First, understand that your son will not get into the best college he possibly can if he goes to…read moreBellarmine. This is lost in the fine print and is conveniently elided in the promo materials. The school will tout the few grads that end up at MIT or Harvard and act like they pulled those strings, but the truth is those kids are geniuses and would have gotten into those colleges with or without Bellarmine's name. In order to understand this effect, we have to look at the average performers at Bellarmine --- the average kids who work up until 3 AM every night only to get rejected by UC Davis or Cal Poly. A good portion of Bell grads even end up at SJ State. I personally know a grad who ended up at community college. Allow me to ask a very simple question: if you're paying money for an institution, should you not harvest an advantage from that institution? These types of outcomes are simply unacceptable for the tuition fees that Bellarmine demands (100k). The problem is every student at Bellarmine is ultimately remarkable and intelligent. However, colleges can only accept a certain amount of students per school. Thus, only the geniuses (who are fine on their own) get top acceptances while your reasonably bright son ends up with a disappointing result. This is the dirty secret at Bellarmine. There is a lot of coping built into the culture where people say "Well, at least I'm prepared for college" --- not understanding that their college result would have been much better had they just gone to a public school for FREE. Their grades would be better and their workload would be slashed in half. This outcome is absolutely unacceptable for the dollars spent. Second, the workload at Bellarmine is huge. Even nearly 12 years later, I am shocked at the inhuman level of work assigned if a student opted for a competitive curriculum (APs, Honors, etc.). It was commonly accepted that the average bedtime was 2 AM. Students walked around with heavy backpacks filled to the brim with books. The library was always crammed with students studying and finishing up presentations. Stress was rampant. During junior year, a classmate ran away from home after scoring a B on an exam. For this level of work, one would expect great rewards upon graduating. This never materialized. Tons of students who worked themselves to the bone found themselves matriculating at unremarkable colleges surrounded by students from public schools who didn't work nearly as hard. Unacceptable. Third, the academic difficulty at Bellarmine was ridiculous. English classes expected students to write at a college-level and graded as if it was college-level. Presentations were expected to last the entire class period (30-50 minutes). Afterwards, you were picked apart by an open forum like a thesis defense. Exams were incredibly difficult. I distinctly remember a random pop quiz dropped everyone's grades by 10 percent. A's to B's in 10 minutes. This is absolutely UNTHINKABLE in public school. When I finally had gone to college, I was mortified to learn that presentations were 10 minutes max at even upper division level courses. Now, you might think that academic difficulty is fine for a "college-preparatory" high school, but your son bears that price when his war-torn "B" is weighed disadvantageously against an "A" from a kid who didn't nearly work as hard. Colleges do not make that distinction. Bellarmine is only locally recognized, but it likes to think of itself as Philips Exeter. This is a horrific deal. Fourth, there is a problematic culture of teacher worship at Bellarmine. Now, there are always good & bad apples. But the bad ones had a profound effect on the students. Teachers are very aware of the hyper-academic culture enforced at Bellarmine and understand the power they wield over their students. What results is extremely unprofessional behavior: yelling, berating, inappropriate jokes with underage boys, and deeply personal attacks. I recall a teacher once mocked a student's garage rock band as the reason why he scored a C on a quiz. Such comments upon reflection are incredibly unprofessional and are not befitting of an institution with its hands in your pockets. This culture of teacher worship was perpetuated by students who were afraid of being vindictively graded, and was what allowed controversies like a former English teacher's sexual grooming of female students (visitors from another campus) to be even possible and go unquestioned for years. In summary --- Bellarmine delivers partly on its promises. Does it have a great facility? Yes. Are the teachers good? Most of them. However, it is also a steward of some deeply problematic issues: it is academically punishing and unforgiving, and it screws over your son when it comes to college admissions. A parent who wants to pay 100k tuition for their son to go to this school should understand two things: he will likely give a great talk on food production rights, and he will also attend USF.

Love this school so much! Teachers are very professional and kind! The facility is very high…read moretechnology!

Herbert Hoover Middle School is an architectural gem of a school in San Jose's historic Rose Garden…read moreneighborhood. Built back in the 1930s, this school has a great historic theater that is beautiful (used by the Renegade Theatre company for their productions). They also have a local community center and a small pool. The campus is next door to Trace Elementary and their wonderful Kinderworld PIE program, Lincoln High School, Starbucks and the Rosicrucian Egyptian museum. I wish I could say the newer buildings on the campus were as nice, but they aren't - 1970's sterile. I was impressed to learn that Hoover is one of the few schools in the state to offer a complete performing arts curriculum: choir, strings, band, dance, drama and even culinary arts. I can't vouch for what goes on inside these buildings, but I did find a good review for perspective parents and students at: http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/parents/ca/5672?currpage=1&sortval=&perpage=125

I was Westling here with Grayson. The school was pretty big but the gym was small. Elias's back…read moremassage was pretttty goooood. We were fighting cuz we were bored.

Update 2018: 4th year here. School improves every year. Teachers are better every year. Fewer…read moreannoying parents. Best middle school education in the country IMO. The reputation of the school as very hard is well justified. Some kids have left mid-year due to performance. Annoying parents that are still here are generally less vocal since other parents started pushing back on their crazy demands of the school...or they left to spread their cheer elsewhere (thank goodness). My son has some friends with these parent and those kids HATE their parents already as tweens...karma I guess. Update 2017: School has just gotten better and better. The Head of School (Mr. Walker) is exceptional. The worst complaint my son has is that one of his teachers is "kinda boring". There were a lot of really negative parents the first two years that complained about EVERYTHING, but many of them seemed to have left. It's really a great place to learn. It's challenging, but my son really likes it...especially having separate Chemistry, Biology, and Physics classes. Update 2016: Still happy with the school. They have continually improved on most aspects of the school. Poor performing teachers have been moved out quickly. Kid loves it. *** So far so good. The teachers are amazing and the best part of the school. There were certainly some facility issues with the new building at the start of the year but that's smoothed out now. Granted, the school is not for the academically weak. But after 5 months at the school our son really loves it. He's in a rigorous program, is challenged, AND he enjoys it. We are very lucky to have this school in our community. The downside isn't the school but all the tiger parents...never happy with anything. They put incredible pressure on the school and their kids. It's disappointing that two of the negative reviews here are from people whose kids don't attend the school. It's like walking by a restaurant and then reviewing their food! Obviously a competitor.

We applied this school. We have an interview and we waited 15 minutes until we call them and they…read morejust ask a admin to interview us randomly. The original interview is 30minutes but we only had 15 minutes in a rush. Very bad experience. How could they forget the interview

Better teachers at the office , better support in general this is the weirdest high school i've…read moreattended lol

This is a great school. I think they need a little improvement in their baseball field.read more

In my opinion this school is terrible I had a cousin who was attending this school for this school…read moreyear and would always come home complain to me about how the school was unfair to students. When a school haves rules it's so everyone can follow them including the teachers and principals just because you have favorites in the school it does not give you the right for them to get away with things. The school also has a uniform policy but from what I have seen and heard from students who attend to the school many students don't follow the uniform policy and teachers and principals let some students get away with it. Many students from Ace charter high complain about how the punishments are unfair and not being equally some students take things to school for example smoking pens many get caught but don't get suspended or expelled well there's others who do.

When you have a HS that has 90% of their Latino students graduating with the all the UC/CSU…read morerequirements, thats changing lives! Love this school. Thank you for all that you do!

I really like St. Clare school. My daughter joined in Transitional Kindergarten in 2017. They also…read moreoffer an afterschool program until 5:30 pm that was very helpful to two working parents. My daughter made many lifelong friends, and plays on both the volleyball and basketball teams. Her teachers are knowledgeable and engaging. St Clare school provides a silver box program to promote good behavior and to always try their best. The summer program is also awesome. Overall, I recommend this school which not only provides a great student life, education, and many extracurriculars but also supports the growth of healthy religious values in a safe environment.

I have been in the Saint Clare School community for 26 years as a parent, a volunteer and employee…read more As a parent, it was an academically strong, and spiritually nurturing environment of faculty and staff who partnered to raise my child; as a volunteer, our family was embraced by the community and made life-long friends; and as an employee, I've been fortunate to meet alumni from generations going back over 50 years and experienced a working environment of faculty and staff dedicated to the mission and philosophy that is Saint Clare School. It's 167 years strong and counting! GO, WILDCATS!

Pretty good school but there's some fights. The majority of teachers are very patient and give…read moreopportunity to willing students.

I hate this school because my teacher Ms. H called me ridiculous and i didn't liked that, My PE…read moreTeacher Mr. Holguin doesn't talk to me. Makes me do half laps for no reason and my feet hurt! And everybody has a weird attitude.

New playgrounds areas are amazing. Good for children from 5 to 12 years old…read more Safety playground surfaces - poured rubber. (No more wood chips or recycled tire mulch inside the shoes or socks)

Best school ever!!! Best kept secret in the Santa Clara School District. My son never wants to…read moremiss a day of school. And, I get to help in the classroom and see what they are doing and learning. If you want to build community and friends, this is the place.

I'd never send my kids to this high school. I had my first shadow date here and the "shadow host"…read moreAmy Do was very unwelcoming and left me completely unattended that day bc she didn't want a shadow and she was "sick." She then became unsuccessful & went to De Anza after attending NDSJ lol, such a shame. After reporting this incident, Admissions Team Elizabeth Williams failed to take any action on her part and denied that situations like this ever happen. The male teachers all have affairs with the students and administration doesn't do anything about it, they pretend like nothing is happening in order to "protect their reputation". They don't prioritize the safety of their students, especially knowing that homeless people enter the open campus at any given time of the day. For such a high tuition price and ghetto students that they accept bc of "diversity and financial aid", avoid this HS and enroll your daughters at Presentation HS instead. You'll thank me later!

Do not send your kids to NDSJ. The environment and education may look great on paper, but it is…read morenothing like that. The teachers in the math and science departments are mediocre at best and terrible at worst. The counselors do not understand academic rigor and shield the students from real-world problems. For a school that "Teaches them what they need to know for life," it is teaching the students that the whole world will accommodate them forever. The environment is also quite toxic, as there is a lot of drama and students want to see each other fail whether socially or academically. Save your money, do not go to NDSJ.

My two daughters have attended OOS, and we love it! I want to say a big thanks to the…read moreadministration, they are just great! Any concerns or questions which we ever addressed to them were always resolved. No matter what question we had, we always saw friendly staff which is open, ready to help, and resolve any situation in the best way. Academics are great, which is big deal for us. After OOS, kids attend highly selective high schools, and doing great at rigorous classes; which is again a great compliment to OOS teachers for good preparation. OOS does a great job at helping their 8th grade students with the high school admission process. The school community is wonderful, great families, many of which became our close friends. The classes are small, allowing each student to grow. There are always lots of opportunities for parents to be actively involved in school life, but it is not mandatory if your busy life does not allow you to do it. Highly recommended this school!

I was a student at Old Orchard from Kindergarten to 8th grade and I can confidently say it played a…read morehuge role in who I am today. The OOS community is incredibly warm and welcoming, and the teachers are dedicated to helping every student succeed. OOS deeply values students' social-emotional wellness and provides a space for students to explore their interests and grow beyond the classroom. Some of my best memories include working alongside classmates on community service projects and bonding through school trips ranging from historical museums in the Bay Area to hand-on archaeology in Colorado! I My experience here was truly unforgettable and I highly recommend Old Orchard School.