BEST SCHOOL EVER!! What I am trying to say is that this school is both fun and an incredibly great…read moreplace to learn. There were a few reviews concerning the principal, but we have a new one now, and the school is even better than before. Also, I don't think this page is set up by the school themselves, since the school's name is "Emma C. Smith Elementary school" Not "Smith Emme C Elementary School" Thanks, A student.

This is the best school for my children. They really enjoyed going to school and all teachers are…read morecaring. They leaned a lot in this school. I think that previous reviews from 2014 were not fair for this school. The charter school is closed down anyway.

LVA has been an exceptional school for my step son. They…read moreprovided a high level of attention to his needs. Ferishta as well as his teachers were proactive and always available to meet when challenges arose. As a child care professional myself, I understand the challenges with meeting the needs of all students and I feel that LVA was masterful in this.

LVA was once a good school, but my family's experience over time tells a different story. My son…read moreattended from 2020 to 2023, and unfortunately, he left underprepared for high school. There was little to no support or guidance from LVA to ensure a smooth transition to a traditional school environment. I was surprised to see a couple of highly positive reviews appear about a year after my son had left--reviews that appear to describe him directly. These accounts do not reflect our experience and seem inconsistent with the reality we observed. It raised concerns for me about how feedback and reviews might be represented or encouraged within the school community. It is more shocking given that the individuals concerned had nothing good to say about one another at the time. During our time at LVA, the quality of education and communication declined noticeably. What began with promise during the COVID period gradually shifted to disorganization, inconsistent teaching quality, and removal of key student resources, such as lunch and recess. I also encountered several situations where staff appeared underqualified or lacking appropriate classroom management, including questionable instructional choices that were not age-appropriate (R rated movies) More troubling were instances of unprofessional conduct and poor handling of disciplinary issues, which had lasting effects on my child's wellbeing. Several parents, myself included, raised these issues repeatedly before meaningful action was taken. To the school's credit, there were a few dedicated and talented teachers who genuinely cared about their students, and they deserve recognition. However, the broader environment was not consistently supportive or healthy, particularly in leadership and communication. In summary, while LVA may look appealing on the surface, our experience suggests that the substance does not always match the image. I encourage parents to seek out multiple perspectives and, most importantly, listen to their children's experiences before making a decision.

I love this school because my daughter shows her improvement obviously…read more Thank you Mrs Smith,

I went to this school from Kindergarten to 2nd, I'm now in 10th grade. I moved toward the end of…read more2nd grade, and I miss this school so much. It was the best school experience I've ever had. Thank you you to Mr. Star for putting up with me awkwardly trying to give you back my hairbrush on picture day (I still don't know why I did that) and thank you to Red, for inspiring me to also rescue a lizard. Thank you to all my teachers, I miss everyone so much, I just wish I had understood what I had before it was gone. -Madison Riley

I was a visitor here to observe some testing by the school psychologist so I cannot speak to how…read morethe school is as a whole. What I can say is that the school seems organized and a safe environment for students and parents. The staff was aware of my visit, which indicates that there is a clear mode of communication and things must run pretty smoothly. The child seemed comfortable with the staff and okay with my presence which indicated to me that the students must feel safe. It wasn't the easiest navigating where I needed to go to find the room in which the observation was, but once I asked someone, I received friendly and effective directions as to where I needed to go. The only reason I am giving a four rather than a five-star review is that I have only visited once, and do not know how this school actually functions.

5 stars for making good use of limited resources in challenging times for Catholic schools. There…read moreis lots of room to improve (no such thing as a perfect school!) but I see positive steps toward improving academics and social well-being of the children. An example: new full time counselor for students. Tuition is very reasonable compared to other private schools in the area. I have noticed a steady improvement in my child's academics and the standard seems very high. The values of Christianity are emphasized, but I know non-Catholics are welcomed and also benefit from the lessons of Christ. The school has taken positive steps to address bullying - but need to continue to improve in this area. My hope is that they instill more of that classic Catholic discipline in the children. Since it's a smaller school, fostering a positive environment for kids that will follow each other up the grade ladder is paramount. To teachers and staff: Keep up the good work. To anyone that values Catholic schools, please plead with the Diocese to make serious investments in the remaining Catholic schools in the area in order to make them standard bearers for Christ and worthy of the Catholic tradition of academic excellence. More funding for teacher retention has to be a priority. Tuition alone will never cover all the expenses. St. Michaels has a lot of potential, and is a great option if public school is not for you. A note to Samantha A, who left that terrible review- I am very relieved you are home schooling! No school, public or private, should have to deal with attitudes like yours!

While the youth basketball program should be about community, character building, and support for…read morethe kids, the leadership board for the St. Michael CYO basketball program is deeply disappointing. The current board runs the program like an exclusive club, creating an unwelcoming, hostile, and defensive environment for families who just want to participate or ask simple questions. Communication is routinely ignored, and any attempts to give feedback or address issues are met with a completely defensive attitude rather than a desire to help. It is incredibly frustrating to see a church backed youth ministry handled with such a lack of transparency and basic professionalism. If you expect a collaborative, welcoming environment for your child, look elsewhere in the Tri-Valley area.

Our son loves it at Valley Montessori School, and is truly thriving! He has gone all the way…read morethrough the Toddler program, and is now starting his 3rd year there, in Primary class. We honestly did not know very much about the Montessori program when we first checked it out. But the more we learned about it, the more we liked. It is designed to instill confidence in its students, letting them explore and grow at their own pace, and preparing each child for a lifetime of learning. We learned much more just by seeing it for ourselves -- after taking a tour of the school, meeting the teachers, and speaking with Admissions staff about the program, we were impressed. Throughout the process, they worked hard to help us better understand what the school is about, and to answer our many questions. It soon became clear that this was the right place for our son. The overall philosophy of Valley Montessori is to foster a child's innate curiosity, through the various well-structured activities ("works") that the children perform. The children are able to gravitate toward things that spark their interest. Students gain confidence by mastering one concept before branching out, or exploring more advanced concepts. There are a wide variety of activities for children to work through, corresponding with different subjects. The works are creative, presenting concepts in a way that is playful, and that attracts the student. As the children become absorbed in these activities, they seem to be having so much fun, they hardly realize they are learning. But most importantly, the teachers at this school are absolutely amazing people. Every one of them that we have met at the school comes across as very nurturing, intelligent, patient, and extremely well-trained. They are in tune with what the children are going through, and the level of care and attention they show toward each of the children is easy to see. This is a school that obviously cares about their teachers and staff, gives them time and resources to develop, sending them for regular workshops / training. They are true Montessorians, and it shows. The school environment is very clean, well-laid-out, and welcoming, giving children the perfect setting in which to learn. If you get a chance to observe a classroom there, I would strongly suggest it. Each one is a peaceful little society, where children and teachers work together to maintain a harmonious and orderly place. This gives students a predictable and comfortable (and most often, amazingly quiet) space in which they can learn and grow. They are mixed-age classes, where the younger child gets a chance to learn from the older children in their class, while the older kids gain confidence reinforcing their own knowledge sharing what they have learned with younger classmates. The school promotes and uses a Positive Discipline approach, resolving differences in a way that is respectful to the children. They even have classes for parents to learn how to better employ Positive Discipline techniques in the home. The children know what is expected of them at school (and at home, if you use it there), and they have the opportunity to share in problem-solving process, not just to have everything dictated to them. The school's list of accreditations is a detail that may be easy to overlook, but to me it is extremely impressive. They have worked to obtain full accreditation from the American Montessori Society (AMS), the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This is definitely NOT just a childcare facility that hung out a "Montessori" shingle, to attract more families. They truly care about the philosophy and the methods, which have been proven extremely effective. Bottom line: if you want to teach your children how to LOVE learning, harness their natural curiosity, and really grow their knowledge (not just to shove facts into their brains in order to pass a test), then Valley Montessori is the place for you. We firmly believe that it has already been a life-changer for our son, as he has shown amazing advancement in the time he has been there. He is surrounded by wonderful and caring teachers, and (importantly, as an only child) has made many great friends to grow alongside. We plan to keep him at VMS throughout the entire program (up to Middle School), and we firmly believe it is the best school to help him reach his full potential.

I am a former VMS student from way before they built this campus. From before the middle school was…read morea single room behind the Livermore Valley Tennis Club. I wanted to say that I attribute much of my present success to the advanced education I received at this school. They really encourage children to learn at their own rate, accommodating those who learn faster and those who need extra help. Beth Marshall was my teacher for most of my years here, and I know she no longer works there, but I hope they still teach in that style. The way they let the parents and children set the child's own standards for grading, and have the child assemble their own portfolio and present is unique (as far as I know). We kids felt like we had some say in how we were being taught and had more interest in school than I think any kids in public school had. By the time I entered high school at Amador, the only classes that compared at all in quality were the honors and AP classes. Besides the outstanding education I received, I fondly remember the field trips, holidays, PE classes, electives (enrichment), meditation, etc. It was a very stimulating environment and I'm glad I got to experience it. I am giving 4 stars because I don't know if what I experienced as a child is still the norm for VMS now. For any who care to know, I am now pursuing my PhD in Molecular Bio at UCSD. How much is nature vs. nurture, and how much VMS contributed to the "nurture" aspect, I don't...but looking on Facebook at my VMS classmates, I can say that all of them seem to be thriving as well. Really though, it may be because all of their parents are brilliant and therefore have lucrative careers that allow for them to send their children to schools like this. I don't know. PS-The teachers here (at least the ones I had) really care about the kids. I have seen and corresponded with some recently and was very touched to be so remembered. Thanks, VMS!

This is my daughters second year at King's Academy & we love it. The teachers are all wonderful &…read moreI love knowing that my daughter is getting a solid education.

I'm blessed to have found this school for my daughter. The teachers are great and very…read moreknowledgeable. I find it very important that my daughter gets a classical education in a christian environment. Great school with smaller size classes.

My two boys have received an excellent education here. Teachers and principal keep the students and…read moreparents informed. Good environment.

This school sucks went here for 1 year then transferred. I was the teachers pet in all my other…read moreschools yet none of the teachers liked me here. I am highly dissatisfied with your staff team and think you should reconsider who you hire.