Sutro Elementary School

My son attends Sutro it is a hidden gem in the Richmond District. I love this school b/​c it’s not large that he might get lost like Alamo. Mr. Poon the principal is a great guy who is very open to comments and suggestions from parents. The teachers and staff are passionate about education not just academically but emotionally too. They want our children to grow up to be good people also my job too!
Sutro wasn’t my first choice but it turned out to be the best choice!!! I LOVE SUTRO!!!

Amazing school!
I am so very happy that our kids were offered this school through the lottery. We were looking at another great school about one block from our house, but even if we were offered it (oh how convenient that would be) I can with 100% honesty say I would say at Sutro. Sutro has a wonderful, invested, and caring principal. The community events are well-​attended by all families, and they put on a killer potluck! My kids’ 5^th grade teacher is an outstanding educator, who made sure my kids’ transition from their previous school, was easy and welcoming. He thinks of everything, is progressive and a creative, and engaging teacher. My kids like the school; they feel safe and welcomed. I feel so fortunate to have found Sutro, and only wish that I would have discovered it before my kids’ last year of elementary school!

horrible school doesnt care about the students and teachers just sit there

Class of 1999! The teachers are always so nice and I’ve definitely learned a lot growing up here. My most memorable teachers were Ms. Lau, Mr. Tam, and Mr. Illig. Spending time with Ms. Marcy in the office while waiting to be picked was always enjoyable and fun. When I went back to visit, I was very happy to see the Sutro Reads mural and the caterpillar still there. I was very proud of the fact that Mr. Illig and my fifth grade class facilitated that. I went on to Roosevelt and then graduated from Lowell (c/​o ’06!)

Sutro continues to rock! Here’s another conversation:
James: The teacher is wearing a Giants’ shirt!
Kaitlyn: Yah — because the World is Serious!
Just a testament to how great our kids are!

CLASS OF 2000!
Sutro held a lot of great memories for me, though I don’t really keep in touch with anyone anymore, I still had a wonderful time and made amazing friends in the time I was there. The teachers are so sweet, too! After Sutro, I continued on my journey to adulthood at Presidio, Lowell, and now UCSD. Sutro was small, but really homey. I always found a place in the office with Ms. Marcy after school while waiting for my ride.

CLASS of 1982. Actually, I left the start of 4^th grade in 1981 and moved to Concord. I really missed growing up in San Francisco. I remember having some great expriences and building a strong foundation to my education. Over the years, I found myself crusing through the old neighborhood to see the old school to reminisce the old days. Today, I’m 37 soon 38 and have a MBA and live in Dublin. I hope that kids today at Sutro are benefiting from the friendly staff that I benefited from many years ago. Best Regards, Chris Ito.

I love Sutro! Don’t know if any of my old teachers are there: Sammie, Mrs. Wong, or Ms. Wan but it was the best school when I was there long ago. I also went to Presidio and then Lowell after.

I went to sutro, and it was great. I love the school and its staff. Everyone is so nice and it was a great elementary school. Great start to my education, and I went to Presidio, followed by Lowell so it is all good. I visit about once a year, and its really changing, there are so little of the same teacher as I had. But Ms. Safa is awesome, and the entire staff.

When I went here, as much as I got in trouble for being extremely lazy, my teachers were great. I remember elementary school fondly (with the exceptions of all the times I got myself into trouble and the exception of the kids I knew…) No offense to some of them. However, elementary school life was horrible. Children are cruel. Telling teachers never helps exactly… telling kind of makes things worse and we’re told to try to solve it in a non-​violent way or they try to help solve it in a way that to me, felt like nothing would change (On the other hand, this is from the point of view from my memories as a kid). Not to say that violence is good or that I was violent at that age, but at that time, when you feel like your peers all dislike you, you kind of feel a bit aggressive or depressed or defensive. The classes themselves were quite fun though. The only problem was that I was lazy… which kind of worked against me hard at times…
Part of me kind of wishes I could go back in time to try to do it again and see how it’d turn out and what I would have learned had I actually done my school work regularly and on time… Then again, I don’t think my mind would be able to stand the pressure I felt as a kid… (but If I did my work and etc, maybe I wouldn’t have had such a hard time too…)
I’ve thought of going back… and I did once when I was in middle school, but for some reason, I can’t bring myself to do so… I wonder why.

I loved this school and I loved it’s staff. There was only one scary lady I disliked very much I heard she got fired some time after (phewww). But anyways, ALL the staffs here are super nice. And its really hard to pick a favorite but FINE, I’ll pick Mrs. Lau. LOL. The janitor Mr. Chan is SUPER nice too and Mr. Wong is SUPER COOL (intimidating at first but really a huggable teddy bear as I got older HAHA). I even went back to this place to do volunteer work! Alton who is probably in the daycare center is super nice too! I love the kids here!

Great school! It has the public school problem that you won’t get away from (funding) but makes up for it in so many ways. It is very small, 230 K-​5, and very personal. As a rule all of the teachers here are just outstanding and even inspiring. Their energy level and dedication to the school really shows every day. If you are a parent of a k-​5 child you really should check this school out. Just do a drive by and down Funston and look at the little garden planted in the back. That is all teacher/​student/​parent volunteer work, and just an easy way to see how much everyone puts into Sutro.
If you are a local business get involved. Ask what you can do to help, it will come back to you.

class of 1996 !!! yea!!! playing roller-​polly during recess and getting splinters from playing on play ground. but now. everything is updated! what the hecka. we suffer, newer generatiOn gets everything. that not fair!

Happy to see so many posiitve reviews for Sutro. I had a great experience there. This is the little neighborhood school that could.
We enrolled our middle child on the advice of his pre-​K teacher. He has an IEP, and Sutro rose to the occasion. I always felt like everyone, from the principal to the teachers to the paraprofessionals, did their best to understand him and his unique approach to learning.
I was a little sad to lose Principal Lim a few years back (I heard she was reassigned to a troubled school to work her magic there), but her successor was very capable and kept the mutually respectful atmosphere among her teachers and staff that she had fostered. It seemed like the school created a warm feeling amongst the kids, as well. It was a perfect fit for us.
I just wish it was a K-​8! We «graduated» in 2005 and I still miss it.

This is a small public school in the Richmond District-​not exactly Inner and not exactly Outer, as it is right at 12^th Avenue. My son started there last year and (though it is not the highly-​rated school 2 doors from our house), it is also not a huge, impersonal school! Everyone seems to know my son’s name and I feel he is really looked after and that his individual needs (and maybe idiosyncrasies?) are recognized and addressed. He loves school!
So far, I have continued to be pleasantly surprised and impressed by how caring, involved, and wonderful the staff is at this school. There are so many ways kids learn and develop and I truly feel that the staff works hard at providing many opportunities for the kids.

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Our school is a GREAT place where all of our children, along with all their friends, achieve great things every single day. This is only possible with a great support system, made up by a fantastic team of teachers and staff in a COMMUNITY environment. Every child receives individual attention– from adults that they idolize and love– every single day.
Starting a new school year may feel scary and intimidating to a lot of other kids going to big schools. In our small school community, there is never a «transition phase». By the time we finish Kindergarten, we naturally know who 1^st Grade teacher will be. From Day One each year, our teachers already understand how we learn best and what we play well. This is another of the countless reasons why we choose to send our children to Sutro School.
Our teachers are those who give up their lunch breaks to teach our kids to play guitar and dream up adventures such as school sleepovers. Our school is forever bonded by strong friendships, where 5^th graders take time out to read to their 1^st grade peers. Our teachers and families join together on Gardening weekends to beautify our school. Our teachers stay up late at night to write online journals so that we parents can catch up on our children’s day. Our school is truly one big happy family and we are thankful every single day. We drop our kids off every day knowing that they will be in good hands. As parents, this is a great relief.