Terrible experience. Sure, it had its ups & downs, but I NEVER got invited to ANY parties, I…read moredecided for myself to NOT go to any of the dances, and since I was socially awkward geek who had Aspies, it kinda f*ucked up my reputation throughout those miserable 4 years. From sophomore to senior year, I was frequently bullied and the justice was so unfair. The asshole that picked on me used to threaten my life, occasionally hit me, and everyone seemed to like him (makes a lot of sense, right? It doesn't). At least I went to my grad night (Class of 2011) and that was fun. I had some loyal friends during senior year, like Meelaud and the legendary Vincent, we would all hang out at the senior wall and I would casually sing & play my guitar, as all the women got serenaded. It'll be interesting to attend my high school reunion and see where everyone is .......hahahahahahahahahaahhahaha

Nice campus Clean and lots of activities including the…read moretrack invitationals of which we attend! Super pretty part of Camden avenue!

My daughter is wrapping up the third grade at ACDS. Our family has been with the school since her…read morefirst grade year. It's interesting to note how I just mentioned "our family" in reference to ACDS, because it's true - from the start it never felt like it was just my daughter being welcomed into a classroom. My husband and I were also ushered into a community of parents, children, teachers, administrators, and staff that truly are a community. This sense of familiarity and care, right from the start, was welcome. We looked at ACDS for my daughter after having been with a couple of other schools in the region that seemed to emphasize academics above all else. Academics are of course important, but I also wanted my daughter to have the chance to play and explore other possible interests. ACDS has a full complement of enrichment and extracurricular activities. Science, art, drama, music, you name it. There's a choir and a band. And every year every grade puts on a theater production, which I'm hoping next year can be done in the brand new Event Center. When school closed for COVID in March of last year, ACDS was ready for it. They moved their entire educational program online within a matter of 3 days, and it has been going strong ever since. When the school reopened for in-person learning in the fall, they continued the remote learning option alongside it. My daughter is presently the only child left online in her class, though she will be returning to school next week. Her teacher has been in close touch with me to make sure that she feels included and supported. The real gift is that my daughter has felt she is an active and important part of the community no matter where she physically is in relation to the school. And speaking of the teachers, wow! Dedicated and enthusiastic sound cliche but I assure they are not. The thought and energy they put into their lessons, especially even across two learning platforms, is phenomenal. If they had a high school, I would be planning to send my daughter. But for now I will just enjoy the stellar preparation she is getting for whatever step she chooses next.

The school seems lovely until you are in the middle school and see how they deal with behavior and…read moreadolescent development. Unfortunately, they do not live out their promises to develop the whole child or at least not with every child. There is a nationwide mental health crisis and this school's answer is to hire unqualified teachers to play the role of school counselors. In the middle school there are a large number of kids coming out of TLC with complex learning needs and no learning specialist? So, they respond by punishing kids as often as possible with frivolous write ups and suspensions. My kid was unhappy by the end of their 8th grade year, scared of teachers and emboldened administrators, and we couldn't do anything. They were heartbroken to see how many of their peers cowered and just tried to get through the day and not get written up.

I am a graduate from the class of 2026. I liked to say my personal experience was full of ups and…read moredowns. downs: the dress code is very sexist. they only punish girls for dress codes even thought the boys break it regularly. staff and faculty do not listen to student feedback yard duties always turned a blind eye lots of bullies, very little authority ups: MOST teachers are good at their jobs and truly helped me learn schedule is good and has even balance many fundraisers and dances your child will definitely make lifelong friends, and learn the things they need to. they have a relatively high chance being teased and suggestions will not be heard.

Horrible. The teachers were fine, but everything else is atrocious. NB: if your kid is getting…read morebullied, the school will turn a blind eye and do absolutely nothing. They cater to the people who fit their mold and that's it. I highly recommend IF you want your kids to have an education that's on par to what we received 30+ years ago.

I hate the school because they gave detention to my brother for being late 4 times, and I have an…read moreIEP program (individualized education program) because I have a hard time paying attention, and they don't extend their assignment for me, and they don't remind me to do anything!!!! Just to work, and they don't repeat it to me. and that's why I have Fs in the school

Many activities in this school. Got my grades up right after I switched schools to this one.read more

This is a pretty good school, considering I help my kids do their homework and they know it. I do…read morethink they could read the kids different tricks to memorizing and math and spelling etc. I do think the parking and pick up situation is fabulous compared to a lot of other schools I have attended myself and picked up kids from. It is located in a great neighborhood so definitely consider this school if you are new to the area!

today is the official (or unofficial) start of another exciting holiday season! since i expect to…read morechow down heartily this evening, i wanted to get a hard workout in this morning so that i can say i earned my turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. LOL! i appreciate this annual turkey trot, since it is a smaller-scale local event in san jose whose proceeds benefit the bret harte middle school booster club. participants had a choice of two events to either run, walk or "trot:": 5k or 10k. i chose the 10k so that i could have a more intense workout. the pros: -choice of bib and packet pickup the day before or the morning of (the latter was helpful for me since i live a bit far from this event). -perfect race day conditions, mid 40s and sunny at the start, low-mid 50s at the end. although it felt chilly when i first arrived, i warmed up quickly under the sun. -mostly flat course that touched los alamitos creek trail and some of the school's neighboring streets. beautiful foliage at this time of year! -correctly measured course, which is much appreciated given the number of short/long races out there. i got 6.23 miles on my garmin which is very close to the official 6.2 miles for a 10k. -free and easy parking in the school's parking lot which was also right next to the start/finish area. participants could also park along the residential streets next to the school. -race started next to leland high school's track, so we were able to warmup and cooldown before and after the race -restroooms available at both the track house and main school building -flags to mark each mile in the race, which were pretty accurate -friendly volunteers directing runners along the course and handing out water -low registration fee of $15 per adult (early-bird registration) or $20 (standard) or $25 (day of registration). cost does not include a t-shirt, which is an additional $10. i appreciated having the option of purchasing a t-shirt to save some money on the registration fee. the cons: -while it was a nice course, i did not appreciate that the second half of the 10k shared the same course as the second half of the 5k. by the time the faster 10k'ers (like myself) got to the halfway point, we had to share the very narrow trail with the 5k walkers, strollers, pets, and small children which was very frustrating since it was hard to maneuver around them and move ahead. even though i was constantly shouting "on your left, runner behind you" most of the walkers simply ignored me. it would be nice if walkers could be educated about this bit of running etiquette for the future to allow less congestion on a shared trail. -for the 10k course, there was a section that was unclear and not marked properly, so the runners in my pack were uncertain whether that was the turnaround for us or whether to continue. even though there was a volunteer standing on the course, it would have been easier, better if that volunteer had a sign that we could see from a distance to avoid confusion and stopping to ask for directions. i heard that some thought this was the turnaround point and ended up only running 5.7 miles vs the full 6.2 miles. this created some confusion and difficulty in sorting out the official results and race winners. -there weren't many refreshments at the end, just some water, coffee, and pre-cut bagels. as a frequent participant in local area races, i'm accustomed to seeing some fruit, electrolyte drink, and wider variety of post-race refreshments this was definitely a good race for families and individuals alike. it was nice to see a lot of runners dressed like turkeys or wearing turkey hats, as well as the school mascot on the course. my biggest recommendation for next year would be to split the 10k and 5k courses into completely separate courses so that the 10k runners aren't forced to slow down behind the 5k walkers in the 2nd half.

This was my first year running this event / course. For the last three years I ventured with the…read moreSJ Downtown crowds. When I learned there was smaller event and better price I decided to give it a try. Pros. Good cause, Price, Option to Buy T-shirt or not, nice trail, well marked trail and volunteers. Race time texted to me. Cons. Age Class Grouping, I didn't see any restrooms. No finishing bling. Good Parking but oor directions before and after. I didn't see anything post race for refreshments. The finishing line had runners and others just hanging around, they need to be moved on and to the side. No photos. I like getting some finishing medal but that's just me and it would take from the cause or cost us more so it's just a side note.

really fun school, they are great at arts! they have dress code which you can find if you search it…read moreup on google. You can still mearn music even you just started! beginner friendly!

I have the highest praise for this school! My grandson (now a sophomore at Pioneer) attended…read moreCastillero, and now his sister is a sixth grader there. The academic program is strong, with elective classes of high interest. The Music department is outstanding! I'm so grateful that my grandson had the benefit of learning to play the cello; his sister is now doing the same. (As a retired teacher, I'm pretty savvy about what makes a quality school. I definitely put Castillero in that category.)

I have to be honest. I didn't had the best start at ST. As with SJSU, I won't review the…read moreenvironment. So I just list the pros and cons. Pros: - Teachers that really helped through this high school were Ms. Rice, Mr. O'brien, Mr. Shank, Ms. Martinson, and Ms. Milner (who doesn't work here anymore). - The Key club, Anime club, Interact Club, and Camp Everytown club were very welcoming. - I was able to take a school bus to the high school from where I live. Only for students with disabilities though. Cons: - The counseling was horrible. They had me started in both ESL and Special Ed courses for my first year, which I felt that I did not really need to be in. This made me behind a year from my class. Also, they made it hard for me to switch around my classes. - I couldn't take enrichment for some of my courses during the summer because they were not offered due to the budget cuts. Community college was the only option. - Writing Tutoring was hard to come by. - Math Tutoring was only available on certain days when the teacher was available. - The library was often close. So I had to study in one of my teachers' classrooms. - Having your ID out on your neck was mandatory. - The alternate schedules where you didn't know when you are going to have a certain class during that day. Overall, it was a okay school. I only made connections with a few people after the 2009 graduation.

If I could give it zero stars I would. While I was there the school would call my house EVERYDAY…read moresaying I wasn't in one or more classes BUT I WAS and so I got yelled at every single day because of their lack of paying attention.

Enrolling my daughter into the TK program is probably one of the best educational decisions we made…read morefor our daughter. We watched her blossom in every aspect shortly after she joined. Mrs. Krofts is so amazing. Our daughter is more confident and excited to learn than ever. The Principal stands at the entrance to greet the students in the mornings, my daughter always runs up to him to give him a hug. We've had a great experience so far. I 100% recommend the TK program if you have a kid of age. They also have a good 'Home room' program that stays open till 6pm, it's convenient and relatively cheap. Most other schools in the area offer programs that close at 5pm which is not as convenient for working parents.

this school absolutely sucks, i received MULTIPLE transphobic, homophobic, antisemitic, and…read morexenophobic comments from my own peers. i was discriminated against simply because i liked the same gender and because i identified with a gender that didn't align with my birth gender. when i left this school, i was left with depression, (diagnosed) PTSD, and anxiety simply because of my peers and teachers. the academics weren't bad, but when i was able to skip a grade i wasn't allowed for no reason. i knew the entire material for a whole year, and the kids a grade above me said i should be in their grade, as i found their entire curriculum insanely easy as well. this school also does not accommodate to neurodivergent kids, as someone who is neurodivergent and went here, the teachers did not extend deadlines or help me with anything, i was expected to figure it all out on my own. not only that, but when very obvious bullying and discrimination was happening in classrooms, the teachers nor office did nothing. the teachers also did not like me for absolutely no reason, i am going to guess it was because i wasn't christian and i was different. i got my personal belongings stolen by teachers, bad grades on homework/ tests because i used different methods, and more. this school was and never will be worth 10k+/year. staff hold no empathy for you unless you're white, cis, straight, and neurotypical. no one hold empathy for you if you're different here. this school has zero diversity and i was looked at weird when i stated i was an immigrant and was not born in the USA. got bullied and left with life long trauma. absolutely do not recommend if you want your child to be mentally okay.

My daughter attended from TK to 7th grade. Like other reviews, this is not an ordinary school…read more It is fundamentally not an In-N-out style magically changing your kids into whatever parents wish. Parents have to participate in all activities in order to learn skills to teach your kids and others. Definitely a good school if you care about your children's education and willing to invest your time and effort. They are not focusing on grades but on cultivating a love of learning and reading for their entire life. I know for some people this could be unacceptable. Education is not just teaching a parrot to talk. To learn how to learn: Reading, writing, logic, and math have to be consistently practiced within your family -- better not to depend solely on any school. If any school can teach your kids self-motivated learning before K-8, it's already very successful. My wife and I learned a lot every year, and those lessons are still part of our daily life. "mistake can be a beautiful oops" If you attended any public school you know how it felt when they acted like DMV. That is why we put our daughter in D2. "Prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child."

We decided to withdraw from this school shortly after Labor Day Weekend. One of the main concerns…read morearose when I was showing a family member how to pick up our kindergartener -- we discovered the school building was completely unlocked at 9 PM on a Monday night following the holiday. Not only was the main entrance open, but the atrium providing access to all the kindergarten classrooms was also unsecured. That raised significant concerns about safety and building security. Additionally, we heard from multiple returning parents that teacher quality varied significantly, and there was a noticeable trend: returning families' children all seemed to end up with the most sought-after teacher. It gave the impression that there might be favoritism or uneven distribution of classroom placements. Another concern was the dynamic between some teachers and parents. It felt as though staff were hesitant to be candid, possibly out of fear of upsetting families. We were told things that didn't line up with our own observations about our child -- mostly overly positive feedback that seemed designed to reassure rather than inform. The environment gave off a sense that the school was trying hard to maintain enrollment numbers, possibly at the expense of honest communication. While we know no school is perfect, these issues were serious enough for us to feel that it wasn't the right fit for our family.