| School Name | Address | Phone | Grades | County | Type | District Name |
| Robert Down Elementary School | 485 Pine Avenue
Pacific Grove, CA 93950 | (831) 646-6540 | K-6 | Monterey | public | Pacific Grove Unified |
| Ethnic Background | Percent | Year |
| White, non-Hispanic | 72.83 | 2009 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 2.02 | 2009 |
| Hispanic | 7.23 | 2009 |
| Asian | 8.09 | 2009 |
| Pacific Islander | 0.29 | 2009 |
| Native American or Native Alaskan | 0.87 | 2009 |
| Unspecified | 7.8 | 2009 |
| Filipino | 0.87 | 2009 |
| Students Getting Free Lunch | Year |
| 14% | 2009 |
| Date | Who | Comments |
| 5/22/2012 | parent | I absolutely LOVE this school. I have 2 children who attend RHD, 2nd and 4th grade. Both teachers are great, communication between the families and teachers is good, the education my children have received is superb and the school is very organized. I could go on and on! All schools will have some flaws but RHD has very minimal. My children are happier than ever and so are my husband and I. |
| 4/19/2012 | parent | Robert Down is a really good school. You feel like it's family! I am a parent of three, and each of their teachers are wonderful. They each genuinely care about their students and work hard to help each succeed. You will see that many staff members arrive early or stay late to work with students. The school offers many unique programs such as theater, poetry (an author works with each class), art, PE, etc. We have been really happy here and with the cuts education has received recently, feel lucky to have our children in such a great school. |
| 3/18/2012 | parent | I was very unhappy as a mother to see the staff and starting with the principal and end with the PE teachers..I'm very happy to choice for a private education. They told me PG Robert Down was a great school in good reputation and I don't thing so! |
| 2/12/2012 | parent | Not at all what people say it is....NOT AT ALL....it has been a complete disappointment. |
| 2/6/2012 | parent | Robert Down is a wonderful school for the community and the community is wonderful to Robert Down. My child loves coming here. Nevertheless, their curriculum is not very rigorous. It is adequate but mediocre. There are several classes for special needs but none for gifted/talented. The After School Enrichment classes are a joke (beading...). And the school provides very little creative problem-solving activities (Odyssey of the Mind, Lego Robotics, etc.). No languages are taught and band isn't introduced until 5th grade. On another note, we have been here for 3 years and have seen the same group of 6-7 kids remain unshuffled through the system and getting the "preferred" teacher year after year. My child has had only 1 other student that's been in the same classes for all three years. Sadly, if you aren't active in the PTA, don't have a deep relationship with the administration or staff, or are unable to volunteer because you work, then you can only hope that you get the "preferred" teacher next year. It doesn't help that due to a strong military presence in the area the school population is always in a transitionary state. |
| 1/1/2012 | parent | Robert Down School is remarkable in all regards. The only data you will need is the happy look on your child's face at the end of the school day. |
| 2/24/2011 | parent | My son came in at half year and LOVES it, we we lucky enough to get Mr. Williams as his kindergarten teacher, one of the most in control , kind, invetful, caring person you will ever meet. We love the area but there are not allot of kids that stay permantly here in PG. We have found the area to be a bit to touristy and transitional for our taste. It is also a Huge military area so you can count on that constant change as well. If your looking for the best elementary school in PG you found it ! We have a nice big home and are sad to that we will most likely not be staying as .there seem to be more vacation homes and retires here than anything. We are looking fot that place where our can go to school from K-12 and keep the same group of kids,. PG is unfortunately not that kid friendly place. |
| 4/11/2010 | parent | I am a teacher myself and a long time resident of Pacific Grove. My son attended Robert Down and he still has fond memories of the teachers he had! What a caring environment. Robert Down is a gem among schools on the peninsula! |
| 10/11/2009 | parent | Our two children attended RD and the attention given was mainly to special needs who were mainstreamed. My son's class often had to leave the room while an 'outburst' was happening, meaning an entire academic lesson was lost. Lots of 'hush-hush' incidents ~ have to agree with the comment where 'the principal talks but.... no follow through.' |
| 10/5/2009 | parent | Robert Down Elementary School is a local treasure that is staffed by educators who care to make a difference by making learning exciting for the students...... |
| 6/30/2009 | parent | Robert Down School is an exemplary school with caring teachers and an outstanding principal. My children received a solid foundation at RD and loved their time at this school. |
| 6/27/2009 | parent | We were at R.D last year. One of the kindergarten classes was amazing... Mr. Williams and Mr. Guidara are in a league of their own when it comes to teaching. I do have to agree that special needs children get most of the attention and the rest become part of a social herd! I wish we could spend a little more emphasis on character development than parent volunteering and PTA and endless fundraisers.... They don't stop and the budget seems to be spent in ways that are questionable. The principal is sweet though turns a blind eye to many situations.... All in all if you want to have your child be raised by state and thrown into a pool of fish with only a few good seeds and parents then opt for this school. If you want more find a christian alternative, or something with greater substance for your precious child.... |
| 3/14/2009 | parent | We have spent the last three years at this school, two of which were in special ed (wonderful program). Principal is questionable ~ appears to be very much interested but just walks the walk. Exceptional speech and special ed teachers. I would not hesitate to recommend this school to anyone whose child is in need of special services |
| 10/14/2008 | parent | I just moved from LA, with this school and neighbor specifically in mind. It's great school, and fantastic community around to support. Activities are abundant almost to the point of overwhelming... My kid loves it, and I love the environment. It seems to be a little behind academically though... |
| 6/22/2008 | parent | Best school,teachers great! Principal knows what shes doing.After program great! overall the grade is an A+! |
| 5/27/2008 | parent | Hello I have all my three kids at this school and they love it as well as I do they have great teachers here thank you. |
| 2/17/2008 | parent | I went to this school as a child, it used to be good. Now it is terrible physical shape and many of the teachers are burned out, the principal seems to want to whitewash everything. I am now paying for private school it is so bad |
| 9/3/2006 | parent | Child now through 2nd in 3rd. So far it has been a wonderful experience for my child. Great teachers, effective staff and administration. My child is learning very well and has liked and enjoyed all of the teachers to date. The teachers have been very responsive to my requests and have followed through each and every time. If you are think about moving to pg the quality of the school system should not be a worry. I do admit that the school can use an influx of funds to shine it up, but in this day and age, any public school has the same need. Pg schools have done well by me. I moved to pg in 3rd grade (1968). I feel that the level of education is as good now as then. Happy parent |
| 3/25/2006 | parent | Wonderful school - we couldn't ask for a better kindergarten experience for our daughter. A real sense of tradition and community exists at the school and we really feel at home there. Why anyone would opt out of this school for private is beyond me! |
| 9/28/2005 | teacher | Robert Down sets the standard for elementary school education. The teachers are highly professional and dedicated. The academic program is rigorous as well as rewarding. I am a teacher myself, and although my son graduated from Robert Down a few years ago, he still speaks very fondly of the teachers he had (1st-5th grades). I could not be more pleased with the quality of education he received at Robert Down. . |
| 7/6/2005 | parent | Academic prgrams are decent, the HW intially sent home was very weak, we needed to go see the Principal to have it rectified. Great extracurricular program provided by Mr. Anderson (Grade 3 teacher). Schooll lacks language and music programs. High level of parent involvement through volunteers. |
| 5/22/2005 | parent | My daughter attended this school for awhile. Although I was happy with the teachers that she had as people, the curriculum was a bit stifling. The homework load was heavy for a 3rd grader and her stress level grew throughout the year. We finally transferred her to the Waldorf charter school and she became herself again. The positives of Robert Down are that it is well established, the principal is a really caring person and very accessible, there are a number of great community events held there and some terrific teachers. |
| 7/1/2004 | parent | This is well established community, Pacific Grove has its own school district even though a small town. Many teachers have grown up or lived here for many years. Great sense of community, 'do the right thing', positive attitudes, good morale among the staff and kids; excellent test scores as well. Predominately causcasian but assorted ethnic groups as well, racism is not an issue here. The downside is same for most public schools funding;the biggest issue is maintenance of old construction and shrinking enrollment due to high cost of living here. |
