The Short Version: Our experience with Balboa City School, including the director and the staff, has been fantastic. We have seen a vast improvement in our daughters' academic abilities and overall confidence. The school's facilities need some improvement, but the staff knows this and is actively working toward that goal. Overall, I would highly recommend Balboa School to any parent.
The Long Version:
After struggling for several years with the public school system, despite all the help that the elementary school staff could manage, my wife and I placed both of our daughters at Balboa City School in the middle of a school year. They have attended the school for two years, now, and we still believe it was the best choice we could have made for our children.
Having read the other reviews, here, I think it's important for me to address some of the things mentioned by others:
First, and foremost, our children have had only the best and most caring attention and support from the entire staff, from the director all the way down through administrators, counselors, and teachers. Dr. Parker is involved with every student. He is direct and forthright, and I have never seen him be cruel or demeaning to anyone. I get the feeling he understands the students because he's been where they are and that he truly wants to create an environment where they can excel.
Balboa School is a place where children's specific needs can be addressed. While many of the kids have learning challenges, such as attention deficit disorder, this is not a place where the kids have severe behavioral problems. Children's individual needs are assessed and addressed by skilled teachers and counselors in very small classroom groups. There are many brilliant students at the school who are able to challenge themselves academically, while improving their social skills and learning how to navigate the world outside of books.
My wife and I have always been impressed with how polite and attentive the upper grade students are. Even as they depart from school in the afternoon, their behavior is amazing, especially compared to some of the things I've seen from kids who attend public schools. Those good manners are at least in part the result of modeling and molding that happens at Balboa City School.
When we came to Balboa City School, our daughters left a classroom of 36 students. They were a full year behind in mathematics, despite our efforts to help and guide them through their schoolwork. Their previous teacher had allowed their classmates to grade homework and in-class assignments and had no idea what our daughters' capabilities or deficits were.
Now, they are in a classroom of 6 students. We are able to work directly with a teacher who fully understands and can engage them and the other students at all times. Both of our girls have completely caught up in their grade-level-appropriate skills and express a much more positive attitude to math and science, classes that they didn't like at all at their old school.
As for the apparent misrepresentation of the school's facilities, you should know that the school is not, in fact, in the middle of Balboa Park. It is on the corner of Hawthorne Street and 6th Avenue, right across the street from the park. Every few weeks, the children take field trips to attend art exhibits, symphonic concerts, ballet performances, and other cultural events. While not actually part of the school campus, as one might assume from the pictures on the website, the school absolutely incorporates the park as a learning resource.
Additionally, our experiences in the handling of problems between students has been nothing short of amazing. As sometimes happens, one of our daughters has been having difficulty with one or two other students. The entire staff has worked very hard to assess the situation, ensuring that all sides have been presented, and has worked with us to address things.
The director's personal involvement has been phenomenal. He has made sure to work with us and our daughter, enabling her to see her role in the problems, as well, rather than simply viewing herself as a victim. I wouldn't normally share even this much personal information on a public site, but I think it's important for people to understand how valuable the school's staff can be in handling both academic and social challenges for the kids there.
Lastly, I will say that the facilities at the school could use some improvement. The building is large enough for the students they have, but unless the class takes a field trip into the park, the only area for recreation is in the inner courtyard, which I think is insufficient for real "recess time." Improvements in the facilities are ongoing, and the director is working hard to ensure the kids have the best possible environment. Overall, we are very happy at Balboa City School and look forward to having our girls attend for many years to com read more
