My experience with Northern Light School was extremely disappointing. After removing my child and…read moreenrolling them in another private school, I could clearly see how academically behind my child was. The difference in curriculum, expectations, homework, and preparation was obvious. For a private school, the product does NOT match the price tag. The curriculum did not compare to what my child receives now. Homework was poor, and I often felt like I had to teach my own child at home. Parents should not pay private-school tuition and still have to teach the curriculum themselves. There is a serious lack of transparency. Parents should be able to see student work, testing scores, academic progress, and meaningful statistics. Conferences and Back to School Night provided very little substance. Parents should not have to guess where their child stands academically or be discouraged from seeing what is happening in classrooms. I also had concerns about teachers being mean or treating children poorly behind closed doors. When concerns were raised, I felt administrators made excuses, defended the behavior, and ignored the concerns. Constructive criticism was not welcomed, and I felt administration and teachers became defensive instead of working with me and became very unprofessional, to the point not speaking and other administrators acting in same rude manner! There were also inconsistent school-wide rules and expectations. I strongly disagreed with the school's approach to ADHD and neurodivergence. From my experience, there was too much emphasis on pushing the idea of neurodivergence and encouraging children to question whether they were neurodivergent. Children should be supported without being pushed toward a label or agenda. I also felt Northern Light had moved away from the professional-family environment I originally associated with the school and was accepting families who did not seem aligned with the professional, academic, and behavioral culture I expected. The facilities are old, staff appeared burnt out, and the school needs fresh leadership, including more male leaders. There needs to be accountability above administration and a place for parents to be heard. After transferring my child to another private school, the academic difference became undeniable. My child is now receiving stronger curriculum, expectations, and preparation. Moving my child was the right decision. Northern Light needs more transparency, accountability, stronger academics, consistent rules, better leadership, and a serious evaluation of whether the education actually justifies the price.

I am an alum of NLS from a single parent home in East Oakland. From there I went to Marin Academy…read morefor high school, received a bachelor's degree in economics from UC Berkeley, last year I received my MBA from Stanford University, and I currently work at Google. I would not have achieved any of those things without NLS. I split my elementary school years between public school and private school, so I'll speak to what makes NLS special. From my perspective, many schools (public and private) can provide a strong academic foundation. NLS was just as good as my strong public school in that regard. What I gained from NLS is belief in myself that anything is possible. It came from the dreams fulfilled that line the walls, the stories told at morning circle, and from teachers and administrators truly caring about what I wanted to be when I grew up. And in a practical sense, the school provided access, access to the most elite prep high schools in the U.S. Before NLS, I had not even heard of the majority of them. NLS represents a turning point in my life in terms of building confidence, ambition, and knowledge of opportunities that were previously unknown to me.

Mills College Children's School is an absolute gem and a truly transformative environment for…read morechildren and families alike. The teachers and staff are incredibly supportive, creating an inclusive and diverse community where every child and family feels welcomed and valued. Their ability to meet each child where they are--both in terms of needs and abilities--is unmatched. The educators here are first-rate, highly educated, and deeply dedicated to their craft. They foster an environment where children can blossom socially, emotionally, and academically. Every child is seen, supported, and celebrated, which allows them to build confidence and thrive in all aspects of their development. The care and thoughtfulness that go into every interaction and every element of the program are evident. I feel so privileged to have my child--and myself--be part of this extraordinary community. Mills College Children's School is a place where children and families grow together, and I cannot recommend it highly enough!

My child is in their first year here and we are blown away by the thoughtfulness the teachers put…read moreinto every detail of the students' surroundings and the variety of creative activities my kid gets to choose from in following their interests to see where it leads. This school really does feel like a community that's aligned with our values as a family. I also appreciate that parents at MCCS are encouraged to participate in making learning fun and helping in different ways. I've guest read books to the children and am planning to lead a craft activity in a few weeks. My kiddo looks forward to those moments together. I also really appreciate how I can tap my kid's teacher for advice on how to handle different challenging behaviors when they arise (as a fairly newbie parent). I'd recommend the school again and again.

Our daughter is starting TK at Francophone, and I am already grateful for the kind, attentive care…read morestaff has shown to us as a low-income queer/trans Latine family with a child with serious physical disabilities. When we asked to meet with the student support coordinator about accommodations, they went above and beyond-- not just discussing the legally required 504 stuff, but taking a genuine interest in her needs and emotional health instead of viewing her very existence as a disabled child like a burden (the attitude of the OUSD school we were initially set on). As a family who can't afford private school and who already speaks Spanish, we are SO happy to have gotten a spot at one of the only free/public non-Spanish language immersion programs on the entire west coast.

I am very disappointed with the treatment my child received at Francophone. I was excited when I…read moreheard that this establishment would provide a good education and friendly environment for my child. However, my family received the opposite. My child was bullied and when I tried to reach out to the authorities and parents, I was ignored. I feel like school should be a safe place for our children since they spend a lot of time there. The staff did not behave very professionally either. I recommend to take your child(ren) elsewhere. If I could, I would actually rate this a 0. :)

Great school. Students work hard. Teachers are capable and young. Security is tight. The Leader…read moreof the school is a star. Can't go wrong here. They improved in the face of a serious pandemic to stem the widespread national CoVid slide. They deserve real praise for that work + result.

This is the best Jewish school you can possibly find in SF-East Bay area…read more We have 2 kids in the school right now and another one will start Kindergarten this coming fall. We chose this school after touring several others and could not be happier with our decision. The school serves a diverse spectrum of Jewish community with various levels of observance and cultural background. They provide excellent general education along with Judaic curriculum and immersive Hebrew language studies. They have amazing art and science program, which my kids are very excited about. Aftercare program has a ton of activities to choose from. The classes are small, which allows for more individual attention. Academically, my kids are very different and require different approach to help them maximize their potential. One child, who is enthusiastic about math, is able to take a more advanced math course, while my daughter is able to get extra support to help her with reading fluency and spelling. The entire school community is very welcoming. I can tell that teachers are truly committed to maintaining a warm school environment where children enjoy learning and also thrive socially. My son transferred there from another school, when he started his 3rd grade, and his transition was very smooth. I really appreciate the fact that the school staff is easily accessible for any questions or concerns. We are able to maintain a great communication with teachers and office staff, even though we live far from school and are not present there daily.

I think that the new principle has definitely changed things for the better. I'm excited to see…read morewhat else he comes up with that is new and creative. The parents and community have been really reacting well to him....very good thing. I went here, my middle sister went here, my best friends went here, my youngest sister goes here, my younger cousin as well. Its just a really good place to raise your kids. Not just because of the school, but the community around as well. Laurel district ROCKS

We sent our 5 year old to Laurel for kinder mainly just because it was the local school, but it has…read moreturned out to be a great experience. The teachers and staff and principal all seem to genuinely care and be good at their jobs, and it shows in the happiness of the kids. As an example, my kid for some reason we may never know was scared to go into the lunch line at the cafeteria, and therefor wasn't eating lunch. I mentioned this to the principal who happened to be outside before school and he took us right at that moment to go meet the lunch lady and practice going through the line, and then when we got to class I told the teacher why we were a couple minutes late the teacher said he would walk with my son into the lunch line that day. He's been eating school lunch every day since. He plays better with other kids than he ever did in preschool. Oh, he also reads at a 2nd grade level (but I get part of the credit for that!). They have a pretty awesome brand new playground, a garden, fieldtrips, music class, (optional) parent meetings and volunteer opportunities, and a pretty good budget for a public school. We'll be sending our second kid here in a few years once she's old enough

Best school ever. Students are all 1 to 2 years ahead of their grade and the staff go above and…read morebeyond to make sure students are successful. Many even give over 10 hours a day to help students succeed. I couldn't ask for a better place

My son graduated from Ile Omode's junior school. He was doing college level Algebra 2 and computer…read moreprogramming as an 8th grader and had already taken the SAT (which he scored in the 1000s). These are the academic opportunities that are afforded to young scholars at Ile Omode. He went on to get multiple scholarships from high schools. He is to this day very successful in high school, as I write this review, because of the study skills, grit and self confidence that was developed in him as a student of this wonderful school. I highly recommend it for your scholar.

My son attended Oak Grove from just before he was 3 to almost 5. We've had such a wonderful…read moreexperience with this preschool. The teachers are caring and supportive and the curriculum is fantastic. We feel our son is well prepared for TK after all the preparation he has had with Oak Grove. He is beginning to read sounds, knows sight words, has developing math skills, and can understand pattern solving/recognition. This preschool also offers benefits that were near impossible to find at other preschools, such as including meals (breakfast, lunch and two snacks in between), and flexibility in nap time. Once our son was old enough to no longer need a daily nap (napping was making bedtime difficult), Oak Grove easily accommodated the switch. They also helped reinforce potty training, and our son is now almost potty independent.

Our son & daughter both had a wonderful experience at Oak Grove. The teachers care deeply for all…read morethe kids, who also connect so well with one another that we're still arranging playdates with each other on weekends. The different cohorts (Sprouts, Roots, Blossoms) are well structured, but also mix well with one another at certain points of the day and outside. The graduation ceremony was particularly moving, and we feel our little ones have been well prepared for K and beyond.