An Outside Chance at a Better School

They left Saturday morning tired, cold and sore--but mostly happy, having spent the last three nights camped out to register their children for fall classes at Santa Ana’s highly regarded Greenville Fundamental School.

By the time Principal Melanie Champion strolled out to greet the weary parents, there were 71 names on a list that had been growing since Wednesday, when the first dome tents sprouted up outside the school and the waiting began. The annual first-come, first-served kindergarten registration began Saturday.

“I know you’ve all been waiting awhile, but I want to assure you that it will be worth it,” Champion told the parents.

The group erupted in cheers and applause as the first parent in line--Veronica Herrera--was called into the office to pick up a registration packet for her son. Smiling, she waved at the others and broke into a little jig, drawing a new wave of laughter from the crowd.

“Yay, it’s over!” Herrera yelled. “We’re in! We’re in!”

The 20-year-old school attracts children from around the sprawling Santa Ana Unified School District, the county’s largest with about 56,000 students. Staking out a spot has long been an annual ritual for parents, who say Greenville offers the advantages of a private school without the tuition.

Parents also laud the school as having a dedicated staff of teachers, as well as a strict dress code and rigid daily homework requirements.

Such perceptions have been fueled by the state’s Academic Performance Index scores, which were released this week and are based on standardized test results that measure student performance. Greenville scored 815 out of a possible 1,000 points--the only school in the district to best the state target score of 800. And while most of the district’s other neighborhood elementary schools scored among the poorest third in the state, Greenville was ranked within the top 20%.

This year’s camp-out for registration was less intense than years prior, however. Officials attributed this in part to the opening nearby of Jim Thorpe Fundamental School. Thorpe has an enrollment of about 800; Greenville has 1,000. More slots were made available at the district’s third fundamental school as well.

The growing number of openings prompted about 13 parents to take their chances at Greenville by showing up on Saturday morning. Jim Weissinger was among them, adding his name to the list at No. 67. School officials said there are 50 to 75 spots open.

“I know I should’ve camped out,” Weissinger said with a sigh. “But there was no way I could get off work. I hope for my boys’ sake we get in.”