I've always heard great things about PLAVAN and the entire Fountain Valley School District. All of the positive reviews are absolutely true. Plavan does have some of the finest educators in the country. The teachers here are passionate about what they do and always give it their most. I can certainly tell if teachers are burnt out by just observing them. I do not feel that vibe here at Plavan. The teachers here are smart, attentive, and genuinely care about the students and families that they work with. They are very direct and always open for communication. If you have problems they will try to work with you personally until the issues are resolved. Kudos to the Principal, Dr. Ham. He is truly an exceptional boss. He takes good care of his staff. In return, they take good care of the students. Dr. Ham is always out directing traffic in the morning. He knows the name of every student at Plavan and makes an effort to chat with all the parents. This man is very hands-on and leads by example. Shout out to Ms. Jill Summerhays who is the current district teacher of the year. I mean wow, my middle son got to be in her class for 2 years. He was taught by the best. And it shows with all the progress he has made. She has a very unique teaching style and deep understanding of my son's educational needs. She proactively communicates with us and promptly addresses any concerns that we have. Her aides, Ms. Roberta, Ms. Patsy and Ms. Jennifer are so patient and sweet. My son loves going to school. We really enjoy seeing pictures of him doing fun and creative learning activities throughout the year. From the very first day my son started school here, she was so sweet and made us feel comfortable. We felt the love and knew this was the right place for him to learn and thrive. Also shout out to Ms. Jenn Andrews. My oldest son has her this year and it has been wonderful. She would meet with us throughout the school year to discuss his progress and offer ideas and different ways we can help him improve his skills at home. She is an amazing teacher with a lot of compassion and a big heart. You can tell she really loves teaching Kindergarten and helping her students succeed. Her classroom aide, Mrs. Williams is so sweet and great with the kids. In general, Plavan has really set the bar for how a school should be. The front office staff is warm, welcoming and respectful to all the parents who come in. I feel that we get first-class treatment like at a private school. They also try to get the parents involved with the PTO as much as possible. Great job Plavan! read more

Just as another reviewer mentioned, last school year we also had a big issue with Mrs. Ballesteros handling of bullying and had to submit report to the district. She failed to contact us when our son was punched unprovoked on the playground and cried. She also did not contact the punching kid's parents. My son was not checked by a nurse. Both kids were promptly released back to class when the recess aid brought them in. When I found out about it through his little sister I asked the principal about it and she completely lied. She said that the other parents were notified and there has been discipline. Little does she know, I know of the parents. Mrs. Ballesteros said that the kids were daring each other and the nurse checked on my son. None of that happened. I had evidence of texts messages between me and the other parent confirming my son's account of what happened and that the school did not notify them either. Long story short. I presented this to the district and Mrs. Ballesteros had me come in and she totally admitted to lying about everything and that "the situation is just rotten and will never happen again." With a new principal at Plavan this year we feel more confident and optimistic. We see him out there directing traffic and being incredibly involved. Our kids tell us he is out there watching the kids during play everyday. This change is very nice. Also, the new added front office staffs helping Kathy are both wonderful. We are very happy. read more

This school, the staff, the administrators, they are all so perfectly placed!. We left our home school in search of a more enriching experience and what we found was that and so much more! From the moment you walk into the office and are greeted by the most kind and loving office staff to the principle and teachers, when you are here you know your kids are loved, taken care of and learning in the most enriching way possible. I will be eternally great full to what this school has done for my family! read more

We moved from LA County to OC 4 years ago and my preschooler at the time was entering kindergarten. I spent the summer months prior to the start of the school year researching and calling the different districts within the county for school rates, academic scores, student ratios, etc. Needless to say, I made a great choice with Plavan. So sad that the principal, Mrs. B., had decided to move on to another school after more than a decade at Plavan. But excited on the return of Dr./Mr. Ham. Not sure what title he's using. I highly recommend this year. read more

The teachers are great that my kids have had. They are top notch. The management is inept but I can ignore them. My oldest had the best split teachers Mrs Dejulio and Mrs Rieck. My youngest had Mrs Wallace and it was the 2nd kid with her as a 1st grade teacher. She is also great. Other teachers worth mentioning are Mrs Panzala in 3rd grade. Every kid leaving the school has big crocodile tears when they leave for middle school when they say goodbye to Mrs P. Looking forward to the upcoming year and a new set of twachers. read more

I have to admit this is one of the best public school in OC. From the staffs to the principal they are all nice. Here at plavan you can enroll your kid(s) for preschool and continue until 5th grade or just start them when it's time for kinder. It's my sons 3rd year being here at this school & before I had him enrolled here I had to narrow it down to a list of schools to see which one was the best and it came down to this one. Why is it the best? in my opinion because first off I gotta give it to the the PTO parents they hustle hard to make sure enough money is raised for the kids in order to have what they need for field trips, events , getting new chrome books , 5th grade camp etc. Basically try to get as much money in so the kids can be able to enjoy themselves and have fun. I try my best to make it out to all the events they have and it's always a good time and always such a good turn out of support . Second of all the teachers that my son have had were amazing ! Each and everyone he's had so far taught him so much everyday he's learning new things and just coming home and being so excited to tell me about his day . This school pushes their students to strive to be better, the first year my son was here as a kinder he was already reading 1st grade level books , then first grade he got to 3rd grade level reading and now being a second grader he reads Harry Potter chapter books at home which is surprisingly amazing . It seems like every year they learn something which is a grade higher which prepares them for the next year and so on forth which is good because it helps expands their mind and helps challenge them mentally and verbally. Im so glad I have him in this school compare to all the schools I hear about & seen they don't really have a strong support system which is very important in a child's life . If you live in the district of fountain valley or if you need to transfer your child to a great school bring them here you won't regret it ! read more

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Worst school ever the principle is inept and supports bullying ! As long as it is joke your free to do what u want to other kids my son has come home with marks like huge knots on his head and no one called no one said anything but my son finally saying he is being bullied when brought to the principles attention she supports the bullies side saying my son misunderstood the jokes .... so as long as it's done in fun as a joke who cares if your Child being kicked pushed or hit and then to teach my son who never had issue while coming here for years all of a sudden the he miss understand the bullies!!! They were joking and my son was in the wrong ? Wth ?? ... how disgusting of you MrsBallasteros !!! read more

Love this school so much but I'm in masuda middle right now but I visit plavan time my favorite teachers are Mr. Morton and mrs. Ryan will love plavan very much read more

This place is awesome. I went here before but now I am is middle school. Mrs. Rieck and Mrs. DeJulio are the best teachers ever. This school is one of the best! read more