Corona Creek School

This school does well academically. They pride themselves on having the best API score in Sonoma County. Unfortunately, the emphasis on test scores is so intense, the care of children seems to come second. There is a «strict» bullying policy, meaning if a child hits, they are immediately sent home. What is lacking is character development. There is little instruction about how to be a kind friend. The kids are left basically unsupervised on the play yard. If someone were seriously injured an adult is there to help, but kids tease and exclude, and there is no adult around to help kids navigate problems. The teachers seem exhausted and have little support, despite intense parental involvement. The constant requests for donations to the WISE foundation and PTA is exhausting. I understand that budget cuts have made things difficult for the schools, but the kids come home with 20 photocopied notices each Wednesday, instead of an online newsletter (how about saving some money there?). The parent culture can be quite exclusive. Lots of gossip among the PTA moms.
On the positive, my child received a good education at Corona Creek.

Ah, the school I grew up at…
Corona Creek is truly a good school reflecting back on my experience. While I was there, I remembered there were a lot of small things I didn’t like such as the adults who watched over the kids during recess, indoor recess when it was raining, and the small track and limited amount of yard equipment, but there was a bunch of other stuff that more than balanced out the bad.
The school is well funded by the community, and there is a pretty solid library, music, and computer service.
As a distinguished California elementary school for a few years however, Corona Creek is clearly doing things right. The teachers are caring and have a low turn around rate, so its nice to be able to visit them years down the line.
I was always an overachieving student while I was here, and it was nice that teachers offered extra work for those that sought it. So if this sounds like you, or your kid, Corona Creek is a nice option.
The school isn’t that old, meaning less than 10 years old, so everything still looks pretty nice compared to some of Petaluma’s other elementary schools. One thing that they emphasized when I was here was that all the buildings are earthquake proof if that’s something you’re concerned about.
If you can choose between here or Meadow school, I’d recommend driving the extra distance to Corona Creek.