I attended Redwood as a freshman and sophomore from 1967 to 1969. The math and English classes for…read moreAP students (they didn't use that term back then) were excellent. With about 1800 students, it stands to reason that quite a few would be academically outstanding. I personally knew two who went on to Harvard and one who went on to Yale. Virtually all of the students who bothered to study qualified for a UC or CSU campus. The rest went to community college and then transferred to university, or they had no interest in college and went into sales, the trades, the military, etc. I had attended a small private school and was not comfortable with such a large high school. I had no understanding of what people dread about large public high schools: cliques, bullies, etc. But for someone who wasn't particularly outgoing, I was treated reasonably well. I have always been interested in what is going on in education. I understand that Redwood chose to stop taking money from the state of California (am I wrong?). That would be a good thing. The more parents have control over what their students are learning, the better. Some people talk about Redwood kids being snobby. That was certainly not my experience when I went there. But large public high schools are much more forgiving environments for children who are goodlooking, athletic and outgoing than they are for students who aren't any of those things. I advise parents who have choices (e.g., public vs. private schools) to keep this in mind when they are selecting schools for their children.

UPSIDE - Best teachers around, especially Ms. Rubio who consistently works overtime to help her…read morestudents succeed. Top notch education for your children. DOWNSIDE - Lots of drugs, entitled kids and intense social politics; emphasis on money and status. Not too unusual for a high School, but this school makes the book Mean Girls look like child's play. Little or no participation by my daughters teachers concerning diversity week which is sad, because the kids I have met here show a surprising lack knowledge about people who are not white, straight, rich or privileged.

Hmmm....do I admit I went here? I'm certainly not going to give my graduation year!!…read more Oh, okay. The good: Excellent academics, great facility, gorgeous grounds, awesome teachers. My biology teacher even officiated at my wedding (love you Marty!). Lots of smart kids, lots of artistic kids, I suppose some athletes, but I was SO not one of them. The not-so-good: Yup, it's a snobby private high school in Marin. Lots of kids got really nice cars for their 16th birthdays, lots of entitled rich kids. But I wouldn't say I was ostracized for driving a 1983 volvo wagon... Because it's small, there isn't a lot of social diversity, and very little ethnic/socioeconomic diversity. And I don't even want to think how much it costs to go there now, or how much it will be in (gulp) 2018 when my son heads off to high school. I can guarantee the only way we'll afford to send him is is if he gets some alumni-kid scholarship!

What an incredible school! I've had the privilege now twice to attend a school performance because…read morewe have a friend on staff. What I wouldn't give to have attended a school like this. The grounds are immaculate. It has so much charm and none of the pompousness you may expect from a place like this. The performances we saw were very well done and so much fun to watch. The only down side is I have to start saving now because my 5 year old says she wants to go here when she's older.

If I could give Hall less than one star, I would. Unfortunately, the Principal, Eric is so full of…read morehimself he's unable to do what's best for students. He seems to be on a power trip rather than helping kids. He likes to put on a show and loves to hear himself talk (just go to an assembly!). This guy is clueless and has no idea that kids simply don't connect with him! Sadly, many parents don't either. After volunteering every year since my kids were in Kinder, I stopped when I realized Eric was just an egotistical, mean-spirited bully! I no longer wanted to raise money or give money to support this school! Also, the science and math classes aren't quite up to par with the standards, so kids are entering high school feeling behind. It is getting better in the last year or so, but more house-cleaning needs to happen to get rid of teachers who've been around too long and aren't doing their jobs.

As far as middle schools go, this is an excellent one. We left a fancy private school for our…read moredaughter in San Francisco and felt that Hall Middle School provides a rigorous and relevant education from 6th through 8th grades. Our daughter is now thriving at Redwood High School. Thanks to the principal, the teachers and the community of Hall!

It's been disheartening to watch this school's accelerating slide into mediocrity…read more Things were bad before COVID, and then some new administrators and teachers came in. It looked like things turned around for a year or two, but now they're worse now than before. The one remaining bright spot were the friends and community we built through the school, but now many families we know are pulling their kids out for other schools, or are actively planning on it in the coming year. The school is raising tuition and hoping to scoop up clueless newcomers to area who heard about how great MPMS was in the past, before they realize what it is now.

We have sent all three of our children to MPMS and they thrived, both academically and socially…read more There is a commitment to knowing each student not just for their school work but for their emotional growth and development. MPMS is a hidden gem in Larkspur and I appreciate the commitment the school makes to deeply knowing kids and their needs. The parent/faculty community is wonderful too.

I'm current student at Dominican University of California. Each week I go into two classes here to…read moredo my student observations. First I want to say how hard these teachers work at this school. They have so much passion for teaching and that is something i have not seen in other schools I have been to. I appreciate the six grade math teacher Mr.Promis a lot. He is very knowledgeable and kind to each of his students. As well as Ms.Ryan in the SPED department. She is so kind and respectful to each of her students. Both of these teachers bring qualities of a wonderful teacher. I inspire to be them -José

Our boys are thriving at this school, they are exposed to a number of different elective courses,…read moreclubs and athletic programs. They went from a small elementary school of 300 kids to the larger DMS student body and have made a lot of new friends. They feel safe and well supported by the amazing staff at DMS

I would never send a kid to this school as long as Skip Kniesche has any position of power. Having…read morebeen a student at this school first hand and experiencing Skip's form of leadership as a Vice Principal, this man will overlook any signs of distress in your child. If you have a kid who doesn't fit in completely, he will likely ignore your child and dismiss them. I even came back to the school 10 years later to request a specimen I had lent the school that had magically become a permanent fixture of theirs without my consent. Who did I speak to? Skip! And he was extremely rude and unpleasant. What did it take in order to get him to treat me like a human and return my property? My FATHER had to call. Yes. I was 18 years old and my father had to come to the school in order for Skip to get off his butt and treat me like a person. Shame on Skip. Shame on this school. If you have a kid who's an outcast, or if you have any personal home issues going on and are hoping for a school to be somewhat sensitive to those struggles, do not send your child to this school.

Terrible school. The people who greet you in the office are extremely rude, and can be heard…read moretalking badly about parents constantly. You can tell they genuinely dislike the job. Kids there are very judgmental, and teachers do little to nothing about bullying! It doesn't feel like a safe environment, and the education moves far too fast for most students. I would absolutely NOT recommend sending any students here. The older kids are quite rude to the 5th graders as well, and the electives aren't funded well enough at all. The PTA spends all it's money on "teacher appreciation WEEK". Yes, I said WEEK. They dedicate a whole week to giving to teachers who rarely help students. DO NOT SEND A STUDENT HERE. This school depresses many people, and personally, it brings me to a dark place remembering going there. I was immediately so much happier after graduating, I wouldn't even consider going back to visit even after all these years!

MA is a great college prep school in the Bay Area!…read more Great location near downtown San Rafael! Amazing school grounds and facilities! Excellent teachers who have a love of learning and want to share these passion with students! Great sports and a NEW AQUATIC CENTER has been built! Truly has a school campus feel in an urban environment! You student will be equipped for that next stage in school!

Ma is a pretty good school and you should definitely look at yelp reviews to decide what high…read moreschool you're going to.

Graduated SRHS in 1972 and to this day I still have the fondest memories..In my freshman year of 68…read moreit was still uptight but by 69 all hell broke lose..We were smoking pot all over the campus, teachers, principle and deans were cool with it..Sometimes at lunch break we would have a keg of beer out on the soccer field..Teachers were great and we all went on to become successful..I'm still close friends with many and I was part of the 420 gang..Wish I could relive it again..

A school with issues that STILL produces fine kids prepared for college…read more San Rafael High School is a long standing (by long I mean founded in 1888) high school with tons of history. All students that graduate from here end up LOVING this school. I myself graduated in 2007 and I still have very fond memories of this school. Pros: A handful of teachers STRIVE and WORK non-stop to see these kids succeed. During high school I had EXTREME money problems and a professor even offered me 400 bucks to help me get by. I didn't take the money but, just goes to show you the lengths they'll go for their students. The music program is arguably one of the best for a public school (I mean, they even have their own recording studio and broadcasting station.) Furthermore, its a REAL school. You see your jocks, weirdos and gang-bangers all going here. It's not an isolated school and your child experiences true life. Also many ESL students go to SRHS and thus this school has large english department. From beginning English all the way up to AP english. Many school don't offer that. I personally fell in love with this school and will hopefully send my kids here someday. Cons: the school is so old that it was falling apart when I left. I believe now they are renovating it and it has gotten better. The school has many issues including a high turnover rate of teachers, seems like every year 5 teacher quit and 5 more are hired. Keep an eye on this school and don't listen to just the negative word-of-mouth comments.

My son had a counselor at Tam High say they could not educate my son in front of him. It was one of…read morethe lowest points in my life. He had a 504 plan for ADHD. His iq was evaluated to be at the 95th percentile. Somehow, Tam could not educate a bright young man with learning issues. He came to Tam from Palo Alto High. At Paly he was running an A in algebra. At Tam he was failing. I would ask, who failed who. Connor went to San Andreas. He went on to community college where he had a near perfect GPA. Today, he has completed his first semester at USC. He has a 3.5 gpa at USC. In his first semester, he accomplished 2 challenging extra credit projects in Econ. He was published in the Wall Street Journal. He solved a game theory problem to make his class have the highest grades for his section among all the sections. San Andreas treated him with respect. His teachers nurtured him. He wasn't perfect. He made progress toward the goal. He was able to pull himself out of the failure trajectory that Tam had him on. It's taken him longer. He had to learn new skills. He has a bright future. Count me grateful to San An.