Martinez Public School District

Jan 2012

Does anyone know anything about Martinez schools, and specifically the middle and high schools? We are nervous about the proximity to the oil refinery. We are considering moving over there, but its hard to get a sense of what a school is like. We have checked out greatschools reviews, but there is very little current feedback there. Where else can we get a sense of whether that will be a good place for our daughters? Do you have any personal experience? Help!

As a recent former resident of Martinez, I wanted to offer some info about the public schools. My perspective is that of the parent of a special needs student. We spent several years trying to get our child qualified for special education services in Martinez. Finally, after several district assessments and three private ones (including Kaiser and a well-respected neuropsychologist), she was qualified. But the district made a very minimal offer of services. We spent those four years paying for private school, an aide, OT and psychotherapy out of pocket. Since we had exhausted our limited resources and couldn't afford a lawyer, we moved to a more responsive district.

I realize this may not apply to your situation, but it may be helpful as a barometer of the district's attitude. The refinery was also a major concern; unfortunately, when we bought a house there we didn't realize just how close we were to it (it was hidden behind some hills and we didn't investigate the area enough.) If you decide to move there, I'd suggest looking into the Virginia Hills area off Alhambra, as that is considerably farther away from the refinery. We often could smell chemical odors coming from the refinery. To be fair, we did have some neighbors with older kids who liked the high school. Glad to be elsewhere