Ortega Elementary School in Millbrae, California

“I couldn't ask for a better set of teachers! I have a kinder and 2nd grader and so far their teachers have been the best! The office staff is wonderful too, couldn't ask for a better school for my children to attend!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My grandson has attended Ortega and my daughter will not move from the Ortega School area she is pleased with the education that he is receiving and will soon have another child attending, then another :)”
This review was posted by a parent.

“For the life of me I cannot understand why Ortega only has a '6' overall rating. When we moved to SF in July 2008 we did a ton of research on area school and ended up going with Pacifica SD. Since we got here in the summer the lottery was already done and we were told we had to go to Ortega. I came on this website and read the reviews and I was honestly nervous to attend Ortega because the other schools had much higher ratings. The only thing I can think of as to why they are getting higher ratings is because they are K-8 schools. My kids loved Ortega...we have since moved to Mountain View and hate it here. If It made sense to commute to Ortega believe me we absolutely would. This school deserves a much higher score than it has. We miss you Otters! 5++++stars.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My son is in kindergarten and has Mrs. Louthan. She is an amazing teacher who goes above and beyond for each student. My son was diagnosed with ADHD and she has been 100% supportive and patient with him and working with him and me daily on behavioral strategies in the classroom. The principal Mr. Lorenzen has also been supportive in this. Mrs. Lynn runs the office like a well oiled machine, she manages to know all of the kids and parents names. This school is excellent and gets overshadowed by the competitiveness of the K-8 schools. If all Pacifica schools were K-8 there would definitely be a rush to get in.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“All three of my kids are attending Ortega. We moved from a private school and are very happy with the quality of the staff and teaching methods. My kids love school and feel like their teacher really cares about them.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Wonderful school with great teachers!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I am very happy with Ortega, my son is in 3rd grade and daughter is in Kindergarten. I absonlutely love the teachers and the school is beautiful. There is a large parent involvment.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The teachers, principal, ans staff are committed to providing the best education to the kids. They also listen to the concerns and ideas of the parents, and have a great deal of parent help and involvement.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Ortega is a wonderful place for my children to learn. The teacher, principals and other staff care deeply about education and each child as a seperate and important person. We feel very blessed to have our kids at Ortega.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“It is a family friendly school. They get the parents and grandparents involved in class, school and fundraiser opportunities. Ortega has a wonderful teaching standard and the children enjoy learning. Even with all the cuts, ortega continues to be an outstanding school. We are proud to be an ortega otter family. Our grandson loves school and from day one felt comfortale and has excelled in his studies. He is in second grade and can read very well, spell and do math and best of all likes it. Thank you ortega teachers, staff and parents for making school a wonderful experience.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My son has done nothing but excel since our arrival here at Ortega. From the fabulous teachers, the very involved PTO and the school itself we have had the most pleasant experience. Just went to back to school night and have good feeling on our new Principle. Looking forward to yet another wonderful year at Ortega Elementary!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“because they have great teachers and they care about their students :)”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Good school overall. Our family is new to Pacifica and we have two children in Ortega; because of the lottery system we were unable to get into our first pick. The teachers here are great and the families are nice. The curriculum has not been very challenging for my children, so we supplement at home. The state has also cut funding so extra programs have been eliminated. This is unfortunate for the student body. The California public school system has a difficult road ahead.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Ortega is a decent school even though 50 percent of the parents have not chosen to be there. This creates problems with some just waiting to get into the school they desired and many children transitioning out for the preferred schools from grade one and up. It ends up with the largest class size compared to the three k-8 schools (our kindergarden class has 23 students part of the day). Do not bother complaining you will be told 'its legal since its not all day' The teachers are excellent very dedicated and work hard. I think they should get paid more than the k-8 schools since they have much less parental support with huge classes. There is not enough supervison on the playground and not enough parents to organize this support. The PTA does an excellent job with the small amount of participation at the meetings.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“We ended up at Ortega by default in the lottery system. So glad we did! Our son in in K and has a fantastic teacher. She goes the extra mile to provide our son with challenging activities and enrichment. Mr. Rogers is not a principal who is 'in his office' but is very visible and knows the staff, students, and parents at Ortega. We couldn't be happier with our son's first year and hope that this school will become more of a 'first choice' here in Pacifica - it certainly should be!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I LOVE this school. At first, I was really 'bummed' about not making it into one of the K-8 schools due to that 'awful' lottery business, but in the end I think I'm the one who won. My son is in Kindergarten and has had a GREAT year. I love how the school's community is so strong and the atmosphere is one that makes you want to be a part of it.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Excellent school! The teachers are wonderful, very committed to their jobs. Parent participation is outstanding. James Rogers, principal, is great with the children, he knows each of them by name! He is very involved and very committed to his job. Office staff is more than helpful. Very clean environment, no bullying, all around great school! It is a joy to be a part of this school!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Wonderful school. Great teachers. Great kids. Pto a little hard to work with. A lot of stay at home moms (some to nosy for my taste). Education wise, this is a great school.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Ortega offers excellent core curriculum in an atmosphere conducive to learning. A new facility and a gorgeous coastal microclimate is what makes our campus the gem in Pacifica's multi-faceted crown of an educational system. Teachers are highly skilled educators with parents offering their time to enhance our fabulous programs. Classes are taught by credentialed teachers not by parents. Ortega is developing exceptional elective programs and offers a top-rate library (a larger children's collection than our local branch library.) Our test scores are reflective of a sincere commitment and dedication on the part of our wonderful Principal James Rogers and his motivated and thoughtful team.”
This review was posted by a parent.