All 3 of my kids go to the Cabrillo Unified School district. They care more about having the…read morestudents pass even though there is no work being done in the classroom. I know because my kid does nothing... literally nothing and he makes Fs all year but at the end of the year he passes to the next grade. Nobody is held accountable. This school district is the worst and is the reason why private schools exist. If you can afford anothe school opportunity for your kid(s), do it. This place sucks

I'm a former Woo Kid who went to Wilkinson School aka "Woo School" from 2005-2008, and Woo School…read moreisn't good, it's great!! I loved all the extra curricular stuff they have from egg drop, to the Intensive Studies Trip, Woo School is truly Amazing, and Mr. Edward "Woo" Wilkinson is amazing too!!

Our children go to Wilkinson and they are thriving. Best…read moreteachers, beautiful view on the ocean, and even though the school is cozy, there are so many outdoor experiences (hikes, beach walks) and they work and perform (all kids do) on 2 fabulous school performances a year: a winter concert and a musical.

I've spent a large amount of my career being trained & paid to assess Preschool Environments with…read morethe ECERS, DRDP & NAEYC Accreditation standards. So naturally, when it came to finding a preschool for my daughter when we moved to HMB, I was very particular in what I was looking for. I visited a few preschools in the area that made me shudder. I visited some that were pretty decent. But CCP-HMB Preschool was by far above the rest in meeting my standards. There are things that I still wish were different- i.e. the lack of grass/garden/nature outdoors but I think this school does what they can to make up for the mostly asphalt playground. Highlights that made me enroll my daughter: Small classroom ratios*interactive teachers*efforts made to do regular field trips to the library, downtown, feed & fuel, etc* Music class with John* Ample supervision with bathrooms & classrooms close to each other* lots of art & math supplies * professionalism of the greater CCP organization* Efforts made to have bilingual staff* an understanding of and efforts made to implement the ECERS/DRDP & NAEYC Accreditation standards.

My daughter is a preschooler here and has really enjoyed her teachers and new friends…read more I really needed fulltime care for her and it was great to know that they accepted 2.5year olds and were going to help me potty train her too. That was such a relief to me as I wasn't going to force my daughter to be diaper-free before she was ready... but at the same time, I needed her to go to preschool. I was surprised at how much they do for the children. It wasn't immediately known to me all the activities that the kids do during the day. They do many art projects, zoophonics, healthy habits, yoga, walks around town, trips to the library etc. Wish I'd known this before, it would have made the selection a no-brainer. The teachers are very nurturing and caring. My daughter just loves her school and I'm very happy she's there and that they do a wonderful job. The peace of mind this gives me makes all the difference.

Our 3yo son absolutely LOVES the Kaimana school and his teachers. The setting is truly idyllic…read moreeven in inclement weather (which is rare). When we first toured it was magical walking along the trails and stopping under the canopies of trees to read, draw, explore and the program is thoughtfully prepared with learning stations and developmental opportunities. Our son runs to school every day and esp on rainy days when he gets to jump in muddy puddles. So grateful to have such an amazing preschool for our little one.

I truly cannot say enough good things about Montara Kaimana School. My daughter absolutely loves…read moreit! The teachers, Pamela and Hannah, are thoughtful, kind and basically magical. They make all of us (kids and parents) feel seen and heard, and they really make the kids feel special. Communication is huge for me, and from the moment I reached out to Pamela, she has been quickly responsive, communicative, and always takes the time to answer questions. Nature school provides so many wonderful outside of the box learning opportunities (for the kids, but also for me!). They learn through play and observation and teamwork, and in the 5 months my daughter has attended, I've noticed her communication about feelings and body awareness has really improved, as well as her problem solving skills. I was certainly a little nervous to send my daughter out in the rain, but I have to say, the rainy days have truly been her favorite school days! The kids LOVE to play in the mud! My toddler likes to hang out and play too! It really is true what they say; if you are properly clothed the weather doesn't seem so bad. The pick up/drop off location is breathtakingly beautiful and I feel pretty grateful that I get to experience it alongside my kids. And the best part for me? The teachers send a weekly report, complete with pictures, about what they all did throughout the week. They include the songs they sang, the mindfulness activities, quotes from the kids, the books they read, etc. I look forward to it every week. I hope that I can encourage more families to try it out, because this school is a blessing.

Our child had a nosebleed at school, and the school director Colleen immediately called us to pick…read morehim up. Since we work 40 minutes away, I asked if this was part of the school's sick policy. It wasn't--the reason given was simply that a teacher couldn't manage 12 kids at once. On top of that, the preschool principal Laurie required us to provide a doctor's note confirming that nosebleeds were "okay" to let kid back to school. Even our pediatrician found this request ridiculous, but kindly wrote the note word-for-word as they asked. Despite the school's popularity due to its affiliation with a local private elementary, this has been our worst preschool experience compared to others. The teacher-student ratio is inadequate, tuition is extremely high, and communication with parents is minimal. Although it's promoted as a play-based program, most of the time children just play independently while teachers supervise rather than engage. Also they introduce screen time (TV, iPads) as early as age two. I initially chose Serendipity Preschool for my child because of its strong reputation. However, I eventually realized it operates more like a business and not care much about the kids as they claimed. After moving and enrolling my kids in other schools, the differences became very clear, in all aspects--and much greater than I could imaged. In response to Laurie's reply below: When a school director exaggerates facts by claiming "daily nosebleeds" and deliberately misleads the public while carefully managing reviews to maintain a 5-star image, it really makes me question their priorities. When I answered the call, I clearly heard the words: "One teacher cannot take care of 12 kids. Please pick him up as soon as possible." That completely shocked me.

We have one kid in his third year, a second kid starting out in the 2s ("Monkeys") class, and a…read morethird enrolled starting in 2025! If we had three more kids we would probably send them to Serendipity, too! Excellent preschool with teachers that clearly care about the kids and the school. Even coming out of the pandemic we have witnessed virtually no teacher turnover which has led to seamless continuity as the kids cycle through classes. Each class has a bit of its own feel to it depending on the focus of the teacher(s), however what is consistent is that there is a clear curriculum and excellent parent-teacher communication. As the older one has hit his stride, it is apparent that he feels a part of the community as we do as parents. It will be sad once graduation finally comes, but luckily we have two more kids to go!

Both my siblings, one year apart, have been mentioning that a specific teacher has been going out…read moreof his way to treat them and most boys in their classes badly for the past two years. Both my siblings had this teacher for 4th grade and the youngest one has informed me that, to add the cherry on top of two years of constant unprofessionalism and disrespect, he tossed her report card to the floor and told her to pick it up in front of the rest of the class. This is after constantly leaving her out of things, going out of his way to ignore her, and this was similar behavior given to my younger brother last year when he was in this man's class. I don't want to fully point fingers, but the fact that he is an older white male picking on latinx children and other students of similar and very different backgrounds, while heavily favoring female students from what not only my siblings told me but their friends as well, is severely concerning.

Highlands lives off the reputation as historically being one of the better schools in the San Mateo…read more/ Foster City district. In my experience; however, I'd say it's a school in decline. Highlands has a basic California-wide standard approach to teaching, one that would work in non-tech cities like Fresno or Modesto. Because of its location, a large number of its kids come from silicon valley families and have higher expectations for learning than just a standard California education. Unfortunately this school does not adequately cater its teaching to meet the needs of this large demographic as the elite schools in the mid peninsula do (Fox, Baywood, etc). The typical classroom at highlands consists of 2 large groups of kids with different skill sets. One group is of advanced learners and the other is of those who perform "below basic standards". There really aren't many kids who have skills in the middle. The school's main principal to teaching is to "ensure all students learn the essential set of skills needed for basic life" and that "no kid is left behind". In each class, all kids are taught the same level of math. Given the class's wide disparity in aptitude levels, this means that math is taught at a lower level and at a slower pace (one thats catered for the slower learners). Advanced kids are not challenged in class and their potential is not realized. Many of the advanced learners, (especially the boys), tend to become distractions in class, tune out of the lessons, or have low self esteem because they 'can't focus'. This is all due to their lack of stimulation to the unchallenging curricula being taught them. I'll also mention that there's a significant bullying issue in the school (especially at the 3rd - 5th grade levels). The teachers and administration have never directly addressed it and, in many times, choose to ignore it. My kid has witnessed this many times first hand and I have friends who have pulled their kids out of Highlands and into private institutions primarily to get them away from the relentless bullying that they were experiencing. The last thing I'll mention is that the school is pretty run down as it was built sometime in the 50's or 60's and hasn't been kept up much since. It is also populated over its initial capacity. The capacity issue isn't from local kids, but from the kids bussed in from a lower-income north of downtown neighborhood (a legacy of the 1960's inner city bussing regulations). To handle this extra capacity, there are 2 'temp structures' that have been used for years as 'permanent' classrooms. If you are a parent that lives in the footprint of this school and have the means to put your kid in a private school, I'd recommend that you strongly consider that option. A common theme I've noticed is that many parents put their kids through private school up until 8th grade and then send them to Aragon for high school (Borel, the middle school, doesn't have a great reputation either).

This was a very poor educational school and the 7/8 grade department was very bad. I encourage kids…read moreto leave for IBL and the principal was very poor

It's an amazing school and I would recommend this school…read more It has amazing teachers and after-school program on campus

Choosing a school for your little one is such a stressful experience, but Harper makes it very…read moreeasy. We've been with them for two years now and have had nothing but good experiences. The admin staff, especially Ms. Lopez, is amazing and really cares about the students. Ms. Lopez is "on the ground" enough that she knows the kids names and they all say hi to her when they see her. The preschool teachers, Ms. Gwen, Ms. Margaret and Ms. Kim, are phenomenal. They approach any issues with kindness and sensitivity. They are also firm with the kids and set good boundaries and routines. Finding that balance is typically difficult, but they do it with finesse! The curriculum here, even with the preschool class, sets the kids up for success in higher grades. It balances play and fun with learning. From letter recognition to name writing to "STEM" - via tiny science experiments - music and Spanish, outdoor play and story time, they do it all. Since day one, my child has been excited to go each day and has thrived in the Harper environment. The learning progress I've seen, especially at such a young age, is astounding. We love Harper and appreciate all the staff very much! We hope to be a Harper family for a very long time to come!

Highly, highly recommended for elementary school! A lot of…read morethese reviews are for the daycare/pre-k programs, but I'd like to review the Elementary program, which is newer and smaller. Our son joined the Kindergarten program halfway through the year in Jan '25. He had been at a well-regarded RWC public school, but unfortunately he struggled there with behavior, academic, and motivation issues. Basically, he was slipping through the cracks. He was regressing academically, and most worryingly to me, he was starting to hate going to school. He started at Harper at the mid-year break. There was certainly an adjustment period - the Harper kids were *so* far ahead academically. But, the curriculum is individualized and the support was tremendous. It was amazing how quickly he improved on all fronts: behavior, academics, and motivation. He literally sprints from the car to class each morning. He is so excited and talks about what he learns constantly. He has developed a positive attitude, curiosity, and emotional maturity beyond anything we could have hoped for. Ms. Shaynee, his teacher, is an absolute rock star. We feel so lucky to have had her as his teacher. The class size for elementary grades at Harper is absurdly small right now. Like, 5-10 kids. At first, I thought it would be weird. But it's actually a wonderful number for this age, and it makes Harper such an incredible deal. It's obviously a new school and a new program, and I'm hoping it grows with him as he progresses through the grades. Overall, if you are looking for a private elementary, I just can't recommend Harper enough. No private school in this area is cheap, but I feel we get incredible value for our dollar. The fact that the aftercare is so affordable helps. Also, we hear that if you have multiple kids there then the cost goes down a lot.