Del Mar Hills Elementary School

Posted: February 21, 2026

I moved to Del Mar so my son could attend the public schools. He had been privately educated until then.

I pulled him out after 3 months when an older kid with known behaviorial issues physically assaulted him.

The principal responded to the assault by emailing me "He wasn't even hurt that bad."

His 1st grade teacher completely ignore the assault.

This school is a disgrace and unsafe.

Posted: February 21, 2026

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Posted: February 28, 2025

Del Mar Hills is a truly extraordinary school. Class sizes are small and the teachers are experienced and guided by cutting edge teaching philosophies and strategies. The curriculum is academically rigorous and also focuses on nurturing a culture of curiosity and thinking; inspiring a love of learning; modeling kindness, empathy and good global citizenship; and teaching emotional recognition, regulation and problem solving. My daughter loves her teachers and classmates and looks forward to going to school every day!

Our principal, Andrea Sleet, is as warm and compassionate as she is devoted to her students’ learning, safety and emotional wellbeing. She is deeply engaged with students, teachers, staff and families by greeting students as they arrive each day, regularly visiting classrooms, hosting principal coffee meetings and a book club with parents, and attending all PTA meetings and school events. She is a celebrity on campus and the students adore her.

The community at Del Mar Hills is friendly and inclusive and the PTA sponsors many events throughout the year to provide opportunities for students and their families to gather (e.g. an ice cream social, Halloween Spooktacular, world festival, and the family carnival). Fourth through sixth students are deeply involved in these events and are encouraged to create and oversee games, as well as to construct and guide students through an impressive haunted house at our Halloween Spooktacular.

My preschool-age child also receives special education services through Del Mar Hills and has made tremendous progress in her speech production and articulation. We feel so supported by the teachers, staff and families at Del Mar Hills Elementary and are so fortunate to be a part of the SurfRider community.

Posted: February 28, 2025

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Posted: August 8, 2022

My kids were happier in a larger school with more children to make friends with. The teachers are not better here than anywhere else and a small class size is not as beneficial as it sounds. I would recommend one of the other options in the area, just check them out. They are really nice with great teachers and amazing resources. Del Mar Hills is too small and the staff shows favoritism as much as they say they dont. Thats what made me regret sending my kids here more than anything

Posted: August 8, 2022

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Posted: September 16, 2019

The 8 Keys of Excellence is a great social-emotional program that gives parents the tools to continue using it at home.

Posted: September 16, 2019

We were fortunate to have Julie Lerner for our first three years, and I am hopeful that Andrea Sleet will continue the tradition, but haven't had enough time to state an opinion yet.

Posted: September 16, 2019

My son got a lot of help from his teacher during 2nd grade, and once we needed more help we got it for him. Plus his plan was well-communicated into this year and he already started getting help.

Posted: September 16, 2019

Reflections are used as a way to address behavior, and everything I have seen shows that the system works well. Being a small school, the teachers and staff get to know the kids really well.

Posted: September 16, 2019

I have a Kindergartener and a 3rd Grader, and so far the homework has been specific and has contributed to a love of learning. My kids do math on Dreambox and enjoy it a lot while learning a lot.

Posted: September 16, 2019

Sample size K-3, our teachers have excelled at making sure my kids get what they need. My 3rd grader had issues with handwriting and we got help started pretty quickly.

Posted: September 16, 2019

It's better to be a big fish in a small pond when you're at Elementary School. Del Mar Hills occupies that size sweet spot where your kids are known well by teachers and staff, while still having enough other kids to ensure they have plenty of friends. The social-emotional education, both the 8 Keys of Excellence and Second Step, is so important at this age. I would rather have my kids learn how to get along on the playground than keep them in to do extra math problems. They have time later on to work on that; the workplace is basically the same as the playground and those skills are hard to re-learn after you learn fundamental human interactions as a kid.
The homework has been reasonable and specific; I never felt like a teacher was loading them up with busywork just to hit a certain amount of homework time. I trust the teachers, and when they send something home, it is worth my and my kids' time.
The amount of parent involvement is spectacular.

Posted: March 9, 2018

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Posted: March 9, 2018

Del Mar Hills feels like a small, private school. The teachers are exceptional, caring & highly-skilled at offering differentiated instruction. My 6th grader is well prepared for middle school, and all three of my kids (K, 3 & 6) are excited to go to school every day. (My 6th grader started midway through 1st grade, and was immediately welcomed & supported by the other students & staff. He was excited to go back on day 2!) The hands-on integrated STEAM+ program & Innovation Center are highlights, as well as drama club and all of the unique PTA student & family events. It feels like every staff member at this school knows my children & really cares about them. They are happy and thriving, with good test scores & minimal homework (which makes our evenings so much easier).

Posted: March 10, 2017

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Posted: March 10, 2017

Del Mar Hills is an excellent school. We are so lucky to be in this district! We chose this school over Del Mar Heights across the street because it's smaller and immediately had a warmer, more welcoming feel to it. My daughter could already read going into kindergarten, but everyone is taught at their own level and so she was always challenged. Yet homework is reasonable. I'm always amazed at the opportunities open to our daughter here -- they have Garden Club every week, science class taught by a former NASA scientist, technology class and coding starting in kindergarten, Chrome books starting in 2nd grade, just to name a few. Many of the teachers have their own kids in the school, so they are just as invested in it as we are. The principal, Julie Lerner, is amazing -- her enthusiasm for education and efforts toward shaping our kids into considerate, confident citizens are astounding. Her infectious spirit really sets the tone for the whole school. Then there's our incredibly dedicated (but low pressure! :) PTA -- thanks to them, our kids have ozobots to learn coding, cool new playground equipment and tons of fun, free evening and weekend family events (movie nights, world festival, family carnival, science nights, etc etc) that really enrich the experience for our daughter and help draw everyone into the community. To top it all off, the school is also one of the more diverse in the area. It's really the best of all worlds. We highly recommend The Hills!

Posted: March 10, 2017

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Posted: March 10, 2017

My child is in his second year at the Hills, and my second child will attend next year. Del Mar Hills is a fantastic choice for our family. We are in the option area of the district, so we attended the open houses of Hills, Heights, and Carmel Del Mar. The family atmosphere, fantastic principal and small school size led us to choose Del Mar Hills. We have met so many wonderful families through school, and everyone really seems to work together to help our children succeed. The PTA is fantastically organized, and there are tons of engaging and free events throughout the year.

Posted: March 10, 2017

Posted: March 7, 2017

My family has been at The Hills since 2009 when my son started Kindergarten there. I have a second grader now and it is still just as magical as when we first stepped foot on campus. The community is so strong at this school and it REALLY feels like a private school. I am so confident in every single person employed here to help my child be the best she can be. The free events that the PTA puts on are so incredible. It really grabs that family feel.

Posted: March 7, 2017

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Posted: February 20, 2017

Our 2 children are receiving a great education at Del Mar Hills. Teachers are very engaged, the principal is running a tight ship, and the parents are heavily involved. Very solid learning environment.

Posted: February 20, 2017

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Posted: June 19, 2015

If I could give this school 0 stars, I would! There is nothing "academy" about this place. It's a mediocre education for average students. My son was in the 1st grade and brought home NOTHING week after week for me to check so that I knew what he was doing. When I asked his teacher about it she insisted that they don't send home the work they are doing because everything goes in to this magical portfolio at the end of the year. What that really meant was that they were going to hide what was NOT being taught all year long and put it in a really nice folder so that it looks impressive. The papers that I got back on the last day of school were about 2 dozen writing assignments and some pictures. There was no math involved in it whatsoever. No wonder our country is falling apart. The kids spend all day drawing and painting and not incorporating math. I have spent most of the year teaching my son at home on top of his full day of school just so he won't be behind when we move on to a different school. Open house consisted of 5 paintings on animals for their science unit. How about some writing assignments on them. Let's research those animals and present on them instead of the kids saying 2 sentences about their favorite food.
If your child is above average intelligence then do NOT send him/her here. Check out the Heights school across the street, or better yet, go private.

Posted: May 31, 2015

Great school with awesome teachers. Love the small school feel. Happy to see many parents' participation either in classes or events.

Posted: November 1, 2014

Small tight-knit community. Cross-pollination of subjects, so art reinforces concepts from science and social studies. 1:1 chrome books for grades 3-6. All the teachers have been great except 1 (out of 11). Highly recommend. My kids love it there.

Posted: December 17, 2012

I love this school because it is so fun and my kids love it i have3 and all of tthem went to the hills and loved i have a 3rd grader that still goes and says that every day is beter than the one before

Posted: August 20, 2012

I absolutely love this school! Del Mar Hills is a small public school with a private school feel. The teachers are excellent and the parents are very involved. It feels like there is a great sense of community and school spirit.

Posted: August 26, 2010

Excellent school. Del Mar Hills Academy of Arts and Sciences provides a top notch education in a small school setting! The teachers and staff are excellent and the parents support continued growth at the school. My daughter attended elementary school there and my son is currently enrolled. I am thrilled to be part of such a vibrant program! The combination of arts and sciences provide a balanced education and my children have excelled as a result. The principal and the teachers continually impress.

Posted: May 10, 2010

Del Mar Hills Academy has an integrated Arts, Science and Technology program that encourages children to think creatively. It's a small school where the children know each other and the older children are encouraged to help the younger ones. The teachers are amazing and work well as a team. We have a principal who supports the staff and listens to the parents. At the Hills, we also have a very active group of parents who want the elementary school experience to be the best it can be for the students - so that the students love learning and become the best they can be. I am very proud to be a parent and a supporter of Del Mar Hills Academy.

Posted: May 10, 2010

Del Mar Hills Academy has a wonderful school culture and climate. The school is small and students, staff, and parents all know each other. The integrated Arts, Science, and Technology program is particularly strong thanks to excellent Specialist teachers. Parents are actively involved in school activities in and out of the classroom. Teachers seem genuinely happy to be at the school. The environment is friendly, warm, and constructive.

Posted: April 20, 2010

Very small school. Teachers and staffs are nice and kind, they know every children. Children know each other, either. They have good PC program for learning math, work hard on art, music and science.

Posted: April 3, 2010

We transferred from private to the Hills this year and we are stunned with the exceptional quality of the education at the Hills. The combination of teaching staff, curriculum and Academy approach is very special. The Hills Academy approach emphasizes integrated learning. Very few schools in the country get this right - the kids literally learn about a subject and experience it in every discipline. Nothing teaches problem solving, reinforces learning and results in a more well rounded education than integrated learning. The Hills is a hidden gem.

Posted: October 2, 2008