Warm Springs Elementary
47370 Warm Springs Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94539
phone: 510-656-1611
Warms Springs Elementary School is part of the Fremont Unified School District. It is one of the few California public schools to earn the top score by greatschools.org. The school calendar runs from August 31 to June 15.
Besides its stellar academic program, the school offers programs for the gifted and talented. Warm Springs also has special education programs. Academic contests, band and badminton are some of the school’s highlights.
Test Scores
Test scores are not the be all and end all when it comes to measuring student achievement. But they are an important gauge in assessing student learning. Beginning the 2009-2010 school year, California state began using the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program to measure student learning in grades two through 11. The STAR program encompasses a series of other tests including the California Standards Tests (standards-based assessments), the California Modified Assessment (for students with individualized education programs), the California Alternate Performance Assessment (for students with significant cognitive disabilities), and Standards-based Tests in Spanish (STS).
Based on the score, the state assigns an Academic Performance Index ranging from 200 to 1000. The state has set 800 as the goal for all schools. In 2011, Warm Springs met all its growth targets including its subgroup growth targets. The school had an overall score of 952, with Asian students scoring 980 on the API index. The school had a statewide API rank of 10, indicating it was among the top 10 percent of all schools with a comparable range of grades.
Teachers
At Warm Springs, 97 percent of the teachers are certified compared to 96 percent in the state. Teacher certification is an important factor determining the quality for classroom instruction. According to greatschools.org, teachers who have completed a teacher preparation program are equipped with skills in the classroom management and curriculum area. Teachers at Warm Springs have an average of 10 years of experience, with an average of eight years teaching in that district. Experienced teachers are an asset for a school because they offer stability and help mentor younger teachers. The school has an average class size of 26 students.
Students
If you want your child to grow up in a diverse environment, this school could be a good choice. Asians are the largest population in the school at 66 percent. The school has 20 percent White students, 6 percent Latinos or Hispanic, 3 percent Filipinos and 2 percent African Americans students.
Among the languages spoken by the students are: Mandarin, Spanish, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Korean, Tagalog, Urdu, Gujarati, Farsi, Pashto, Armenian, Hindi, Russian, Armenian, Polish, Hungarian and Chaozhou.
By 2100, the Census Bureau projects that the minority population in the U.S. will become majority. In an ever-changing world, diversity is an important factor enhancing the school experience.
Direct Spending
Fremont Unified School District spends $7,719 per student. Sixty-eight percent of that money goes toward instructional expenditures such as teachers’ salaries, textbooks, library, curriculum development and teacher training. The district spends 7 percent of their total budget on student and staff support such as psychology, guidance, health and therapy departments. The district earmarks 11 percent for administration costs such as expenses related to the board of education, Principal’s office and graduation expenses.
Extracurricular Activities
At Warm Springs, students are offered a wide range of extracurricular activities. Among the arts programs offered are: band, orchestra, chorus, dance, theater/drama, photography, drawing/painting, ceramics/sculpture and computer arts. The school offers languages such as German, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Russian, French and Spanish.
Sports are also an important part of the curriculum here. The school offers badminton, bicycling, football, lacrosse, soccer, rock climbing, ultimate Frisbee, rugby, cheerleading, basketball, martial arts/self defense, track, swimming, crew, fencing, and tennis and yoga, among others. Other special programs at the school include: community service, newspaper, debate, academic contests and science and technology.
