Sonoma Country Day School has been an incredible foundation for our family. One of our children has…read moregraduated and is now thriving in high school, and our other child is still at SCDS and continues to flourish. The individualized attention from teachers makes all the difference. They truly know their students and provide the one-on-one support that builds both academic strength and confidence. Our children are genuinely excited to learn and study. They developed a strong growth mindset, understanding that effort, perseverance, and learning from mistakes matter. We are so grateful for the caring community and strong academic foundation SCDS provides. It has made a lasting impact on our family.

Excellent teaching staff and incredible campus. The curriculum is very well structured and well…read moretaught. They provide great support for students who need it. Good lunch as well.

We have only been here for six months and feel like we have been welcomed with open arms by staff…read moreand fellow parents alike. All the teachers in the school seem to know our children's names. Parents all greet each other warmly each morning during drop off and will introduce themselves to newcomers. Becoming involved in school programs and committees has been easy. The PTA officers are completely approachable and excited to have new parents get involved. The Kindergarten teachers have a deep understanding of early childhood development and the importance of creative, imaginative play and artistic expression as part of the daily curriculum. The kindergarteners are thriving academically and exceeding state standards in this low-pressure, nurturing environment. We feel that this school is a hidden little gem that needs to be discovered!

My son has attended OA for 3 years. In my experience with the school, I think the teachers and the…read moreprincipal truly care about my son's growth. He has struggled in a few areas and they have worked with him to improve his skills and grades. The only issue I see is student to teacher ratio - initially this started out 22 to 1 and now it is 30 to 1, which is too much for elementary students. Also, OA has a very low student population (~250) which ensures the students are lost in the shuffle of a big school.

I would not recommend this school to my worst enemy. The staff and administration seem FAR more…read moreconcerned with potential liability than the overall well-being of the students. And quite frankly, many seem under-qualified for the positions they hold. This school is incredibly understaffed and underfunded - and it shows. To start - my first grader was allowed to walk away with a stranger on the FIRST day of school because his teacher "assumed" the adult he left with was a parent. When I spoke to the principal the next day, she asked me if my six-year-old "knew where he was supposed to go" and stated she did not have a full understanding of the transition process because she was new. She then attempted to place blame on the Boys & Girls Club and my child. When another student's family member mentioned to the teacher how chaotic the first grade classrooms were due to a lack of staffing/support, parents were swiftly sent a notice that they would not be allowing family volunteers back into the classroom until the "behaviors" were under control. Seems counterproductive. When my son's behavior was in question and I had asked to observe in the classroom, I was quickly limited to 45 minutes and had to be accompanied by an administrator. I was told this was standard policy. My son showed no behaviors during my observation time. When I mentioned this, his teacher stated she "didn't think he would show behaviors while I was in the classroom". I brought this up during a meeting with the superintendent, he seemed to question the limitations placed by the school and stated they should be welcoming me to observe if there is such concern. Mind you, he had previously been principal at McKinley Elementary. When my son was sick and asked to call me during school hours, he was told he could not contact me because he did not have a fever. When I questioned this with the teacher/administrators, I was told that the school typically does not let students contact their family members for illness related matters unless a fever is present. A family member of another student had witnessed an adult in the cafeteria yelling at my son for kicking a milk carton and was so bothered by it that she felt the need to intervene by telling the staff member that she was being inappropriate. Though my son's teacher was made aware, she was not the one who informed me about what had happened. I was notified by the family member who was witness to the incident days later. I was also told by my child's teacher that administration had prevented her from speaking to me about certain matters regarding my child and my concerns. We only saw results/change when we went above school administration by notifying the district office and superintendent about our experience. The current principal's exit was announced less than a year into her new position and it's clear to see why. These are just a handful of examples. I have spoken with many families who have shared similar experiences. In my opinion - there are MUCH better elementary school options within the PCS district and within our community. I encourage any family considering McKinley Elementary for their young ones to do their research beforehand, tour other schools, and talk to family/friends who are familiar with McKinley Elementary. We felt comfortable having our child attend McKinley due to their "stellar" reputation and it was a huge mistake. Don't let the awards plastered all over the school fool you. I hope this review helps to inform other families.

If you value your child's emotional wellbeing and overall development this is not the school. The…read morecurrent principal gaslights parents instead of taking accountability for the rampant bullying and lack of structure and fulfillment for the children. Teachers encouraging parents not to speak to other parents about each other's children and experience at the school is verbally discouraged by educators. The school is also blocking transfers to other districts. There is no way this school has 5 stars. Overall traumatic. Ask the parents of students. Not the administrators.

Great school with an even better community. All of the staff are wonderful people who genuinely…read morecare about the betterment of their students. I only wish I had as much exposure/knowledge about colleges and the application process that these students get!

School policies appeared to change frequently, and there was notably high staff turnover--likely…read moredue in part to the school being relatively new and still establishing its systems and culture.

The play was amazing! Very talented group of kids. It was legally blonde you would swear they…read morewere all professional. It was so good. It was very well organized, and I hope they put in another place soon

Principal handles serious issues unprofessionally. AP testing got disrupted, for some reason my…read morename got thrown into the pot of kids who were causing trouble (I was not one of those kids nor did I do anything wrong), and he threatened me saying my test scores would get revoked, I wouldn't be able to attend prom, or walk on graduation day. They found the real culprits and never apologized for the immature behavior. The same thing happened to my friend. No thank you.

I wish we live in a different district. But we do not. The staff withholds information from…read moreparents. So glad my kid is done going here in a week.

Behind the school, there's several acres of flood plane. They've converted it to baseball diamonds…read moreand soccer field. After school and when no events are going on, the locals hit it up and it becomes a kind of informal dog walking area. It's fully fenced. Not school property. It's adjacent to school property. But it's actually city property because of the flood thing. A great little find for you if you have puppies and want to meet others and socialize.

I loved this school, senior year here made a large impact on my life. I met so many great people…read moreand even lost my virginity to my science teacher Mrs. ________. I recommend this school to take your children.

I have called the High School on several occasions, no one answers and no voicemail options. I went…read morein left a written message and no return call. Kind of makes you wonder why?

Piner is a good high school to go to and i recommend its for any high schoolers that want to get a…read moregood education

the YOGA teacher is very rude and talks bad about other students. i do not recommend sending your…read morechildren here unless you want them being humiliated by an adult.