank you all

The challenges and experiences our child enjoys are experiences that bond friends for life and build positive outlook that helps the children to excel to their highest as well as learn German! He has a high regard for his classmates, teachers, & SAY instructors. His vocabulary has grown exponentially since starting as well as as his physical development has been on track! All this culminates to his ability to have self control for longer stretches. The classmates he has are all supportively each other. The jobs the teachers give the children help each focus or stay engaged in each's particular way. Let's just say We are Ecstatic for our son to be at AEA! read more

Albert Einstein Academy Charter Elementary School - Elementary Schools Near Me - San Diego, California

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Ms. Calhoun & Ms. Steimle are awful teachers IMO. Here's what I can say about them. If your child is struggling they'll only see the negative things about your child and won't offer additional support. My child never got called on when she'd raise her hand. I know this because I observed her zoom meetings frequently during the Covid pandemic. Accountability? Forget it, they'll never assume accountability for lack of knowledge obtained during a school year. read more

My only one regret is wishing I realized sooner. However, maybe this will help parents to consider other choices. What I can say about this school, most German teachers, and the principal is so unbelievable that PARENTS SHOULD STAND TOGETHER AND REQUEST CAMERAS AND INCIDENT REPORTS! The reason why this school do not acknowledge one or the other (installation of cameras, implementation of incident reports) is so they do not have to be held accountable and they do not have to follow through with so MUCH stuff going on.... The Safety crew is a joke, you better place blindfolded statues!! read more

Update: My daughter attended Einstein K-8, then went on to continue her German studies at San Diego High International Studies. Just got 3 early decision college acceptance letters last week. One from University of San Francisco opening paragraph: "We were especially impressed by your commitment to the German Language, despite the fact that your parents don't speak the language. It really made your application stand out to us!". Thanks AEACS for a FREE World Class Education for my kids! read more

Review is pending. But so far so good. Haven't had any issues with either one of the schools... read more

Our daughter was enrolled this year, and we were really worried about whether she would be or not. We are a bi-lingual family (German/English), but -- despite what other reviewers here mistakenly think -- AEA does NOT give priority to kids of German background. Instead they test their German speaking abilities. As a charter school, AEA focuses on languages (English, German, and later Spanish). Further, the FIRST priority in enrollment is given to employees' children and siblings of current students. Secondly, German speakers are given priority based on two categories (determined by a in-person evaluation): (1) native or (2) fluent speakers. Our daughter was tested as fluent, which has less priority than native. Also, other reviewers don't seem to understand what a charter school is. Charters are specifically different from public schools. Charters are not targeted towards their community, but students from all over the county can -- and do -- enroll in the school. Because the teaching and overall experience is really well respected, students come from all over the county to enroll here. This page (url below) gives a very useful overview of what a Charter school is, what it can and can't do, and how it's different than a normal public school. After reading this page you'll see how perfectly AEA fits it's charter and is clearly defined well as a charter school, worthy of public funding. http://www.greatschools.org/find-a-school/defining-your-ideal/192-seven-facts-about-charter-schools.gs Overall, our daughter loves school in general, and specifically loves her teachers and is learning more everyday. We couldn't ask for more than that! read more

If I could give negative stars I would. We moved into the neighborhood about a year ago. We signed up our child to attend. They said that children would be picked at random. Funny how most of the kids that attend are white even though its a mixed community. We are Hispanic. I didn't even receive a phone call from them to tell us we were rejected. Good job Einstein Academy. read more

My nephew goes to school here and I am so impressed with the education he is receiving. He is seven years old and has been a student here for about two years. In addition to their regular education they also learn German. In general I think that all children should be learning a foreign language in addition to English beginning at an early age. I am very proud of my nephew and would be proud to send my kid here is I ever have one. read more

This school is truly as good as it gets. My son attended AEA from 6-8th grades, while it was transitioning from one campus to two. From the moment I walked onto campus during orientation, I was overwhelmed by the sense of community, support, and inclusion. Students ran up to teachers with smiles and hugs. Students high-fived each other walking through the campus. Parents sat and spoke to each other and invited me, an outsider, to join them. Anyone who gave this school a negative rating obviously has not spent time in the classrooms, on the campuses or interacting with the educators and support staff. From the very top of the administration to the newest teacher, everyone I have had contact with is absolutely at the top of his/her game. I continue to volunteer at this school, even though none of my kids currently attends. It is an institution I am so proud to be part of in anyway I can. This school is making a difference in the San Diego education landscape. Looking back, my 9th grader says he was spoiled by his middle school education. For me, that says it all. read more

Parents university AEA night after school offers a 100% interactive experience for parents and teachers communication . (The entire school year ) teachers are helpful willing to work with students extra math help after school and the facilities are amazing , luckily more friends are now part of this AEA institution and am very happy to Say ,it wasn't a difficult choice for a charter school... A great place to visit if your considering to send your kids to a better middle school, see it with your own eyes , Don't let a mad review give you the wrong idea. read more

Check out the enrollment requirements for this "public" charter school, specially the first THREE priorities given to prospective students, and tell me these are not typical of a private school filtering system! http://www.aeacs.org/Home/about-us/enrollment read more

My son and daughter attend the school and we are LATINO. My daughter was accepted into the school through the lottery system. My son was then given priority admission two years later because he had a sibling already enrolled. The system was fair to us. There are children of all ethnic backgrounds there. The school reserves 20% of each of the incoming Kindergarten seats to native German speaking children, which makes sense to me because it helps encourage the immersion component of the program. My non-German daughter was fluent in German by the time she was in third grade. Most of the people who seem to be complaining about the school seem to be those who weren't granted admission and probably really wanted their kids to go there. read more

@ Jessica, thanks! I was doing some research myself for our two kids. I actually did a tour of the school and the "abundance" of a diverse student population is, well an exaggerated truth at best. I also checked out their website and you are right, the enrollment priorities do favor a specific group. If you give top priority to german background kids, this automatically excludes others. Private schools do this type of filtering process all the time . . . .but they can, they are private institutions with their own policies. Einstein is a public charter school, last time I checked. read more

I have twin 5 year old girls enrolled at AEA Elementary School. We have been incredibly happy so far. We are not native german speakers but I'm thrilled my girls are learning a foreign language. I love the fact that there is art, music, science, PE and gardening in addition to the usual academics. There is also a true sense of community in our experience. I love our teachers who work so hard and care so much about our kids. We are very happy so far. read more

Love working here! The teachers are easy to talk to and are very helpful when it comes to helping and connecting with the kids. The front desk ladies, I love as well! Always getting a greeting and a smile from them as I walk into work. read more

@Jessica Yes, Jessica, Really! They really do have a fair lottery system that does not include an interview. The interview is used only for German speaking children to verify that they can really speak German...so I guess that actually goes to prove that you don't know what you are talking about. Do you have a child that goes to this school or know someone who does? No, or you would know how completely inclusive this school is. And the idea that the area they are in should give preference or accommodation to certain individuals based on ethnicity or language is completely misguided. Residents of the area do not get preference at all...so if you live across the street you must apply under the same conditions as anyone else from any part of the district. You probably also didn't know that they have a Spanish language portion of the program either. Yes, their middle school has either a Spanish or German track. The Spanish track is predominantly filled with Hispanic students who entered at a later grade and do not have the German skills to enter the other track, who excel under the Einstein protocol. Both the middle and elementary school have the highest scores in the district. Sheesh, there are just some people who are so wrapped up in their politically-correct nit picking that they are determined to find racism and prejudice where it doesn't exist. I've heard a few criticisms by over-achiever parents about this school, but diversity and racial bias is not one of them. The abundant population of Hispanic and Black students and their families are very happy with the program and diversity there. read more

Not even worth a star. My daughter is a by product of aea. She is behind in every subject going into highschool. She has been there since kinder. Elementary was great but middle school was a nightmare. Many of the teachers are not creditialed, sciretta had class sizes up to 45. The district cap is 35.he was forced to hire yet another long term sub. They have taken my daughter o ff campus without my knowlegd nor co sent read more

Our daughter just got accepted to the middle school- she was on the waiting list in the 20's range earlier this year. She is Latino with an obvious Latino last name and was not interviewed or screened to see if she is the "right fit"- I can't comment on the school yet however read about the lottery system being "erroneous". That was not our experience at all and the office staff were very helpful at getting us started. We are really excited she got in- she'll be doing the Spanish track so she can be truly bi-literate. read more

We are so fortunate we found this school. Several teachers send their own children to this school, which says a lot about the quality of the school's education. there are a few negative reviews on here because people have accused the school of not choosing potential students randomly, but in reality, there are children from all over the county that enter into this lottery. This is the ONLY school in the county that offers German language immersion, so several German families (many who also live in North County), are applying for their children to attend. This suddenly makes the pool larger. We live in North County and choose to send our son to AEACS because of the quality of their overall education, the compassion of their teachers, and the effectiveness of their language immersion program. read more

ayla polk had no friends and she was a little weird and emo at times, ignore her review, she is just salty about an f she got one time in middle school. it is not even that big of a deal. this school has a gorgeous campus and had a lot of awesome programs to offer and always was enthusiastic about education as well as community service. the teachers really do care, minus mr powers lol only my grade would understand that inside joke, but yes the school really is a treasured part of my past and i love what they did for me and by the way coach diamond i love you you are my favorite teacher by far. i strongly suggest you send your child here, it was an amazing experience for me and i am sure it will be for your children as well read more

My niece attended AEA since its' founding (she will be going off to college this fall) and if it was not for the education she received, I would not have enrolled my children there. The staff truly care for the students. This is a wonderful, caring and supportive environment for any child-- something lacking in some schools. The freindships made here will last a long time. To respond to those skeptical of the ethnic background, my kids classes are very ethnic and this diversity is celebrated. BTW, I don't mind driving the 20 minutes to get there. read more