Spanish Schools for Kids in San Diego, California
San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of California and it’s well known for its beaches, parks, and idyllic climate. One of America’s finest cities, San Diego also offers great employment opportunities and lots of other amenities such as great beaches, and recreational activities that make it a great city to raise your children.
Nowadays the Spanish-speaking population is growing rapidly all over the United States. According to a survey conducted by the American Community, 39% percent of San Diego’s population speaks Spanish, and it’s thought that this number will increase over the years. Because of this reason, choosing a bilingual approach to education, especially Spanish, is one of the best ways to guarantee our children’s future.
Being bilingual in the United States can provide better opportunities in the future and a better quality of life. At TruFluency Kids we know how hard it can be to choose the best option for our children’s education, so we have taken the time to look for some of the best options for your kids to learn this Spanish in the San Diego area.
About This Resource
This resource was made for you to get to know some of the best options for your children to learn Spanish in the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). (see map)
In this resource, we will show you Spanish Immersion and Dual-Language programs only as in TruFluency Kids we acknowledge immersion and early exposure as a very efficient way to build knowledge in any new language. SDUSD offers several options for Spanish Immersion and Dual-Language programs.
The ones that we will review here are the ones that we consider to be the greatest choices for your children to enroll in. However, as we know that not all parents strive for public education, you can find a brief list of some good private, and after-school choices in the San Diego area.
San Diego USD Dual Language Program
If you live near the SDUSD boundaries, and you want to enroll your children into a school in this district, complete the enrollment process for the Early Learning program or the General Enrollment process. However, you need to enroll your child in your neighborhood school (School Finder), contact the appropriate enrollment staff, and then continue with each school’s process.
The schools that participate in San Diego’s Language Program use either Two-Way Dual Language Immersion, One-Way Foreign Language Immersion, or One Way Development Bilingual programs.
San Diego USD Dual Language Schools
SDUSD ranks as the #7 best school district in the San Diego area according to Niche. This district is listed as #7 in the most diverse school districts in California ranking, which means that your children will develop in a multicultural environment.
The schools highlighted below, however, are the ones that we consider to be better for Spanish fluency as they offer one of the three SDUSD language programs and have top marks for academic excellence.
Tierrasanta Elementary School
Tierrasanta Elementary School offers a robust Spanish immersion in grades K-5. They offer a curriculum to help children develop and nurture critical thinking skills. This school is a family-friendly, community-oriented school that serves an amazing environment for your children.
In their Dual Language Spanish immersion program for grades K-5, they follow the 50/50 teaching method in which 50% percent of the day is taught in English and the other 50% in Spanish.
The mission of Tierrasanta Elementary is to foster a learning environment with both parents and students by promoting mutual respect and enriched learning experiences so the students develop positive skills and attitudes towards society.
In order to be eligible for Tierrasanta’s Dual language program, you must commit to staying at the school for 6 years (through 5th grade if your child enters after kindergarten).
Juarez Elementary School
Juarez Elementary School is chosen by a lot of families due to its excellent programs and highly trained staff. In this school, all students participate in their 50/50 Dual Language Program which means that at the end of each program, students are bilingual, bi-literate, and multicultural learners in both English and Spanish.
This school is small-sized, which gives a comfortable feel that helps its students and parents feel welcomed and valued.
The school is located conveniently close to Interstate 15, near the San Diego Trolley line, SDCCU Stadium, Mission Valley, and the Kearny Mesa business park, making it a popular school choice for nonresidents.
Juarez Elementary school holds an overall B+ grade in Niche, and it’s listed as the #192 School in Best Public Elementary Schools in San Diego Area.
Other Outstanding San Diego Schools
The schools listed above are excellent options when it comes to Spanish immersion for your children. But, there are alternative schools for your children in the San Diego USD area. Even though not of the schools offer a Spanish immersion program, here are some good Two-way Dual language options you can explore.
A Two-Way Dual Language Immersion program blends two different language education models: A bilingual maintenance model for English learners, and an immersion program for English-only speakers. Students from two language groups attend classes together and learn from one another. In the end, both groups of students develop linguistic and academic competencies in two languages.
Golden Hill UTK-8 School
Golden Hill UTK-8 School is an above average, public magnet school located with a B+ overall rating according to Niche.
The K-8 school’s emphasis on social/emotional learning and love for all children creates an environment where children develop skills such as empathy, gratitude, compassion, resilience, positive communication, and problem-solving.
Their Dual Language Immersion Program focuses on the three pillars of Dual Language education: bilingualism and biliteracy, cross-cultural competency, and grade-level academic achievement.
Golden Hill is a beautiful school community where teachers, staff, students, and families collaborate to meet the needs of all students and decisions remain focused on what is best for them.
Field Elementary School
Field Elementary School describes itself as a small yet “mighty” school with an enrollment of approximately 320 students in grades TK4 through 5th. Thanks to being a smaller school, the relationship between teachers, parents, and children allows them to build a family-like environment.
Field Elementary has earned the unique distinction of being a “Quality school” by SDUSD. They have also been named by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation as one of “America’s Healthiest schools”.
Their Spanish Two-way Bilingual Program follows a 90/10 model program where 90% of the instruction in their dual immersion classrooms in Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and First Grade is delivered in Spanish. The goal of their program is to have all students be able to read, write, listen and speak in both English and Spanish.
Private Schools, Preschool, and After-School Programs for Spanish Learning
Even though we have some pretty good public options above, we know that not all families are interested in public schools. At TruFluency Kids, we value all kinds of education so we’ve also looked for some private options that we believe to be the best for Spanish education.
Empower Language Academy
Empower Language Academy prepares students from kindergarten to sixth grade to compete in a multilingual world with classes taught in Spanish and English.
They prepare students with a well-rounded writing-centered dual language education that allows children to fully develop writing and communication skills. Their Spanish Immersion program starts with kindergarten and first graders with an 80/20 method in which 80% of their instruction is in Spanish and the other 20% is in English. Each year after that, they add 10% of English and less Spanish so with fourth and sixth grade, the daily instruction is split evenly between English and Spanish instruction.
This school has an overall 4.8 star rating on Facebook with reviews with comments like this one:
“This is all around the perfect school for kids to attend and for teachers to work! The administrators support every student and teacher over and beyond. Empower Charters fosters a safe, healthy, and educational environment that enriches students and actually makes you excited to go to school each day! With the dual language immersion program, the school offers this is the ideal choice for any prospective parent!”
If you ar interested in sending your child to this school, fill out the Enrollment form to get started.
Bilingual Kids School
Bilingual Kids offers language arts in a dynamic and engaging approach. They offer full immersion Mandarin, Spanish, and ESL enrichment programs both in-person and online. Their programs ensure that every child learns a foreign language with qualified native teachers in a safe, fun, progressive, and inclusive environment with a unique methodology that blends art and culture.
They offer different programs such as Spanish and Mandarin full immersion camps, after-school programs, and Daily Spanish and Mandarin Enrichment classes. Their classes are all personalized for each participating child so he/she can excel in their language skills.
Bilingual kids have an overall rating of 4.5 stars on Yelp! with great reviews like this one:
“My daughter has been attending Bilingual kids since the fall and she has IMPROVED in Spanish drastically. Her overall confidence has grown and she is no longer afraid to speak in Spanish. Also, her reading in Spanish has grown so much that she flows.
Sharon and her staff have such great personalities and caring spirits that the kids gain a relationship with them. They each take the time to get to know the children and what they need help in then they help build the confidence on the children by assuring them that it’s okay to make a mistake but build from it. The patience and time that they invest in the children show their passion for learning but also for children. If your looking for a caring set of tutors this is who you need for your child or children. You will NOT be disappointed. I am so blessed Sharon and her team were recommended to us. We will be around for a long time.”
TruFluency Kids Spanish Immersion Program
Kids are full of energy and curiosity, so the best way for them to learn a new language is while having fun. That’s what TruFluency Kids’ Spanish Immersion Program aims to do.
The environment is kind and the classes are very dynamic. We have the kids singing Spanish songs, making food, playing word games, and speaking Spanish phrases to achieve fluency.
We don’t teach the regular way because we don’t want your kids to memorize a couple of rules, and then forget them. We want them to become truly fluent in Spanish; understand it, and be able to communicate in Spanish. The process is the same as when they first learn their native language: by being immersed in it.
We also think about our parents. Since we know that every family has different schedules and needs, all of our classes are online and with flexible schedules. So, if you missed a class, you can take another one to make it up. Plus, our classes are seven days a week from 9 am-9 pm (CST). So kids all around the world can study with us!
Oh, and our students will receive two subscriptions to online Spanish learning videos for one year! That way they can keep practicing their Spanish.
You can check our testimonials and our blog to read more about how we work. If you have any questions, send us a message. You’ll see that TruFluency Kids is as fun as it sounds!