Holmes Elementary School

Principal is a robot and enjoys the authority of being an administrator. Fine if you never have to engage with him regarding a real issue. Parents are amazingingly and lovingly involved. Campus is pristine and playgrounds and facilities are wonderful for students. Also library is fabulous.

I have a Kindergarten and 2nd grader at Holmes. LOVE this school the teachers and lots of parent involvement and programs. My kids are very happy here!

Before I started my Kindergartner here last year I had heard all kinds of things about Holmes mostly good but a few negative comments. I toured probably 5 other magnet & charter schools and picked Holmes above them all. It truly is a great school--I felt it then and I feel it now. It isn't perfect but the parents and principal go above & beyond to make it the best school it can be with the massive siphoning of funds from the public school system. And there are FANTASTIC things on the horizon for this school!! RE some of the sour comments there are observations and there are emotionally loaded opinions. What I have found being an involved parent is that--like anything--it is what you make it! Bitter commentary comes from bitter mouths.

We are a new family to Holmes and we are impressed. Sure there are some problems. No school is perfect. Mr Saipe is wonderful. Any measures that he has instituted are for the safety and well being of the children. As a parent volunteer I am glad for the changes. I want my children to learn how to read well (and enjoy literature) write (stories of the imagination) think well (and creatively) and enjoy math. I really don t care if they do that on a computer or not. Frankly the fanaticism that I see in some parents about the issue of technology is a bit scary to me. I want my children to unplug from the screen not be zoned out by it. I want my children to learn how to be a good friend and develop character. Some of the parents at Holmes are not very friendly but that is okay. The good people find each other. Holmes is a good school. It is not a perfect school but a good school. It has good faculty (who really care about the kids) good staff (who are efficient) good principal (go Mr. Saipe!) and a good parental (go PTA) involvement. The PTA at Holmes provides so much for the school. Yes it is run by imperfect people but look to the good. We are fortunate.

This is top school that is just beginning to incorporate high tech technology. The entire district is implementing Promethean Boards and laptops for every student in each classroom. All teachers will be trained and a few parents last year were a bunch of whiners always complaining impatient and very aggressive in attempting to get their way and they became part of the PROBLEM not the solution. Holmes is a great school for teaching lifelong skills such as writing spelling math and reading. We have a 911 API also! For our students to be prepared in the 21st century they need a solid grasp of the basics to utilize technology to the fullest!

Good BASIC public school but they are way behind on technology and project based learning. If you are ok with your kids memorizing worksheet after worksheet then this is the school for your child. Everything is based on test scores and the kids that are above average get very little push to do better. Holmes is stuck in the past and needs to be brought into the future ..... allow children to have an opinion and let them know that there is more than one way to get to an answer. They need a fresh outlook on teaching! Maybe the new Principal can turn things around.

I have children attending this school for the past four years. The PTA is the best in the area and goes above and beyond. Not only do they pay for music art PE and other wonderful things that help inrich our childrens education experience they are also a huge support to our teachers and staff. The teachers have always been wonderful and we look forward to many more great years at holmes.

On paper this school looks amazing..but the reality is far different. My child experienced multiple teachers and bullying all while in Kindergarten! This is not the experience I anticipated. The PTA raises funds to provide for a Music and PE teacher and has a very large voice in this school and the parents seem to be overly involved. The principal is amazing; however she is retiring at the end of the year. We will be choosing another school to attend.

the PTA runs this school...idle hands while Husbands are on deployment. my child will not be returning. Principal is leaving at the end of the year and we are getting voice mails for replacement votes...no thanks.

We love Holmes! The teachers are wonderful and the students are learning everyday. One issue I have noticed is that a small group of parents try to interfere with the classroom teaching too much. These parents are always taking the time of the principal and the teachers complaining criticizing and trying to cause drama. This group of parents try to run the school and I hope the new principal is learning to take the reins and be the boss.

Holmes is a jewel. Wonderful sense of community as shown at each event and through the amazing efforts of the PTA teachers are stellar new principal is fabulous. Holmes is where the heart is )

Definately one of the best schools in San Diego with "GREAT" teachers!! New principal is not scared of trying new things to get the school to the next level. I respect that in a leader. The only improvement would be for PTA to focus on "supporting" the school not running it. With the new elected PTA President there is hope.

We have been going to this school for 5 years now and it is the best school in San Diego.

We love homes. Good parents and good kids!

Holmes overall is a great school where the majority of the staff are professional and caring.

Overall we've been satisfied with Holmes depending on the teacher. One of our children's teachers last year was not stellar (not a bad person just not a great teacher) but we are happy with the ones we have this year. It seems to be a bit hit-or-miss with that. There are definitely those who excel and will go above and beyond with their students but unfortunately we were very disappointed last year. By far one of the strongest aspects of Holmes is its vast army of incredible parent volunteers and the strong sense of community this is a down-to-earth school with fabulous parents who work hard for this school. It is because of these parents that we have had so many great extracurricular programs such as guitar drama and even dance lessons in the classrooms.

As a former parent and staff member Holmes Elementary is a little piece of heaven. Mrs. Brown (principal) office staff and teachers are a #1. The PTA is also very supportive involved with the school and the community. My children and I were very fortunate to have had a wonderful experince at Holmes Elementary.

we love the teachers at this school and all the parent involvement. The kids taught in a positive environment

We are fortunate to be part of Holmes.The principal & teachers are committed and go above the call to duty daily. The PTA involvement and parent volunteers are something to be modeled after. I am proud to be a part of this group of go getters. They have added so much to this school and continue to do so. The independent computer lab is a fantastic addition to the classroom computer experience. The knowledge and experience students will gain from new programs like choral art lab and guitar will stay with them the rest of their lives. This school is dedicated to the enrichment of each student and proves it by the devotion of the staff teachers students and parents. You are truly missing out on a wonderful school experience if you 'choice' out of this school. Holmes is where the heart is!

We 'choiced' our son into this school upon the recommendation of the director at his pre-school. He started there in Kindergarten and is now in 5th grade. He has loved every teacher he has had and so have we! Awesome school! Great PTA! Friendly environment and lots of involved parents (I'm one of them!) We're sorry to be leaving after this year but it's time to start Middle School. You'll have no regrets if you send your child to Holmes. The school's motto is 'Holmes is where the heart is.' And it's true! )