This school is the best kept secret in town! The campus is ridiculously…read more beautiful, the teachers and staff are very supportive and committed, and the student body is diverse and kind. Some of the coaches are the best I've ever seen and there is a real sense of pride in the school. Not to mention that kids get into all sorts of elite colleges from Skyline. A great experience overall. Go Titans!

I went to this High School. The Administration alone is blind. I went for help numerous times and…read morewas dismissed. My father continued to beat me and I asked for help. To no avail had to turn to other means. This school will not protect their students even from the harassment of other students.

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.

Fabulous, well rounded school. High academic standards, great social emotional support, incredible…read moreteachers and administration. Lots of extracurriculars to get involved with. We are very happy and grateful to have 2 kids here (who joined from OUSD)

This is one of the best b team players even tho they were 1-7. She is a little shifty she ight. I…read morethink that castillero is way better in sports wise but Bret Harte is good academically.

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!

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.

Awesome track . My go to spot for running . Unfortunately under construction now until 11/2023. So…read moreit's out of use atm.

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.

Our daughter attends TK at St. Theresa, and while we've been part of the school community for less…read morethan a full school year, I've been nothing but impressed by the teachers, staff, and fellow parents. I haven't met anyone who isn't nice, kind, considerate, and invested in the school and the children's education. Our TK teacher is wonderful and we can see our daughter developing academically as well as socially. The school is situated in the peaceful Oakland neighborhood of Upper Rockridge and pretty easy to get to (and close to the Terrace Cafe, another perk). I"ll add that while I'm not a Catholic (my wife and children are), that has never been an issue. There are other non-Catholics who send their children there because they know they will be in a safe and nuturing environment. Lastly, I'm impressed with the students themselves. They are polite and considerate when I've interacted with them as a parent volunteer. I remember my Jr. High experience as pretty excruciating. When I look at the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, I see well-adjusted and responsible young people by all outward appearances. I certainly don't see my Lord of the Flies experience. It's an special cadre of people and culture at St. Theresa.

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

Orinda Academy has been a great fit for our family. The teachers and staff really get to know each…read morekid, and the students are kind and supportive of each other. It is college prep and the work is tailored to each students academic ability, so they are always being challenged to learn. It's a calm environment with great staff.

We moved to the East Bay from NYC during the pandemic to be close to grandparents. It was…read morechallenging for everyone, particularly our children, 16 and 12. We found Orinda Academy, the lovely and healing environment we needed. Our 16-year-old entered in 11th grade, made friends, and excelled academically. OA's combination of nurture and rigor was just what we needed! The parent community is open and supportive. We also value an environment where teachers, administrators, and the entire school community know and care about our children. Our daughter is now 18 and in college and our younger one, now 14, just entered 9th grade at OA. So far so good! They are making friends and love their teachers. Our second time around and we could not be happier!