We love this school. My son has thrived here. He loves the extracurriculars and also the emphasis…read moreon whole child learning. We love the community and the special events that make this school such a special place to be a part of. Lots of great field trips and hands-on learning!

My child was at Golden Valley River for 2 years. After recently going back through his 2024 IEP,…read moremeeting notes, and the emails from that time, I decided other parents of children with IEPs deserve to know about our experience. In 2024, during our first experience with the IEP process, a Special Day Class was presented to us as the recommended placement for our son for first grade. We were told to research our options and decide how we wanted to proceed. We signed the IEP believing we had options. What was never clearly communicated to us was that GV would later treat that signature as meaning our son could no longer return to River. When I realized that was their position, I objected immediately and in writing. I explained that the SDC had been presented to us as a recommendation, that we had been told to research and decide, and that neither my husband nor I had agreed our son could not return. I specifically asked them to show me where the IEP said that. I never received a direct answer to that question. Instead, GVs Director of Special Education responded in writing that River was "unable to meet [our son's] needs," that he had been "recommended for a special day class," and that because we had signed the offer, we needed to contact our district of residence. But that wasn't what I was asking. I knew an SDC had been recommended. I was asking when and where we had been clearly told that signing the IEP meant our child would no longer be allowed to attend the school he had been at for 2 years. Had someone looked us in the eye during that meeting and said, "If you sign this, Golden Valley's position will be that your son cannot return to River," we would never have signed it. And this wasn't something I suddenly decided I misunderstood months or years later. I raised it immediately. I asked for clarification. I demanded answers. I put our disagreement in writing. I asked them to show me where we had agreed to this. We had another meeting because we wanted to revisit the decision and discuss our son remaining at River. We still did not receive a straightforward answer to the questions we raised. Instead, our signature was treated as though it settled the issue. Looking back at GVs own documentation makes the experience even more upsetting. The IEP notes list multiple options the team considered, including continued enrollment at the charter school with accommodations, general education with accommodations, etc. Yet the documentation we received does not explain why the options that could have allowed our son to remain at River were rejected. His IEP also states that academic interventions had not been tried because Golden Valley's kindergarten program was play-based and formal academics were not introduced until first grade. We were never provided a separate Prior Written Notice explaining that Golden Valley's position was that our son could no longer attend River or why alternatives that could have allowed him to remain were being rejected. I still have the IEP. I still have the meeting notes. I still have the emails. Two years later, I don't have to rely on my memory of what happened. I can read what I wrote while it was happening. We were parents navigating our first IEP. We trusted the professionals sitting across from us to explain our options clearly and make sure we understood the consequences of what we were signing. They did not. But what I find even harder to accept is that once I explicitly told them there had been a serious misunderstanding and demanded clarification, we still couldn't get a direct answer about when or where we had supposedly agreed that our son could no longer return. Looking back, I feel manipulated by a process we did not yet understand. We felt pushed out of a school our child had attended, and we felt that our lack of knowledge about the IEP process worked against us once our signatures were on the document. Parents should not have to become experts in special education law before they can trust that the professionals sitting across the table are being completely transparent about what they are signing and what it means for their child's education. If your child has an IEP or may require accommodations, ask everything. Ask exactly what every signature means. Ask whether your child can continue attending the school if you accept a placement recommendation. Ask what supports and accommodations have been considered. Ask why other options were rejected. If something doesn't make sense, say so. If the answer isn't clear, ask again. And get everything in writing. I can't change what happened to our family, but I can make sure another parent walks into their first IEP meeting knowing the questions I didn't know to ask. I wish someone had done that for us. We trusted GV with our child. When he needed additional support, we were told they didn't have the resources for him. That is how our two years at Golden Valley River ended.

Public Elementary school in Orangevale CA…read more My niece and nephews go to school here. Their parents, business owners were offered and purchased a booth for the school Fall festival on 9/22/2022. I was recruited to help with the booth. In which we provided the attendees and activity, a snack and information of the business in which we represented. They had a number of staff, parent, and student turn out. All the educators that I had met seemed great and very empathetic

This school is public, but it's fantastic! If you're considering private school or a charter you…read moreshould check this out too to include in your decision making. Green Oaks consistently maintains the highest API in the San Juan Unified school district. Their 5th graders even had the highest science STAR scores in Sacramento county last year. The learning is there, and students are challenged with enriching activities. When you walk around campus you see kids who are respectful toward one another and who follow the rules. Great after school programs like Choir, Dance (taught by a former Kings dancer) and piano are offered for a nominal fee. Before school, the school offers band to 4th-6th graders for free. The teachers are experienced and teach what works. They know their stuff and the kids love each and every one of them. The kids are happy, the teachers love to be there, and parents feel safe leaving their kids for the day. It's an amazing school, in a massive school district, and it's performing above the rest.

My daughter has been attending Pershing Elementary since kindergarten. She had her ups and downs…read morewith the teachers but the staff overall seems professional. My youngest daughter might attend in three years. Fingers crossed!

This was our first choice to take our daughter for her first year of public school, we know some…read morekids who currently attend and not to mention it's close by! Her Kindergarten teacher was Mrs. Broaddus and the teacher's helper was Miss Amy, who is probably the sweetest woman you'll ever meet! Instead of the usual school supply list, we were asked to bring donations for the classroom. For school lunch she was given the option of a school lunch or to bring her own and we love packing her lunch! Her class of 26 students had so many fun themed days, our daughter's favorite, jammie and stuffed animal day! Always lots of art work brought home and I have them to thank for helping our daughter make so many great friends, encouraging her to read, count and write! And of course you cannot forget music time, PE, recess and free time! They even went on a field trip to the Sacramento Zoo! You cannot give less than 5 stars for schools who are giving your child the gift of an education! Yesterday was the last day of school and we're so proud of our soon to be first grader! Moms reading I hope your children have a great summer vacation and we'll see you in August!

This school is absolutely amazing!! 3 of my kids have attended,1 is still enrolled and 2 have sense…read moregraduated, 1 a year early. The faculty is incredibly knowledgeable and really care about the student's success. On top of typical curriculum, they teach them life skills, like how to stay within a budget at the grocery store. They also teach them music, art, and go on field trips monthly. Additionally, they do not give homework but encourage family reading time. And more importantly, during parent-teacher conferences they not only discuss areas of improvement but also what they plan to do to help your child succeed. I can't say enough about the school. I definitely recommend coming by to do a tour and see all of the amazing things they have to offer.

My son has been attending Almondale Academy for a little over a year. One of the first things we…read morenoticed about the campus is how spacious and serene it is. It has so much outdoor space for the kids to play and explore, and the fact that there are visiting peacocks and chickens wandering around just adds to the charm. My son loves bringing home little nature "souvenirs" like feathers and cool rocks and sticks he finds at school, and they've become prized possessions in his room. The atmosphere is really calm and peaceful, which makes it a wonderful learning environment. The small class sizes are another huge plus and allow the teachers to give each student the attention they need. The staff here genuinely care about the kids, both academically and emotionally. I've been amazed at how the teachers, staff and even the other students have really helped my son come out of his shell. Despite being previously enrolled in preschool, he was quite shy and introverted when he first started kindergarten. He's now really flourishing and every day I can see the positive impact everybody at Almondale is having on him. I can't say enough good things about the staff and teachers. They're kind, attentive, and genuinely care about each student. My son isn't just another kid in a classroom; the staff and teachers truly take the time to understand his strengths and challenges and work with him every day to help him thrive, which is something I really value. Almondale Academy has been a perfect fit for our son, and I'm so glad we made the choice to enroll him here. If you're looking for a nurturing, supportive, and academically solid school, I highly recommend checking it out.

Wonderful school! Amazing amazing parents, teachers, and staff!…read moreIf I could change one thing, I'd make it Kindergarten-12th grade so my son didn't have to leave for middle and high school.

We love love love Twin Lakes Elementary!!!!! Their anti bully policy, helpful teachers and…read morestaff,and closed campus make this school one of the happiest and safest school I have ever encountered.

The teachers have been great, and the administrative staff has generally been good. However, our…read moreexperience changed when my child was bullied there for months. What concerned me most was an incident involving a parent of the student who was bullying my child.While that same parent volunteering during school hours, the parent yelled at my child and tapped her mouth shut to silence her. Looking back, I feel I should have contacted CPS...ect When I brought the situation to the school leadership , I felt that the incident was dismissed rather than properly addressed, then school leadership in charge let the Same parent volunteer and my child was afraid to eat in the cafeteria I had to do something and I was trying to be respectful and let higher staff in charge deal with it since it's their job... When we ultimately decided to leave the school because of these issues, the school kept our $650 pre registration fee she did not respond to my email regarding it Or showed any policy for a refund. The admin had said it's up to the principal and they don't give refunds and I was ignored .I also tried to contact the senior pastor and church leadership directly but was unable to find a direct way to reach him Or any one for help, the email just leads back to the main email to admin to be controlled. Our experience has taught us that things may seem fine until a serious problem occurs. At that point, I felt the management and especially the school leader in charge in 2025-2026 were not transparent but Covering things up on what had happened. As a Christian school that we pay for , I expected the leadership to demonstrate the values they teach. Unfortunately, based on our experience, this is not a place to have a problem. Hope this message can help some people not Go through what we did.

Middle school teachers not nice they got my Child in trouble over a pencil and for Bringing his own…read moretissue

The school is amazing... The current principal just doesn't…read morefit at OVO. He never learned the OVO way-he should probably leave. He has verbally discriminated against special needs children in front of many parents.

Teachers are incredible. The principal is terrible. The school has amazing field trips and the…read moreparents all pitch in. The principal is the only thing holding this place back

Love it here and so does my son! Teacher Jennifer is the best! So helpful and informative.read more

Would not recommend this school some of the teachers are stingy and arrogant Just annoying…read more On the other hand I've had a teacher who made it worth going to school like the 2025-2026 8th grade teacher Sandra McCann props to her Also the dress code contradicts its self it says we let our students express themselves but draws the line at a cartoon on your shirt acting like it impacts learning so much the teachers do not get paid enough to care that much

We have three school age children and our family has been at Golden Valley Orchard school since…read more2018. We chose the Waldorf school to our own surprise, as two STEM professionals who attended schools in SJUSD. It's true that Waldorf education approaches learning with a different cadence, not seriously pushing academics until closer to second grade. However the academics are offered first thing in first grade, children pick them up at their own developmental pace, and interventions are offered where needed. GVOS Waldorf curriculum offers fine arts, handwork, a very low-technology learning environment, a small environment (~1 class per grade), the unique opportunity to stay with their own teacher for multiple years (called looping) and a emphasis on social-emotional collaborative learning. Children are taught cursive handwriting and record all their learning throughout the year writing, illustrating, and annotating their own main lesson books. GVOS has a high degree of parent participation. Virtues are taught daily, and whole child education and discipline are encouraged. High school and college students who graduated Golden Valley and have returned for panel interviews have reported confusion regarding the social and emotional culture of public schools they attend after Golden Valley Orchard school -- in my opinion this is more of a reflection on GVOS's success than a particular failure of other schools. We have seen changes and challenges, but nothing unique to or necessarily caused by the school or the Waldorf curriculum. There is a variety of charter schools in Orangevale, as well as several public offerings and one "high achievement" public offering which is enrolled on a testing basis. Looking at test scores from the 2024-2025 CAASPP & ELPAC, the trend for underperforming classes is a mirror of grades that were most profoundly affected by COVID pandemic classroom interruptions. https://www.caaspp-elpac.org/ GVOS's scores fall right between the local public school (Ottoman) and the local fundamental school (Green Oaks.) GVOS is a public school and held to the same standards of these two schools.