I am a former VMS student from way before they built this campus. From before the middle school was…read morea single room behind the Livermore Valley Tennis Club. I wanted to say that I attribute much of my present success to the advanced education I received at this school. They really encourage children to learn at their own rate, accommodating those who learn faster and those who need extra help. Beth Marshall was my teacher for most of my years here, and I know she no longer works there, but I hope they still teach in that style. The way they let the parents and children set the child's own standards for grading, and have the child assemble their own portfolio and present is unique (as far as I know). We kids felt like we had some say in how we were being taught and had more interest in school than I think any kids in public school had. By the time I entered high school at Amador, the only classes that compared at all in quality were the honors and AP classes. Besides the outstanding education I received, I fondly remember the field trips, holidays, PE classes, electives (enrichment), meditation, etc. It was a very stimulating environment and I'm glad I got to experience it. I am giving 4 stars because I don't know if what I experienced as a child is still the norm for VMS now. For any who care to know, I am now pursuing my PhD in Molecular Bio at UCSD. How much is nature vs. nurture, and how much VMS contributed to the "nurture" aspect, I don't...but looking on Facebook at my VMS classmates, I can say that all of them seem to be thriving as well. Really though, it may be because all of their parents are brilliant and therefore have lucrative careers that allow for them to send their children to schools like this. I don't know. PS-The teachers here (at least the ones I had) really care about the kids. I have seen and corresponded with some recently and was very touched to be so remembered. Thanks, VMS!

My kids went here in their early years. Super dooper…read moreexpensive, and not quality education. The teachers are not even up to standard CA.

I am a substitute teacher for Olive Branch Preschool, and I have to say what a wonderful experience…read moreit has been. Working alongside educators who pride themselves on providing meaningful opportunities for children to have exciting connections with the world around them. This approach aims to foster independence, strong relationship building skills, and intrinsic problem solving skills in their children. As an early childhood educator I believe in what The Olive Branch envisions for the children of their community. Any issues would be met with the utmost compassion and care from all of the team members. I would highly recommend The Olive Branch to any family with young children in the Livermore area.

We enrolled our 4-year-old at Olive Branch Community School because we believed in their stated…read morephilosophy of nurturing children "as they are" and supporting families through challenges. Unfortunately, our experience was very different. After one serious incident involving our son, the school chose to remove him from the program immediately, without following through on their own handbook promises of supporting families, creating a success plan, or holding a parent/teacher conference to collaborate on strategies. Their handbook clearly states that dismissal is "never our goal," yet we were given no opportunity for partnership or intervention before termination. It became clear to us that while this school may be a good fit for children who are already naturally easygoing, they do not have the skill set, training, or willingness to effectively support children with more challenging behaviors. Every child deserves support when they struggle, especially in early childhood when emotional regulation is still developing. While we do not excuse our child's behavior, we were deeply disappointed to see the school abandon the values it advertises instead of working with us. If you are considering this school, I strongly encourage you to ask very specific questions about how they handle challenging behavior in practice, not just on paper.

I agree with previous poster about Principal Esmat. This school is full of amazing parents donating…read morea LOT of time for PTA (I used to be one of them for years) along with some awesome and amazing teachers that go above and beyond for their students. I've been a parent at this school for 12 years and have had such a positive response from the past 2 principals always willing to listen to parents (those with special needs even) and their concerns. My kids have had a good experience and met great friends and families. I didn't speak last year, hoping to stay positive with a new Principal. I've deleted my previous 5 star review on FB as I find issues at the school now with Principal Esmat. She has disregarded complaints regarding mold/mildew in the classroom and spends much more time on lengthy emails and letters that have nothing to do with safety of our children. I personally have disabilities with fragrances/chemicals that I can no longer work but she refuses to refrain from them so I cannot enter the office to volunteer so sign my kids in/out. For the first time in 12 years I'm left waiting for an appropriate response from a Principal to just simply respond to a safety concern. The lack of concern or response to a condition for our kids drops my rating to her a HUGE zero. I give 2 stars because the PTA deserves a 5+ star rating. They run most of the programs with parents that give up time and sleep to make our school awesome. It's been a handful of dedicated parents for a long time and encourage all parents to participate in at least one school event this year. Your kids will love it and so will you. The teachers are amazing and dedicated as well! The principal hasn't doesn't know children's names or care to... I've passed her personally on the blacktop and smiled and said hello with barely a pained grimace back even after a year of doing so. Ugh! My boys love their friends at school.. I'm looking for a bigger home in Livermore and would be HAPPY to get far away from this school now except my kids have some really great friends and likewise when it comes to great parents!

My previous review was based on the past administration lack of response to safety. With the new…read moreprincipal, my review has been updated. I am happy to see Seco is a wonderful and safe environment again.

This is a Great Preschool. The teacher Miss Julie uses Zoo Phonics to help the children with…read morepre-reading skills. She also teaches the numbers, shapes, and colors in English and Spanish. She teaches the Tiny tots and Pre-k class. My daughter was more than ready for kindergarten and was reading at the beginning of kindergarten because Altamont uses Zoo Phonics as well. She was able to build on what Miss Julie taught her. Miss Julie and her teaching assistant Miss Claire are a great team. We loved it. My younger daughter will be signing up next year.

This school is really making leaps and bounds academically!!! They are bringing their test scores…read moreup in huge numbers every year. They have had multiple articles written about them in all the local newspapers and have even been the subject of a book. The teachers work extremely hard to help the kids get to where they need to be. I've seen a lot of whats going on there with the kids and the staff is awesome as well. They work very well together to achieve great results. I know when I have kids they are for sure going to Marylin Avenue School!!!

LVA was once a good school, but my family's experience over time tells a different story. My son…read moreattended from 2020 to 2023, and unfortunately, he left underprepared for high school. There was little to no support or guidance from LVA to ensure a smooth transition to a traditional school environment. I was surprised to see a couple of highly positive reviews appear about a year after my son had left--reviews that appear to describe him directly. These accounts do not reflect our experience and seem inconsistent with the reality we observed. It raised concerns for me about how feedback and reviews might be represented or encouraged within the school community. It is more shocking given that the individuals concerned had nothing good to say about one another at the time. During our time at LVA, the quality of education and communication declined noticeably. What began with promise during the COVID period gradually shifted to disorganization, inconsistent teaching quality, and removal of key student resources, such as lunch and recess. I also encountered several situations where staff appeared underqualified or lacking appropriate classroom management, including questionable instructional choices that were not age-appropriate (R rated movies) More troubling were instances of unprofessional conduct and poor handling of disciplinary issues, which had lasting effects on my child's wellbeing. Several parents, myself included, raised these issues repeatedly before meaningful action was taken. To the school's credit, there were a few dedicated and talented teachers who genuinely cared about their students, and they deserve recognition. However, the broader environment was not consistently supportive or healthy, particularly in leadership and communication. In summary, while LVA may look appealing on the surface, our experience suggests that the substance does not always match the image. I encourage parents to seek out multiple perspectives and, most importantly, listen to their children's experiences before making a decision.

LVA has been an exceptional school for my step son. They…read moreprovided a high level of attention to his needs. Ferishta as well as his teachers were proactive and always available to meet when challenges arose. As a child care professional myself, I understand the challenges with meeting the needs of all students and I feel that LVA was masterful in this.

BEST SCHOOL EVER!! What I am trying to say is that this school is both fun and an incredibly great…read moreplace to learn. There were a few reviews concerning the principal, but we have a new one now, and the school is even better than before. Also, I don't think this page is set up by the school themselves, since the school's name is "Emma C. Smith Elementary school" Not "Smith Emme C Elementary School" Thanks, A student.

This is the best school for my children. They really enjoyed going to school and all teachers are…read morecaring. They leaned a lot in this school. I think that previous reviews from 2014 were not fair for this school. The charter school is closed down anyway.