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.

Update 2018: 4th year here. School improves every year. Teachers are better every year. Fewer…read moreannoying parents. Best middle school education in the country IMO. The reputation of the school as very hard is well justified. Some kids have left mid-year due to performance. Annoying parents that are still here are generally less vocal since other parents started pushing back on their crazy demands of the school...or they left to spread their cheer elsewhere (thank goodness). My son has some friends with these parent and those kids HATE their parents already as tweens...karma I guess. Update 2017: School has just gotten better and better. The Head of School (Mr. Walker) is exceptional. The worst complaint my son has is that one of his teachers is "kinda boring". There were a lot of really negative parents the first two years that complained about EVERYTHING, but many of them seemed to have left. It's really a great place to learn. It's challenging, but my son really likes it...especially having separate Chemistry, Biology, and Physics classes. Update 2016: Still happy with the school. They have continually improved on most aspects of the school. Poor performing teachers have been moved out quickly. Kid loves it. *** So far so good. The teachers are amazing and the best part of the school. There were certainly some facility issues with the new building at the start of the year but that's smoothed out now. Granted, the school is not for the academically weak. But after 5 months at the school our son really loves it. He's in a rigorous program, is challenged, AND he enjoys it. We are very lucky to have this school in our community. The downside isn't the school but all the tiger parents...never happy with anything. They put incredible pressure on the school and their kids. It's disappointing that two of the negative reviews here are from people whose kids don't attend the school. It's like walking by a restaurant and then reviewing their food! Obviously a competitor.

Do you want to send your child to an office building with half a basketball court and a patch of…read moreastroturf for 7 years? Join BISV today! For only 41k tuition that will increase every year! WOAH such a good deal right? Ok the education is pretty good especially STEM but still

Our family has had such a wonderful experience at the Winchester campus. My daughter has been here…read morefor two years now from Pre‑K, Summer School, and TK, and the experience has been consistently positive every step of the way. It is a small school with a true family feel. Every teacher knows the students by name, and that sense of care is felt daily. The office staff is very responsive. Any time there has been a question or issue, we have always received a quick response and prompt action. The elective teachers deserve special recognition as well. Ms. Jeannie (Science), Ms. Edith (Spanish), and Ms. Zoe (Music) have all done an amazing job creating hands‑on, engaging lessons that truly keep the kids excited and involved. Most importantly, we cannot say enough wonderful things about my daughter's TK teacher, Ms. Weiss. My daughter absolutely loves her, and when I asked why, she said, "Because she listens to everything." That alone speaks volumes about the level of care, respect, and attention Ms. Weiss gives her students every single day. She is incredibly engaging, warm, and thoughtful, and she goes above and beyond to make learning fun by celebrating all kinds of occasions, decorating the classroom with her own amazing props and costumes for all the children, and going all out to make the school year special. Ms. Weiss is truly one of a kind. We have seen tremendous growth in our daughter under Ms. Weiss's guidance. Academically, she is excelling in reading and math, and her writing and reading skills have made huge strides. Even more meaningful is how genuinely interested she now is in reading and writing outside of the classroom. We have also seen amazing growth in her interpersonal skills such as confidently greeting others, engaging with new friends, and learning how to reason and communicate thoughtfully. All of this is thanks to Ms. Weiss and the strong foundation she has helped build during these critical early education years. We are incredibly grateful for the lasting impact she has had on our daughter's growth. While we are so sad to be leaving Ms. Weiss's class soon, we know the lessons, confidence, and love of learning will stay with our daughter for life. I also want to give a special thank you to my daughter's Pre‑K teachers, Ms. Sonal and Ms. Gauri. They did an incredible job setting a strong foundation in phonics and helping her transition from daycare into a more structured school environment. The early support was crucial to her confidence and success at the school in the beginning, and we are so grateful for the role they played in shaping her learning journey. Lastly, we are also so grateful for the extended day teachers who have been such a big part of our daughter's experience. Ms. Holly during Summer School and Ms. Hibah during TK have been absolutely wonderful. They keep the extended day program fun and engaging with creative arts, activities, and fresh ideas, which makes it feel less like "extra hours" and more like an extension of the school day. As parents, it gives us so much comfort knowing our child is in caring, creative hands even after regular school hours.

Our daughter started TK at Stratford Winchester and, in Ms. Weiss' class, has had a great…read moreexperience so far and truly loves going to school. Ms. Weiss makes learning fun and engaging with weekly themes and celebrations (Mickey's birthday, Curious George, Harry Potter, Halloween etc.), plus impressive decorations and activities. You can tell she genuinely cares about every kid, and she makes it super parent-friendly too - she'll even provide costumes for events, and the birthday celebrations for each child feel really special. We've also seen a noticeable improvement in our daughter's early reading skills and art work. Extended care has also been a big plus. Ms. Hiba is hands-on, keeps the kids motivated, and uses little rewards (like stickers) that actually get them excited. The office staff is always friendly, and the leadership is very present. Ms. Swathi (Head of School) and Dipali (Assistant Director) greet families at the gate daily - sounds small, but it makes a huge difference and really shows how engaged they are. The school feels small, tight-knit, and perfect for young kids, and events like Winter Wonderland (Santa), the winter program, and Diwali are always well run. Overall, we're really happy and excited to have our daughter continue her learning journey at Stratford Winchester in the coming years.

The 5 stars are for Mr Max, Miss Krystal, Ms Andy, Ms Madhavi and especially Ms Naila. We enrolled…read moreour child into pre school for the very first time & couldn't have been more nervous, coming out of the pandemic. Everyday for the first week, my child cried with anxiety. The comfort Ms Madhavi & Ms Naila gave him, warmed my heart. The changes that we've seen in him are dramatic. My child can put on his own jacket, write letters/numbers, knows how to do some basic math & sings all day long! He used to be extremely shy, but now he's opened up so much. He comes home and tells us that Ms Naila helps him at school. What parent doesn't want hear that?? We are keeping our fingers crossed that Ms Naila will be our child's summer program teacher. Overall, tuition is a little hefty, but we are happy with his development under Ms Naila's care.

We had great teacher Mrs Alexander in 3rd grade who is very experienced and knows how to teach…read morechildren in 3rd grade. Although in 4th grade, our teacher was not as experienced and his approach was unprofessional. He labeled students with different color pins. He was disorganized and his curriculum was not suitable for 4th graders.

I wouldn't be surprised if Yelp takes this review down (FOR A 2nd TIME) but that would be…read moreincredibly disappointing, considering this platform is meant for people to share all experiences, not just the positive ones. The administration at this school is fully aware of how poorly they've treated their staff. Instead of addressing the issues, they seem more focused on hiding the truth. For this matter my daughter will not enroll in this school. The front staff are so rude! They need to be trained on proper customer service. And the principal is rude as well. They all need better training! But what's done in the dark always finds its way to the light. To any parents considering this school please think twice. For the sake of your children and the educators who deserve better.

I went to this school from kindergarten through fifth grade and here are my thoughts. it's been…read moreyears since i've graduated but there's this thing that has been bugging me. when i went in to third grade, there was this thing during lunch called "silent time". we would have 15 minutes to talk to our friends while eating, then the last 15 minutes it NEEDED to be dead silent. we can't make eye contact or laugh with our friends if we wanted a full recess time. i get it the school wants children to focus on eating, but even if you're finished eating you can't even play rock paper scissors with your friends if you don't want to get in trouble. smile, not a full recess. what am i supposed to do when im finished eating, slump with my head down like a depressed child?? why couldn't i just be homeschooled if i didn't want to talk with my friends ?? Sure the education was pretty good until it came to the point where most of the good teachers left. i hope the new principal turns this school around.

First, there were 75 reactions to my original post plus I received many messages from families who…read morefelt mistreated. I just want to express my deep sorrow for every family who has been mislead and mistreated by this school. It has been devastating to get a glimpse of the dark reality. Final update: this school is even worse and more corrupt than before, in my carefully considered and humble opinion. We had a deeply concerning and disturbing set of interactions with the new director, Luthern. I remain proud of the way that we handled our interactions, and very bothered by the way he treated us. Furthermore, we undetstand that they are removing and/or drastically reducing the nature campus component of their program which was a huge part of the draw in the first place. We are thrilled that this chapter is permanently closed for us. We finally found the most outstanding school for our children, and we will never look back. Good riddance to a poorly run institution with what we believe is an unethical and corrupt administration. And by the way, the "Gifted Qualitative Assessment" is manipulable. It's largely based on parent surveys, and which parent searching for a school for gifted children won't see their kids as gifted? We all do. Your best bet if you're not a founding family is to make sure you have a ton of money and that you are willing to part with in their capital campaign, and always tread cautiously when it comes to expressing yourself authentically.

Having a preschool aged child, I speak to many families about their interest in Tessellations, so I…read morethought it'd be helpful to share my experiences with children in both the K-8 and preschool programs. When my son was struggling in a more traditional education setting (with boredom causing other issues), and as we thought about the skills and traits to nurture in an evolving world, we found what we wanted with Tessellations. "Challenging experiential education" is a core part of Tessellations' mission, and I see it everyday in the projects, conversations, and enthusiasm for school. I've seen the growth in my children's capability and confidence in tackling new problems, and their continued curiosity. It's amazing to me that in 4th grade, my son and his friends can talk excitedly about the latest non-fiction book they are reading, which could span many subjects. One of their favorite games just involves taking turns talking through imagined adventure scenarios. (And that's when they're not being active - I hear that most of their recess and lunch is spent playing dodgeball across many grades.) Video game addiction is pervasive in these times, but I feel we have a haven from it here. The kids have so many interests that gaming is just one of many. Social emotional learning ("SEL") is a priority at Tessellations, and though many schools now say they focus on this, it can be an elusive goal. One evidence I see is how kids (K-8) play together across many grades: this requires empathy and adjustment. I believe that this is promoted by the general culture, the kinds of kids here, and mixed grade classrooms. The preschool program, called Tessellations Children's Center (TCC), started just last year, has been equally wonderful for our younger child. The teachers, who are engaging and observant, supervise almost a full day of free choice time, play-based learning, and novel activity options. Recently they planted vegetables, learned about space, drew self-portraits, and experimented with pendulums. Note that TCC is separate from the K-8 school, and kids must go through a separate admissions process for Kindergarten. Although my kids have loved the school, I'm giving 4 stars since it's been a bumpy ride, and I feel for those who've been affected. We've had growing pains and changes in leadership as we've grown to Pre-K through 9th in just four years. Many admin (and parents) have felt stretched thin as they balance competing needs. As we evolve from a startup to a larger, more established school, there will continue to be bumps. During this time, I'm so grateful to the amazing teachers, and staff, including our new & experienced Acting Head of School, pouring their hearts into the school and mission. Even though Tessellations has grown incredibly quickly, it is just one school, and not enough to handle the tremendous demand for progressive and gifted education, especially in the Bay Area. I hope we will see more schools that cultivate the love for learning and holistic development like this one.

EVCS is an awesome school. The school community, staff, and students are so nice. I'm truly…read moregrateful to have found this school. Their quality education and Christian values have made a great impact on my child in a good way.

I am so happy to share how much I honor EVCS. This is such an amazing school academically and…read morespiritually. The amount of growth I have had over the past few months has been substantial. Not only are the academics AMAZING, but the amount of love that is there truly makes it feel like home, and the satisfaction of knowing I'm being taken care of is a blessing. I truly honor the Principal, Pastor Eddie, for always trying to find ways to improve things and taking time out of his day to make sure the kids are enjoying what they do. Pastor Eddie cares for these kids like they are his own. He takes the time to make sure kids are fed during lunch, he makes sure students emotionally are doing ok and always takes the time to listen to people's concerns and does his best to make changes. I would recommend this school 100% Pastor Eddie has been helping me become a better person and I cannot say how much I love this school. I pray that God continues to bless this school and that you consider attending EVCS. God Bless you!

We have two kids that currently attend MCS and we have been really happy. The teachers have been…read moregreat. Our kids have learned so much with the core subjects. In addition, the school also offers extracurricular activities such as band, clay art, debate, and others which they totally love. The entire staff is always helpful and caring, and there is a family feeling here. If you are looking for a great school with great teachers and staff, I would recommend checking out MCS. We had checked out a few schools before landing on MCS, and we were glad that we made the right decision.

My son goes to this school since Kindergarten. He is now in 5th grade. Let me tell you why I am…read morepleased with this school. 1) The teachers are very hard-working. They respond to Emails even after 8pm. 2) The teachers are very encouraging to the students. My son asked the teacher a question. The teacher will say, wow you are so detailed. They didn't just reply to the question but gave encouraging words 3) Happy Students. I have interviewed many parents before sending my son here and they all said their kids are very happy attending this school. 4) Polite students. I once took a cake to my son's school and shared the cake with his classmates. When I left, 3 or 4 students came to me and said thank you. 5) Strict discipline. My son was kicked out of school for 1 day because another kid misled him. He had to write an apology letter per the teacher's request. I am pleased with this because I want a school to be strict on discipline. If you are being late or bully other kids or misbehave, and no consequence is given, this is not good for the child. So I am glad my son learned the lesson early. 6) Extremely generous. They give generous financial aid, and I am very thankful 7) A lot of after-school enrichment program choices.

We have been members of the parish for 10 years and when we went to tour schools for our first…read morechild they blew our socks off. The parents, students and faculty truly want to build a better community. 8th graders usually have one foot out the door but St. Chris students want to leave an impact for the next generation. They step up and volunteer for events. They show the younger students that it takes a village. The curriculum builds a strong base for our children's academic growth. Our daughter was reading in kindergarten because the school puts in the work. Yes, every school has their hiccups, parents that complain over silly non sense, students not listening (we've all been there). What they have built upon in recent years is a legacy worth remembering- it's about building a stronger community for lasting generations.

Saint Christopher School is a wonderful partner to support. Their staff is organized, kind, and…read moreconsistently great to work with. We appreciate their clear communication and commitment to keeping a clean, safe, and welcoming environment for their students and families. An outstanding school and an exceptional team.

SJV has been a wonderful school for our daughter--supportive teachers, strong academics, and a…read morewarm, welcoming community we truly appreciate every day!

Finding St. John Vianney Catholic School (SJV) has been an amazing blessing for our family since…read moreour child started attending Transitional Kindergarten (TK) in 2019. The moment we joined, we felt surrounded by a community that is nothing but loving and supportive. We haven't just found a school; we've all developed lifelong friendships here. Our child is surrounded by dedicated teachers and staff who genuinely care about their success. SJV does an incredible job of balancing rigorous academics with a strong focus on faith and character development. It's more than a school; it's an extended family.