Address 8510 Wonderland Ave
Los Angeles, CA Phone (323) 654-4401 School District Los Angeles Unified School District Grades Served KG-5 |
- Overview
- Test Scores
- Parent Reviews
School Rating
This gives an overview of this school's test results, and is based on a comparison of test results for all schools in the state. More information on School Ratings (www.greatschools.net)
Wonderland Avenue Elementary School
10 out of 10
School FactsSchool Facts| | | Total Enrollment | 429 | 823 | | Students per Teacher | 20.4 | 20.2 | | Expenditure per Student | $11,696 | $12,112 | | Students in Free Lunch Program | 10% | 1% |
Parent Ratings and Reviews
Wonderland Avenue Elementary School: 4.4
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Latest Review
Posted June 20, 2008
I was very disappointed in this school after all it's been made out to be. The test scores do not tell the whole story. The parents make it a great school and a few magnificent teachers. But overall,...
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Grade 2 California Standards Test English Language Art  Math  Grade 3 California Standards Test English Language Art  Math  Grade 4 California Standards Test English Language Art  Math  Grade 5 California Standards Test English Language Art  Math  Science 
Overall Parent Rating
Rate Wonderland Avenue Elementary School
32 reviews | Add your review
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| Posted June 20, 2008
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I was very disappointed in this school after all it's been made out to be. The test scores do not tell the whole story. The parents make it a great school and a few magnificent teachers. But overall, the academics in the neighborhood school are low while the ones in the magnet are challenging. Don't move here for the school, at least not until they give more resources to make sure the whole school is getting the attention it deserves.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted June 20, 2008
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I found Wonderland to be a place that my child flourished. The art program, the teachers, the administrators all genuinely care about the children of this school. My child attended the magnet program. The teachers were passionate about what they did and thanks to the Friends of Wonderland who tirelessly fund raise my child was exposed to so many opportunities outside of a public school setting. I feel extremely fortunate that my child attended Wonderland.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted June 17, 2008
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I have found Wonderland to be extremely disappointing. The principal (Dr. Greene) is robotic and completely uncaring of the students. LAUSD protocol comes first. The 'whole' child is not of concern. Academics first and foremost. Dr. Greene belongs in a room full of paperwork, not in a position that should involve being human and caring.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted May 27, 2008
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There is a great discepency between the quality of instruction in the home and magnet schools The magnet children receive more enrichment. The resource program is still not fuctioning correctly. It is misleading for you to call this school a 10. The k-1 teachers are phenomenal!
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted May 21, 2008
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There is a lot to be said for this small school in the canyon. With only 492 students including many siblings, the families are very involved. This school does not fit the mold of an L.A. Unified School. Some of the teachers here are better than some teachers I have seen teaching at private schools. Whether you choose private or public, it's always about the teachers and the parents. Both are outstanding here.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted February 16, 2008
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My experience at Wonderland was realizing that if your kid doesn't get into the magnet they suffer. Wonderland leaves their home school behind because the administrators, particularly the very bad principal, put their energy and focus into the magnet school. It's a joke because to get into the magnet you have to play the points game. It has very little to do with actual smarts. It's just that the kids in the magnet get a better education than the other kids. Think twice before sending your child there unless they're in the magnet. Our fourth grade class was a joke. Very depressing end to what started out as a great stay at the school.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted December 17, 2007
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This school did my kid so much good. From the greatly talented teachers to the amazing safe campus it is, in my opinion, the best school in the greater LA area.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted November 3, 2007
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Amazing dedication by the teachers and the community
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted April 30, 2007
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Wonderland School is a good school because of the incredible dedication of the parents and teachers who pour so much of themselves into this fine, community oriented environment. We're hoping this school gets a change of leadership soon - perhaps the district will find the strength to be proactive and intervene at some point, but it is LAUSD which leaves parents like me mostly hopeless. Don't be discouraged, the teachers are focused on what matters, the kids.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted April 24, 2007
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We started in the 3rd grade magnet and have been so impressed by the quality of the school and teachers. The teachers put in so much extra time and care into the kids. They are not only teaching academics, but are teaching the kids life skills as well. We are thrilled with our decision to pull our child from a small private school and sent him to Wonderland. He loves the school and has made many good friends.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted April 21, 2007
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My daughters attended the gifted magnet. My last one is graduating June of 2007. [It] is a private school education in a public setting. Strengths are a challenging curriculum,outstanding faculty, amazing parent body, effective fund raising, great grade level trips, students need to be accelerated learners to excel keep up with the pace. Although school is diverse, one ethnic group is dominant. I encourage more black and brown students to apply. Graduates out perform students in most middle schools. 6th and 7th grades are a breeze whether in public or private middle schools. Plan for significant amounts of homework. New science lab is fabulous. Classes have music, art, computers, PE, orchestra. Plan to be active parent. Low to no teacher turnover. Principals find this to be a chalenging parent run environment. Child centered school.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted April 17, 2007
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There are a few great teachers and several who think they are. The school is wonderful, especially compared to the public school choices. The most important thing lacking is strong leadership. The current principal really needs to go.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted February 9, 2007
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I see that the children are doing intense work, no doubt, but on the other hand I don't see it leveled out. I think that the diversity in this school could improve greatly. The parking is terrible. Too many children in one class when it gets to the upper grades. Really see if this school matches your child's personality before selecting.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted October 1, 2006
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The strength of this school is that it is small with a strong sense of community and has parents who are very aggressive about fund-raising. The quality of education depends on the teaching, which is uneven in both the home and magnet schools. Due to the eclecticism of Laurel Canyon and the presence of the magnet school, there is more economic and ethnic diversity than other public schools of the same caliber. The principal primarily cares about maintaining heigh test scores, which means if your kid is slow to to develop (i.e. not reading in Kindergarten), you're out of luck. As will all LAUSD schools, the bottom line is standardized testing which stifles creative thinking, but there are a few teachers who are trying to buck the system against all odds.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted August 6, 2006
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We moved from another county to Los Angeles and heard only the best about this school. We were very surprised about the opposite reality we've encountered: Big but very aggressive parent involvment with a great deal of business networking...A lot of money was raised but you couldn't see it in the classrooms. We also wondered how this school gets the high test scores, since academics in our kid's classes were very weak. It was more socializing than anything else, but they always got super grades...We were so concerned after a while that we moved away from this school. It took our kids one year to get back on track and their new teachers wondered what kind of (bad) school these kids went to!
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted June 13, 2006
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a lot of parental involvement. good music.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted June 8, 2006
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One of the best public schools in the city--great parent involvement. the children have arts, music and PE which is funded through the parent's booster club-Friends of Wonderland. The ethnic diversity in the magnet school could be better balanced (ethnic minorities are primarily Asian, but it is getting better. There has been an increase in African-American kids in the past 2 years, but very few Latinos). If your child has been designated as Gifted, they will get a superior education which will prepare them for good public and/or private schools, hands down!
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted May 31, 2006
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The wonderland magnet has been the best thing that has happened for my daughter. The teachers have been more than stellar, very supportive. The biggest problem I see with this school is the principal is not good with parents, teachers, or especially children.
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Submitted by a administrator
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| Posted April 19, 2006
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Teacher quality varies greatly! We were happy in the neighborhood school, but moved our child into the magnet. Expectations and assignments were unclear. We switched schools, but stayed in the LAUSD and are now very happy. There is very high turnover in the Wonderland Principal's office, and the current one seems unable to establish eye contact or mainain a conversation. There is seemingly no overall curriculum plan that sets standards to prepare one grade's graduates for the following year's requirements. The parent involvement is very strong, but chaotic and a very few people do the majority of the work. The affluence of the surrounding community means that they can raise a lot of money, but there is little agreement on how to spend it.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted April 12, 2006
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Excellent parent involvement, extracurricular activities such as build a skateboard, karate, etc - art & gym added by private funding. The best public elementary school in LA. Disadvantage - must live in the Laurel Canyon neighborhood.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted January 17, 2006
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Great school for my kids. I wish I'd gone there when I was a child. The arts program is great
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted December 26, 2005
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My son attended from K-5 and our experience was very positive. All years he did well and felt comfortable and safe on campus. I think the API scores speak for themselves. After school there is the STAR program which would vary and is probably more geared toward the K-2 grades. The parents are an 'eclectic' group, but despite surface differences, place high value on the education of children and are very involved. Probably the biggest drawback is the small playground. Older children, especially boys, needing more room. Overall a very good experience.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted June 30, 2005
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Wonderland is a fabulous school. It's small so attention to the individual is great and the level of parent involvement is superb. There is an parent paid for art program as well as music and PE. If you're lucky enough to have your child go to Wonderland you will be thrilled. It's as good, if not better, than any private school in the area.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted May 16, 2005
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Principal and staff are so caring. My daughter got an IEP for her problem with ADD without any problem. At a prior school the staff didn't want to deal with the problem.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted April 22, 2005
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Terrific school in the hills of Los Angeles. Great academic programs and guidance espescially from 3rd grade up. Very nice atmosphere and lots of motivated teachers.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted April 2, 2005
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If only this school, especially the magnet, could go through 12th grade, our public school issues would be solved! And incredible place, with supportive families, extraordinary teachers, in a beautiful setting. Very well prepares the kids academically, creatives, and self-esteem wise. Our two children loved it.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted March 31, 2005
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We are in the Magnet where the quality of teachers is excellent! Being a gifted program, you would expect there to be many hours of challenging homework. However, the work load is very managable. Yes, it is challenging, but that is why we are there. I beleive it is the teaching techniques not the amount of work that contributes to the extremely high test scores. Very inivative projects and a lot of stress on the children doing their own work and the parents simply being there to make sure it is completed but not to complete it for them. Many wonderful field trips, and I can't say enough about the wonderful parent community and the pride they have in the school. And though the location is a bit inconvienent, the campus is relaxed and filled with many happy children.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted March 10, 2005
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Fantastic extracurricular - art, drama, gardening, music, dance, PE - all with specialised teachers paid for by PTA. Small so all the adults know your child. Safe - the kids are not fighting each other. Very desirable, so get good longterm teachers.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted January 9, 2005
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this school raises an amazing amount of money for how small the student body is. because of it, they have an aide in every class, music, p.e. and orchestra which has translated into high scores on the CAT/6 and motivated children.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted October 14, 2004
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My child is in the Gifted Magnet program, which is superb through second grade, when class sizes are restricted to a max of 20 children. Educational standards here are very high, as reflected by the standardized test scores. But I felt that, starting in 3rd grade, when the class size jumps to 32 per classroom, children do fall through the cracks, unless the parents are on top of the situation and request additional teacher oversight. One of the more difficult aspects here is the physical site, itself. It's very, very difficult to attend student concerts or any event at the school, due to lack of parking. Also, kids in the magnet program have a hard time socializing with each other outside the classroom, because kids come from all over LA.
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted August 17, 2004
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This is the most amazing elementary school I've ever seen. My son has been in 2 LAUSD schools with Wonderland Magnet being one of them. The quality of education and challenging curriculum along with the amazing 3rd and 4th grade teachers make it an incredible experience. The children go on field trips regularly in the magnet to amazing places which enhance their education as well as overnight trips which increase their independence. The children at this school and families are also incredible. Everyone seems to really care about what's important in life, there children's education!
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Submitted by a parent
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| Posted August 17, 2004
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The cream of the crop for public elementary schools! Great teachers who know how to motivate students, a principal who is truly involved and parents who care--the perfect formula for success. My daughter has made lots of friends (in the magnet school) and loves going to school here.
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Submitted by a parent
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If you're looking for a home in Los Angeles, CA and you have or plan to have children, you will want to learn more about the area schools. Get school information for Wonderland Avenue Elementary School at Cyberhomes.com. See how many students are enrolled in each grade level and how many students there are per teacher. Compare test scores for Wonderland Avenue Elementary School against scores in the rest of California.
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