Marquez Charter School
16821 Marquez Ave.
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Los Angeles County
phone: 310-454-4019
Located in the city of Pacific Palisades, Marquez Avenue Elementary is a charter public school serving grades kindergarten through fifth. Last year, the school was recognized by Apple with an award for its implementation of technology in the learning process. It is one of 54 schools in the country to be recognized by the company. The school is also among a handful of California elementary schools that received a top score from greatschools.org.
Test Scores
Academic achievements are tested on the basis of Academic Performance Index scores. The state assigns an API growth target for each school. Every school with an API at or above 800 has to maintain a minimum of 800. At Marquez, students met all growth targets set forth by the state. The school had an API rank of 10 in 2010, which means that Marquez’s score fell into the top 10 percent of all schools in the state.
Teaching Staff
All of the teachers at Marquez are certified. That means that teachers have graduated from accredited colleges, completed an approved teacher credential program and passed an academic skills test. Teachers at the school have an average of 13 years of experience, which is consistent with statewide statistics. Teachers at Marquez also have an average of 12 years teaching at the district. Having an experienced staff lends stability to a school. It can also be an asset for mentoring new teachers.
Class Size
If you are a parent who is concerned about class size, Marquez could be appealing for your child. The school has an average of 21 students per class, which is less than the statewide average of 25 students per class.
Diversity
In a fast-changing global world, diversity is an important factor for most parents when choosing a school for their child. At Marquez, the majority of the students are White at 74 percent, and there’s a sizeable Hispanic/Latino population – 12 percent. The school also has 7 percent Asian students and 5 percent African Americans. There’s also a small percentage of Filipino, Pacific Islander and American Indian population. English learners constitute 5 percent of the student population, according to greatschools.org. Languages that the school offers are: Hebrew, Spanish, Italian and Mandarin.
After-School Programs
Marquez offers a wide variety of choices for after-school activities. If you are looking for overall development for your child, this school should catch your attention. Specialty programs include Spanish, dance, drama, cooking and science. All the programs are offered by STAR Education, a nonprofit charitable education company. The company charges a reasonable fee for its services, according to the school’s website. STAR also provides before and after school child care and hosts specialty camps for Marquez students during winter, spring and summer breaks.
Parental Involvement
The school encourages parents to be involved in their child’s education and learning experience. According to greatschools.org, parents are expected to attend parent/teacher conferences, open houses and parent nights, participate in a parent group such as PTO or PTA, participate in social events, go on field trips, help with fund-raising, volunteer in classrooms and organize social events in the school.
Extracurricular Activities
API and other test scores are not enough to gauge the quality of a school. Parents often are interested in what activities are available for their children. At Marquez, students have a wide range of activities to choose from. The school offers band, orchestra, chorus, dance, photography, theater/drama, ceramics/ drawing/painting, computer arts, and video/film production. Other special programs include: science and technology, academic contests, community service and student council/student government. The school also offers various sports programs such as badminton, martial arts/self defense, basketball, gymnastics, tennis and soccer.
