Cleveland Elementary in Lakewood, CA is truly an exceptional school, and the reason it shines so…read morebrightly is the staff. From teachers to administrators and support staff, the people at Cleveland genuinely care about their students and go above and beyond every single day. At a time when schools everywhere are facing tough financial cuts and increasing challenges, the staff at Cleveland continue to create a nurturing, positive, and engaging environment for our kids. Their dedication, creativity, and commitment ensure that students feel supported, encouraged, and excited to learn--despite the obstacles they face. It's clear that this is more than just a job for them; it's a calling. The sense of community, care, and pride at Cleveland Elementary is something truly special. I wouldn't want my child to be anywhere else, and I'm incredibly grateful for everything the staff does to make this school such a great place for our children to grow and thrive.

They have fed us expired milk that was from 2023 now we are in 2024 had a lot of chunks in the milk…read moreit look like my 90 year old grandma crazy from the 9120

I went to this school from 2015-2018 and from kindergarten to the time I left in third grade not…read moreonly was I discriminated against for my adhd but also bullied and all they did was blame me and get me in trouble in stead, idk if it has changed but all I do know is that if you have a kid with adhd or any special needs who can be seen as a annoyance than be careful but again this might have changed

This School do not Handel situations with bullying at all! My daughter has been bullied from…read morekindergarten until now 2nd grade and they do not do anything at all! The damn principal is no help either, she was also sexually harassed by a few kids (boys) had lifted up her skirt to look under her skirt, when we brung it up to her attention and she likes one ear out of the other and did not do anything at all about it. The damn staffs are no help either! Spoken to many teachers & no action until this day to the bully's still havent been taken.

Do not put your child in the school try to find another school the kids are getting bullied. The…read moreprincipal doesn't care it's in a beautiful area. You would think the students would be as pristine as the area but I think they get them bus from south Central my child came home every day crying because he was getting picked on Principal doesn't care talk to her numerous times put your child in another school.

I go to that school and the teachers are cool and Ms Vega is really nice and lovely! I loved being…read morea student of hers!

Great school, great teachers, great experience so far!read more

My wife had issues especially with one old teacher who cursed at the students one about his weight…read more Someone needs to do a evaluation on the teachers and how many complaints they received

From my understanding, before this school switched to total dual immersion, it was the best. Many…read moreparents flocked to get their kids to ILC. Since the switch, it has gone downhill. My kid suffered serious bullying daily and the teachers and staff made excuses for the bully given that he was of their culture. If you are looking for a school whose focus is: pro-bullying, far progressive, and all things foreign focused, this is your school. The only reason I'm giving an extra star is because the after-school program is the only thing this school has going for them. I heard they recently got a new principal last year so hopefully things will change.

Just wanted to say that this school was real disappointment. My child went from preschool to 6th…read moregrade, was bullied for 2 years, never learned about American US history, never learned about historical and political figures that weren't democrats, never learned about capitalism and the benefits we have reaped under it. My kid saw pandering to non-traditional foreign values that have nothing to do with our our American heritage or experience. I found out by talking to other kids' parents that ILC was unique for indoctrinating kids with worthless social justice and leftist thinking. Except for the few teachers and staff that actually cared about the kids the administrative staff was ineffective and weak... especially from 2023-2024. If you want your kid to receive a mediocre education send them to the school.

We are not year-round family at Westerly, but we consistently return for their summer camp…read more Our eleven-year-old son had attended all the local summer camps in Long Beach--JCC, 49'er camp, the city's parks and recs--over the past few years, and he ranks Westerly the highest among all camp experiences. The staff is accommodating, the hours are flexible (7:30 am to 5:30 pm), and he has a great time.

What can I say. Our family loves Westerly! Our eldest started at one of Long Beach's blue ribbon…read moreschools, but with the huge classes we decided to take a look at Westerly and we couldn't go back. Since then all our kids have thrived in their Westerly experience. It starts with a sizable campus with a beautiful grass field for sports and activities, newly constructed learning studios and the amazing arts village. What a great place to learn. Then the passionate teachers and staff deliver a whole child program, with a better than 10:1 student/teacher ratio. The Westerly program includes: Curriculum and instruction - Enthusiastic teachers with a well thought out curriculum and small class sizes enabling teachers to adapt the curriculum to the needs of your child. Technology/STEM - Westerly recently hired a full-time Director of Instructional Technology to enhance an already strong technology/STEM program throughout the curriculum. Think coding in class, 3D printing, science and engineering fairs, etc. Visual and performing arts - Incorporated in the curriculum is an annual school-wide play lead by the folks at TKTC. The visual arts program is second to none with the kids being exposed to public arts projects, ceramics in the new ceramics studio, mixed media, painting, photography, etc. I wish I could take the classes myself. Wildcat, the after school program is a blessing. Our kids beg to go to Wildcat to play with their friends, work on yearbook, take film, dance, music, robotics and other after school enrichment activities. Athletics - A legitimate, well-run PE program with enthusiastic instruction and basketball, volleyball, football teams throughout elementary and middle school. Music - Every child takes both general and instrumental music as part of their Westerly experience. Spanish - Kindergarten through 8th grade all the kids get introduced to the Spanish language through a dedicated Spanish instructor. Leadership - This is quite possibly one of the most amazing parts of the curriculum. Continuing on the theme of whole child education the Director of Student Affairs leads an amazing program that goes so beyond student council, creating leadership opportunities for so many children. Programs like student council, district representatives, green team, etc., start in Kindergarten and the kids grow in responsibility as the children grow themselves. Each child also gains leadership responsibilities as a student mentor, where each older student is paired with a younger student as a mentor. Service learning and field studies - As the kids grow in maturity so do the service learning and field studies. Our children have enjoyed trips to Catalina and other local camps, but the highlight of the program is a one week trip in 8th grade where the whole class travels to Nicaragua to conduct a service learning project, practice their spanish, and are exposed to a different culture and way of life that they are used to. Community - Westerly is a place where without question every family places a priority on securing a great, well-rounded education for their children. Being in an environment like this is so fantastic. Independent school is not cheap, but in our minds it's the best gift we can give to our children. Westerly also offers significant financial aid support, so if that is an issue be sure to discuss your situation with the school to see if they can make something work for your family. P.S. This may sound like a paid ad, but it's our true feelings about this place. It's really special.

I promoted from this school just yesterday. After 7 long, hard years, I finally finished. I was…read morethere from kindergarten to 6th grade. Though this is a great school, and I just want to rate it better, there were many flaws after COVID-19 ended, sort of like the school is slowing reaching its downfall. In grade 6, many bad things happens. We got a new principal. His name is Jim Watwood (Mr watwood). He has a bad sense of trouble. He does NOT know how to discipline the correct kids. The kids in the wrong always get away with things. Once, a friend of mine made a joking video, that another guy took the wrong way, and sent him death threats. Guess who got in trouble? The guy who sent death threats? No. My friend. Mr. Jim Watwood has quite a history of bad discipline, even in his first year. At promotion, he acted like such a great principal. We have also dealt with unfair dress code. Some of the kids younger than us dressed...interestingly. However, when we were their age with their teachers, we would've gotten dress coded in .5 seconds. In grade 5, the teachers were kind of mean. They talked a lot about how we were quiet so we couldn't get into college, yet in reality we were just terrified of them. Not super nice. We have had bathroom problems all of the time. Bad smells, bugs, clogged toilets, rusty/moldy mirrors, etc. the school actually used to have a REALLY bad problem with cockroaches. The school was infested or something. They would be in classrooms, in bathrooms, in the cafeteria, and so much more. Though, I haven't seen one since probably late September 2023. In grade 4, one of the teachers was usually in a bad mood. She used to make kids cry. There was really nothing THAT bad about grade 4. Everything else about the school wasn't that bad. Though, I must warn anyone who may enroll their children in this school, in 5th grade, we had 4 different principals. The school overall wasn't that bad. I made many memories, and I will miss it. Some teachers are so so very nice though. All teachers have a mean and nice side, just watch out for some of the younger grade teachers. They can be really mean to younger, and even older kids. I will miss you Stephen foster.

A trip down memory lane..Attended kindergarten 1960, with Mrs Nelson, an old burned out teacher who…read morehad to teach despite not wanting to. Took it out on her 5 year old students. Pretty pitiful person.My 1st grade teacher I cant remember. 2nd grade teacher was nice, but didnt teach much, and I still remember my moms frustration with the teacher. Moved to Garden Grove in 1963, and was amazed at how high the teacher quality was compared to Stephen Foster. Sounds like the present principal shouldnt be in charge of an ant farm. Oh well, the school looks better then when I last saw it in June 1963.

Both of my kids attend this school and the teachers and staff are all amazing. Very dedicated and…read morecaring teachers who you can tell truly enjoy their job. The principal is also awesome and enjoys her work. You can tell everyone pours their all into the kids every day. Absolutely love this school!

Great school and great staff. The kids are great. Education starts at home, I was so shocked to see…read morethe material these kids are learning and how well behaved they were! Thank you parents for raising amazing kids!!!!