3rd and 4th grade at Prospect Sierra Elementary

Hi there! I'm a current PS parent (Kindergarten) and the aunt of three PS students (4th, 6th and 8th). Our family has had such a wonderful experience at PS so far this year (My husband and I moved with our family to El Cerrito a year ago, my brother has been here for years). My husband and I have a very strong-willed, emotional daughter, and although we felt she'd be fine at Madera (local public elementary school), we felt she would really thrive at Prospect Sierra. I love the teachers.- they are all warm and incredibly inclusive, parent/teacher communication has been outstanding, class size is very manageable, and our daughter is really doing very well. Each grade has specialized classes every day (varies on the grade level), but for example in Kindergarten, our daughter takes Science, Spanish, PE, Art, Math, Music - and she loves every single class. I'm happy to talk with you anytime - and if you're looking to speak with someone in 4th, I am sure my brother would be able to speak with you as well. Please feel free to reach out. Good luck!

Kate Gibson

My son started Prospect Sierra in 4th grade this year. He went to a good school before but Prospect is a great school! It has so much to offer and my son is happy. I highly recommend it. The fourth grade teachers are kind and joyful. My son loves the library, science labs and Colab classes. 

Our children went to PS for several years. One starting in Kinder, one in 3rd grade. PS definitely has its plus and minuses: 

on the plus side, the campus is great including the library, music & art room. There is a lot of space for the kids to move around and at the end of 4th grade there is a fun field trip to Coloma. 
all in all, many parents are very friendly too and interested in forming a community. 
 

However, there are quite some disadvantages and these ultimately led us to leave the school: 

- teachers were hit or miss for us. Kindergarten and 4th grade were amazing, the years in between not so much. 
- our child didn’t fit the mold, and they had an extremely hard time

- academics were below our public school's level. 
 -we hired tutors and used private math programs to help our kids excel.  

Hi,

    I currently have a 3rd grader at Prospect Sierra and also a 6th grader who started in first. Overall, we love the school. The kids are happy to go everyday. There is no bullying. The SEL curriculum is outstanding and everyone, adults and kids are very emotionally regulated. And it really is an incredibly diverse community. The academics are solid but not amazing.  Teaching is really to the middle.  There is very little differentiation for math and Spanish is mostly coloring and songs until middle school (middle school Spanish is amazing). When there is a challenge with another student or teacher, the administration is very responsive. I wish it was a little more academically rigorous but overall, I have kids who love learning, love school, and are happy and well adjusted. Feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss in more details. 

Hi! 

We’ve been at Prospect Sierra since K and are now in 3rd grade. While the pandemic has created atypical school experiences, we are SO GLAD we spent them at Prospect. We were held through these years with a lens of love and strength and joy and our kiddo has thrived. 

PS infuses DEI and SEL throughout every subject and definitely has a social justice-minded curriculum. There’s a lot of work with the kids understanding their places in communities and the idea of being change makers. They are super strong on writing, reading and humanities. The specialty classes we love are art, music, colab, library and PE. 
 

We feel super supported by the administration and teachers. We also very much love the families with whom we get to share this elementary experience. Basically we found the a school that really fits our family and our kiddo. You are welcome to contact me if you’d like more details. I hope that helps! 

Hi, 

My son is in 4th grade at Prospect Sierra and we could not be happier. It’s a wonderful community for him and us. We have loved every teacher since kindergarten and appreciate the joyful and caring approach that the school takes to learning. The curriculum is fantastic, and it centers equity and justice. The science, music and art is amazing and my son loves them all. Overall I would say PS offers a great well-rounded education, focusing not just on the hard skills but also social and emotional elements. I would definitely recommend you reach out to the school for a tour and more info. Good luck!