Unfortunately, my experience with the principal has been very disappointing. When concerns are brought to her, she often reacts emotionally instead of professionally. She has deleted public ClassDojo comments instead of addressing them, ignored private messages, and even been visibly petty in person. She often tries to intimidate or gaslight parents rather than acknowledge mistakes, which is unacceptable for a school leader. Another serious issue involves Ms. Weiss. On multiple field trips where I volunteered (fully cleared through LAUSD), I witnessed random adults joining--individuals who were not approved volunteers. Many were family members of admin staff, and the excuse was simply, "We had extra tickets." Meanwhile, approved parents are denied similar allowances. This favoritism and lack of accountability raise real safety concerns. My children have noticed it too, and that should never happen. Parents deserve to feel confident that safety protocols are followed consistently--not based on convenience or personal connections. read more

I am deeply disappointed with Emelita. My child had a good first year at the school because of a fantastic teacher who is unfortunately no longer there. Now, my child has a teacher who lacks a clear credential, has no real teaching experience, and practically never responds to messages. This teacher is constantly putting down their students and picks on several students in particular even though they are all very young. The homework the teacher gives often makes no sense (one assignment involved drawing a picture of the main character of a story, even though the "story" had no characters!) and is basically unrelated to anything they learn in class (if they are learning anything). The teacher constantly puts on videos with very little (if any) educational value for the children as if kids nowadays don't get enough screen time outside of school! My child has told me that they learned more in one day last year than they have in the entire first semester with this new teacher. My partner and I went to talk with the principal, Ms. Cuellar, about our issues. Ms. Cuellar got very defensive and denied that the teacher would ever get angry with their students or that the teacher has basically no teaching experience (even though they were just an aide in the school the year before this one!). The principal then told us that, even though they have low enrollment, she would be happy to give us a list of other schools in the area where we can send our child! When we asked to transfer our child into another class, the principal informed us that they did have a space in the class, but that she didn't know if it was possible to make the transfer. After waiting a week, I contacted the principal (since she had not gotten back to me) and was told that it was "not possible" to transfer our child. Needless to say, my partner, my child and I are very upset about all of this. read more

my son says the school is a great school and their programs are very immersive with the students read more

Emelita St Elementary School - this was my son graduating back in 2019 oh how time passes, great school 10/10 - Elementary Schools Near Me - Encino, California

Omfg when you say you dislike a school you dislike them ....... Where do i begin , first of all theyre front office staff lacks professionalism there are two women one young and one older lady , both of them are very rude . And dont get me started with the principal here. I truly dislike the administration staff here. My kid attended last school year .... He was placed in a special needs class (ie which he doesnt need ) anyways we had an incident where the school didnt call us and proceeded to call authorities.. they basically ruined my familys lives and hasnt taken any responsibility for their actions whats so ever. I had a iep for my son which was total bull shit. The assistant principal who was the organizer was a complete b&$tch i told her that i was busy with work and i need a time either during my lunch or a day i get off early, she was very disrespectful and admit about the whole thing. Next was the school pathologist who claims my son cant speak clearly and can't put five words together ( mind you he speaks perfectly fine with us ) so i dont know where he gets his information from. Then came his teacher( forgot his name ) but said some stuff that wasnt true at all. When it was my time to speak i was rushed off the phone cause she supposedly had another meeting to attend to. I told them that I didn't want my son to go here anymore due to the lack of education and learning my kid is being taught The assistant principal said it was fine and asked me what school i wanted to sign him up i told her nestle is his home school. She said that she would denroll him and that hes fine to attend that school. I asked mt husband to call the school (emilita ) and the women on the phone said that we didnt need to fill out a packet that everything is up on the website ... i got off from work on Wednesday and was told by nestle that i have to redue the packet for enrollment... and that he was still registered in the same school ( i was so furious with this school it wasnt funny ) they even told the staff that they will make it better (whatever they mean by that) I told the staff there that i dont want to continue taking my child here anymore and that the staff at nestle took their time to figure out the mess this school left us .. im so grateful for them even though my kid isnt starting school on monday i am grateful they are helping me out and hopefully he starts school soon This school in my opinion needs better training from administrators to teachers and including teachers aid by not putting false information in a child's ear at all either they should be punished for what they did i hope the superintendent reads this and gets back to me about this issue with this school i have . Peace read more

My children have been attending Emelita since fall 2016, and I am beyond grateful for the top-notch, supportive and individualized education they've received there. This also applies to education received during the pandemic. Both kids have IEPs and have made amazing strides in their academic and personal development. The school is small, STEAM-focused, and many teachers integrate project-based learning into their curricula. Teachers are very responsive to my questions, and it truly feels like a partnership. And the Soaring Eagles after-school program is also wonderful. read more

This school is awesome, I should now because I went there and now I'm a middle schooler... I just want to say the teachers are excellent and the school is super fun! It has tonssss of cool activities and the field trips are a blast. Also they have really good teacher like Mrs.Lewis, Mr. Stock, Mrs. Nency, Mrs. Terntelli, Mrs...... I could go on and on. Though I feel like Mrs Lewis really shaped me up on my writing and Grammar. My fifth grade teachers were in quarantine so it was a bit different.... Blah blah, you probably heard this story but I got Mrs Iverson as my main teacher and Mrs. Terntelli as my math teacher but let me just say I was kinda nervous with Mrs. Terntelli at first. Though she really helped me in math and she to thank for all As in my classes! So yeah, greatest school of all time, I totally recommend. read more

We love our school! This is our second year, and the amounts of interesting cultural events as well as focus on reading development, math and STEAM learning is great. Both staff and teachers are wonderful, helpful and friendly. read more

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We have had one daughter graduate Emelita and currently have two others, one in kinder and one in 3rd. We LOVE THIS SCHOOL. We have personally watched this school grow exponentially in the six years we've been attending. The addition of amazing STEaM-minded class offerings and educational activities has really proven to help to engage the kids in fun and creative ways. Offerings in art, music, ballroom dance, theatre have my kids excited about their classes The rate at which our kinders develop at Emelita have been remarkable. The teachers LOVE these kids! The reason we've been able to watch the positive growth has been thanks to the kind, hands-on leadership of the principal, Betsy Mayorga. read more

Was so impressed by this school until we needed their help. If your child is struggling academically Or needs any special help I would recommend you take them elsewhere. It is easier to send a child home then to try and help I guess. read more

A small handful (maybe less) of teacher are good here. Mrs. Nancy is one of them. Mr. Stock will deter parents from enrolling children into possibly needed IEP in order to save the school money or avoid having to do all the paperwork. Beware, this school will not prepare your children for the next level. It's solely up to the parents -hopefully one parent is a stay at home to teach and tutor their child at home or both work and can afford to pay for tutoring. read more

My children have attended Emelita for the past three years and I have to say Emelita is by far one of the best public elementary schools in the area. I have personally watched this school grow leaps and bounds in those three years. Mrs.Mayorga (the principal) truly cares not only about the children, but the parents and staff alike. She has worked tirelessly to constantly improve and change Emelita. So much so that she was able to get Emelita recognized as a national certified STEAM school, that is no ease feat! The teachers (and there a quite a few exceptionally ones) have really done an amazing job of not only educating my children, but also peeking their interest in school and honing-in on what motivates them to do well in school. When my children needed help in certain subjects after school help was offered (intervention). Countless awards are given each month recognizing everything from a caring student, most improved to the most hard working students (and other categories as well..ect). The other staff and personal are all like family and know the names of all my children and myself. Mr.Estrada (first grade)Mrs.Nensey (second grade) and Mrs. Mitchell (third grade). Every Friday Mr.King dj's and the kids (and grown-ups) get to enjoy a dance party with music we all can enjoy, he also helps with the after school program and a host of other duties around the school. He is by far one of my and my kids favorite people to see everyday, always a big smile high-fives all around and the positive energy and caring the kids need. Speaking of after school programs there is a lot to be offered (cooking, coding...ect) and the classes change every quarter. Mrs.Lucy is the coordinator and she is such a love! During the pandemic Mrs.Mayorga and all the teachers and TA's really went above and beyond to make sure all the kids had devices, hot spots, text books and materials. She would respond to every one of my class dojo messages right away. Any kind of special arrangements I would have to make, she always accommodated me. When I felt overwhelmed and stressed, she would reassure me that everything would be ok and to just take care of my kids and myself. The emotional support as well as making sure we had everything we needed to do virtual learning was priceless for me and really made me love and appreciate this school even more so than I already did. We moved out of the area and the only reason we left the school, but I can tell you it's not a school that either my children or I will ever forget. I'm so happy and appreciative of this amazing school, Mrs.Mayorga and all of the school staff! Thank you Emelita!! read more

My daughter just began kindergarten and I already see how much she's learned. I also love how this school implemented an app for parents and teachers to talk. This school seems very involved with their students and that makes me very happy . We love Emelita! read more

This school is so great, my kids love going to school everyday. I ask them whenever I pick them up "how was school?" and they both reply that it was awesome or amazing. They were in soaring eagles after school program but they now go to KYDS after school and both programs are great. I have noticed a huge improvement with my daughter's, they are reading and writing so well. It's almost feels like it happened overnight. The teachers and staff here have been great ever since my daughters started here 3 years ago. read more

Emelita is such an amazing school. Teachers, Staff, and The Principal work very hard to keep everyone happy and makes sure everyone enjoys their experience at Emelita. This school has so many fun events that involve family, friends, teachers, and staff. Everyone at Emelita cares for the students and makes sure they enjoy their time at Emelita. From their very first day of school to culmination day. read more

We love this school the teachers are great and friendly staff and my kids are learning so fast! They also have a great science program! I def would recommend it to anyone read more

This review is specifically for Ms. Samar - School Administrative Assistant. I don't usually leave reviews and I'm sure the rest of the staff that I have not met is great, but today I absolutely had to leave this woman a review. Both of my children have been in a Montessori private school since they were 6 weeks old. Now that it's time for my daughter to graduate and move on to our home school, Emelita. I was beyond worried and scared not knowing much about the public school system. I have heard so many stories about bullying and other things. BUT, I have to say, Ms. Samar the School Administrative Assistant was SO amazing! She dealt with all of my "new, crazy mom" questions, calmed me down, had tons of patience, and made sure to make me feel as comfortable as possible. I am so lucky that this is the school my daughter will be attending. read more

I'm a parent who lives in the neighborhood, and went to this school as a child. My child has been there 2 years. The after school care program Soaring Eagles is Excellent! The people that run it truly care about the kids and I feel my daughter is safe there and very well taken care of. The Principal really cares about the school and is always involved with all aspects of the school even after hours. I realize that dealing with the LAUSD is frustrating, and although both teachers my child has had at have been excellent, I have a concern with the participation levels of the teaching staff. At our recent Harvest Festival, I was disappointed to see that only 6 of the 24 teachers at the school were at the event! I believe this is in part to VERY low parental participation at the school. The few parents that have taken an active role in the school are left feeling frustrated and overworked. It is slowly improving, but can be much better. If teachers see the parents passion for their kids education then perhaps they will join the teachers who are already going that extra mile. Without a firm commitment from parents and teachers, no school will prosper - it s a symboitic relationship! read more