Great school! Amazing programs, academics, and sports. Most teachers really care. Good principal.

Review #095 - 2020 My son attended Miramonte HS for all four years so I'm sure he has no way of comparing it to other high schools since all his cousins make fun of him for being "privileged". I went to Richmond High School for four years--so as a mother, I'd never want to send my child to anywhere that I felt uncomfortable with. My son has mentioned that he liked most of his teachers, minus a few that he wished he never had to be in their classes. Academic-wise, Orinda is known for having some of the best schools; but I have to admit that most parents that send their kids to Orinda schools are a little pretentious. They believe that their kids are "privileged" so they try to be accepting of "under privileged" kids and allow them into the schools even when they don't live in our neighborhood. I appreciate their so called "kindness", but I worked my butt off as a parent to get out of Richmond (one of the worse neighborhoods in California) just so I can own a home in Orinda--not so someone can feel sorry for me for being from the hood, but I digress. My son's social distancing graduation on June 1st, 2020, definitely had me in tears because all the staff members did a wonderful job of putting everything together even though it wasn't easy going through the pandemic. Overall, I'm still undecided as to whether I want my 4-year old to attend Orinda schools. read more

As one of the 20 Asians at our school, I experienced nothing but racism and the teachers were just mean. Every one of them except Mr. Yriberri. Rating it as a school, it made me better at writing essays. Other than that, If you are Asian, I swear. you should just go to Oakland Tech or any other high school if you have to. You will enjoy your high school years there! Because my memories were full of Racist remarks and tears of hatred for those bastards. I remember every single one of their names. THAT is how much I hated it there and after 5 years, I STILL hate that school with a passion. SO, I warn you! If your not white, don't go to that school! Your memories will be with you all your life! read more

School is very academic focused, but still has plenty of spirit for sports. My friend's daughter is a senior and she loves it. Bullying and teasing are not common and kids are very friendly and welcoming with each other, even if some of the kids are fake. Their sports are very good, especially girls cross country and volleyball. Great academics, really prepares you for college. Only downside is how protected the students are from the outside world and there are too many jeeps. Other than that it is a great school for anyone. read more

This school cares more about its Athletics program(or did when I went) than its Academic program. This is one of those places where if "daddy" doesn't make over 100k a year you are somehow less of a person. Its crazy when you see 16 year olds rolling into school with BMW's just after getting their driving license. Really, the only lesson I learned from this place is that to seek a better rounded education I had to go out of state. What's sad is this school IS one of the best in the state. But what does that REALLY mean when our state is ranked at the bottom of the entire United States!!! I still hate this place with a passion(and its been almost 10 years now). Friends from this place I had are long gone, minus 1 or two. Most of my lasting friendships were forged in college and the military. read more

Awesome education in a Clueless-like student body. I graduated in 1998, so it's been almost 10 years since I've been in high school. My high school experience was great education-wise, but just ehh in terms of interaction with fellow students. I learned a lot, there are great teachers, and you get top notch education. There's tons of funding, great facilities, and support system. There are many outstanding teachers that inspire you, genuinely care, and change your perspective on the world. I had a great physics professor, who I felt was too much of a genius to teach us high schoolers. I also had a fantastic 3D art teacher, may he rest in peace. I looked forward to each and every day of that class, for his interesting projects and for just being around him! He was so inspiring, warm, and oh so cool! I had a quirky English teacher, who challenged me to be more creative and break from convention. We would watch Hitchcock films, analyze the convoluted passages of Moby Dick, and have literary parties. Ah, those were the days... The student body is, as I pointed out before, very much like the student body in Clueless... stratified with very strict cliques and hierarchy. As a nerd, I was at the bottom. Most of the time, I was so engrossed in studies, I didn't even notice the more social aspects of high school. Though, at times, it was difficult when I would say hello to a classmate in the hall, and they would ignore me b/c I was too low on the totem pole. I'm sure many of us felt that way when we were in high school. At least, us nerds! :) Going to Miramonte was a good 4 years, overall. High school is a rite of passage. Mine was not without it's bumps, but it paved a relatively smooth road to a successful future. read more

Pros: -The teachers actually do care about the students education. Every one of my teachers always made is very personal when it came to their students and took time with each and every one of us. -The government never gave the school much money, so the school's funds are mostly based on parent's donations. Cons: The students made my life a living hell! I hate seeing them every summer and winter break! They live in a bubble and will NEVER understand the word REALITY! read more

I am proud of my high school as sheltered as it might be. I think one of the deciding factors in how you fit in socially has to do with your matriculation. If you have been with these students since elementary school you're probably more likely to feel more comfortable with them. I still keep in contact with around 15 friends I grew up with in Orinda and am still close with 3-4 of them. I am 100% Japanese and never felt any racism while I was there. As with most schools the quality of teacher's can vary, but overall I would say the quality goes from good to great. Several of the teachers shaped who I am today and I remember them for it. I graduated in 99. Mr. Frudden RIP. read more

I graduated in 2006. The teachers are fantastic. So many of them touched me on a personal level and profoundly influenced my academic trajectory Mr. Fitzgerald (AP European History), Mr. Frippiat (World History), Ms. Wagner (spanish), etc. Amazing resources in terms of extracurricular activities and specials classes. Consistently impressive programs for activities such as public speaking, drama, football, basketball, and more. The school is excellent at getting students into college, including some of the very best institutions in the country. read more

i'm very torn on this one. there are a lot of significant pros and cons. on the one hand... + safe neighborhood + excellent academics - the programs are all very well run, and miramonte consistently scores as one of the top schools in the nation. + great course selection - languages from chinese to latin, many ap courses, etc. + fantastic teachers - people like mr. hunter, mrs. lee, mr. k are all terrific, and leave impressions on most of their students + top-rated athletics - usually #1 in the league for most sports + great facilities - technology, buildings, athletics are all in fantastic shape. they just built a beautiful aquatic center that is really a sight to behold. + competitive atmosphere - encourages and motivates students to do better. although, i have seen cases in which this 'healthy competition' has gone too far. (example: posting where all seniors are accepted to college on the wall of the career center!??! ridiculous!) on the other hand... - very homogenous group of people. some might see this as a good thing, but i don't. i noticed a lot of my classmates had a very myopic view on what 'diversity' was. - along the same vein, if you are a student here, and don't fit the 'blond hair, blue eyes, abercrombie' mold, you are in for an... interesting social ride. - many students harbor a skewed sense of the world - especially the value of money. not all mhs grads realize that it's not common practice for kids to receive new cars on their 16th birthdays - closed campus - small town feel - this is debatable as a 'good' or a 'bad', but since this is the only high school in this town, everybody is in everybody's business. all in all, i feel that i received an excellent academic education, however, if i had kids and they went to school here, i would make a concerted effort to expose them to culture and diversity. i don't think it's healthy for 17 year olds living in orinda to be scared of berkeley. there are major aspects of social development that most kids growing up in this milieu miss out on. three stars; not for a mediocre experience, but because i have strong feelings in either direction, and this is merely the middle ground. read more

I didn't experience any of that racism that that others were talking about. I am Asian, and was one of the first and few asians to grow up in Orinda in the 80's. I think most people that felt discriminated against because they were Asian were really a bunch of cry-babies that didn't relate well to their surroundings. Orinda is small community that has been extremely close for generations. You can't come from out of the area to a class of students that have been friends since early childhood and going to school since pre-school or kindergarten, and automatically be openly embraced. It's not racism discirmination, it's personality discimination. I was class of 1996, and went to school in Orinda from K-12 (13 year club!). I thought the teachers were excellent (with a few exceptions), and the community was a great place to raise and educate a student. There were come cliques, but small cliques are better than any gangs. The educational, social, economic, and athletic opportunities were plentiful. I'm proud to have gone to some of the best schools in the State. read more

I was a student at Miramonte 30yrs ago.....and may I just say, the campus has definately changed, new pool, football field, baseball field. Today, it looks like much of the hype of Miramonte is there sports. In the day when I attended, teachers taught well, they cared about the students, and really listened to you and wanted to help you improve if you were having trouble in certain subjects. On the other hand, the student body, if you didn't have money or wearing the newest styles in clothing, you were considered an outcast, if you were different, a nerd, or had a disability, you were teased. I remember when I was a Junior at Miramonte, I asked one of my upper classmates what the name of her new hair cut was because I thought it looked cute and I wanted the same haircut. She told me the name of the haircut,( so I thought ) and that day I went to a high end salon and told them the name, the salon proceeded to cut my hair. After the cut was done, it was NOT the haircut the upper classmate had, but another haircut entirely. When I went back the next day to school the girl saw me and laughed, she purposely gave me the wrong name of the haircut so I wouldn't look like her. read more