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.

Venture Christian Academy strikes a rare balance between academic rigor and a genuinely loving,…read morejoyful community. The school's consistently strong test scores reflect the quality of its curriculum and the dedication of its teachers, who challenge students while ensuring they feel known, supported, and encouraged. We have been especially impressed by VCA's commitment to STEM education. The Innovation Lab gives students meaningful opportunities to build, design, experiment, and solve problems creatively. It has been a wonderful fit for our son, who loves engineering and understanding how things work. VCA's partnership with Venture Church is another important asset, providing a shared vision and meaningful, ongoing investment in improving the campus. What truly distinguishes VCA, however, is its culture. From the moment we arrived, our family felt warmly welcomed. The teachers and staff care deeply for their students, and that warmth is evident throughout the school. There is also a lovely bond between the older and younger students. The younger children look up to the older students, who take a genuine interest in them and serve as kind, encouraging role models. VCA's current leadership deserves tremendous credit for the school's remarkable growth and for cultivating an environment where academic excellence, innovation, faith, and joy flourish together. We are incredibly grateful to be part of this community.

We absolutely love Venture Christian Academy. Our kids are happy here every day, and the teachers…read moreare truly loving and attentive. Our daughter is typically anxious with transitions, but she settled in remarkably well thanks to the warm, patient staff and supportive environment. Our two younger children also absolutely love school--they look forward to being there each day--and both took less than a day to transition with no tears when they started. Class sizes are small--fewer than 15 students in our kids' classrooms--which means real, individualized attention. We also value the well-rounded curriculum that goes beyond academics to focus on character development and a strong Christian faith foundation. It's exactly the balance we hoped to find. The campus is beautiful and well cared for, and they're actively investing in the future with a new middle school building and gym facilities underway. As parents of three students here, we couldn't be happier with our decision. Venture Christian Academy has been a blessing to our family, and we recommend it wholeheartedly.

Completed our first year at Dartmouth Middle school. My child really enjoys it here. There are…read morevarious extracurricular activities available and homework program after school. Teachers are available for tutoring and responsive quickly via email. The band program is great! The parents are supportive for school events.

I am the first person to review my middle school. Why do I feel weird doing that?…read more At any rate, I was lucky enough to spend my awkward prepubescent years at Dartmouth in 1997-2000. This was before the school underwent a huge remodeling which left it looking a bit like a prison from the outside, but that seems to be the new look. Although I can't attest to the DMS of today, I can say that the three years I spent at the school were great. The teachers I had were all great-- even my mean 8th grade English teacher deserves some credit for my BA in English. Sure there were clicks, and some horribly mean kids here and there, but it wasn't that bad. Middle school is supposed to be really hard because everyone is changing and awkward, but I don't remember it being so bad. The school is also a CA Distinguished School, so that counts for something. I hope the school is still great today.

Overall, I like BHM. There is great cultural diversity. My kids like school and I think BHM is the…read moregreat place to get my kids prepare for Leland High - one of the most competitive High Schools in San Jose as well as the most academically strong school in this Almaden area including Cambrian. One thing I like most about BHM is their location, which is isolated from any possible distractions. The environment near the school is really safe. I will definitely recommend BHM and Leland High for the parents who plan to move to Almaden. You should check Niche.com for school rate, then you will get my point.

I got a bad grade and I angry :( I don't like how we don't have any lockers and that kinda makes my…read moreback hurt and makes my hip hurt a lot!

This is possibly the worst school. 99.9% of the teachers are clueless and have a big ego. The…read moreprincipal only cares about herself and the money. She is dirt cheap and undercuts everyone, parents and teachers alike. The school is located near another school of kids with significant behavioral problems. I myself went to this school. It was horriffic. I only had 4 good teachers in my 8 years of attending. The campus itself is beat up, due to the fact that Mrs. C is too cheap to fix anything. The teachers are also VERY favoritist. Even up to the point of selecting who they would give a good letter of reccomendation to. If they don't like you, expects a lot of demerits and detentions. Overall, this is just about the worst private school around. Do not make the mistake of sending your kid there, or you and they will regret this decision for life. Also, the teachers have a tendency to write good reviews for this school (Probably Mrs. C looking at how much work she has:none), so my review would get drowned out by their own to make the school look good. This is a waste of money that will end up in the pockets of a greedy cheap person who won't even spend it on your child.

Pioneer High School is located near Orchard Supply (old Mervyns), and is run by the San Jose…read moreUnified School District and offers education to students 9-12 grade. They have a problem with the pickup, drop off area which shuts down at 7.10am or 8.10am which forces parents to stop and drop children on busy Blossom Hill Rd. I don't understand why they don't keep this open at all times (minus one star). The school offers advanced placement courses in various subjects, including computer science, calculus, physics, literature English language, world history, art and Spanish. They also have classes in engineering, AutoCAD, business, intermezzo orchestra, fine arts and life management skills. Most of the teachers are passionate, enthusiastic and want to teach, which makes it fulfilling for the students to get ahead. There sports focus is also very good (football, baseball, tennis, swimming, track and gym). The science classes offered by the school include chemistry, anatomy, biology and zoology. The school also offers various math classes, including algebra, trigonometry, statistic and calculus. This school will prepare you child for college/ university as long as you get 240 credits.

the principal here ms cahill genuinely makes no effort to connect with students, she is immediately…read morehostile any time students interact with her, and for some reason does not know anything about the school, or how to do anything and will just refer you to other staff while she stands around or sits in her air conditioned off. it's pretty astonishing this woman can be a principal she's useless, unkind, clearly doesn't enjoy her job and overall not fit for the job. no one working at a school should despise teenagers this much and be so lazy... not a great combo. ms cahill if you see this for the sake of everyone here learn how to take your anger out in postive ways instead of on students, it's not a great look for the incoming freshman to be met with hostility and a lack of help. stop relying on the teachers and staff to do your job and actually go out and build connections with students

Eh school. Ngl It was pretty good when I first got there then started to go down AFTER coming back…read moreto in person learning from covid. Istg the then underclassmen and basically class of 2025 and under is fucked lol. Some of those kids are assholes Fr. Most teachers are pretty good. Also Mr Soza is the best English teacher there, he's amazing. And Mrs. Chen is such a wonderful person, if you're interested in learning mandarin I highly recommend just going for it. The jump from mandarin 3 to AP is pretty big tho so just be careful about making the decision of wether or not to go to AP.

A lot of the students there who went to school with me there were such charming friends , but most…read moreof the staff treated me like I don't belong their and thought I was not ready for the district program... and they kept me in a program were I don't belong called the county program for kids with bad autism... and my parents try to pass them to put me in the district program but they don't want to do it becuase one of the other reasons why they didn't think I was ready for the district is becuase they thought I was to aggressive and mean which is not true and very unpleasant and unrelavent So under the circumstances I would not be in program at this school... try prospect high school it's very nicer then branham and the staff there are such a great influence and I promise you'll have a great adventure there

We live in Los Gatos and we never thought that we would consider a private school for our son until…read moreHillbrook. At first, my son joined the junior kindergarten because the public school TK program was too short. We thought it would just be a year then we would go back. Then Covid happened and the difference on how Hillbrook handled the Covid situation with that of the public schools is day and night. We feel very safe sending our son here. After 2 years at Hillbrook, my son blossomed. So by the time he entered the elementary school, it was no brainer to continue his schooling here. The school also took a proactive prevention in bullying. The teachers did such a great job, above and beyond, to protect their kids while teaching them to be able to advocate for themselves. We are entering our 4th year at Hillbrook and my son blossoms. He's a natural leader, well spoken, and he adjusts well among his peers (classroom, playground, youth sports). What I have noticed, Hillbrook school really encourages students to be independent thinker. My son is confident and has high EQ, thanks to Hillbrook method.

Although we ultimately chose a different school for our child, I want to share how impressed I was…read morewith Hillbrook's admissions process. From start to finish, the experience stood out in all the best ways. During our initial visit, I noticed something remarkable--several students came up and hugged the admissions officer. It was clear that the kids not only felt comfortable but also genuinely connected to the adults on campus. That kind of warmth and trust speaks volumes about the school culture. Throughout the process, the staff had multiple thoughtful conversations with me and invited our son to visit the campus more than once. It wasn't just about evaluating our fit for them--it really felt like they wanted to ensure the school would be the right fit for our son too. Everyone we interacted with was incredibly kind, transparent, and generous with their time and insights. What really set Hillbrook apart was how open and communicative the administration was. In a time when many schools can feel closed off or overly cautious, Hillbrook was refreshingly honest and forthcoming. That kind of openness is rare and deeply appreciated. Even though we didn't enroll, I left the process with a very positive impression of the school and the people behind it.