We had a very poor experience with this school, as did our friends. 1. Non-union teachers mean over 1/3 of the staff is new each and every year. Usually, that also means they are fresh out of school and this is their first school experience. This is not a positive. Teachers are inflexible, struggle to manage classrooms, have little real world experience with kids and how they operate. 2. The teacher ratio listed on sites like Great Schools is inaccurate. They have a similar or worse ratio of real teachers to students as the LASD, MVWUSD, Sunnyvale district etc. They are also missing critical counselor support, as well as lacking specialty educators like SLPs, OTs. 3. They are not allowed to bring in outside, experienced vendors to do extra curriculars, like the rest of the schools are. For example, other schools can have soccer coaches. This school has teachers working overtime to provide extra curriculars that aren't in their wheelhouses. These activities are less engaging, less challenging, and less useful as a result. 4. They're screen-heavy compared to the local schools. All the local districts focus on STEM, but I'm referring to usage of computer programs to teach math and screen-heavy gamified learning. Especially for young learners, this is a disadvantage. I think the teachers are so burnout daily from longer hours (due to the need to teach extra curriculars) that they rely on screens for long breaks. 5. The facilities are poor. Why does this matter? At the elementary age, your children need to run around outside. They need to lift heavy things, do risky things like climbing trees, build fake shelters with friends as teamwork, and more. They have very little dedicated outdoor space because they are just sitting on top of a full middle school. 6. There are middle schoolers all around them. This becomes a problem because their spaces are not respected by the middle schoolers. There is more pressure on the 5th graders to be "cool" in the eyes of the older kids. More peer pressure is awful at this age. They never get to feel like they made it to the top of the ladder. 7. The school is underfunded. This materializes in many ways. First, parents have to do things like lunch duty. Maybe if you have lots of free time, that sounds great! But what it leads to is inconsistent child policing by parents who have wildly different ideas about personal ownership, conflict resolution and more. 8. An ever rising mandatory donation ask. It is $6k now per kid per year, in addition to payments for field trips, supplies, supplemental activities. To be clear, this is in no way similar to the local schools. Their average ask is $250. That's a 2400% difference. 9. There is a bullying problem. I can speculate about why, but it's consistently a problem at this school. 10. This schools tends to have parents who are intense about academic pressure. Many, if not all, of the kids are in things like Kumon or Russian math. They're competitive, on purpose. Collaboration takes a back seat. 11. They do not have the resources for special needs, IEP, minor concerns. It is well known that they decline enrollment for these students, suggesting you'd be better off elsewhere. 12. They're not a neighborhood school. They're a commuter school. This creates a noticeable lack of community. Your student's friends will not live near them. They will not bike to school together. They will not run into you at the local park. And it creates crazy long car pick up lines. These poor kids end up so isolated socially. 13. Students come and go at far higher rates than the neighborhood schools. Your student will lose their best friend. New kids are constantly being integrated. The in-school community feel is also lacking. 14. It's a sham. The language parents use about "winning" the lottery here is psychologically affecting them, tricking them into being more likely to pick this school bc it makes them feel special. Bullis spend a lot of money and time to make you feel that way - which would be better spend on the students, teachers, and facilities. 15. Charter schools MEAN constant change. That's how they work. They are their own district. This is so hard on kids who thrive on routine. 16. The controversies. The lawsuits. The uncertainty about where the school will reside. The hatred by local families who actually live next to you. The whispers, the judgement. Do you understand that you're signing up for that by going to Bullis? 17. When you move your kids into the local high schools, Bullis kids get bullied. They are reputationally rich outcasts. Most of their friends don't end up going to the same school, so they start over at a socially critical time. 18. The middle school is simply a low tier educational school. They hemorrhage middle school enrollment. They do not adequately prepare students for high school or college. It's a rude awakening. 19. LOW academic progress compared to local schools. THIS is what actually matters. read more

PS: they keep deleting my sincere review. If you enroll your child in this school, be prepared for them to face an uncertain future and an environment that fosters anxiety due to the inadequate involvement of school officials in cyberbullying cases. Several kids, including both of mine, have been enduring cyberbullying and untrue rumors spread by their peers since 2019. The most recent case of bullying started in September 2023, and for months, our pleas for help from the school have been ignored. I've spent a significant amount of time in meetings with the school officials who presented facts completely contrary to the help they promised. The school officials failed to inform parents in writing about the results of their investigation within a month of the first report of bullying and untrue rumors, as per BCS discipline procedures and in conjunction with the State of California Education Code (https://www.bullischarterschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/BCS%20Suspension%20and%20Expulsion%20Procedures.pdf) After facing a month of feeling insecure, having high anxiety and uncertainty, this school failed to provide a safe environment, pushing my child to the point where leaving the campus seemed like their only escape from the bullying. According to the BCS discipline procedure, the punishment for leaving the campus is at the choice of the directors, ranging from a warning to school suspension (maximum punishment). I believe the board of directors' decision to impose a school suspension on my anxious child was exaggerated, unfair, and unreasonable, especially since it was their first offense. This decision was implemented without notifying parents in advance with a written notice, as the BCS discipline procedures states for cases of suspension. The decision was unfair because the board of directors knew that the untrue rumors and bullying had continued for a month already, and they failed to provide a safe plan or safe environment. They also neglected to give a written report to parents regarding the investigation results and the decisions made by the board of directors to stop the effects of the rumors and provide an effective plan to protect the child. Despite my request for officials not to place my child face-to-face with the kids who bullied and spread rumors about them, that is exactly what they did, deepening my child's anxiety and insecurity. This school puts abusers and victims face-to-face, even after parents explicitly ask them not to. Furthermore, this school punishes victims instead of abusers. After three months of unending meetings and my calls to the principal going unanswered, the school officials finally presented a safety plan. This plan consisted of the student seeing a teacher and reporting any difficulties encountered during the day. Unfortunately, this plan did not help at all, as the teacher who was supposed to help started to retaliate against my family by belittling me and failing the child in their class, resulting in deteriorating the kid's self-esteem and escalating their anxiety. The school officials even called the doctor who gave us an excuse note for the absence and lied to her, stating that the girls who bullied my child had moved from the school last year. They disregarded the note, giving my child an absence without informing me. One day, I asked the principal to help my child overcome their anxiety and enter the class. I was shocked by his unwillingness to help, claiming he was going to a meeting, and all other employees were busy, shrugging me off and gesturing towards the door, signaling me to leave. However, 15 minutes later, I saw him casually walking around the campus, clearly indicating that he was not busy. This behavior is highly unprofessional. read more

Bullis Charter School (BCS) is an award-winning public school located in Los Altos, chartered by the Santa Clara County Board of Education. Currently the charter school serves more than 500 local students in grades K-8, and will be expanding its programs to serve approximately 600 students beginning in September 2013. The API score at BCS was 994 in 2011-2012, making it top performing charter school in the state and the 7th highest performing public school in California. It has been the highest performing school in LASD for several years. Charter schools receive public money like public schools, but are subject to different rules than other public schools and follow standards according to their charter. Charter schools are attended by choice so they are held accountable by market demand for the school in terms as one important measure of success. I have been a parent at Bullis Charter School for several years now and have two children enrolled here. Compared to the alternative public school programs in Los Altos/Mtn View, it is a no brainer to send your child here in my opinion. You can only get in by lottery, but it is a public school open to anyone residing in Los Altos School District who sends in a free application. There is sibling priority so it also depends on the year in terms of how many new slots are really available to the new families in the lottery pool. Last I heard, there were many more applicants for every available seat so there is a long waitlist which renews every enrollment period. If you don't get in one year, you need to re-apply if you want to enroll. If I had to pick the best thing about this school, it is hands down the talented and passionate teaching staff. The school has done a phenomenal job at recruiting excellent teachers. They all tend to be on the younger side (though most of the teachers have at least 5+ years of teaching experience), but the consistent theme in all teachers my kids have had is passion and dedication. I have never seen educators work as hard as the ones in this school. Unfortunately, I think the union/tenure system of teachers in most public schools kills ambition and innovation. It takes special teachers who are willing to work without a union - in my opinon, educators who are truly in the field to teach....not burned-out misanthropes who are only in it to cash out on the cushy pension. Other great things we like about the program; the music and drama programs are equivalent if not better than what you would find in a private school; the integration of science and engineering throughout the curriculum starting in Kindergarten; the Mandarin focus which starts in Kindergarten and continues; the individualized learning goals set for each student; an emphasis on leadership and public communication skills; the parent community which is extremely involved and hands-on; best of all, every BCS kid I know loves it here. The kids get along really well (we have bullying issues like any school, but it is dealt with well here),and they care about each other. The focus on character pillars has helped shape my kids into sensitive, aware and mature human beings. It's quite amazing. We all see spoiled kids here, but for the most part, my kids and their classmates are very well-grounded and they have a sense of loyalty to their friends and the community at BCS. They must get brainwashed the first week of school because both my kids are very proud to go to Bullis and could not imagine going to school anywhere else. They truly love it at the school. So if they are happy, we are happy. read more

Since the 2020 the BCS School system has undergone significant changes. While we were satisfied with the elementary school during the previous management, we are now very disappointed with the middle school, particularly with the new management. A growing concern among parents is the recent hiring of teachers based on their affiliation with the LGBT community, leading to a perception that the school is promoting a biased agenda without considering the opinions of parents. This hiring approach raises questions about the school's commitment to inclusivity and diversity. One specific issue causing distress among parents is the requirement for children to attend classes on LGBT indoctrination and write essays about the positive aspects of being LGBT. Many parents are troubled by the lack of communication from the school regarding these classes and feel that their perspectives, as well as Christian moral standards, are not being respected. Consequently, some parents have chosen to transfer their children to Egan or Blach schools. Moreover, there are concerns about the competence of teachers, particularly in math classes. There is a perception that some teachers may have been hired based on a diversity and affiliation to LGBT agenda rather than their qualifications, resulting in suboptimal instruction. This situation is reflected in the high percentage of students seeking external tutoring, which indicates potential shortcomings in the teaching methods and teacher qualifications. There are many reports of a math teacher encouraging students to learn from online tutorials, leading to a situation where a significant percentage of students are seeking external tutoring. This raises questions about the effectiveness of the teaching methods employed in these classes. Additionally, it has come to our attention that the library in Los Altos is consistently filled with children from grades 6-8 and their math tutors, which may indicate a lack of resources or effective support within the school. There are also reports of teachers bringing personal problems into the classroom, exhibiting inappropriate behavior, yelling at students, and putting them down in front of their peers. This creates a hostile learning environment that is detrimental to the emotional well-being of the students. We hope that the school administration addresses these concerns promptly and collaborates with parents to ensure a positive and inclusive educational experience for all students. read more

Since 2020 the BCS School system has undergone significant changes. While we were satisfied with the elementary school during the previous management, we are now very disappointed with the middle school, particularly with the new management. A growing concern among parents is the recent hiring of teachers based on their affiliation with the LGBT community, leading to a perception that the school is promoting a biased agenda without considering the opinions of parents. This hiring approach raises questions about the school's commitment to inclusivity and diversity. One specific issue causing distress among parents is the requirement for children to attend classes on LGBT indoctrination and write essays about the positive aspects of being LGBT. Many parents are troubled by the lack of communication from the school regarding these classes and feel that their perspectives, as well as Christian moral standards, are not being respected. Consequently, some parents have chosen to transfer their children to Egan or Blach schools. Moreover, there are concerns about the competence of teachers, particularly in math classes. There is a perception that some teachers may have been hired based on a diversity and affiliation to LGBT agenda rather than their qualifications, resulting in suboptimal instruction. This situation is reflected in the high percentage of students seeking external tutoring, which indicates potential shortcomings in the teaching methods and teacher qualifications. There are many reports of a math teacher encouraging students to learn from online tutorials, leading to a situation where a significant percentage of students are seeking external tutoring. This raises questions about the effectiveness of the teaching methods employed in these classes. Additionally, it has come to our attention that the library in Los Altos is consistently filled with children from grades 6-8 and their math tutors, which may indicate a lack of resources or effective support within the school. There are also reports of teachers bringing personal problems into the classroom, exhibiting inappropriate behavior, yelling at students, and putting them down in front of their peers. This creates a hostile learning environment that is detrimental to the emotional well-being of the students. We hope that the school administration addresses these concerns promptly and collaborates with parents to ensure a positive and inclusive educational experience for all students. read more

A Disappointing Experience with Bullis Charter's 2023-2024 Lottery Process I regret to report that our family's experience with Bullis Charter's 2023-2024 lottery process, conducted on February 18, 2023, was less than satisfactory. The process, initially appearing transparent and fair, unfortunately fell short in its implementation and communication. Our two children had mixed outcomes - our 5th grader was selected in the lottery, while our 8th grader was not. Although disheartening, we appreciated the promptness with which we were informed about our 8th grader's waiting list placement. However, the excitement about our 5th grader's selection was dampened by a significant lack of communication. Despite our 5th grader being chosen in the lottery, we did not receive any information or follow-up communication about the next steps. The silence from Bullis left us bewildered and frustrated, transforming what should have been a celebratory moment into a stressful one. While the lottery system may be an equitable way to grant admissions, the unclear outcomes and gaps in communication were highly disappointing. We urge Bullis Charter to review and improve upon their communication methods, to ensure that families are adequately informed about all stages of the process, and that winning the lottery is synonymous with clear acceptance into the school. read more

Disappointing Experience - Bullying Issues Unaddressed My son attended BCS for 2023-2024, and unfortunately, our experience was less than satisfactory. While the school boasts a strong academic curriculum and dedicated teachers, there were significant issues with bullying that were not adequately addressed by the administration. Over the course of the year, my son faced several incidents of physical and emotional bullying from classmates. Despite our repeated attempts to communicate these issues to the administration, we felt that our concerns were not taken seriously, and appropriate actions were not implemented to protect my son or prevent further incidents. As a result, my son's emotional well-being and academic performance suffered, and we ultimately decided to transfer him to another school. We sincerely hope that BCS will take steps to improve their policies and procedures for handling bullying to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all students. Pros: - Strong academic curriculum - Dedicated and skilled teachers Cons: - Inadequate response to bullying incidents - Lack of effective communication and support from administration Overall, we are disappointed with our experience at BCS and cannot recommend it to other families until significant improvements are made in addressing and preventing bullying. read more

Ineffective bullying policy. There's a serious bullying problem at this school that the teacher and principal refuse to do anything about. Even if a child submits a complaint, it's unlikely to make any serious change. There have even been times when the person filing the complaint got punished for being mean to their bully! This school favors its male students at the expense of everyone else. This is also reflected in bullying. There's also a lot of unnecessary extra work that will prevent your children from getting the social life they need, stunting their social development, which will negatively impact them for the rest of their lives. The extracurriculars aren't even well organized. This school also claims to teach your children important values, but they absolutely don't lead by example. This school also is very bad about accepting low-income students, and won't go out of their way to help students with learning disabilities. read more

This school is the only public school choice option in Los Altos School district. I don't understand why one the reviewers here is complaining that he is not able to get in when he lives out of district. All he has to do is look on the school website to understand how the enrollment priority works. This school has the highest API scores in all of LASD and is the top charter school in the state of California. There is a long waitlist to enroll as it has the highest demand of all the schools in Los Altos. Charter schools were created to 'compete' against public schools and raise the education bar for all students. I can say with high confidence that BCS has accomplished this mission read more

I do not recommend even entering the "lottery". Psychologically, it tricks you into thinking you've "won" something, which makes you more likely to say yes, even if you told yourself you'll decline it. It also juices their numbers so they can seem exclusive and desirable and trick the next set of parents into throwing their kids to the wolves there. This school is smoke and mirrors. It is not a high quality institution and kids come out of it wildly unprepared for real school. It's babysitting with cool activities at best. The academic progress kids make year to year is lower than every other LASD school. read more

high teacher turnover is one of the many constant changes. the changes are far too much for my kid and it's caused a lot of stress. love something about the school? don't bet on it to last! the poor facilities don't seem like they're ever going to get solved either. I wish they had real tenured teachers. read more