About

At Marquez, we will to the best of our abilities and resources meet the educational needs of each student to ensure they reach their full potential as lifelong learners and productive citizens.

Our Mission

The mission of Marquez Charter School, “Where Children Come First,” is to promote lifelong learning, maximize student achievement and instill concern for others. We strive to provide a safe, nurturing learning environment for students in grades K-5. We have developed a strong foundation in both academic and social competencies that prepare them for life in the twenty-first century. The intent is to produce successful, responsible, caring, respectful and inquisitive human beings capable of participating in a diverse and changing world. With the help of committed parents, a challenging academic program, inspirational teachers and visionary administrators, Marquez Charter School will create an environment in which students will thrive.

Overview

Marquez Charter School is a K-5 school with around 720 students. It opened in 1955 and has an excellent reputation within the Pacific Palisades community. In 1993 it was chosen as one of the first Charter Schools in California. A “Charter,” or in other words, a binding contract, was entered into by Marquez with the Los Angeles Unified School District, the school’s chartering authority. The relationship between Marquez and the LAUSD is set forth in the Marquez Charter. Marquez consults with the LAUSD on matters not covered by the Charter and may seek waivers regarding issues, policies, and procedures that are not specifically addressed by the Charter or other applicable law.

Marquez is one of the five elementary schools in the Palisades Learn/Charter Complex. The Los Angeles Board of Education approved our proposal to be the only Learn/ Charter Complex in the District. Paul Revere Middle School, Temescal High School and Palisades High School complete the K-12 Charter Complex.

How is a charter school different from other public schools?

As a charter school, Marquez has greater autonomy in curriculum, budget, and administrative decisions. Our Governing Board, comprised of teachers, parents, administrators, and other staff, makes decisions regarding curriculum, staffing., budget, enrollment, and policy concerns.

Classes

Marquez currently has an enrollment of about 700 students. This student body is made up of neighborhood children, charter applicants, and children bused from designated sending school areas. LAUSD only provides transportation to Marquez for CAP students (a program to relieve overcrowding) from existing schools sending and PWT students (an integration program). Class size in grades K-3 is an average of 20 students. Grades 4 and 5 have 28-34 students. Some grades have combination grade-level classes, for example a second/third combination. Placement in these classes is carefully crafted by teachers on a case-by-case basis. 2 How do I know my child will be placed with the best teacher for him or her? Put your trust in your child’s teacher! The teachers from each grade level meet at the end of the school year to place the children in classes for the following year. They work hard to pair your child’s learning style with a teacher’s teaching style. They also pay attention to social groupings, skill levels and boy/girl ratio. This is a challenging process which the teachers take very seriously. Rest assured. Your child’s teacher has the best overall knowledge of the situation and is the best person to make this important decision. To find out more about the teachers, check out the short teacher biographies on the school website at www.MarquezCharter.org. Teachers who teach these classes are especially enthusiastic about the concept of combination classes. Extra care is given to ensure students placed in this class setting have an exceptional year. Combination classes will have a full time teaching assistant if at all possible. Much care and attention is given to class and room assignments to ensure appropriate placement of students. The number of teachers allocated to each school depends on enrollment. Assignments will be tentative until after Norm Day, the date by which we must have the appropriate student enrollment to maintain our teacher allocation.

How do I know my child will be placed with the best teacher for him or her?

Put your trust in your child’s teacher! The teachers from each grade level meet at the end of the school year to place the children in classes for the following year. They work hard to pair your child’s learning style with a teacher’s teaching style. They also pay attention to social groupings, skill levels and boy/girl ratio. This is a challenging process which the teachers take very seriously. Rest assured. Your child’s teacher has the best overall knowledge of the situation and is the best person to make this important decision. View Teacher Bios

Campus

The administrative offices and library are in the main building by the staff parking lot. Kindergarten classes have a separate, cheery, fenced-in playground. Classrooms for grades K-2 are primarily located in the main patio area. Classrooms for grades 2-5 are located in bungalows on the upper yard. A separate building on the patio area contains an auditorium, the staff lunchroom and a cafeteria. An environmental growing ground and science pond are located on the lower playground and a growing ground is also located on the upper playground. View Location Map