We initially chose EBI for its Spanish immersion program and were soon delighted to discover it's…read morealso an International Baccalaureate (IB) school. While raising bilingual children is important to us, the IB curriculum has become the most enriching part of our experience. Its inquiry-driven approach inspires curiosity, deep thinking, and a genuine love of learning that keeps our children engaged. Our top priority was to find a school where our kids would enjoy learning, ask big questions, and develop a global perspective--and EBI has exceeded our expectations. The teaching at EBI is high quality. The educators are thoughtful, skilled, and dedicated to helping each child succeed. They create a supportive learning environment that emphasizes both academic and social-emotional growth. Group work and collaboration are central to the school's approach, helping students build important interpersonal and problem-solving skills. EBI has been a great fit for our child with a learning difference, and also the one that doesn't have a learning difference because of their commitment to differentiated learning, which supports all learners! The inquiry-based model allows them to engage with the material without relying on memorization or worksheets. We appreciate the strong Learning Differences and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) support team as well! The EBI community--teachers and parents alike--have been fabulous!

We love EBI and have been at the school for 8 years for our 3 kids. Wonderful teachers and learning…read moreenvironment, great staff and leadership working to strengthen the school. Our kids have benefited from an incredible education and community!

Oakland Tech started their Centennial Celebration last year with a kick off of a presentation in…read moreits library on October 18, 2014. There were many people on hand, listening to the speeches and appreciating the history of the school. I could not stay long to enjoy the company of my fellow alumni. However, I purchased a copy of the Centennial Book, 1915 to 2015. The book is filled with memories and photos of many alumni who received their education at this fine school. When I did the initial review of Oakland Tech (hereafter Tech), I gave the school a 3 star rating due to something tragic happening on the campus during the school year 1972/1973. A student named Rita King (Class of 1974) was killed during a fight in the cafeteria. This incident had an impact on the school the following school year; to wit, that the majority of the white and Asian students transferred out and enrolled in other high schools (Skyline or Oakland); thus, resulting in a school that was no longer diverse or lacking diversity. Tech had to set up their campus at another location (the old Merritt College on Grove Street) in the late 70's due to the building not being up to earthquake standards. It wasn't until the fall of 1982 that the newly renovated Tech had its dedication. It was great for the students to be back on a campus in classrooms where there were no big puddles of water on the pavement and no leaky roofs when it was raining hard. I cannot say for sure when Tech was gradually becoming diverse again, but I would like to believe it was during the 1980/1981 school year. Even though the seniors of that year were known as the Apollo Class, still there needed to be more improvement in race relations. I know the graduating seniors of the Class of '81 had good intentions in having speeches delivered in different languages - English, Spanish and Chinese. The sing-song mimicking and clowning displayed by some of the adults sitting near me proved that the process of improved race relations still had a way to go. Several months ago, I was on the campus for a meeting on a Saturday. I did not meet up with two gentlemen and a committee for all these upcoming events. I liked what I saw in the trophy cases, the Tech memorabilias and pink breast cancer items in the glass cases by the library. The rating was upped to four stars. I had the intention of doing an update after another kick off celebration in front of the school on November 1, 2014, but I had other things occurring and the holiday season was a busy one. The Centennial Celebration Talent Show held two days ago in the school auditorium for the cost of $10 was more than enough to give my alma mater five stars for outstanding performances by the alumni, teachers and current students in singing, dancing, drama and oral speeches. Kudos to the principal, PTSA and all who were involved in organizing this event. All hail to Technical I sing. Finally, I can still say it loud, I'm from Tech and I'm proud.

The school is very nice and vintage. the first day there…read moreduring summer school I got lost inside. I like the hallways, they're like little alleys and the windows are very nice. i thought they were going to open all the way up. I went here for the 2010 summer school so i did not really experience the whole thing. The cafeteria is very interesting..don't know why but yea. during summer school I missed my regular school Skyline High School! Tech is an okay school but not for the whole year for me.

When we moved our family from San Francisco to Oakland, we searched for a school that would reflect…read moreour values, some of the things that came to mind were: K-8 to minimize transitions, prioritization on diversity, school rooted in its community, strong leadership and a great support system for our kids, collaboration with educations not a us at home vs. them at school approach. Luckily, we found them at Park Day. Here are other things that I love about the school in detail. Integrated Curriculum: I love how the curriculum takes a central topic and weaves it through multiple subjects across math, science, english, and writing- they interconnect rather than exist in silos. My kindergartener recently completed a project-based learning showcase on living things, creating a forest ecosystem with a stream and his own animal (created from his art class using boxes) in the classroom. What struck me was how my kid was able to articulate a connection--explaining that their environment was inspired by Greta and the Giants, a book about environmental awareness and how human activities contribute to climate change.  Commitment to Economic Diversity: An indexed tuition program paired with deliberate outreach to families in surrounding zip codes. The admissions team emphasized that sliding scale participation is normalized and fully supported. It is not viewed as a "special accommodation" but part of the school's values and makeup. It feels great to be part of the school and see my kids thrive. I only wish that school models overall were set up this way for all. If you have the opportunity to choose Park Day, I'd recommend it.

Our time at Park Day has been so refreshing, our child LOVES the school, and we are so happy to…read morehave found such a wonderful place for our child to learn & grow. The community has been wonderful & welcoming (so many play dates, camping trips and more!); the school leadership/staff is fantastic & communicative; the teachers are deeply invested in their students. Here are a few key things we've loved about Park Day: * Community that is authentic and actually does what they say in terms of inclusion & equity. It's a school with heart, soul and character. * Learning environments that are whole-child learning, from time outdoors on campus to academic differentiation without burning kids out or forcing them into a mold. Our child adores the diverse curriculum including learning garden, music, art, innovation lab. * Strong & consistent leadership to guide the school and its goals. There is so much top-notch communication, energy, engagement, approachability and the understanding of children is simply astounding.

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.

Best kept secret in Oakland! Just like a private school, but free! Uniforms, computors, tutors,…read moresmall classes, smallest adult cadet ratios, scholarship money, camping, best security and behavior standards, early college credits and acceptance to best universities all provided!

I now have two sons at this school. Now my children have the same opportunity as private school…read morechildren and the same curriculum, two classes of science and two of math, all at 90% less then a private school. Unforgivably the school is out growing itself, I hope they can keep it together. Once the children are done earning there way into the school all the military stuff is out the door. UPDATE: The school is going through alot of growth as well as physical building growth (2013-2016) that has has civilian staff changes that are noticeably bad and has us parents having to keep up with all the changes. Knowing class size has increased with the campus and the consistency of maintaining disapline is lacking; but then I'm a former Marine. They don't push military enlistment; however, graduating from there counts as a R.O.T.C. It is a Certified college predatory and over 75% of graduates go on to a college. If you want your child to learn the lost art of RESPECT & RESPONSIBILITY while learing a higher level of education take a free tour.

Westlake Middle School (jr. high). was a blur. seems nothing happened here besides walking to…read moreschool along the shores of lake merritt and returning home on the opposite side. walking home was better since i always bought an ice cream or popsicle to ease the time. taking the bus or out of the question. had to save money for the candy, ice cream. once in a while i would gaze into the cadillac dealership (whole foods now). cool car. never aspired to own one though.

This school is amazing! This school is like a second home to me... Everyone's cool, and it's nice…read morebeing around all those people! Teachers know when to be joking and when to be strict, students also likes to be around with the teachers and play with them, it seems like we are all friends. But usually when a new teacher came in, some students would be disrespectful, but as the teacher continually works there, the students would be nicer and nicer. Students are usually treated the substitutes badly and disrespectfully, but there would always be students who were nice to help out. And in some of the classes, the students were always quite, and waiting for instructions. So the behavior to the substitute in this school really depends on what class they are substituting. This school got lots of fun stuff to do, they planned field trips, (such as ice skating, Oakland museum, science and technology museum, boomers...etc) and in art class, they also create clothing, earrings, and cards for sale, they look no different than the things that are in the store, but was created by the students! There are also gardening, Restorative Justice, Mesa, girl's club, and class that teaches you how to cartooning! Students seems to love those activities.

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.