My grandchildren were transitioned here from a very prestigious catholic school where they were not happy. I as the one who picked them up, was usually greeted with, "this was the worse day ever!" Some parents were friendly, however most were not. When we arrived at San Gabriel, I was surprised to be greeted by some very friendly people who I acknowledge as great friends now! That was the same welcome my grandchildren received from not only the students, but all the staff as well! Dr. Barillas has been so friendly and is always there when needed! She always makes it a point to come up and strike up a lil conversation with me when she sees me. I like that! At Other schools the principal hides. I don't understand why there is so much negativity. I feel we all should look for the positive and make this school shine! The education my kids are receiving is great! The classes are smaller than others which allows the teachers to be more hands on if the kids need help. I appreciate all of the staff here! Thank you for welcoming us. read more

My experience with SGMES has been nothing but great. Teachers & Staff are so welcoming and kind, it really makes dropping off my child so easy. Teacher to student ratio is ideal, tuition is extremely reasonable and the schools hot lunch is a big hit with my child. My child loves school, which says so much...but one thing that is so important to me is that she feels safe. Looking forward to the years to come where we can continue to experience the small but great community that is SGMES. read more

The principal of this school refused to write my child a letter of recommendation when we decided to part ways. My child is a good student and deserved the schools support when we decided to leave. Instead she referenced and obscure rule and claimed that it was not permitted by Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Since then my child has had to play catch up at their new school due to poor preparation by the staff at San Gabriel mission. read more

My children are currently in their second year at SGME, after having transferred in from a very prestigious institution. It was a transition due to their having to make new friends and leaving old ones behind. That being said, they have since developed good relationships with both peers and teachers alike. Unlike their time at their old school (which pick up always included the line "today was the worst day ever"), they are thriving both academically and emotionally. Reading the comments below starting from 2024, I am both saddened and confused. 1) Lack of communication? 1a) The school office sends out emails on a weekly basis and more if need be. Teachers also send out weekly updates apprising parents of what is going on in both the classroom and the school in general. Also, staff and faculty are easily approachable for additional information - my wife and I have never had an issue and we have had plenty of interactions/opportunities to speak of. 2) Lack of transparency? 2a) Having worked in a Catholic school for several years, I can tell you that the majority of these schools do not go out of their way to discuss or reveal financial statuses without it being absolutely necessary to do so - especially in today's economy. Truth is that we are seeing a mass decrease in student enrollment across the board in private (in our case Catholic) schools. When I was a kid, these institutions had REAL waitlists to get in, upheld and enforced rules and standards under threat of expulsion, and had an overburden of student bodies in the classroom. IF a parent threatened to pull their child, the schools had NO issue whatsoever of not only replacing that child, but waving goodbye as they leave. Now, these schools are struggling and figuratively fighting each other for any increase in enrollment that is still available all while having to make deals, shortcuts, or compromises to keep everyone happy whether or not it is right to do so. From a tuition standpoint (as explained in the meetings that we had this year) we pay significantly less than other schools AND less than the required cost of educating a single student (on average). Logically it makes sense then that financially we are not doing as well as we would like as a school. Considering everything though, the fact that the school is not yet borrowing money is impressive. Keep in mind that the Archdiocese has had to permanently close several schools over the past couple of years. Thankfully we are not one of them. 3) Issues with Dr. Barrilas? 3a) Everyone is entitled to their opinion, absolutely. Speaking for my family, we have nothing to complain about. Since we started here she has been informative, friendly, approachable, and has provided what I would expect of a principal. From my viewpoint, I believe her to be shy which is understandable considering she is not native to CA and, let's be honest, not all of us are the most outgoing people. She has stepped it up this year in terms of making herself present before and after school. When I drop off the kids and pick them up she is there - which again is actually NOT the norm for school principals. To be honest, even if she was not out and about it would not bother me as THAT is not her job nor her responsibility. Her job is to run the school to the best of her abilities. In today's social, economical, political, etc. climates, this is easier said than done. Now obviously, I did not know the previous principal. However, seeing as Dr. Barrilas has been here since 2022, perhaps it is time to look at the present and future in lieu of reminiscing about the past. 4) Staffing? 4a) Again, I was a teacher in a Catholic school before I eventually left, so I can speak to this. First and foremost, Catholic schools pay ridiculously low salaries at the elementary level. Salaries are based on a combination of experience, education, and student enrollment. The days of the "forever teacher" being at a single location are pretty much dead or unheard of. Teachers leave for better pay, better opportunities, or for other personal reasons. Faculty are also let go at times for reasons that the school literally cannot disclose. Again, I am only wrapping up my second year of involvement with the school, but from the looks of it students are happy and achievement is steadily rising. Considering the national damage that COVID created to our students' abilities I think we can all agree that steady growth is better than no growth at all. I believe we can thank our current teachers for that...no? 5) Community 5a) This one is a tricky topic as I do not want to insult anyone. That being said, this is neither the school's job, nor is it their responsibility. The parent volunteer committee has made it their mission to create opportunities for families to interact and bond. However, many of these events go on with low attendance or participation - which is sad and disheartening, but falls more on us parents than on the school or its members. read more

We are fed up! This school was once a strong, faith-based community -- a place where staff, students, and families felt connected; like family. Now, under current leadership, it's barely recognizable. By last year, we lost all of the strongest teachers and now we found out that TWO MORE are leaving- and who knows how many will get fed up and leave before the next school starts! The high standards the school used to have have faded: rules around behavior and dress code aren't enforced anymore -- and why should students follow them when the principal doesn't follow rules? For one, she brings her dog to school, even though the handbook says no animals are allowed. Is she outside greeting students in the morning? Nope! She can't bother to show up to work on time. If the leader doesn't follow the rules, why would the students? And even the campus is no longer clean or cared for like it was before. The school was completely remodeled and beautified a few years ago and now some of the beautiful spaces look more like storage rooms. Disgraceful, a loss for students and a waste of donor money. Parents are paying tuition but wondering where the money is going. Our grandchild will not be returning next year because we are tired of throwing money away. It's been heartbreaking to watch the destruction happen right in front of our eyes. read more

I didn't think it was possible but this school is getting worse. Principal Barillas has CHECKED OUT- no parents meetings, no communication and zero transparency. We pay tuition but have no idea where the money goes- what happened to spring "state of the school" meetings where we were told about, among other things, the financial health of the school?? The previous principal kept us aware of finances, even during the tough Covid time when income was stretched. Now we are just left to wonder. And with decreasing enrollment and the best staff gone (and now the after school care teacher Mrs. Davalos is leaving too!!) what are we paying this money for?? it's so frustrating and the worst part? DR. BARILLAS DOESN'T CARE! read more

The principal, Ana Barillas, needs to go! The parents are left feeling helpless with her as the "leader" of this school. It's sad to say but don't enroll your kids here until there's a new principal. As parents, we've tried everything we can to communicate our frustrations with her and we are constantly being left unheard. The only thing left for us to do is pull our kids out and hope that the archdiocese takes notice. We keep losing great teachers because of her inadequacy as a principal and leader. It's such a shame how one person can bring down what was once a fun vibrant school with amazing/caring teachers. read more

Ana Barillas has ruined this school and it will take years to fix everything she messed up from what Mrs. Eva Garcia did to build this school up. We used to take pride in sending our children to SGMES. Now, we are embarrassed to say we went here. After being with the school for 8 years we had it and were left with no other choice than to pull our children. Ana Barillas was the worst thing to happen to SGMES. We lost all our valuable teachers, she takes no responsibility for anything, never took the time to get to know the families, is dishonest, barely even shows up to work, does not communicate at all, blames others for her shortcomings and ruined the best school in the area. Our children are not even safe with her when she doesn't notify anyone that a lockdown is taking place and even the teachers on campus were not aware of what was going on and downplayed the entire incident to parents. I don't even want to think about what would have happened had it been a situation that was a true threat to safety. When she knew we were losing our most valuable teachers she kept it a secret so families would not leave. They didn't even get a proper farewell for all their hard work because no one knew ahead of time that they were leaving. SGMES used to be a tight knit community with lots of involvement with the families who would work together with our teachers and principal Mrs. Garcia. Once Barillas came we all welcomed her with open arms, but she wanted no part of it and pushed everyone away. All she cares about is her paycheck. AVOID THIS SCHOOL AT ALL COSTS AS LONG AS BARILLAS IS PRINCIPAL!! read more

SGMES is at an all time low- no confidence in the principal no direction no leadership- shes the definition of the devil in desguise - its so hard to watch her destroy the school and no one do anything about it - the curriculum is in total Disarray- she never answers emails - shes "always told" What we can say- no transparency at all - Wednesday is noon dismissal for teachers to collaborate, she hasnt had a staff meeting in months. We have no test scores as its not her job, as she says. She doesnt help mrs munoz in the front office who has always been a pleasant person Until now! So sad whats going on here- families are leaving and no one cares. She needs to go if she really cared about the school the community and the children she would resign - we dont get it ! Shes awful at her job ! read more

I didn't want to have to leave this review but I feel like it's necessary now to save other families from stress and heartache. The last two years at our once amazing little school have been HORRIBLE and the entire community is so sad. The new principal, Ms. Barillas, started in 2022 and immediately you could see either she didn't know what the heck she was doing or she just didn't care. At first some of us were trying to tell people to give it time and that she would warm up to us all but it NEVER happened. Countless families complained to the Archdiocese and they did listen to us and did not care. At the end of that year, 7 of the teachers were GONE- without warning or goodbyes and these were teachers who were there for YEARS and an important part of the community when it was thriving with the previous principal, Mrs. Garcia. This year we thought maybe things would settle down but they are so much worse. Ms. Barillas hired AWFUL teachers at the last minute and the kids are so unhappy and they aren't learning. morale has never been lower. Even though even more parents have complained, so many families decided not to return in the fall and the last teacher who was beloved left, the Archdiocese STILL is backs her up. We used to LOVE our community- it was a family. And now one person, with the backing of downtown, has destroyed all of that. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND ALL THE HEARTACHE and find a school with a leader who wants to be there. read more

The school WAS GREAT! As of 8/2022, the principal changed that! Now there is a lack of leadership, lack of community, lack of communication. It is awful! The school lost 5 awesome teachers because of this principal. The unprofessionalism of this principal speaks volumes. She doesn't show respect for our community nor does she connect with the students or families. Multiple complaints to the Archdiocese went nowhere. She is ruining what was once the best school in the area. read more

The principal from 2022 was amazing, then it went all downhill when Ms. Barillas took over as principal . Lack of communication, unapproachable , does not inform parents at all of what is going on. High turnover of teachers that have been with the school for years. PTAC is gone , fundraisers morale is down the drain. She is letting go of the TK teacher who is also the assistant principal! Complaints of a 6th grade teacher , who students and parents reported the classroom smelling of weed and smoking during school hours, ignored the complaints !!! DO NOT SEND YOUR KIDS HERE! This school is continuing to go downhill and will continue to lose families until they get rid of this principal ! Families that have been a part of this school are not being heard! Curriculum is not where it used to be either . We do not trust this principal at all! read more

My daughter joined the SGMES community in August 2021, and it was an amazing experience. The principal was very involved, considerate and showed professionalism. As of August 2022, however, a new principal has joined and she is absolutely terrible. Shows no involvement in the school community, very unprofessional, does not answer the phone and never makes time for the students. The junior high students have experienced 2 terrible teachers in 1 school year. Please parents, save your money. read more

Great community of parents and teachers all working together to give our children a wonderful education. P. Mata read more

Yelp needs to change the title of this. Too many "San Gabriel Mission" listings. Anyways, I knew some friends who used to come here, and I would visit them here. The SG Missions schools are pretty exclusive. I went to school down the road at SGHS, and we rarely heard anything about them. A little bit of a pity. read more

My family has been coming here for 5 years and it's been a rich positive experience. I love the rich history, strong ties to the community and high quality education & support my kids are getting. When new students come they are welcomed warmly by other students and are helped by their peers to get acclimated. I've been told many times this isn't the case at other schools. So that always makes me feel good. My kids love it here. ~NGonzalez read more

We love San Gabriel Mission Elementary School. It's a great school with nurturing environment. Many new clubs to join! Absolutely wonderful! Paul R read more

My children have been attending SGME for the last three years and it was the best decision we could have made for them. My oldest transferred to this school her 8th grade year and not only did they bring her up to grade level, they also prepared her for that transition into high school where she earned a merit scholarship. My two youngest boys have many health issues and the staff at SGME has not only been very supportive, they keep a close eye on them and keep open communication with me on a daily basis. Students are challenged and are given an opportunity to think outside the box. They offer a rigorous curriculum, an extensive list of extracurricular activities but most importantly children grow in their faith! We are truly blessed with such an amazing school read more

My son has been at this school for 2 years, he came in as a 5th grader. The staff are like family, they make it a point to really know your child, your family, and everyone surrounding your child. Ms. Munoz the front office clerk is more than her title, she is the glue that holds the school together. Ms. Garcia is our new principle and she has made a lot of great changes to better the school. The class sizes are great keeping them small so the teachers and students get the individual attention they need. We really do love the small tight knit family that SGME is. The Catholic values that our son has learned and continue learning are above everything else the most rewarding. I always talk so highly of this school and we are forever grateful for them. read more

Good catholic school. Teachers are nice and dedicated. If you looking a catholic school i recommend sg mission elem school. They provide a good catholic education and you will feel that safety of the students are not neglected. By:M.Balino read more

We have been part of the SGMES family since 2nd grade. My son loves it here! Everyone from staff to teachers really care about the students. There is a strong community participation in the school and church, it makes a big difference, it shows that parents care about the education of their children and they care about the school. There have been a lot of positive changes and look forward to the last years here at Mission. G. Cordova Family read more

Incredible school with fantastic, caring staff. Good teacher-student ratio. My kids have been thriving there academically, socially, and Spiritually for the past three years. Tuition is reasonable and the parish is filled with wonderful people. B. Tripp read more

As an alumni parent I am happy to review Mission Elementary as the best school experience for my two children and our entire family. We began our adventure in 1995 and in 2011 we graduated our youngest child. Mission Elementary school gave them a spiritual and academic foundation that we are truly grateful for. Today they are happy, well adjusted, civically engaged individuals that value their Catholic education. As a family we made friendships that have lasted more than 20 years. read more

There is nothing I can think of that I would change about this school. This has been my son's first year in TK and let me tell you, it has been excellent. The TK teacher and teacher's assistant are wonderful, the school staff also wonderful. My son has learned so much academically and the environment is nurturing and full of love. Cooking classes, PE, healthy lunches, school events, and an involved community of parents is what you get here. This is just TK and I cant wait to see how everything progresses. Even the fundraisers are fun. This school is feeding my son's mind and soul and it truly is a joy to see him grow in so many different aspects. Also while walking on campus I notice the older kids and they seem happy and are super polite and helpful which to me is a good sign. Plus all the teachers and staff truly seem to enjoy their jobs which gives me peace of mind since my son is in their care all day long. read more

The principal of the San Gabriel Mission Elementary School is the most rude, horrid women I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. My daughter had attended their annual fiesta to perform with her dance group. The school was gracious enough to loan us a classroom so the girls can change costumes. A mother had accidently knocked over a small vase on the teachers desk. She immediately cleaned the water off the desk and left a note with her contact information and a apology, offering to pay for the cost of the vase. The principal was informed of the accident, and immediately came into the classroom and berated the mother in front of every one in the room, including children. Insinuating that the act was done with malice and accused her of not respecting teachers. I found it shocking that a women in her position would treat an adult with such disrespect. What was even more shocking was the principal's reaction to me when I tried to defend the other mother. Not only did she try to scold me, she had the audacity of calling me rude as she turned her back and walked away as I was talking. I have NEVER felt so belittled and disrespected. This woman was RUDE, and I feel sorry for not only the children and teachers that are under her direction. I feel sorry for the parents who have the misfortune of dealing with this woman if there are conflicts that need resolution. I mean I was merely a guest at this school, which I can assure you I will never be again, I can only imagine how she treats those who actually attend the school. Very VERY disappointed. read more