Braddock Drive Elementary School, K-5 (Public)

This school has been amazing for us. We have two children at Braddock, and not a day goes by where my kids don't rave about something they have learned, the teachers they have, and the friends they have made. Having also come from private schools (like other reviewers have mentioned), we were so pleasantly surprised by the small class sizes, the VERY pristine classrooms and the wonderful resources that are present in a LAUSD school. We feel that we 'hit the jackpot' with Braddock. -- very blessed indeed. We would recommend this school HIGHLY! It has been superb.

Braddock Drive Gifted Magnet is an amazing program. Coming from a private school I was a bit terrified but my daughter and I both fell in love with the amazing group of magnet teachers. They are amazing!!

I can only speak with certainty about the gifted magnet program at Braddock, it is a wonderful opportunity for any child that is 'identified' gifted through LASUD. Like the previous comments from parents it is like giving your child a 'private school' education without the cost. My son is doing very well even with the challenging curriculum. The teachers are developing these students into the leaders of tomorrow. The students are taught 1-2 grade levels above the grade level standards for LAUSD. The principal and the staff really care about every student and it shows!!! Call the magnet office and ask for a tour...you will not be dissapointed.

The Magnet program is wonderful it is indeed an undiscovered gem. Small classes and gifted students create a fast paced challenging learning environment. Joyce and the teachers are superb and put the childern first. Don't make the mistake of judging the school by it appearance. It is really a diamond in the rough. The childern are very nice. The playground is well supervised and very little bullying is evedent UNLIKE Cowan Ave school in near by Westchester where bullying and disruptive students were allowed to degrade the quality of education in most classes. My daughter came into this school with potential and has really excelled. My daughter's test results were near perfect! Socially the same childern advance with each other from class to class. This allows them to develope real friendships and improved social skills. This was a real frustration with Cowan Ave School. Westchester parents please take a look !

Braddock Elementry has a gifted program that is far better then the private school my daughter was previously attending. Gifted children think differently then other kids and it's imperative to find a teacher who speaks their lanquage of intelligence. My daughter scored high on the CA Standardized Tests and she was able to get in. There is still room in the second and third grades as of this writing, Oct. 1, '08.

Regarding the Magnet program, it's an undiscovered gem. Small classes, gifted students. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade teachers are amazing, creatively adapting the curriculum, using technology to extend the learning,actively teaching at a high level. They genuinely care about the unique learning profile of each one of their students. The instuction in writing is very good. Very diverse population and the teachers capitalize on the different backgrounds and interests of the students and families. The 5th grade in the magnet is the exception, very low level of instruction, no creative assignments, and a very unpleasant class climate (bullying, name-calling, cliques, etc.). Magnet is not really integrated with the home school, except when it comes to including the magnet school's CST/STAR test results so that the home school can get out of Program Improvement.

Wonderful teachers ans staff. Students learning is enhanced by the use of technology.

I think the principal is a 4-star instructional leader who strives to make the school a superior school in all aspects, instruction, environment, inclusion and pride.

This was my son's first year at Braddock Elementary. The classroom was tough. Not the assignments, but the structure of the class; the way the instructor presented the material to the children. However, there was an angel sent to the school as the assistant principal interm. Mr. John Haydel was awesome!!! He was able to reach many of the children during his time on campus. He was truly a God send.

I would like to say 'Thank you' to all of the teachers and the principal for making my child's last year at Braddock a wonderful experience. I will truly miss the nurturing learning environment that my child has experienced for the past seven years. The extra activities that were provided to the 5th grades this year were excellent. Please keep up the good work.

The school has an excellent source of after school care with the LA's BEST after school program. The activities they have for the children enrolled in the program are outstanding. A few years ago there was a change in the management of the program and ever since the program has just soared.They have dance, drill team, cooking, painting,talentshows, fitness and much more free of charge to dedicated parents.If you are lucky enough to be called off the waiting list, take advantage of this afterschool care. Although the new principal has alot of new ideas, she is too harsh sometimes when it comes to implementing things and her tone of voice. Some of the staff look more stressed out then before. But the teachers are of good quality I would love to see more involvement and creativity from the teachers like the LA's BEST staff has.

Braddock's new principal is a breath of fresh air for our school. I told her it was nice to see our children reading on the yard in the morning and not fighting. She said that she is excited to be at 'Brilliant Braddock' too. The students, parents and teachers are excited to have her as our new principal. Mrs. Gomez

Braddock Drive Elementary has provided my child with a great start. The teachers i met truly care and the principal has always made herself available to us. In my childs class there has been a high level of parent volunteers, something often found at expensive private schools.

I think Braddock Dr is a fair school. The quality of the teaching is good, but lacks creativity. The common complaint is that the text is rigid, but even so, the majority of the homework given asks children to regurgitate information provided, not to think and respond. The school lacks any extra-curricular activities and is visually unattractive. Students do not go to school to socialize and have fun. It is only to be drilled with information. I am for rigorous academics balanced with opportunities (before and after school) for social development and team building. I wish the community would offer team sports and better after-school programs. I also wish there was more grass and a more child-centered look to the environment.

This school use to be great until the new principle took over.In this school the parents are the once that run the place.As for the teachers, they really don't make the effort to teach the kids. On a report card I received from my childs teacher she said 'we give the students a grade even though we dont teach them that particular subject.The state just wants to see a grade, so I just give all the students the same grade'. Now I wouldn't like my child to receive a grade for a subject that they never took.

This is an excellent school. I have a child in the Gifted Magnet located on site and the staff is fantastic, they are truly concerned for ALL the children on site.