I am a little biased. I only spent three years here. But I even remember my teachers' names…read more Mr. Meadows for Kindergarten, Class A. Mrs. Barnhart for 1st Grade, Class A. Mrs. Klitza for 2nd Grade, I forget which Class I was in. I have fond memories of sitting on the stone walls with my best little friend and pulling the aloe, breaking it, and watching the clear goo ooze out of its veins, sharing a red delicious apple, pulling string cheese and wrapping it around all of our fingers. We often broke into the locked art closet to steal cat's eyes (plastic ones), climbed into the fenced garden to pick mint leaves, climbed over the stone walls to trespass into the neighbor's manicured back lawn, played hide and seek around the portable class rooms and permanently locked swimming pool. I collected dead bees and live caterpillars from all over the playground and showed my teachers. Both of my parents worked long hours, so I had daycare and afterschool extracurricular classes: stamp-making, ceramics, and book-making. I swung on the jungle gym bars, doing cherry drops - once I fell flat on my chest, which knocked the breath out of me, and for the first time in my young but conscious life, I realized I was mortal. I have almost endless memories of the part of my childhood that occurred here. Even at the beginning of summer, at the end of my 2nd grade school year, when I knew I wouldn't be coming back the next year because we were moving, I sat by the yard looking out over the playground with my hand-writing and math papers, and some craft I had made in art class, warmed by the sun, and feeling infinite (yes, children especially feel infinite), I cherished my time here. Education (one word for such a great thing?), good teachers (and good meaning sees to the children in their intellectual, emotional and spiritual development in school), good parenting, are the most important part of a child's life in their young years. A nurturing, creative environment it was, with fun, fair and disciplining hands to keep the mischievous ones in check.

While bullying from other students is always a concern, Bentley School has the unique problem of…read morehaving one of its teachers bully her students. Over the course of the year (school events, play dates, birthday parties), without prompting, classmate after classmate informed us that our child's teacher constantly put down our child and those other students who were not favored by her. Weekly, often daily, she would demean and certain students in front of the class. And yet while fellow students saw the problem, and the matter was brought to the school's attention, the school administration did nothing. Enabling bad people is what bad schools do. This is a bad school.

AS a concerned parent of an 8th grader, I am disgusted at how this school's teachers and…read moreadministrative team behave. On a number of occasions I have met with my daughter's teachers to express concern about her slipping grades. I was told this was due to missing homework assignements. I asked the teachers if they could please notify me if there were any issues before a marking period, as there is no way to check online or follow with teachers (like most modern schools have the capacity of tracking assignments online,) THE SCHOOL HAS NOT MADE IT MANDATORY FOR TEACHERS TO POST HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH IS A SHAME. Teachers are so OBVIOUSLY burnt out at this school, and the administration has their head in the sand about it. At Bret Harte, you are given no tools as a parent to help your child, or know if assignments are missing or late. My daughter went from A's and B's when she started in 7th grade to C's and D's in one marking period - without a single phone call from a staff member. It is very easy to see how children fall through the cracks in the OUSD...Bret Harte is a perfect example of why Oakland Public Schools are a DISASTER. My daughter is lucky because she is NOT going to a public high school here - if she gets lost in middle school, I can only imaging how lost she'll be in high school. I feel sorry for all of these kids whose parents aren't so proactive. Find another alternative...you'll be glad you did!

I began teaching at Bret Harte Middle in the middle of the year last year and did everything I…read morecould to get a spot teaching this year. I'm so happy I did. Teachers continuously push to improve. I am proud to be a part of such a hardworking and intelligent crew! Our students are amazing! They are so thoughtful, interesting and always growing. The diversity of backgrounds here at Bret Harte means we have a wide variety of thoughts, opinions and curiosities. I appreciate that Bret Harte is a micro-model of the community of the Fruitvale area and Oakland!

Open to the public, now that is awesome!…read more I played on a baseball field that was pretty bad. Outfield had gopher holes and you may have stepped in a hole going full speed which can increase the risk of injury. Home plate is flooded after every fall/winter season and field wasn't well maintained. In field was only dragged for games. Not good. This field is very well maintained. Even when it's not dragged it is still in great shape. Outfield grass (though it is artificial) is great to have! I love taking batting practice and grounders here! The track and football field is Another plus. You'll see people running around the track and it is located in a great safe area! I just noticed that they have pull up bars! Awesome! How cool is that to have for a person that does CrossFit. This is a rich area so it is a guarantee that everything will be well maintained. Football field is artificial but it is great! Run up and down the bleacher stairs to get more of a workout. Just an awesome place to train. Not many people to bother you yet everyone is respectful. Respect others and respect the fields and you'll have a great time! A great place to train, run, or practice. This place is a gem!

Piedmont High tends to really only benefit those who are incredibly academically gifted, and in…read moreturns puts any student who's "average" or "below average" at a disadvantage. If your child is incredibly smart, this is the school for them. This school is their ticket to any top tier UC or Ivy League school. However if they're just a low B or C/D student, this school will only hinder them when it comes time to find a college. I was one of these students, and I often wonder if I had been able to attend a "not as good" school like Berkeley or El Cerrito High, where I wouldn't have had to constantly feel like I was just barley keeping my head above water,(academically speaking) if I could've had the grades to get into a better college. So my best advice to perspective parents is... JUST BECAUSE A SCHOOL IS CONSIDERED "GOOD" DOESN'T MEAN IT'S "GOOD" FOR YOUR PARTICULAR CHILD.

The most brilliant staff in the bay, led by an incredible admin team supports some of the brightest…read moreminds in this Oakland haven.

CPS is the pre-eminent high school in northern California and competes with Harvard Westlake as the…read moretop secondary school on the west coast. At last check, something like 3/4 of graduating seniors were National Merit semifinalists, finalists, or winners. Historically strong programs include English (world class), forensics (world class), foreign languages, arts, history, and math. Historically under-resourced programs include advanced sciences. Secluded from the freeway in a gully, the campus looks like an idyllic, architecturally balanced ski village, a fantasy of rolling floral slopes and cascading, homey classroom buildings. Like Yelp, CPS has succeeded in cultivating the delicate balance of social norms and incentives whereby the overwhelming behavioral tendency is a joyous contribution to the common good, both within the campus and without. You can't put that in a bottle -- but you can put it in a gully.

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

Review #095 - 2020…read more 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.

We live in Berkeley and both our daughters attend St. T. We are so grateful to St. T for helping…read moreour daughters be their best. We are especially impressed with the St. Theresa's teaching staff, their high academic standards, and the St. T community.

We have had a wonderful experience with Pacific Bay Christian School. One of our children has…read morealready graduated from PacBay and is now in college, and our second child is currently a senior and will be graduating this summer. Both of them were able to get into the colleges they wanted, thanks in part to the strong foundation they received here. PacBay's small, close-knit community is truly special. The small class sizes mean that teachers know each student by name -- they know them well, not just as a headcount, but as an individual who matters. It's clear that every student is seen, supported, and valued by both the teachers and the broader community. The school also provides many opportunities for students to grow academically, socially, and personally. The leadership team is attentive and genuinely listens to students' needs, making real efforts to act on their feedback. We are so grateful to have been part of the PacBay family and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a caring, supportive high school environment.

Oakland Tech started their Centennial Celebration last year with a kick off of a presentation in…read moreits library on October 18, 2014. There were many people on hand, listening to the speeches and appreciating the history of the school. I could not stay long to enjoy the company of my fellow alumni. However, I purchased a copy of the Centennial Book, 1915 to 2015. The book is filled with memories and photos of many alumni who received their education at this fine school. When I did the initial review of Oakland Tech (hereafter Tech), I gave the school a 3 star rating due to something tragic happening on the campus during the school year 1972/1973. A student named Rita King (Class of 1974) was killed during a fight in the cafeteria. This incident had an impact on the school the following school year; to wit, that the majority of the white and Asian students transferred out and enrolled in other high schools (Skyline or Oakland); thus, resulting in a school that was no longer diverse or lacking diversity. Tech had to set up their campus at another location (the old Merritt College on Grove Street) in the late 70's due to the building not being up to earthquake standards. It wasn't until the fall of 1982 that the newly renovated Tech had its dedication. It was great for the students to be back on a campus in classrooms where there were no big puddles of water on the pavement and no leaky roofs when it was raining hard. I cannot say for sure when Tech was gradually becoming diverse again, but I would like to believe it was during the 1980/1981 school year. Even though the seniors of that year were known as the Apollo Class, still there needed to be more improvement in race relations. I know the graduating seniors of the Class of '81 had good intentions in having speeches delivered in different languages - English, Spanish and Chinese. The sing-song mimicking and clowning displayed by some of the adults sitting near me proved that the process of improved race relations still had a way to go. Several months ago, I was on the campus for a meeting on a Saturday. I did not meet up with two gentlemen and a committee for all these upcoming events. I liked what I saw in the trophy cases, the Tech memorabilias and pink breast cancer items in the glass cases by the library. The rating was upped to four stars. I had the intention of doing an update after another kick off celebration in front of the school on November 1, 2014, but I had other things occurring and the holiday season was a busy one. The Centennial Celebration Talent Show held two days ago in the school auditorium for the cost of $10 was more than enough to give my alma mater five stars for outstanding performances by the alumni, teachers and current students in singing, dancing, drama and oral speeches. Kudos to the principal, PTSA and all who were involved in organizing this event. All hail to Technical I sing. Finally, I can still say it loud, I'm from Tech and I'm proud.

The school is very nice and vintage. the first day there…read moreduring summer school I got lost inside. I like the hallways, they're like little alleys and the windows are very nice. i thought they were going to open all the way up. I went here for the 2010 summer school so i did not really experience the whole thing. The cafeteria is very interesting..don't know why but yea. during summer school I missed my regular school Skyline High School! Tech is an okay school but not for the whole year for me.

A real gem hidden in the Oakland Hills. Small, close-knit student body; beautiful campus; STEM and…read moresocial justice focus. Any young person would be deeply fortunate to go here and is certain to have a bright future in front of them as far as self-confidence, support systems, and college acceptances go.

I am a proud alumni of HNHS and would recommend those looking for a good education with a solid…read morefoundation take a look at Holy Names. I still wear my class ring just about everyday and love whenever I get a chance to go back for a play, the crab feed, or a luncheon. I do have a few lifelong friends that I made there and am happy to have chosen to go there. I lived in Hercules and would commute via yellow school bus (when they had a bus route and offered this service) leaving at 6:30 in the morning and getting home around 4:30 in the afternoon from school. The challenge for me was participating in extra curricular activities. Living so far away, there weren't many ways for me to "get a ride" or participate as much as I had wanted to. Most of my participation was being a part of on-campus groups like Campus Ministry. Go Monarchs! :D