Named after the Smiley twins who helped develop Redlands in the 1800s, Smiley Elementary School sits on Cypress Avenue, down the street from Cope Middle School. The school serves children from kindergarten through 5th grade. Every Friday is Smiley Spirit Day and the students wear their Smiley t-shirts to show their school pride.
The Gingerbread House Preschool is tucked away along Prospect Drive in downtown Redlands. Situated within a converted house, the preschool features fun games and activities for children ages two through five. It works with kids to increase their cognitive skills and help them work on socializing and making friends. The interior is bright and well kept, with clean facilities throughout. The front door is locked and the property sits on a quiet street behind a small gate for added safety. A calendar of events can be seen just outside the door. Free parking is available on the street.
Rising from the ashes, Mission Elementary School reopened for elementary school students in Aug. 2011. There has been a Mission School in the region dating back to the 1854. The current location was built through the Works Progress Administration in 1937-38.
The campus had closed as an elementary school after the 1993-94 school year, and had been used as both a school for developmentally disabled students and adults since then.
The campus is being renovated to modern standards in two phases. The first phase renovated the newer Heisner building, opening in Aug. 2011 with nine classrooms, a multi-purpose room (that is being used as a cafeteria) and computer lab.
The second phase will open for the 2012-13 school year, and include a library, amphitheater and permanent cafeteria.
While the school's address is listed as Redlands, it is located on the border of Loma Linda and Redlands, and most of the students who will attend the school come from Loma Linda.
McKinley Elementary School sits in the middle of a vibrant neighborhood, close to the A.K. Smiley Public Library and the Redlands Bowl. More than 400 students attend classes here between the grades of kindergarten and fifth grade. McKinley is a Title I Academic Achievement Award School.
The Grove School draws on the Montessori method to educate junior high and high school students. It is a public, charter school. The grades are separated, with grades 7 - 9 at the Grove Farm School, where the students work on an operating dairy farm, and grades 10-12 at Grove High School. All students take substantial courses in English, math, science, physical education and social studies and are given the opportunity to raise funds for Winterim courses and trips.
Gorman Learning Center adds an air of professionalism to home-schooling, creating customized, teacher-taught curricula that fulfill students' learning requirements and allow them to be educated in the home, rather than at a traditional public or private school. Gorman is a tuition-free, nonreligious, state-funded program that educates Kindergarteners through high school seniors.
Teachers aim to be extremely hands-on and insist on meeting with parents every 20 days or so for a one-on-one evaluation of students' work and learning habits. Students who miss assignments a certain amount of times are asked to withdraw from the program.