Spanish Schools for Kids in Fontana, California
California is very diverse and is one of the states with more Hispanic residents. In fact, just in the city Fontana there is a Hispanic population of 68.5%. More than half the population! This makes it a fantastic city to raise bilingual children. You can enroll them in Spanish classes, and they’ll inherently continue learning outside of school, speaking with friends or neighbors.
But which school is the best for Spanish learning? With so many options, you might find it a little difficult to choose the best one. Don’t worry, though. TruFluency Kids is here to help. We’ve created this guide for schools with Spanish classes in Fontana, California. Check them out and choose the one that fits you and your kids’ goals and needs the best.
About This Resource
Before we head into the schools, we want to tell you what you’ll find in the guide.
You’ll notice that many of the schools have Spanish immersion classes and programs. That’s because we believe that immersion is the best way to learn a new language. Immersion means that the classroom environment is completely in the target language. The teachers speak in that language all the time and encourage the kids to do the same. It’s a natural way of learning.
First, we’ll present you schools from Fontana Unified School District (FUSD) (see map), which has a Hispanic/Latino enrollment of 87.4%. It has a Dual Language Immersion Program for English-Spanish. According to Niche, it is the 31st best school district for athletes in California. As well as the 430th district with the best teachers in California. So, overall, it’s a great place for children to achieve a high academic level.
Then, we will show you some private Spanish preschools and after schools. Because we know that all families live in different locations, and have different budgets and needs. So, you might want to check this out too.
We’d love to hear from you! All the information in this guide is accurate at the moment of publication; contact us if you see anything that’s been outdated. This way we can update the article since we want to offer you the current information. And if you have any school recommendations, please let us know too. Your opinion will help us give all parents out there the best information possible.
Fontana USD Dual Language Immersion Program
Fontana USD’s Dual Language Immersion Program aims to develop bilingual and bicultural skills in all of the students. Because they’re aware that we live in a multicultural world, and that this will help them in their future jobs and careers. Their program has three goals: “bilingualism and biliteracy”, “high levels of academic achievement”, and “sociocultural competency”.
This is a two-way dual language program, which means that they teach common content in two languages: English and Spanish. Half of the students are native Spanish speakers, and the other half are native English speakers. So students will also be language models to their classmates. Because they all will hear and learn both languages all the time, even while speaking with each other.
This program lasts a minimum of seven years, but they’re planning a K-12 program. It starts in kindergarten.
They work with a 90:10 model. This is, they teach 90% of the time in Spanish, and 10% of the time in English. As kids pass grade levels, the instruction time in English will increase 10%. This until there’s a 50-50 model: 50% of instruction in Spanish and 50% of instruction in English. This is also called a “sequential literacy” model, because first they develop literacy in Spanish (in the partner language) and then in English.
You have to enroll your kids in kindergarten. The enrollment process consists of completing a Home Language Survey. You also have to attend an informational meeting, participate in the lottery, register, sign a parent/guardian commitment form, and go to an orientation.
Fontana USD Schools for Spanish Learning
Dolores Huerta International Academy
Dolores Huerta International Academy (DHIA) wants to give kids an international education through a rigorous and multicultural curriculum.
Apart from offering a dual language program, they are also an International Baccalaureate (IB) school. They offer the Primary Years Programme (PYP), which aims to develop cultural awareness and caring kids. The main goal of the IB programs is to help kids have an international thinking that will help create a peaceful world. And one of the main characteristics of an IB school is to be open minded, so kids learn to respect and appreciate their own cultures, as well as others.
This school is the third best elementary school in Fontana USD, as stated by U.S. News & World Report. It’s also the 114th best magnet elementary school in California. Out of their student population, 40% are proficient in math, and 47% are proficient in reading. Their minority enrollment is 98.2%, of which 95.2% are Hispanic/Latino. This is great news, as your children will be able to create international friendships to practice their Spanish. They will definitely be listening to Spanish beyond the classroom.
It’s rated 4.9/5 on Facebook, 2.2/5 on GreatSchools, and 4.7/5 on Google.
Redwood Elementary School
Redwood Elementary School focuses on three areas: “College going Culture”, “Building Positive Character”, and “Love of Reading”. And they encourage parent participation to help kids achieve these goals.
They believe that their dual language program prepares students for college. With it, they want to promote bilingualism and biliteracy in both Spanish and English, and develop cultural and linguistic awareness. For them, the dual language classes are an investment for the children’s future careers since it will prepare them for the global world.
It is the sixth best elementary school in Fontana USD, according to U.S. News & World Report. Out of their student population, 36% is proficient in math, and 46% is proficient in reading. They have 97.1% of minority enrollment, of which 93.3% are Hispanic/Latino. This is a great opportunity for your kids to learn Spanish beyond the classroom, while playing with their friends.
It’s rated 2.9/5 on GreatSchools, 5/5 on Niche, and 3.6/5 on Google.
More Fontana USD Schools
Beech Avenue Elementary School
Beech Avenue Elementary School strives for excellence based on reasoning, resilience, and responsibility. They want all kids to be proficient in reading, writing and math. But they also want the kids to become productive citizens.
There is a PTSA for parents to become a member or make a donation to the school.
This is the second-best elementary school in Fontana USD, according to U.S. News & World Report. 44% of their student population is proficient in math, and 47% is proficient in reading. They have a minority enrollment of 98%, of which 97.3% are Hispanic/Latino people. This confirms that your kids will always be surrounded by Spanish, even when they’re not in class and they’re just hanging out with their friends.
It’s rated 3.8/5 on GreatSchools, 4/5 on Facebook, and 4.2/5 on Google.
Shadow Hills Elementary School
Shadow Hills Elementary School offers preschool, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and 1st to 5th grade levels.
They have a Parent Teacher Association (PTA) with monthly meetings. And they also have an Associated Student Body (ASB), where kids organize different events. Students from third to fifth grade can be part of ASB, but they have to meet certain requirements. They have to possess leadership skills, have good attendance, teamwork, great behavior, and “homework and assignment completion in the classroom”. You can check all of this and more in their Back to School Night Presentation.
Throughout the school year, they have different events or celebrations, like field trips, Read Across America, Valentine’s Day, and a book fair.
Shadow Hills ES is the fourth best elementary school in Fontana USD, as said by U.S. News & World Report. 36% of their students are proficient in math, and 50% are proficient in reading. They have a minority enrollment of 94.6%, of which 86.6% are Hispanic/Latino.
It’s rated 4.8/5 on GreatSchools, and 4/5 on Google.
Oak Park Elementary School
The school offers preschool, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and 1st to 5th grade level programs. Oak Park Elementary School strives to be the best school for all students. That’s why they teach the curriculum in a caring way. They also make sure students realize their strengths and which things they could improve.
A very interesting activity for kids is the Harry Potter Reading Club. The goal of the club is to teach kids who enjoy Harry Potter books that the story has a lot of values, like love, friendship, and courage. They also want kids to improve their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.
This is the 9th best elementary school in Fontana USD, according to U.S. News & World Report. 37% of their student population is proficient in math, and 46% is proficient in reading. They have a minority enrollment of 96.6%, of which 87.7% are Hispanic/Latino.
It’s rated 4.5/5 on GreatSchools, and 4.6/5 on Google.
Private Schools, Preschool, and After-School Programs for Spanish Learning
Kiddie Academy
Kiddie Academy wants kids to love learning, and to succeed in school and life. That’s why they foster a nurturing environment and give kids the physical, emotional, technological, and cognitive tools that they need.
The way that they teach is through their Life Essentials philosophy. It consists of “character education, STEM-infused technology, and health and fitness experiences” to teach kids. So their curiosity for learning stays with them after classes.
They have infant care, toddler care, early preschool, preschool, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, school age, and summer camp programs.
The Spanish lessons start in Toddler care, a program for 13 to 24 months kids. There, they start learning simple Spanish, and they encourage you to practice with your kids words like “hola”, “adiós” and “gracias”. In early preschool, for 2 year olds, kids learn words like “eyes” and “mouth” in Spanish. And they draw pictures of these things to identify them. In pre-kindergarten, they start learning Spanish words about the weather.
It’s rated 4.1/5 on Facebook, and 4.4/5 on Google.
KinderCare
KinderCare offers infant daycare, toddler daycare, discovery preschool, preschool, prekindergarten, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten and interactive kindergarten programs.
They have schools in different states and cities, including two in Fontana. So you can choose the one closer to you. One is the Heritage Village KinderCare, at 13523 Baseline Ave, Fontana, CA. Here they give Spanish classes in the prekindergarten program, for 4 to 5 year olds. It’s rated 5/5 on Facebook and 3.4/5 on Google.
The other location is the Fontana KinderCare, at 16149 Foothill Blvd, Fontana, CA. Here they also give Spanish classes in prekindergarten.
But they also have a “Learning Adventures – Enrichment Program”, where they teach special classes about fun stuff. There’s the Cooking Academy, the Music Explorers, the Phonics Adventures, and Spanish Adventures. In this Spanish enrichment program, kids learn the language through music, games, literature, and more. Some of the lessons are about greetings, animals, body parts, and even practice conversation in Spanish for a real-life situation.
It’s rated 2.9/5 on Google.
Tutor Time of Fontana
Tutor Time offers infant, toddler, two’s, preschool, prekindergarten, private kindergarten, and school-age programs. They also offer electives, where they have three programs with different lessons: Spotlight Series, Grow Fit Series, and Additional Offerings. Within the Spotlight Series, there’s the Spotlight on Spanish. There, kids learn conversational Spanish through fun activities like stories, songs, and games. It is for kids in preschool or in grade levels above preschool.
The school is rated 4.9/5 on their Tutor Time website, and 3.4/5 on Google.
Here’s a review from a Google user: “My daughter has attended Tutor Time Fontana for nearly two years. She has had wonderful teachers and has learned what she needs to learn to be ready for Kindergarten. I have been very pleased with the experience and highly recommend the school.”
TruFluency Kids Spanish Immersion Program
Last but not least, our TruFluency Kids Spanish Immersion Program is the best school for your kids if you want them to learn while having fun. We know that kids learn better when they’re having a good time. That’s why there are always dynamic activities in our classes, such as singing, reading stories and asking questions, picture games, crafts, and even cooking! This way they acquire Spanish the same way they did with their native language.
We have native teachers with years of experience. And they all had to pass an energy test to make sure that the lessons were going to be joyful.
Our main goal is for children to become truly fluent in Spanish. We achieve that thanks to our Bellieu Method, created to be able to speak the language in real life situations.
We know that you’re very busy, so we have flexible schedules, from 9 am to 9 pm (CST), seven days a week. All of our classes are online, so you can study with us from everywhere. And because life is unpredictable, if your children missed a class, let us know and they can jump into another one. We want to make language learning as easy as possible for you and your kids.
Check our testimonials and if you want to test out a class, sign up for a trial class! Start your kids’ journey to Spanish fluency now.