Elementary Schools

Best elementaries take different routes to success

Fermin Leal and Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register The Orange County Register 2010 Best Public Schools Report: Elementary Excellence – news, profiles and a comprehensive database of 388 schools. Orange County's best elementary schools include campuses receiving federal subsidies for high student poverty levels and campuses with parent-run foundations that raise hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. They are sprawling, rural schools where cows can be seen grazing in the hillsides and sparkling, state-of-the-art campuses squeezed on all sides by million-dollar homes and parks and libraries. One thing they all share, though, is a stunning ability to innovate, to keep pace with the latest in teaching strategies and to cultivate dynamic, multi-sensory learning environments...

Best schools ranking methods: How we did it

Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register The Orange County Register's rankings are designed to show which elementary schools in Orange County provide the richest academic experience and strongest environment for learning – from schools with the best test scores to those with cultural diversity and small class sizes. The results generated a ranking system of more than a dozen measurements for 388 public elementary schools...

O.C.'s best elementary schools

Fermin Leal and Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register Orange County’s best public elementary schools challenge students with a rigorous curriculum, promote parental involvement and encourage good behavior. For the second straight year, we review test scores, federal ratings, student data, misconduct figures and other measures to rank the county’s 388 elementary schools – the first of three installments in the Register's 2010 Best Public Schools report...