We highly recommend Bentley Upper School. Our son just finished his senior year, and the growth…read morewe've seen in him is hard to overstate. A few things that stood out to us: - Teachers truly see their students. Not just academically, but as whole people. -Creativity and rigor live side by side. Kids are pushed and trusted at the same time. - The culture encourages kids to show up as themselves. Our son found his voice here. - He's felt held, seen, supported, challenged, and loved. He arrived still figuring out his relationship to learning. He's leaving curious, confident, proud of who he's become, and headed to Harvard in the fall. That outcome is a credit to the teachers and culture here, and to what this school does for kids when they're given the space to find themselves.

This review is based solely on the tennis courts…read more This is our 2nd tennis tournament at Bentley and I love the nice and clean lay out. It's conveniently located off the freeway and very easy to find. After all, it is only 3 exits away from our house. I love that there are lots of trees surrounding the area, with beautiful blossoms. Early morning air is nice and refreshing. Might even convince myself to come out and take a nice stroll someday, which I rarely do. So good luck to me on that thought... Parking lot can get a little crowded when there are a lot of parents here to watch their kids play, but there is also street parking available. The people in charge of the tennis tournaments are good and fair. Unfortunately, seating arrangements aren't as comfortable as one would like, but it's a kids' tournament...we're not expecting pro tennis treatment.

This school is an absolutely gem. My child transferred here from a public school at the beginning…read moreof this year. After having two extremely difficult years in a public school system, where my child went from happy and thirsty to learn, to nearly hating school, we knew we needed a change. From the first conversation with Mel, to watching their open house video and hearing their viewpoint on learning, we instantly felt this could be the environment that our child needed. As a Licensed Marriage, Family and Child Therapist, I am consistently reminded the importance of a safe and nurturing learning environment for the overall well-being of a child. The Saklan School understand the importance of children feeling safe and connected in order to learn and grow. Today's parent-teacher conference confirmed everything that we had thought this school would be. My child is absolutely thriving. His teacher doesn't just tolerate his "all in" nature, she encourages and celebrates it, while pushing him to be his best self. The small class sizes allow for each kiddo to feel seen and be known, and project-based learning gets them excited. We absolutely adore this school. Yes, it is a big financial investment, but we are already seeing the return in his growth and joy, and it is also having a huge impact on our entire family's quality of life. We're so thankful for The Saklan School.

We gave the Walnut Creek public school system a try then decided to send our 1st grader to Saklan…read more It's been two months and we've seen a huge change in his attitude towards learning. You cannot beat the small class size and the personalized attention your child will get. We've noticed a renewed love of learning, more confidence and comfort in his skin. My husband and I believe that investing early in his education, creative expression and social emotional development will give him a leg up in life and a strong sense of self. We also love Saklan's project based, hands on approach to learning. Focusing on the whole child is difficult to do when there are 23-30 kids in a classroom. In fact, studies show that learning outcomes diminish when there are more than 18 students in a classroom. When our son comes home excited about something he learned/experienced or tells us how much he loves to read, this warms our hearts because his teachers are getting through to him. We also love that he's learning a foreign language early (Spanish); you many not get that in public school. The public school system is a one size fits all mold. Everything is about meeting benchmarks/assessments and keeping the test scores high without looking at the whole child. At Saklan you have the luxury of knowing that your child's education is flexible enough to both challenge and support them where it's needed. We are thrilled with our decision to invest in our son's education at Saklan.

We truly cannot fully express the amount of joy, comfort, and confidence we feel leaving our…read morechildren in the loving hands of Meher Schools. When searching for the perfect preschool, we had very clear priorities - and White Pony/Meher Schools was the only preschool that checked every box after extensive research, visits, and interviews. After falling in love with White Pony preschool, we decided to stay for The Meher Schools elementary school - also, one drop off for kids if you have one in preschool and another in elementary?! Yes, please! The Meher Schools met our top priorities in choosing aas did the White Pony Preschool: 1. Teachers who genuinely practice kindness, patience, and love, creating a safe, nurturing environment that mirrors the care we provide at home. 2. A strong focus on kindness, emotional and spiritual development alongside academics, using the Nurtured Heart Approach to teach leadership, right from wrong, and strong values - something that truly matters in today's world. 3. A calm, organized, clean, and open learning environment inspired by Montessori/Waldorf principles, filled with music, dance, art, nature exploration, and joyful activities that spark curiosity and a love of learning. 4. Low teacher-to-student ratios with consistent, dedicated staff and minimal turnover. 5. The ease and convenience of reliable daycare availability and consistent school hours, which is invaluable for working parents and provides tremendous peace of mind. Our children have grown into calm, patient, loving, socially and emotionally intelligent individuals. They come home happy - singing songs, performing dances, and confidently demonstrating leadership skills such as speaking up, standing up for others, self-regulating ("resetting"), appreciating nature, and truly loving life. We are incredibly grateful for the dependable, efficient, and communicative staff and teachers. Watching our children's growth, confidence, curiosity, and joy throughout their time at Meher Schools has been nothing short of amazing. We wholeheartedly and highly recommend Meher Schools to any parent looking for the very best for their child.

I want to start by saying this is a long time coming, and this is just my experience…read more We first looked at Meher after learning our son's previous preschool prioritized moving kids up to open seats, over real development. He was three, and his old school, though called Montessori, felt like just unstructured play with no guidance. We wanted better for him, so we applied to Meher. When I spoke with the administrator, she was initially hesitant to transfer him but ultimately accepted our application but in hindsight it felt influenced by where we live and work more than our child's needs. On our tour, we learned about the school's "legacy" tradition: multiple generations attend, and one teacher is even an alumna. It struck me as both odd and charming--I wondered if our son's future children might go there too. They want you to stay on his first day (and as long as needed) to help him adjust. Since we both WFH, one of us could be there until he settled in. We appreciated the school's structure: clear work time and play time, unlike his old school's laissez-faire approach. Fast-forward to his transition: he struggled with the new routines, having mini-meltdowns when he couldn't do things his way. On day one, another child cried for an hour over a forgotten jacket. Day two, the same child sobbed over his beanie. Then our son had his first major meltdown screaming and crying. Concerns arose when a parent complained her son was negatively affected by our child's outburst, even though her child had cried extensively before our son had any issues. We were also told one of the girls in the class reported the meltdowns to her principal father. During one episode, the teacher scooped our son up facing her; he flailed and knocked her glasses off. I don't think what he did was right, but at age three, kids sometimes lash out in fear or frustration. After just four days in class, the school questioned whether Meher was right for him. They cited the legacy parent's complaint, the report to her father, and the incident with the glasses. This happened just before Founders Day; a big celebration we didn't know about and weren't part of. When I picked up his things, I saw the pomp and realized the decision had more to do with "show" and pleasing established families than supporting all students. In the end, I learned two things: 1. In the school, legacy families hold sway, and compassion is in short supply. 2. The administration cares more about appearances for legacy parents than the well-being of every child. They promised to "follow up" and welcome him back, but we never heard from them again. If you're new to the area (we moved to Saranap in 2021) and lack connections, think twice before choosing Meher. Your child won't get the same grace as those with legacy ties, and the school won't invest in you as much as you'll invest in it.

While bullying from other students is always a concern, Bentley School has the unique problem of…read morehaving one of its teachers bully her students. Over the course of the year (school events, play dates, birthday parties), without prompting, classmate after classmate informed us that our child's teacher constantly put down our child and those other students who were not favored by her. Weekly, often daily, she would demean and certain students in front of the class. And yet while fellow students saw the problem, and the matter was brought to the school's attention, the school administration did nothing. Enabling bad people is what bad schools do. This is a bad school.

Fabulous, well rounded school. High academic standards, great social emotional support, incredible…read moreteachers and administration. Lots of extracurriculars to get involved with. We are very happy and grateful to have 2 kids here (who joined from OUSD)

We decided to withdraw our children from The Academy after ongoing concerns about bullying, lack of…read moreaccountability, and weak leadership. Our son faced repeated exclusion and inappropriate comments from classmates, including remarks that he was disliked "because he is Turkish." Despite our repeated reports and requests for support, the school minimized the situation and stated that "there was no bullying." Yet even during classroom assignments, our son expressed in writing and drawings his deepest wish for a world without bullying -- something no child should have to feel so strongly about in the first place. We tried for months to collaborate with the school, to have meaningful conversations, and to trust that the situation would improve. Unfortunately, it did not. Two students -- one acting as the leader and another following his lead -- consistently targeted him, and there were no real consequences. The administration's responses were consistently dismissive, suggesting a lack of understanding of the emotional impact such behavior can have on a child. Our son's sense of safety was completely eroded. Leadership at the school often acts in denial rather than taking responsibility. Communication is reactive and defensive. We also learned later that the administration offered us a $6,000 refund in exchange for signing a non-disparagement contract -- essentially asking us not to talk about our experience. We declined. Families deserve honesty, not silence. Academically, the school claims to be "one year ahead" and to follow a rigorous curriculum. After transferring to another school, we learned this was not true. Many concepts were skipped or taught superficially, creating learning gaps. Teachers are inconsistent -- some are good, while others frequently absent or disengaged. The third-grade environment in particular suffered from poor classroom management, inappropriate peer interactions, and a lack of supervision during recess and lunch. Conversations among students included inappropriate topics such as smoking and alcohol, even at this young age. This reflects serious gaps in oversight. The school also advertises a French program, but in reality, students only learn a few isolated words throughout the year -- far from the language exposure and learning that parents are led to expect. This is one example of how the school's marketing and actual classroom experience do not align. The only staff member who genuinely helped us and consistently supported our child was the inclusion and belonging teacher. She truly cared, followed up, and tried to make a difference when others didn't. To our shock, after leaving the school, we learned that she had been laid off. It's hard to understand how a school that claims to value inclusion could let go of one of the few people who actually embodied it. Adding to the concern, we later found that in the 2024-2025 school year, the administration encouraged families to post positive reviews online to boost enrollment numbers, as the kindergarten class had only six students enrolled. That context makes recent glowing reviews highly misleading. I would advise anyone considering this school not to rely on those reviews, as many were written under pressure to improve the school's public image. When The Academy was founded years ago, it had a strong reputation. Sadly, under the current leadership, it has lost its integrity, its sense of community, and its educational quality. For us, both the financial cost and the emotional toll were high. We are writing this review not out of bitterness, but out of responsibility -- so that other families can make informed decisions. Our new school has shown us how dramatically things can change when children feel truly safe, respected, and supported. Every child deserves that.

In credible school and incredible community. We've been at the school for 5 years and have two…read morechildren at the school. Both children have grown and thrived. We highly recommend The Academy.

Our pre school daughter goes here and she loves it. She's grown in all aspects including her faith,…read morewhich has been a joy to see. It's a loving environment and we are very happy to have here at CCCS.

This school has been so perfect for our son! He transferred sophomore year and immediately made…read morefriends and felt welcomed. The class sizes are small so the kids get a lot of individual attention. Teachers actually try and get to know the kids and make a connection, which has been wonderful for him as a newcomer. We wish we had found it sooner, it's such a hidden gem!

This dance academy is so organized, it is nothing short of impressive. Lynn replies to all…read morequestions and all emails. And that what we call a good manager. Teachers teach well consequently it works like clock work. It is located in a pleasant plaza with ample parking , the different studios are kept clean, tidy. So far my ballet one student is delighted. It has taught her a thing or two about posture , movement, breathing and music. All this in a supportive and committed way which I appreciate. The cost of the full hour class is very reasonable and the Lyme ta are managed well. Could not be happier.

My daughter and I had been a nanny to a family that has been attending CAPA Dance Academy for last…read more8 years. When quite young these two girls took lessons at a dance studio in the area however, they weren't really being trained to dance ‍, they just looked cute dancing around. Since going to CAPA, we've seen such growth and maturity in these two now pre teen and teen aged young ladies; and as for dance, in these 8 years, they've gone from running around a dance class to absolute professional dancers. We enjoy both the Summer Showcase and the holiday Nutcracker performance in December. Now we bring my 8 year old granddaughter and she truly loves seeing her friends up on stage. Growing up in the 1960's I trained at the San Francisco Ballet and another dance studio for Tap; and as great as they were, I wish CAPA were around then...it's got EVERYTHING right there in one place. These students walk in on the first day not knowing what to expect and they come out Professional Dancers ready to hit "Broadway" when they graduate. Well done, to all who contributes to this academy, WELL DONE.

The most brilliant staff in the bay, led by an incredible admin team supports some of the brightest…read moreminds in this Oakland haven.

CPS is the pre-eminent high school in northern California and competes with Harvard Westlake as the…read moretop secondary school on the west coast. At last check, something like 3/4 of graduating seniors were National Merit semifinalists, finalists, or winners. Historically strong programs include English (world class), forensics (world class), foreign languages, arts, history, and math. Historically under-resourced programs include advanced sciences. Secluded from the freeway in a gully, the campus looks like an idyllic, architecturally balanced ski village, a fantasy of rolling floral slopes and cascading, homey classroom buildings. Like Yelp, CPS has succeeded in cultivating the delicate balance of social norms and incentives whereby the overwhelming behavioral tendency is a joyous contribution to the common good, both within the campus and without. You can't put that in a bottle -- but you can put it in a gully.