The Gillispie School has been a dream realized for our family. I attended Gillispie as a child and…read morecherished those formative years--so enrolling our eldest in the Early Childhood Program in 2022 felt like coming home. From day one, we were struck by the school's deep commitment to character development, curiosity, and collaborative learning. Our son has truly flourished, thanks to the exceptional teaching staff who nurture not only academic growth but emotional well-being. Their dedication is evident--years later, our son still greets every teacher and staff member by name, and they warmly do the same. Gillispie fosters a strong, inclusive community that extends beyond the classroom. We've found lasting friendships with fellow like-minded parents who share our values around education and kindness. Our middle son starts in the Littles Cottage this fall, and we couldn't be more excited for his journey. Gillispie is everything we hoped for--and more.

As a parent to a Kindergartener at Gillispie, I could not be happier with the experience our family…read morehas had during our first year at the school. We have felt supported by the entire team of teachers and staff who are attentive, proactive and caring. Our daughter's confidence and skills have grown tremendously, and we love that she gets a well rounded education including specialty classes.

Okay, the year is nearing its end and I just want to talk about the teachers. The teachers I've had…read moreat my time at this school have been relatively good; atleast compared to my old school. First off, my favorite teacher, Mr. Phillips. Right now, he teaches accelerated 7th-grade math and regular 8th-grade math. He's an excellent teacher and has made class much more fun and his classroom has become a safe space for me and many others. He's kind to his students and genuinely helps us when we need help. He does not belittle us (his students) when we ask questions and even encourages questions get asked. At the end of class, in order from the attendance sheet, he has one student try and score a basket in a miniature basketball hoop. Overall, he is a great teacher and I wish I could have him next year. Second, Mrs. Selby. Her class is fun and calming; her classroom is perfect when you're exhausted from going back and forth across the campus all day. She's kind to her students and she is (in my opinion) pretty funny. Her assignments are informational and comprehensible while also being fun and not overwhelming. She does not assign hours of busy work when we near breaks or when we have a substitute teacher, and she assigns just enough work for us to leave class at the end of the period without homework. All in all, she's a great teacher and super understanding. Next up, (the infamous?) Mr. Ruiz (also known as Mr. Rizzless to some). I've seen other reviews claiming that he has physically abused his students. Which, from my experience is not true and I have never heard of or seen this happening to anyone of his students. He does assign overwhelming workloads, especially at the end of class saying he doesn't get paid enough for this (that does not excuse this though). Just about every day, countless students along with myself leave his class with HOURS of homework which, of course, is not fun. People joke about this as a way to cope, mostly saying things like, "Mr. Ruiz assigning 100 Ck-12s 5 minutes before the bell rings," or, "Mr. Ruiz assigning a 5-part project less than a week before school ends be like." Sometimes he is pretty funny but his assignments are horribly timed and the workload is terrible. In the end, he's not the greatest teacher but he is certainly not the worst. Now, about Coach Gray. He's a super nice teacher and I am glad to have been in his class. His expectations are not high at all and are easy to meet. He is very reasonable and cracks jokes in the middle of class. The way he grades his class is unique as well. He grades his students in terms of participation rather than skill in the subject. This creates equal opportunities for all students no matter any handicaps or limitations they face. Overall, he is a great P.E. Teacher and I believe more coaches should teach classes like him. And now, Mr. Tindall. I had his class for a short period of time but he was super mean. I am a pretty decent student. I pay attention in class, complete my work to the my best ability, maintain focus on the subject, and participate to the best ability. However, while I was watching him teach my class a lesson one day, I was silent and had a complete focus on the problem we were working on, when he called on me and commented on me in a rather rude manner. I would rather not repeat this comment in this review but I am glad I am no longer in his class. He is grouchy and rude. He also makes no effort to make lessons easier, or fun, or even put any effort into being somewhat kind to his students. Next, Miss Silva (Mrs. Silva). She is an okay teacher. She can be understanding at times when extensions are needed for assignments and can be kind. Though she has these qualities, her workload can be unbearable and at this time, is unbearable. It is extremely overwhelming, especially at the end of the year when the grading period is almost done and people are trying to raise their grades. Overall, her workload could definitely use improvement and I think she should be a bit kinder to her students. This is all for now due to the sheer length of this review. Thanks for reading this far!

Over the past few years that my friend and I have been here, the school claims to be a no place for…read morehate school, but rarely acknowledges the bullying, racism, and way more. Teachers that we have not had good experiences with include Mr. Ruiz, Ms. Newman, and Ms. Turnbull. The past experiences that I have had with Mr. Ruiz have not been well. He has been anything but positive, and is CONSTANTLY discriminating against his students. He picks favorites, and his class is extremely hard to manage with, along with all of his students being out of control. To add on, Ms. Newman fails to ever properly teach her class, usually leaving students confused with their work, and unable to complete many assignments with her multiple classes along with how much work she assigned. Now for the biggest problem, Ms. Turnbull. While me and my friend have been here, we haven't experienced anything positive in her class, we have been heavily discriminated against multiple times. We have been nothing but kind and hardworking students, but are yet to receive any type of appreciation or support. In my friend's words, "How she has been treating us is completely unacceptable and makes the class unbearable and makes me not look forward to school" we have been dreading going to her class, knowing that it is hard to get a good citizenship grade in her class, or even an ounce of respect. FIX TS NOW.

The best teachers are so polite and kind they help everyone who ask for help there they always…read morebring the kids out with a big smile on their face

Let me start by saying, this review is long overdue and our child is only in Pre-K!…read more The Evans School is more than a school, it's a family. At the core of this family is The Evan's School's "21 values." These 21 values serve as the foundation for the children's development. While most kids who attend a private school in La Jolla come from hard-working established families, the goal is aimed at developing the children into good-hearted and kind human beings.   Every morning starts with the pledge of allegiance and The Evans Pledge, " I promise myself today, to feel, to think, to speak and to act, only in accord with those things which are good and true and beautiful." How's that to start your day? ;) In a discussion with a group of well-educated parents whose children also attend Evan's, the question came up about investing in your child's development in earlier vs. later years. Everyone agreed that it's all about investing in the foundation of learning now in the younger years. This sets the stage for learning and gives them the tools they need to breeze through junior high school, high school and college if they choose to attend. Several Evans Alumni go on and attend prestigious colleges and many go straight to entrepreneurial endeavors or perhaps lives of service in the military. Regardless of what the student ends up doing later in life, the foundation for learning and The Evans values are engrained in each and every student so that they go on to become GOOD HUMANS.  If you're still reading and this resonates with you, then I suggest you set up a private tour of the school. That being said, I'm writing this during the COVID-19 pandemic and the kids are currently staying home. Unlike other schools, The Evans School immediately shifted gears and went to online learning leveraging Zoom and other software platforms so the kids could resume the much-needed structure and environment that they crave. I'm not going to lie, this was also much needed for our own sanity having at least one child attending school Monday - Friday.  I could not possibly give The Evans School a high enough rating. It's the type of place that creates raving fans and most importantly good humans. Alumni now send their children to the school. They continually honor grandparents and our military. It's not for everyone as it is more traditional in a world that seems to have abandoned more traditional values. I personally chose a path of service as a firefighter/paramedic and entrepreneur. My wife and I will continue to do whatever it takes to send our son to this amazing school because our priority is developing a strong foundation in learning while simultaneously instilling the values that create extraordinary humans.

We really liked this school, the polite staff, but especially this wonderful garden which is…read morelocated on the school grounds.

I went there for 4 years of elementary school. If you're wondering if you should send your kid here…read morethe short answer is maybe. If your kid/s works better in a bigger environment then it's ok. If your kid works better in a smaller environment then you may want to pick another school. When they added a new spanish teacher though, I felt I didn't learn spanish as well. It's more just the culture. Which is fine but they said we'd be learning more spanish. The rest of academics is great and they will give you a tutor if you need. They also have great counselors, the one I know the most is Ms. Kate the military counselor. They really do help although you can't tell them if you don't like your teacher because they tell. The social life their interesting. There is much drama and kids wearing full on eyeliner. If you don't want your kid struggling to make friends/keep friends or complain about the drama in their 5th grade life then maybe don't send them here. One more thing, the kids are over educated in subjects other then school. I learned about *it* at a very young age due to those friends. Overall, ok for a public school but could use some improvement.