| School Name | Address | Phone | Grades | County | Type | District Name |
| Hickory Elementary School | 2800 West 227th Street
Torrance, CA 90505 | (310) 533-4672 | K-5 | Los Angeles | public | Torrance Unified |
| Ethnic Background | Percent | Year |
| White, non-Hispanic | 17.2 | 2009 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 2.73 | 2009 |
| Hispanic | 7.83 | 2009 |
| Asian | 58.01 | 2009 |
| Pacific Islander | 0.24 | 2009 |
| Native American or Native Alaskan | 0.24 | 2009 |
| Unspecified | 10.68 | 2009 |
| Filipino | 3.08 | 2009 |
| Students Getting Free Lunch | Year |
| 6% | 2009 |
| Date | Who | Comments |
| 6/12/2012 | parent | Hickory's principal (Mrs. S) is awesome and so is Mrs. E (kinder). We were very nervous about moving to the "big" school from preschool but after we experienced the first couple weeks, the nervousness subsided. Mrs. E is what every kinder teacher should be and she cares about her kids. She takes great pride in her classroom and it shows. Mrs S (principal) is always available to the parents and accepts walk-in parents with questions/issues, emails, phone calls, etc. She is very prompt in her responses and communicates well with her teachers. Go Hounds! |
| 5/31/2012 | other | There are great teachers and excellent parent involvement. The only reason the CST scores are lower than they would, is because there are many students from other countries who do not speak English fluently and the test is in English. Hickory is still an exceptional school, though. |
| 5/14/2012 | parent | Great teachers...worst principal. Used to be a great school but the recent principal is ruining the school. My son is in a combo class during his final year but his class is running so behind his peers and his shy personality made him a victim to a combo class his final year. He is miserable and can't wait to start a turn a new leaf and have classes with his grades students and make new friends next year. Unfortunately, I will not be sending my last child (already had 3 kids that went to Hickory) whom were all highly academic to Hickory as long as that woman is still principal!!! |
| 3/15/2012 | parent | I completely disagree with the previous review. My daughter attends kindergarten at this school and we have nothing but positive things to say about Hickory. Her teacher is spectacular, and the principal goes out of her way to listen to our concerns. Our daughter has been provided the appropriate services to aide her in her first year of school. I completely agree that the classes are large, but if you do some research on the local private schools (with the exception of First Lutheran down Carson - which is okay if you are willing to spend an enormous amount of money!), there are plenty out there that have about the same class sizes! I give Hickory 5 stars! |
| 1/17/2012 | parent | Terrible. There teachers are overwhelmed with large classes causing them to be over worked and lacking that "love for their job" attitude. If your child has problems or needs additional help, you won't get that here. The principal is even worse...unprofessional and lacking of experience. Looking to transfer my student the first chance I get. If your a loving parent, send your child to a loving school. This one is not it. |
| 10/26/2011 | parent | We absolutely love Hickory. It exceeds all my expectations from a school that I have for 2 of my kids. They are exceleent academically, socially, and have lits of extracurricular activities offered everyday afterschool. We moved from a private school to this public school. and have been so impressed by the academic standards, genuine teachers, wonderful PTA, and sweet students. |
| 12/1/2010 | parent | Due to the increased class sizes, teachers are completely overworked. Academically weaker children are being left behind. Detentions are being given out for the smallest infractions including because staff and teachers are too overworked to spend the two minutes to teach constructive conflict resolution. So sad to see a great school turn to this. Children of previous years were prepared for leadership. The kids that go through Hickory this year can be happy to qualify for fast food service positions if this keeps going. |
| 11/17/2010 | parent | For the school year of 2010/2011 the class sizes have increased to 30 from K-3 and up to 36 for 4th & 5th grades. The high test scores of Hickory Elementary school are largely due to the fact that a very high percentage of students receives after school tutoring on several afternoons a week. Most teachers are very good, but all of them are overwhelmed by the class sizes. The PTA is very active. Every month, there are at least two fundraisers that children can participate in during school hours. They can purchase photos, books, calendars, and a lot of other things. The money that is raised supports the arts program, field trips, and the purchases of equipment for the classrooms and the facility. Bullying is a very big problem at Hickory school. Recently, a survey went around asking the kids whether they got bullied and how the teachers and staff reacted to it. The school is aware and baby steps to address this are being taken. |
| 8/8/2008 | parent | The PTA at this school, which is loyally supported by a few parents, is excellent. Without it, the art and library programs, as well as several enrichment activities, would not exist. There are some very good teachers; however, some teachers are not as concerned as they should be about whether all students learn. Some children attending this school are not very respectful to their parents or to other adults. My kids learned some words and behaviors that were not appropriate. The special education program is not sufficient to service all children. Many parents are unconcerned with safety of other students when dropping off/picking up their children. The staff and local law enforcement have had a difficult time addressing this issue. Overall, the school performs well for a campus of 800+ students with large class sizes in the upper grades (20 in K-3, 32 in 4-5), but there room for improvement. |
| 7/23/2008 | other | This school has everything a child will need to sugceed in the future. |
| 5/8/2006 | parent | My daughter is now in 4th Grade and I've been pleased with her education at Hickory so far. The school's PTA is awesome. My only concern is the number of students per class is increasing every year now but I guess there is nothing we can do about it except for voting to elect officials that will care about our public schools... |
| 1/23/2006 | parent | Good curriculum, good teachers, tight budget |
| 10/28/2005 | parent | Hickory elementary focuses on education and child development. The teachers and staff at Hickory are excellent. My child has needed and received some additional support and guidance beyond the norm. Each of her teachers been willing to work with us and her to shape an experience that has helped her to learn and grow. The music and art programs at Hickory are good and supported by parents. Parent involvement at Hickory is excellent with many volunteers in many programs. Having a flexible work schedule, my spouse has been welcomed by her teachers into the classroom. Even though we moved out of the Hickory school boundaries and live down the street from another very good elementary school, we continue to take our daughter to Hickory. |
| 4/6/2005 | parent | The teachers are wonderful and the parent involvement is really high. The student to teacher ratio is low. My child's class only has 17 students. The PTA has a strong presence on campus and the school is recognized for its community involvement. But moreover, as a mother of a child with a disability, the programs available are well planned out and highly accessible. |
| 1/26/2005 | parent | This school offers a great education. Teachers are keep up-to-date on the latest teaching criteria, class sizes are appropriate, and there is a large population of parent involvement. |
| 10/6/2004 | parent | I have three daughters. One already went to middle school but other two is in 5th grade and 1st grade. Both of them are really enjoying the school life. I also involving the school a lot and found there are so many volunteer at school all day long. There are many young teachers who brought new winds into the school and many experienced teachers too. You could see many different culture in this school and all welcomed here. So students could learn what the real world peace means! PTA is stable and so acctive. I believe this school is one of the best school in USA. |
| 10/7/2003 | parent | Hickory is a great school. There are lots of parent volunteers who donate their time and support to make this a wonderful school. The teachers are great, they inspire the children to do their best and challenge them to learn. |
| 6/19/2003 | | Excellent faculty forced to deal with large class size and a dummy-down cirriculum. |
