There is good news and bad news about the school system for the Rancho
Bernardo/Poway area.
The good new is that it is a good school system – the qualifier is “for
California."
California education ranks lower in many areas than does Louisiana, Arkansas –
you pick the state. In reading, the National Report Card in 2005 ranked
California ahead of only the District of Columbia and Hawaii!
As a state, we could improve our reading standards by hiring the displaced
teachers from Louisiana who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina!
The local newspapers specialize in North County descriptions if “improvement”
without admitting that the improvement is from an unsatisfactory base. The Poway
Unified School District is about as good as a reasonable-priced neighborhood can
afford.
Thirty years ago – or so – The North County Times called me the “Poway Unified
School Districts most constant critic.”
I was.
They have gotten a LOT better! They have only one school (Valley) that is on The
No-Child Left Behind “unsat” list. The District is so good that I am surprised
they have even once such school.
That said – there are better County school districts – La Jolla, Torrey Pines,
Coronado – but you must have serious money to live in those districts. The PUSD
has many reasonably priced homes.
I spent more than a decade teaching computer science at a local university both
at the graduate and undergraduate level. I taught many teachers.
My criticism of the PUSD today is only that they are not so good as they
proclaim they are, and they need to get a LOT better.
But then so does everyone else in California. PUSD just has less distance to
travel.
Just the facts.
While only one school failed the Federal criteria, several schools had troubles
with State criteria:
Met Met
PUSD Met All Math
English Met Graduation
Elementary Schools Criteria Language
Adobe Bluffs Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Canyon View Elementary No No No Yes
Chaparral Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Creekside Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Deer Canyon Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Garden Road Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Highland Ranch Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Los Penasquitos Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Midland Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Morning Creek Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Painted Rock Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Park Village Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Pomerado Elementary No Yes No Yes
Rolling Hills Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Shoal Creek Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Stone Ranch Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Sundance Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Sunset Hills Elementary No Yes No Yes
Tierra Bonita Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Turtleback Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
Valley Elementary No Yes No Yes
Westwood Elementary Yes Yes Yes Yes
