I have 2 kids attending UP Academy and they love the school!…read more My older son used to struggle in a public school with math and writing. 3 years ago, at 2nd grade, we transferred him to UP Academy, and, within a few months, he has become a lil writer. He fell in love with writing. He wrote one full-page of very a fun story. I can't thank you enough to all the educators there. Since then until now, he always happy every morning that he gets to go to school. He loves the community there and the small-sized class makes him feel like a part of the community. My younger one started last year as a kindergartner. He loves his teachers and his friends. He learned a lot academically and socially. We love how UP academy teaches kids by their own paces. Thus, our kids get challenged throughout the year. If you are looking for a project-based learning, a place where you child can build confidence and empathy, small class sized, great community, and personalized learning, UP Academy is the place for your kids.

We love UP Academy!…read more My older one went to the school since 2nd grade (now 3rd grader), and my younger one since TK (K now). The school is relatively new (2.5 years old) but our kids attended since 2 years ago. We are happy with the school in the full two years. ***Strength** We love the super low teacher-student ratio, the differentiation of learning. We also love the mixed-age classes, that allow kids to grow and thrive not limited by grade but by the their own levels. The school focused on growth mindset and recognize the efforts and progress. We also love the focus on project-based learning and social-emotion learning. The school also offers foreign languages classes, Chinese/Mandarin and Spanish. This might be a good plus for some families. We love that. We also appreciate the schools offer afterschool extension to 6pm as well. This is very helpful for parents who are both working. The school builds a great community. Teachers that we experienced - which means all teachers since we have two kids there for two years - are all very caring. Kids love each of them. The founder has an amazing vision inspired by a strong why. We love the philosophy, the vision & mission of the school. ***Potential concerns some families may have*** - Small school space: As a micro school, the school space is small - basically an office building only. But with various field trips and outdoor learning opportunities, especially during the pre-pandemic era, we don't have any concern at all. There's indoor facility for exercise, and kids love it. - Small class size For some parents, the small class size might be another concern for social issues. However, I appreciate this a lot since it also means great individual attention from teachers. Every kid can develop his/her own learning plan, academically and socially. We particularly appreciate the small size of the school during the pandemic time. A small class makes us feel safe to send kids to school in person during pandemic, knowing that the school is small and our kids could still learn and socialize safely in person with the COVID precautions that bigger schools may not be able to offer. The school remains open in 2020-2021 school year with the waiver. I believe it's heathier for kids to interact in person than virtually on Zoom anyways. - New school This is a progressive lab elementary school, and yes it's pretty new. We've seen the school evolving in the past two years, and overall towards a even better direction. I do encourage families to experience the school themselves during the trial-out days. We did so before we transferred our kids from a good public school in the following school year. Kids loved Up Academy so much that we made the decision right after they experienced the school. It turned out to be one of the best decisions we've ever made. Overall, we love the school and highly recommend the school to other families.

We have been at Peninsula for 5 years.  Over that time, our son has overcome attention and social…read moreengagement challenges which prevented him from succeeding at other private schools.     It is difficult to know how to credit the people, the place, the other students, external help and just the passage of time,    but he has enjoyed going to school every day. He has always been an extremely curious kid,  choosing to tinker and watch documentaries when other kids choose video games and play sports.    (OK OK he plays video games a little more now).       He turned out to be a great natural reader.  However he has challenges with processing speed and working memory.      Given that, the school has really fed his curiosity and met him where he is, sometimes adapting small groupings with similar levels in math or other topics,  and being able to offer some accommodations like sitting near the front, scaffolding tasks, or headphones.   Each year has been different, but we have found a way to work with each teacher to support him.       We have an older child in a much more "structured" prep-y private school.   The contrast in community and experience is stark.   Peninsula is a haven of good-willed people looking for something a little bit missing in the modern world, which has been a source of connection for us as adults as well.    While we value both environments, Peninsula has been the right answer for our younger child and for our family.

We have been in Peninsula 3 years. We have one good year…read more Last year is a complete disaster (k). The school allowed a metal stick to be thrown at my son's head and refuse to take the stick away from the yard, saying it's a normal toy.( Let us pray all 5 year old know the correct use of stilt). The non- caring attitude afterward is beyond comprehension. In addition, the ineffective ways of dealing with bullying from the same person who throw the metal stick, both mentally and physically, has negatively impact our family life, and my son's health, resulting an early withdrawal from the school year and on going therapy session for my 6 years old for $350/50 mins. The school also denied our access to school counselor during these trouble time.

The children are marvelously guided to follow their curiosity and do meaningful projects like study…read morechange makers in society. I have worked with many schools and never seen such attentive care for children and teens by teachers. It's a joy to see!

This is a review for Synapse's TK program. My son has been in Teacher Mickey & Teacher Natasha's…read moreclass for a year this year. My son's TK experience has been truly above and beyond what we wanted for early childhood education. All the great activities that foster joyful learning, all the field trips, events that bring the community together have been so beautifully thought out and planned, we had no idea this kind of education was even possible for little kids. We were grateful each day when we sent my son to school, because we trusted that he would be well taken care of and have a good time. It meant a lot to us as parents. The teachers cared so much about students' happiness, well-being, and materials they were learning. They truly, genuinely cared, and all the parents of TK students could feel it. Throughout the year, we were constantly impressed by the teachers' willingness to go above and beyond. These teachers are not ordinary teachers who rely on easier field trips or simpler projects. They take kids to the most interesting and enriching places on their field trips, places such as ice skating rinks, beaches, ponds where you can catch tadpoles, senior centers, pumpkin patches, cactus garden, etc. Their creativity and willingness to get messy were also truly inspiring. The TK class built an awe-inspiring life-size whale shark together and had so much fun celebrating Holi. The TK class cooked great lunches and sold them to parents as well. The teachers went an extra mile, even though it meant so much more work for themselves, because they have a genuine passion for sprinkling curiosity and exploration in their students. We also deeply appreciated how they created so many opportunities to recognize diverse cultures and bring families together for events like Diwali and Lunar New Year. They were extra careful to include all of the countries' traditions, which gave my son a sense of belonging and harbored a pride in his heritage. We are immensely grateful and feel incredibly honored that my son had such thoughtful, dedicated, and innovative teachers like them. Knowing he was in their care gave us immense peace of mind. And this review is not just about TK teachers at Synapse. Everyone we met at Synapse has been genuinely nice and down to earth. All the teachers, staff, students and parents formed such a warm, wonderful community.

Mount Carmel was a school we choose during COVID. It is one of the few private schools that offer…read moreTK which both of my kids qualified for. It is a warm and welcoming environment, very family feeling. Parents are interactive and involved. Students play with all of each other no matter what grade, which I love. My kinder comes home and says she played with a 5th grader on the yard, that warms my heart. Overall we've had an amazing experience at this school!

This school is terrible for lots of reasons. One reason is that the teachers are sexist. To them…read morethe girls do nothing wrong but then you turn to the boys and they get a detention. They have some nice teachers but almost all of them are sexist. Most of the teachers aren't even good teachers. They don't teach well almost everyone in the class I was in had a bad grade. Those are only a couple reasons this school sucks. Don't get me started on the principal. They are supposed to be a catholic school but it's more like jail. They also threaten you with detention for every single thing you do. Ever since I graduated there has been people telling me how bad the school is.

We bought a house in Redwood City specifically so our child could attend this school. Since we…read moredon't speak Chinese at home and our daughter was diagnosed with a speech delay at age two, I wasn't sure how much Mandarin she would actually pick up from the Mandarin Immersion program at Orion, especially without extra support from us. But after completing kindergarten and halfway through first grade, she surprised us by initiating conversations in Chinese on her own. I'm pretty sure I cried the first time it happened. The teachers are incredibly thoughtful and professional, especially in guiding young kids through learning two languages. In the first few years, about 90% of the school day is conducted in Chinese, which provides an immersive experience during those crucial early years. I remember my daughter sometimes mixed up calling her teacher "mama" and calling me "Wu Laoshi" -- small but meaningful signs of the trust she was building in this environment. The quality of education is outstanding. It's project-based, with a rich blend of art, gardening, STEAM, and physical education throughout the week. During lunch, the kids have options for how they spend their free time. My daughter loves cooling off in the air-conditioned library on hot days, gardening with friends, or practicing her monkey bar skills on more moderate days (after all, Redwood City is known for its slogan, "Climate Best by Government Test"). What matters most to me is that my daughter wakes up excited for school. She genuinely looks forward to her day, eager to see her teacher, curious about the new things she'll learn, spend time with her friends, and engage in the many activities this wonderful space offers. It's a place where she's building her own community, being challenged academically, and hopefully forming friendships that will last at least until high school. At this age, while academics are important, a positive and supportive community matters even more to us. Finding both at the Mandarin Immersion program at Orion has been an absolute gift, and we feel incredibly fortunate to have this school in the Bay Area.

Our family has been apart of the MI program for several years; and by the end of 2027, we will have…read morehad 4 kids in and through the program! We are a non-mandarin speaking family with the desire to challenge our kids academically. This program has been a GREAT way to accomplish this. I have one child in their 4th year in the program and as of last year, they were considered bi-lingual and bi-literate! Even without the mandarin support at home, my children are thriving and learning far more and better than we could have ever imagined. we are always highly recommending parents place their children in a Mandarin Immersion because although it's been a challenge at times, my kids have always stepped up and proved their capabilities. The community has also made learning fun and engaging! Along with my kids learning a new language, we as a family are getting the opportunity to immerse ourself in a new culture and make lasting friendships. It's an absolute blast!

I'm not sure who is writing any bad reviews , but it's asinine!…read moreThe principal of the school is nothing but a stand up human being , with a compassion for education, snd helping our youth! I am very excited to be I'm rolling my daughter into school this fall for kindergarten! I feel very comfortable having her attend here!

Redeemer has caring and compassionate teachers and staff who take great care in teaching and caring…read morefor the students. Mr. H, Head of School is crazy and passionate about the kids and providing the best school experience possible. Mrs. L and Mrs. H are great at what they do. My daughter needs an SST for her ADHD and we worked together to find solutions to help my daughter succeed (not just provide accommodations to get her through) and learn how to manage her work and the educational requirements so she can meet the challenges of life. They teach executive functioning skills in the middle school grades, and growth mindset in the elementary grades. Caring and loving teachers in each grade. There are enough students that there is good socialization, and classes are small enough that no one gets lost in the crowd. It's one of the best!

A Thriving, Inclusive, and Supportive Community…read more We are incredibly grateful for the Mandarin Immersion program at Orion. As non-Mandarin speakers, my wife and I wanted our children to learn a new language, and this program has exceeded our expectations. Both of our kids absolutely love the school--so much so that they would live there if they could! Our youngest even gets upset if we have to pick him up early, which speaks volumes about how much they enjoy being there. The teachers are excellent--caring and compassionate while pushing the kids to reach higher standards. The level of parental involvement is something special too; it's supportive in all the right ways. As a multicultural family, with my wife being African American and me Hispanic, diversity and inclusion are very important to us. Orion fosters a sense of belonging not just for our kids but for us as parents as well. Our children also speak Spanish, and learning Mandarin has been a rewarding challenge for them. In fact, they jokingly call it their "secret language" because neither my wife nor I speak it, which adds an extra layer of fun and pride in their learning. The community here is fantastic--inclusive and most importantly, supportive of one another. Even without Mandarin support at home, our children are thriving beyond our wildest expectations. Their proficiency in Mandarin, as well as in Math and English, is impressive. The high standards set by the school are matched by the dedication of the teachers, ensuring that our kids are growing and learning more than we could have imagined. We couldn't be happier with our choice to enroll our children in Orion Alternative Elementary School. It's more than just a school; it's a community that we're proud to be a part of.

A recent transfer this year, we have fully immersed ourselves into this amazing community. From…read moreMaze Day we were received with opened arms. Fantastic Faculty & Staff. My 3rd grader LOVES her teacher. It is both rigorous and fun. So many school events put on by our PTO. The PTO involvement is amazing. We've been searching for a school like this and so happy to call this school home. The MI (Mandarin Immersion) program is wonderful too. The Enrichment programs and cultural enrichment are fantastic. You should definitely consider enrolling your child in this choice school!

D-Tech is a great charter school for students and parents seeking an innovative approach to…read morelearning rather than a standardized school. Highly recommended to all families looking for a unique school like this.

As a current softmore at this school, there are lots of negatives from this place: the food is…read moreinedible, and Ive gone to lots of schools, the food at this school is the worst food I've ever had, I wouldn't even feed it to a stray dog. The tech policies are damn near dictatorship-like where you can't use personal computers because the school forces us to use the barely functional school Chromebooks with so many websites blocked it makes North Korea look like a free country because they want to see what we are doing at all times on our computers. Then there is the grading system, which if you get a 1 on one outcome even if you have 4s on every single other one, boom you are failing that class. Then there is the D-lab classes that only this school has, absolutely the worst classes I have ever taken, and that class is almost impossible to pass even if you try as hard as possible. Also this school has the dreaded by all students Yonder policy where you have to lock up your phones in the morning, and I've heard from friends some teachers make you unlock the pouch randomly so they can see if the phone is actually your phone and not a decoy by making you log in to it and check your account on your phone. One of my friends was almost suspended for taping random things to a protein shake bottle because the teacher thought it was a bomb. Also it has got to be the most LIBERAL ASS school I have ever seen. Like when trump got elected last November the teachers were saying there was emotional counseling for everyone who didn't like the election results. So in summary, this school has food that not even the prison system would feed to death row prisoners, more rules around tech than North Korea, and it is the most woke school I have ever been to which is saying something because I went to a charter school in Santa Cruz for most of middle school. DON'T GO TO THIS SCHOOL. This review is a student POV so it can be more trusted than others because I have been going here for 2 years and experienced almost everything about this school so far.