I applied for the lottery believing this was the best possible school my daughter could go to. I…read morehad previous connections to some staff and the best principle I've ever met, Greta Bouterse. I absolutely love Frau Claudia & Holt, and despite my multiple requests being denied for my daughter to be in the latter's class, after jumping through all of the other hoops, we put her in the school anyway. Sadly, just after the cutoff date for applications to other charter schools closed, Superintendent David Sciaretta and the Board deviated from their charter, firing Principal Bouterse under suspect circumstances, truly undermining the foundation of the school and damaging relationships with parents, faculty and staff. This single blow has been truly devastating to our community, and has shattered our confidence in Sciaretta and the Board, who seem corrupt, power-hungry and lack transparency and integrity. We have yet to receive a reason for this firing, after 23 years of excellent service by Greta, 12 as Principal. Furthermore, despite parents and faculty showing up en-masse to meetings, airing grievances and raising objections, with hundreds more emailing in, requesting that Superintendent Sciaretta and the Board hold true to their charter and divulge information, all requests unheard or denied. On site, there is consistent physical assault, bullying, teasing, and unhealthy, unsafe, and unnecessary negative interactions that are not being resolved in quality manners. Office staff deny requests for restorative justice, there is no on-site nurse, and many of the teachers lack quality pay or resources to support their needs. Many of whom are paying out of pocket for supplies, with parents also donating to make up the difference. All this while Sciaretta has spent over 300,000$ on advertising and has a ridiculously large salary as well. The administration of Sciaretta and the Board is appalling, injust, disheartening, and disappointing. Many efforts are being made to protest, demand transparency and a return to the schools charter. I will be enrolling my child in a different school next year. It is pathetic and unconscionable to see the downfall of this school, once a heralded, prestigious institution of our community. Do NOT SUPPORT this corrupt administration, demand justice be served!

Love this school, my daughter is blessed her teachers and staff are amazing and a great influence…read morethank you all

Pros: nice, safe…read morearea. Front office staff is darling and genuinely kind (Michelle, Gloria, Delia). P.E. Teacher genuinely is passionate about his job. Cons: a lot of this staff seems as though they're doing the absolute bare minimum to get through each day in order to collect a pay check. TK teacher gives out candy every single day as a motivator for 4 year olds and will argue with you about it if you ask her not to give your child candy. "I have 18 other students." The first week of school she said "your son is so smart. I will make sure to give him work for his level." I never heard anything about that again, we never received one worksheet for homework. Not even abcs or days of the week. If you look at her class page, she never even updated it past the third week of school. TK teacher uses television daily to keep kids occupied. My son mentioned to me that she plays paw patrol. Why paw patrol? That's not even educational. TK -1st grade stores their lunchboxes and water bottles outside instead of in cubbies in the classroom (and it's been 80 degrees outside daily). Meanwhile, the teachers have a nice air conditioned lounge with fridges to store their food in and dine in. (Which I've had to wait inside before during my son's assessment) Cafeteria has no air conditioning. Principal will ignore your emails and then say hi to you every day afterwards like nothing happened. We had an assessment with the kindergarten teacher the week before school and she was coughing, sneezing etc with no mask on and had her snot filled tissues on the table right next to my son. Needless to say, our entire family got sick for the first week of school. So my son had to go to his very first day sick with a mask on. She determined that he was at a "4th or 5th grade reading level" but said "there's nothing I can do for him". The school didn't even make an effort. She also said she would connect us with the OT to get him an assessment for behavioral therapy. We never heard anything about it again afterwards. No playground, no grassy areas, no trees on campus. There is only asphalt and a piece of astroturf. It looks as though there's a playground attached to the school from the outside, but it is not used by the school. I agree with another google review that said this place needs an upgrade. And some staff definitely needs to update their educating style instead of clearly dragging through every day, counting the minutes until their retirement. The kids deserve better

After actively engaging with this school for over a decade, I am thrilled our students graduate…read morewith skills that inspire a love for learning! Being a teacher is of the highest calling or service! The late Reverend George Walkers Smith's vision was and remains: "The educational and learning imperative is we must embrace every child as a gift to society because we never know which child will one day have the answer to cancer."

I do NOT like this school. I went here a couple of years ago and let me start off with talking…read moreabout the primetime staff. The old supervisor sucked balls and was a very sh1tty person she would always yell at kids and not care about them. The supervisor would always make up lies about children and even talk sh1t about them when all of them left which is why I had to drop out because of how careless they were to kids. Let me also talk about the music teacher she was racist,disrespectful and judged kids about how they would play with certain instruments that she provided us the p.e teacher is also a very careless person and I don't not like her at all she was very very bratty and had a bad attitude towards kids?

I've had 2 children attend McKinley Elementary School. One just graduated from there and one is…read moreentering 3rd grade. This school has been phenomenal and has gone above and beyond. We have experienced different teachers year, and each one has been more than exceptional. They have been absolutely lovely, caring, thoughtful, smart, and have the best interest of our kids, their classmates, and even their community in mind. They have been taught not only the basic academics, but also how to be a good human in this crazy world, and how to lean on community and their peers to grow and become educated. I have felt like the teachers have always kept the individual student in mind, and advocated it on their behalf for all of their needs. The school, the teachers, the staff, down to the janitors....Absolutely lovely. The community that is involved at Mckinley Elementry school is the absolute best. There is a constant fundraising happening by the parents and community to support Mckinley's vast programs. The jog-a-thon, Sono Fest, the Gala, etc. Programs like music, theater dance for, art, and Spanish, our kids have been getting a very well rounded experiences in elementary school.

My son had an I.E. P. and did not make any progress. I have talked with other parents, and it…read moreturns out the current principal, Mr. Baeza has let the school fall apart. He says all the "right" things, but the actions (minimal) are different than the words. My child was not improving, and I had to seek other options. Very disappointed in Mr. Baeza.

Mr Baeza, the current Principal, is now producing a generation of lesser readers and just going…read morethrough the motions. As a result of his failure to oversee the effectiveness of his staff, my niece was required to seek outside support for reading and comprehenstion so not be left behind in grade lecvel. Shame on you Mr Baeza!!!!

My 1st kid loved it all the way from K until she graduated 8th and moved to a high school. Now I…read morehave 2 other kids going here. I remind them they have choices and can go to any school yet they insist on staying at museum until they graduate. We have seen many staff changes over the years but the core values seem to carry on. Its a small tight-knit school with around 25 kids per grade. Miss Jaleh TK and Miss Diana K are the perfect teachers to kickoff your kids learning journey. The drive thru lane for drop offs and picks ups is top.

So far, I am impressed. I was unaware this school existed until we moved back to the district and…read moremy child couldn't return to their old school, or any other of the regular area schools we preferred due to Choice being over for the season (and us not being zoned to them). During my search, I stumbled across the Museum School, and it looked a little too good to be true. I also noted that they historically had a waitlist, so I was pretty sure it was going to be a no-go. I called anyway, and as it turns out, they had an opening in my child's grade level. I made an appointment for a tour. Every staff member I met, from the director to the office admin to each instructor, was friendly and welcoming. The kids looked and sounded happy. It was reassuring that my bright, school-loving child would be having fun, engaging in activities like fitness and art and music, but also be appropriately challenged with a good curriculum. This is not a self-led program, it isn't play-only--it's actual instruction with plenty of room to enjoy learning and discovery. To me, having come from a family of educators at the grade and high school levels, this marries the best of both worlds. It is both academic and hands-on, and my young child even has homework, but it isn't excessive. The kids actually get outside in the fresh air to play, and I have been welcoming the dirt on my little one's socks as a sign of a day well spent. I took time to actually read through the parent handbook, which I have done for each school we've been part of. Nowhere have I seen as thorough a section on what constitutes appropriate behavior between staff and students, and how both should feel empowered to address situations that feel inappropriate--I was absolutely floored, and my inner teen had a moment of healing and validation reading through the text. It brought an additional sense of peace around the decision we made to enroll here. This is a diverse staff and campus, with a diverse representation of humans who trust them with their children. I look forward to seeing how this school will positively impact mine.

My children have been attending here since gradeschool up to highschool. They have truly thrived at…read morethis school. The environment is supportive, and the staff genuinely care about each student's well-being and growth. Over time, I've seen my kids develop not only academically but also in their individual talents and skills. The school offers a well-rounded experience that encourages creativity, critical thinking, and confidence. We are very grateful to be part of this community.

Distinct and creative perspectives of artistic expression all the students have contributed greatly…read moretowards this project. Bravo teachers!!!