Pacific Beach Elementary School

San Diego, CA 92109-1856

Phone: (858) 488-8316
Fax: (858) 488-7852
District: San Diego Unified School District

9

GreatSchools Rating

public • Grades K-5 • 418 students

San Diego's Pacific Beach Elementary School serves grades K-5 in the San Diego Unified School District. It is among the few public elementary schools in California to receive a distinguished GreatSchools Rating of 9 out of 10.

Pacific Beach Elementary School is a public school in the San Diego Unified School District located in San Diego, CA. The principal of Pacific Beach Elementary School is Sherry Turner. As of 2015, the students are 57.2% White, non-Hispanic; 31.8% Hispanic; 6% Multiracial; 1.7% Asian; 1% Pacific Islander; 1% Filipino; 0.7% Black, non-Hispanic; and 0.2% Native American or Native Alaskan. 35.4% of students are participating in a free or reduced-price lunch program. 24.9% of students are english learners.

Student Ethnicities

Ethnicity School District State
White, non-Hispanic 57.2% — —
Hispanic 31.8% — —
Multiracial 6% — —
Asian 1.7% — —
Pacific Islander 1% — —
Filipino 1% — —
Black, non-Hispanic 0.7% — —
Native American or Native Alaskan 0.2% — —

Student Subgroups

Subgroup School District State
Students participating in a free or reduced-price lunch program 35.4% — —
English learners 24.9% — —

Navy
40-50 years old
Previously lived in: Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Herndon, San Diego
Bronze medal

Reviewed:

Pacific Beach Elementary is .7 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The school is laid back yet takes learning seriously. It is the only GATE/GATE Seminar elementary school in Pacific Beach. According to the San Diego Unified website, GATE's purpose is stated as, "Our mission is to advance the development of gifted, talented, and high potential youth through opportunities, student advocacy, and exemplary programs and practices."

  • Recommendations: There are 117 elementary schools in San Diego Unified. There are four elementary schools in Pacific Beach that all feed to the same middle and high school. Barnard Elementary is Mandarin Chinese and I've heard it's very good, but has its own specialty as do the other schools. Crown Point is good for musical students while parents interested in the International Baccalaureate route should have their children attend Kate Sessions. I taught at John Paul Jones Elementary and thought the principal and staff there were extremely helpful and accommodating towards military families. Coronado has exceptional schools, but is secluded so unless you live in Coronado it's a commute. Point Loma schools are very good. I've substituted there and have friends with children there.
  • Website: https://www.sandiegounified.org/schools/pacific-beach
  • What did you like? Before moving to California I lived in Virginia with one daughter in Gifted and the other homeschooled. I knew I wanted to live in Pacific Beach, but there are four elementary schools here. Barnard is Mandarin Chinese Immersion. Crown Point is music. Kate Sessions in International Baccalaureate. Pacific Beach is Gifted. I put in paperwork in Nov/Dec to choice my children into Pacific Beach Elementary the school year before their expected arrival. We didn't know where we'd live in PB. The teachers are excellent. There are after school programs, knowledgeable staff, after school clubs and a fantastic Parent Teacher Organization. Clubs have included academic and extracurricular such as Lego, Math, dance, and YMCA. Everyone could participate in the morning jogs and every classroom had assigned garden days. Students had a section of a garden where they tended and grew vegetables then ate them. The biggest culture shock coming from VA was the lack of state budget, but the PTO helped tremendously paying for a science teacher, field trips, resources, parent volunteer led in-class Art, along with a plethora of other school necessities. There are no busses or AC, but the classrooms had smart and energetic teachers keeping students thinking and learning. They took walks to the beach and library, dissected marine animals, and concentrated heavily on writing and Math. There were science projects, biography papers and culturally diverse activities to include everyone. There were night time family activities held at least once monthly and fundraisers where the community came together to raise money and sponsor the schools. My daughters attended third, fourth, and fifth grades at PBE and I'm glad I chose this school. My most favorite thing about this school was the lack of cliques and bullies. This was the most inclusive environment I could have chosen for a child and I've taught third, sixth, and eighth grades in VA and CA. I'd heard of some other Pacific Beach elementary schools having problems from parents both military and non-military, but not this school. I asked a few parents and staff as to why this is and the best answer I received was the staff. The staff at PBE care about the students and make sure all students feel confident in themselves so they can concentrate on studies and including others.
  • What did you dislike? I didn't like the lack of budget for extracurricular activities. Fundraising was a constant so the Parent Teacher Organization could raise money for teachers and students. I also didn't like how school was cancelled due to heat advisories, but that's a San Diego Unified School District issue because so many schools don't have air conditioning, including Pacific Beach Elementary.
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Navy, Officer
30-40 years old
Bronze medal

Reviewed:

This is a wonderful school many activities such as theatre, Spanish, math, heartlight, gardening, etc. There are also local activities advertised through the school for cheerleading, martial arts, sports, etc. K-5 on a traditional schedule (which we are in favor of). Active PTA. Before/After school care provided by 6 to 6 (free) or Klasic Kids (fee). Scored a 9 out of 10.

  • Website: http://www.sandi.net/pbe
  • What did you like? I love that this school is so active and involved. Parent involvement is excellent which is partly what makes this such a great school. There are various activities throughout the year and the afterschool activities are plentiful. I love the garden, science and art class programs as well. We have a first grader who loves Mrs. Reynolds!
  • What did you dislike? I wish there was a bit more supervision in the morning and afterschool. I dislike the fact that San Diego does not provide bus service as a regular service. We are also very disappointed in the food that is served to students. It does not look appetizing nor healthy by any means therefore we chose to send our child with her own lunch. Another disadvantage is that this school feeds into Pacific Beach Middle which could be a great school and has excellent academics, wonderful community service focus and various sports, however the student population/behavior issues could use some attention.
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# Name Type City State Overall Rating Distance
1 Ocean Beach Apartment Complex San Diego CA 4.4 mi
2 Riverfront Condominium Rentals Apartment Complex San Diego CA 6.1 mi
3 Mission Hills Neighborhood/Subdivision San Diego CA 6.3 mi
4 Spectrum Center Blvd, Kearny Mesa Neighborhood/Subdivision San Diego CA 6.7 mi
5 The Heritage Apartment Complex San Diego CA 8.1 mi
6 Canyon View Neighborhood/Subdivision San Diego CA 8.2 mi
7 Apartment Apartment Complex Coronado CA 8.8 mi
8 City Heights Neighborhood/Subdivision San Diego CA 9.8 mi
9 Del Cerro Neighborhood/Subdivision San Diego CA 10.7 mi
# Name City State Overall Rating Distance
1 La Jolla La Jolla CA 2.9 mi
2 University City San Diego CA 4.3 mi
3 Loma Portal San Diego CA 4.7 mi
4 Old Town San Diego CA 4.8 mi
5 Old Town San Diego San Diego CA 5.1 mi
6 Mission Hills San Diego CA 5.7 mi
7 Serra Mesa San Diego CA 6.8 mi
8 Point Loma San Diego CA 7.2 mi
9 Broadway Pier San Diego CA 7.9 mi
10 Seaport Village San Diego CA 8.3 mi
11 North Park San Diego CA 8.5 mi
12 Gaslamp Quarter San Diego CA 8.5 mi
13 Kensington San Diego CA 8.9 mi
14 Coronado Coronado CA 9.3 mi
15 Mira Mesa San Diego CA 10.5 mi
16 Del Cerro San Diego CA 10.9 mi
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