Our child had a nosebleed at school, and the school director Colleen immediately called us to pick…read morehim up. Since we work 40 minutes away, I asked if this was part of the school's sick policy. It wasn't--the reason given was simply that a teacher couldn't manage 12 kids at once. On top of that, the preschool principal Laurie required us to provide a doctor's note confirming that nosebleeds were "okay" to let kid back to school. Even our pediatrician found this request ridiculous, but kindly wrote the note word-for-word as they asked. Despite the school's popularity due to its affiliation with a local private elementary, this has been our worst preschool experience compared to others. The teacher-student ratio is inadequate, tuition is extremely high, and communication with parents is minimal. Although it's promoted as a play-based program, most of the time children just play independently while teachers supervise rather than engage. Also they introduce screen time (TV, iPads) as early as age two. I initially chose Serendipity Preschool for my child because of its strong reputation. However, I eventually realized it operates more like a business and not care much about the kids as they claimed. After moving and enrolling my kids in other schools, the differences became very clear, in all aspects--and much greater than I could imaged. In response to Laurie's reply below: When a school director exaggerates facts by claiming "daily nosebleeds" and deliberately misleads the public while carefully managing reviews to maintain a 5-star image, it really makes me question their priorities. When I answered the call, I clearly heard the words: "One teacher cannot take care of 12 kids. Please pick him up as soon as possible." That completely shocked me.

We have one kid in his third year, a second kid starting out in the 2s ("Monkeys") class, and a…read morethird enrolled starting in 2025! If we had three more kids we would probably send them to Serendipity, too! Excellent preschool with teachers that clearly care about the kids and the school. Even coming out of the pandemic we have witnessed virtually no teacher turnover which has led to seamless continuity as the kids cycle through classes. Each class has a bit of its own feel to it depending on the focus of the teacher(s), however what is consistent is that there is a clear curriculum and excellent parent-teacher communication. As the older one has hit his stride, it is apparent that he feels a part of the community as we do as parents. It will be sad once graduation finally comes, but luckily we have two more kids to go!

Love, love Fox! I went to Fox over 30 years ago and proud to say two of my three kids are going…read morethere as well. Thank you for having such supportive and challenging teachers. Perks are a fabulous from Foxextravaganza to the BBQ's and fun events. I am excited for the upcoming Halloween parade this year and the fun continues!

My little daughter goes to this school and I am so happy with that school, mr Whiteman is the best…read moreteacher. His skills are great and attitude is good. My kid always talks about him even when she is home. This is great location and people who works there are professional . Thank to everyone there

We feel so lucky that both of our children were able to attend Carey for elementary school over the…read morelast 9 years. The administration, teachers, staff, and community are top notch. The teachers really know and understand each child. What drives them, their strengths, their weaknesses, and how they learn the best. The parent community is fun, supportive, and close knit. We highly recommend Carey to our family and friends.

We were Carey Parents for 13 years across 3 kids. Our time at The Carey School was magical for our…read morekids and for our family. The faculty really knew our kids well and celebrated their unique gifts; they were positive, encouraging and smart. They taught the kids a growth mindset, cultivated kindness and prepared our kids well both social emotionally and academically for middle school. The parent community is engaged, friendly and the people we've met and come to know and love will long be our community after our kids are in middle school and beyond.

This school is really good, safe and great location, my son used to to this school and we had to…read moremove to other city , so sad. He cried and was sad for one month even he had friends in new school already. Cipriani were located right next to our home and now in new school he has to take a bus to go to school. New school is not bad at all but we really missed our old school and Belmont as well

They have a great reputation in our area for a reason. I have only dealt with them from a business…read morestandpoint and can say that they are very trustworthy and extremely nice people.

I am able to offer a unique review based on the fact that I previously worked at Serendipity (as a…read moreTeaching Assistant) and am now a parent of a Kindergartener who attends this school. Also, I am a Teacher (at a different elementary school), so my standards are quite high ;-) While working at Serendipity, I was able to get to know administration and staff on a personal basis. I got a behind the scenes view. The truth is that this school is as great as it appears to be. The teachers genuinely care about their students and are extremely talented. Meaghan, the Head of the School, is down-to-earth and compassionate. She deeply cares about the families and staff she serves. My son began Serendipity in TK. He wasn't a cookie cutter child by any means. In fact, he was diagnosed with ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder during his first year here. When I communicated this to the school, the administration was very supportive and worked with us to make his school year a positive one. This year my son is in Kindergarten and is thriving. His teacher, Ms. Kim, has embraced his many quirks (he loves to sing all day long..as a teacher myself I feel for her!). He has learned invaluable skills such as self regulation, perseverance, communication and self expression. My formerly shy child, has become an outgoing little person who is confident in who he is and isn't afraid to be himself. When you join this gem of a school, you become part of a family. It feels like Cheers where everyone knows your name :-).

A very small, very sweet neighborhood school in San Mateo. The architecture is from the late 40s,…read moreearly 50s, after the war ended, the troops came home, and the baby boom started.

Wonderful, small neighborhood school with a great parent-teacher community! Fantastic & personable…read moreprincipal. Enthusiastic teachers and great enrichment programs. Also teaches Lifeskills program which incorporates values into the curriculum. Love this school!

I love this school. Went here for elementary school. Am now 24 years old. After west, I went to…read moreCrocker middle school, Burlingame high school, and then UCLa (go bruins!) Now, I love to go to this park to play sports and sometimes late at night, get lit and decompress. I just played speedmitton here with my dad. I went a little easy on him because he hates it when I beat him by things by a lot and also we're sorta going through some family stuff night now. I'd rather not get into it.

This is a very good School for Kids. I would recommend kids to come here. My 6 years here were the…read moregreatest years of my life. The teachers are very nice, awesome playground, good sports and good education. Your Kid(s)would have the Greatest 6 years of there life.

I have been truly lucky that I stumbled upon this preschool. Where do I start in singing its…read morepraises? I don't write reviews but felt this would help newcomers with their decision to choose Bunker Hill. My husband's work team changed to the Bay area, so we found ourselves planning a move in September. I checked online to see what preschools were around the area we were moving to, and found Bunker Hill. I honestly didn't know what to expect as the reviews were either quite old or scathing. The location and clear history of being a wonderful place enticed me enough to schedule a tour. The location really can't be beat, it's basically nestled in the woods in a residential neighborhood! Co-Op style preschool seemed interesting; it looked like I could be more involved and present. My daughter was/is a pandemic baby and was a huge koala (clingy). My daughter's prior preschool at our local school district wasn't a great fit and unfortunately soured her first school experience. They were ratio'd with 1 adult to 12 children and a couple rotating aides (Bunker Hill is like 1 adult to 4 kids or even more adults, it's great!). My daughter didn't get the individualized attention that she really needed there. It felt like a holding pen for small children, and had virtually no outdoor green space. I'm grateful for her past school but it was truly not the right fit. I was determined to find a place that felt like home for my shy, deeply feeling kid. I contacted Bunker Hill's director, Tiffany, and quickly set up our tour. She was warm, knowledgable, and empathetic towards both grown-ups and my daughter. She listened to my worries and my wishes. She really helped my daughter feel comfortable and saw her as a person. I signed up quickly after that tour, and found my initial nervousness washed away after volunteering and meeting the teachers and other families in my daughter's class. My daughter has gone from being completely clingy, and non-verbal in the presence of non-family to being able to talk to other adults in the span of half a school year and being able to comfortably be dropped off at school. She doesn't have nightmares at night after spending the day at school as she did at her old, traditional preschool. Her speech articulation has shot up like a rocket; I think talking to people that are willing to listen and try to figure out what someone is saying has really boosted her confidence in talking. Her teachers and fellow parents in her class have been really supportive of our journey and have kept me updated when she's at school by herself. She loves going to school now! The biggest con to Bunker Hill, is that the building is a bit rustic and some parts could use a facelift. This is pretty much out of the school's control though, as it rents the school area from the church next door. I have no safety concerns about the school, especially with the teachers and so many volunteer parents around! I don't have enough words to show my appreciation for this school, its wonderful and considerate staff, and the amazing parents I have been lucky to work alongside. I understand that Director Tiffany is new, but she is doing really great! Bunker Hill Nursery School has been around for 60 years and I truly hope it's around for 60 more. Cheers!

We just finished the 2Day school year at Bunker Hill and are extremely grateful for the experience…read moreour son had there. The teachers were caring and attentive toward him and all of his classmates. It takes a special person to show the patience and consistency needed to support two-year-olds while helping them grow into their best selves. The staff at Bunker display competence in their actions and words with both students and parents during each day of class. The co-op expectation is significant, but the newly appointed board is looking forward toward progressive, balanced innovation that will make the school more inclusive for working (out of the home) parents. I will forever appreciate the memories and joy created alongside this beautiful community of people.

Baywood Elementary is an outstanding school. It is a wonderful, clean, safe and exciting place to…read morelearn. Great administration and wonderful teaching staff that supports learning in a very exciting way. Great community support with maximum involvement on the part of parents. A perfect example of what an elementary school should be. Parents line up starting at 4am in the morning to register their children. Baywood lives up to their reputation as the perfect example of what an elementary school should look like. My grandchildren love to go to school and learn because of the staff at Baywood. Lawrence Dauch

I wish I could give 0 star here. This is the 2nd time I have had a bad experience talking to the…read moreadmin at the school. I am in the process of getting the tour dates of all the schools I may be interested in sending my little one next academic year. So I called and the admin who I spoke with was super rude, she ended up saying if you need any registration info please contact the district, and that she doesn't have time as She needed to do things for the current students and she hung up on me. I don't think it's fair to the parents who need information for their kids who may go to this school in the future. I had a similar experience a few months ago when I called to ask qs about the TK program they offer. I am so nervous about this school now, I just hope the kids are not treated so badly.

We initially chose Odyssey because it promised a strong sense of community, solid education, and…read moresafe educational trips. Unfortunately, our experience was far from what was advertised. My son was bullied by a group of girls for half of his crucial final school year, and when he failed Algebra 2 (with a D grade), the principal--who also taught the class--blamed my son entirely. What was left out was that the principal had to frequently cover for other teachers, making his own teaching inconsistent, and the school even went without a science teacher for half a year. Worse yet, he failed to inform me when my son came forward about the bullying. The teachers at the 8th-grade level didn't step in to stop the bullying until I personally got involved, and that's unacceptable. While the trips were enjoyable, they were not as safe as we were led to believe. There were several issues that my son told me about only after the fact, and I wish I had known earlier. Overall, I can no longer recommend this school based on our experience.

Odyssey School in San Mateo has been a gem for our family. Over the years, both our sons went to…read moreschool and graduated from Odyssey (not at the same time). The impact on them? Huge. As products of public K-12 education followed by college, my wife and I always put academics as a priority. We were a bit wary of Odyssey's smaller size at the start. But, a close friend's endorsement and our interactions with the faculty convinced us to take the plunge. The outcome? Our boys got more than just book smarts; they received tailored education thanks to the smaller classrooms. Importantly, each of the boys didn't just pass through Odyssey; they flourished there. Both boys enrolled in their preferred local private high schools post-Odyssey. While we always emphasized academics, the expeditionary feats at the school--like scaling Mt. Whitney, exploring Japan, or sailing the Channel Islands-- helped make them who they are today. Big kudos to Odyssey for this experience.