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

DO NOT ATTEND IF YOU CAN. Deeply disappointing experience that the teaching staff, administration,…read moreand students all played a role in. The pre-pandemic experience was good but the post-pandemic experience was extremely poor. Was physically assaulted on the basis of my sexuality and administration had asked me to be as quiet about the situation to avoid controversy. Administration would constantly bother students over extremely minor things such as completing work outside during the tutorial period or sitting in a car during the lunch or snack break. (I have heard the micromanaging has gotten significantly worse after I left.) Teachers are generally mediocre or genuinely uninterested in teaching; I was interested in pursuing computer science but I found that to be challenging since in my introductory computer science course, my computer science teacher would only teach for 15 minutes during two hour block periods before spending the rest of the time playing computer games. Felt extremely uncomfortable when a teacher seemingly accidentally made a joke calling a dark-skinned student "three-fifths of a student." One teacher has had a history of predatory behavior to young women, even minors, but still continues to teach. Student culture is also poor. Being around these students will motivate you to be successful as they are very driven but there is a toxic competitive culture where students feel like they need to one-up each other in order to succeed. Lots of explicit racism towards black and hispanic people (if you are part of these demographics I highly suggest not coming here) and undertones of racism as some students only prefer being close to students of their own ethnicity / race. Leland comparatively has significantly less resources to other high schools in the area of similar academic caliber. Affluent & competitive students use outside resources such as expensive tutoring services and college counseling to fulfill their academic goals, creating a gap between students who are able to and actively use these resources and students who don't (important to consider as in the college application process, you directly compete with these students.) Leland may or may not be a place where you can succeed and thrive depending on the type of person you are. However, it will likely not be a space where you feel happy or comfortable if you do not conform to the dominant demographics of the school. If you are a parent looking to buy or rent a home in this area with the allure of the "great schools nearby" I strongly suggest you look elsewhere.

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.

We had a very disappointing experience with the middle school program. In my experience, the…read moreenvironment was particularly difficult for families seeking a supportive and inclusive approach, for example for students with learning and attentional differences. If your child is energetic, social, and learns best through encouragement, engagement, and positive reinforcement, I would encourage you to ask detailed questions of administrators and parents about the middle school's approach to these students before enrolling. I was particularly concerned by what I experienced as an excessively punitive and anxiety-producing approach to discipline and academic expectations. At times, the way students were treated appeared to undermine their confidence and enthusiasm for learning rather than support their development.I was also disappointed by the gap between the school's stated mission and what our family experienced in practice. There appeared to be limited attention to students' social-emotional needs, and I found the administration insufficiently receptive to families seeking additional support or collaboration with outside resources.Overall, the middle school experience had a lasting negative effect on my child's confidence and relationship with learning. Families considering the school may want to ask specifically about learning support, counseling and social-emotional resources, disciplinary practices, and how the administration works with families whose children learn differently.

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.

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.)

My friend goes there her name is Brooklyn she is probably one of the best on our girls a team…read more basketball team called cagers. Sports are very good at castillero. I highly recommend their sports.

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.

Get Rid of Ms. Krempasky. She is absolutely horrible. She says racist things to students…read more She's told a student to "take a long walk off a short peer." (basically to k*ll themselves) and she sounded so damn well proud of herself. She tells us about making kids cry and she's proud of it. She makes fun of kids with dissabilities and she can't even help the foreign students. There are students from 7 years ago that said that she is bad. When upper peers from school saw my schedule they said "oh good luck with krempasky." She doesn't even have experience with computer science. She was just given it because she doesn't want to teach math. Well, with the way students are dropping out of that program left and right she may end up as a math teacher. She can not even help us. OH and don't get me started on the "I'm Not obligated to grade everything" despite it being on canvas. If she doesn't want to grade everything, then she shouldn't pile work on us. Oh and, if you fail an assignment, no chance of getting it up. No retakes. No extra credit. She's caught students cheating but she doesn't say anything because she is too uneducated to switch to a new learning platform. She even encouraged us to cheat. Her words by the way. She doesn't care about you at all. She has made countless students cry, me included. She doesn't try to bond with the students. She just makes rude comments about students and laughs at them even when said student is in the class, our out. Her grading system is absolute trash. She just throws points around like candy. I have tried to like her. Believe me, we all have. But nobody likes her. And she's aware of it. She doesn't care. She makes fun of the admin and principal too. She thinks she's so above everyone and what the admin does is BS. And on top of that, she's made fun of the councilors calling them useless. Listen. Whatever you do DON'T TAKE COMPUTER SCIENCE. Both teachers aren't good but Krempasky is the worst. It may be a magnet program. But unless you're ready to get mentally drained and have an unsupportive teacher, and a crappy grading system, be my guest. Such a shame this is a magnet program. The union may have protection for this vile teacher, but she should not be a teacher. She is by far, the rudest, meanest, despicable teacher I've ever had.

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.

We have had our son here since he was in TK and have had an overall very positive experience the…read morewhole time! He's currently in third, and while there have been hiccups (my child has ADHD, so learning is always an adventure), we've felt very nurtured in this family-like environment. The communication is clear and we never feel like we're bothering anyone if we check in. Additionally, the principal has a wild ability to know everyone by name. It REALLY adds to the family-like aspect and makes you feel like you belong.

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.