Amazing school we transitioned after winter break and it was so easy and headache free "almost" lol.read more

I went to this school two years ago,i got food poisoning and gonna-rhea from the food,and through…read moresecond grade the teacher discriminated me and called my older friend a "fucking mexican" and they still work there. The new principal does not deal with any serious events and after I reported it they just brushed it off and didnt take me seriously

Willow Glen Elementary: A Hidden Gem in Our Community…read more Willow Glen Elementary is a wonderful local public school. I currently have a 2nd grader and a kindergartener, with my youngest set to start TK in a few years. Growing up in Willow Glen and attending a local private school, I've heard for years that WGE isn't a "good" school. But after becoming part of this community, I can say that its reputation, reviews, and ratings don't reflect the school my family knows and loves. The teachers are excellent, the TWBI (Spanish immersion) program is impressive, and the PTA and parent involvement are unmatched compared to other local schools. Of course, like any school, there are challenges. The campus can get messy (especially with the WG Farmers Market held there every weekend) and test scores aren't the highest in the area. But if you take a closer look, you'll find a beautifully diverse community that truly reflects the world around us. Ultimately, you get out of it what you put in--if you get involved, your family will have an amazing experience at WGE!

I went to this school but the food can be expired but Over all is good classes are perfect…read morebilingual classes as well.

We just started kindergarten this year and my son loves it. We just had our first parent teacher…read moreconference and he is excelling according to state requirements for kindergarten (granted it is kinder so I am not expecting too much lol). We love his teacher (Mrs. Phillips) and I know through friends that have other teachers that they are pleased as well. We are lucky to have many parent volunteers in the class because the 30 to 1 ratio in the district is not ideal for any school especially for kinder- imagine being the only adult in charge of 30- 5 year olds for 8 hours. What does that mean? It's up to the parents in any sjusd school to get in there and help out. I feel that because this is a magnet school and you have to apply and take the tour many of the parents that send their kids here have a vested interest in their child's education and are more likely to volunteer and help out in the class. They also have the PTA and all school yahoo group to help all parents stay connected. Hammer Montessori School has to take all the same tests and meet the same requirements as traditional schools in the district. Here is a run down on Montessori lesson and structure for those curious as to how it works. Children receive lessons at the various stations (sometimes individual and sometimes as a small group) and they can only work in areas and on items that they have had lessons in- they have to prove to be proficient in that lesson before moving on to a harder one at that same station. The stations include : Language Arts (literature, creative writing, grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and hand-writing); mathematics; and cultural subjects, such as geography, history, science, art, music, movement and practical life (which in include working on real life skills and motor skills). They also have a music teacher come in the mornings along with time in the library and computer lab (that has a great computer program for their age) Montessori has the belief that you don't learn just from instruction but by doing it yourself. So for example they have the kids count with physical units and then match the corresponding number to the units they have been working with. They start by learning in cursive because kids are more prone to write in circular motion rather than start/stop. When they do the alphabet they learn it phonetically which has helped my son start reading. Go on the tour to get all the details but in just the past three months he has learned to sound out words and has started reading easy books, he knows all of the continents (North America, South America, Asia, etc..) he has learned to count into the thousands and simple addition, and because of the personal responsibility that they encourage in this program he has taken better ownership of his things and a few chores at home. I am VERY gald that this school and Montessori is a public option!

Unfortunately I can't agree with any of these reviews as we had a terrible three years here. My son…read moredid ok in kindergarten as most kids do because it's a lot of fun learning and not too structured but first and second grade was horrendous. His teachers were very critical of him at such a young age. There was no teaching going on. Up to the kids what they wanted to do that day. A terrible school! Completely regret putting my son here and wasting 3 years of school.

Baker school I consider to be one of the top schools in the Bay Area. We currently have our third…read morechild in first grade and already had had two other children of ours from the last 15 years attend Baker. We cannot say enough how much we appreciate the teaching staff as well as the principal and the administrative staff that always have gone above and beyond facilitating good care and teaching for all of our children. I highly recommend the school to any of those in our area that consider having their children attend! Many thanks Baker school for all that you have done to make our children very successful going forward, in fact our oldest is currently attending UCLA a lot to do with the care and expertise that has been put into giving five star teaching throughout every classroom they've attended at Baker school. The Wills Family

I was assaulted by the front desk Kathleen Villanueva on 10/31/2024 which resulted in me having to…read morefile a police report. The front desk along with Ms Naylor all committed perjury to police officers and falsely reported that I was the one who did what I called to report about and the HR department of the school district tried to allege that there has been all this misconduct on my part AFTER I complained with a police report on their staff - they ironically have no emails , incident reports, or police reports against me or my conduct at this school as a parent but are now alleging this with zero documentation after I had to file a report on this school - this gross misconduct and illegal behavior needs to be investigated immediately. I tried to complain once before about Kathleen's unprofessional behavior and was ignored. Kathleen and the women in this office have gotten away with so much that they now feel emboldened to put their hands on parents of the students. After I filed a police report and contacted the superintendent- they retaliated and stuck to a similar lie behind Kathleen (which they weren't able to say the same story when separated and on the stand which is why their claims were dismissed ultimately). They are now trying to falsely defame my character to other school staff members and parents by saying there is a retraining order against me when there in fact is not further adding to the lengths these people are going too to save themselves from a pending lawsuit

Hello! As a kid who attended this school for 5 years and is…read morenow entering 7th grade in a different city, I can reassure you that I am well educated most students reviewing schools only tell you the cons of it, which isn't helpful. So, I am bound to give you a completely honest review. Since most 5 star reviews are from 50 year old dads who have never experienced what the school is like once you're actually a student and that it's all sunshine and rainbows everyday. To begin with, the school is pretty awesome. Art vista, science, and the library are like no other. Even though I love my new school district, nothing will ever beat the library they have at Hacienda. The field is HUGE and great for younger children to play in. Although I'd never choose to have hot lunch, I've always gotten breakfast. The food is amazing. Especially the mini pancakes. MOST teachers and staff and especially my counselor were super helpful throughout the years, and I would recommend this school to those around me. But of course--like any school, there is a downside to it. Now obviously, I'm not going to start rambling about how "annoying" teachers are, or how much work they give us, or the dress code, but this is rather a warning for those like me with learning differences. I have really bad anxiety, and a learning disability, so most days at school were rough for me. Of course, I had good days, but staff need to care less about scheduling assemblies ABOUT kindness and shift their attention to actually helping the kids who are being bullied and left unnoticed--because just acting like everything is fine and not doing anything at all only causes more problems. And who wants their kid to be in a school that feels like walking on eggshells every day? Nobody. At all. Most kids in my grade today most likely loved this school. And no, I am not saying that their opinion is wrong, but if you are looking for a school with a FRIENDLY community--that is something that is something that the school does not have. So please, think twice before trying to get your kids in this school. You may be saying "but it isn't the schools fault that the kids are mean!" Well, fun fact, if the teachers get irritated, they can also be the same. And no, I'm not talking about getting your phone taken away because for some stupid reason you thought that breaking school rules would be quote on quote "funny."(you know who you are.) Speaking from personal experience, some teachers cannot care less about learning differences, or your children's mental health--but rather care more about the money they're receiving after each day. Of course, not every teacher is mean, but it would be much more helpful for some teachers to care a little more about their students. In conclusion, summing up everything I have said in this review, I can assure you that this school is in a safe environment, and is most likely one of the best schools you'll get in this neighborhood. But, please pay attention to your children as they grow older at Hacienda. You never know what is happening behind closed doors.

I wish Yelp had a 6 star rating that you could give to one thing. This would be mine…read more The only non 5 star reviews are from somebody who TOURED the school and an anonymous coward. That pretty much tells you all you need to know. This is the best school I have ever heard of, let alone seen. My eldest goes here, and her sister starts Kinder soon. When you pick the kids up they want to go play on the playground with friends. They are crestfallen if you pick them up more than 5 minutes before closing at the YMCA. This is a special community and it is infectious. If you don't win the lottery don't despair. Both my kids were waitlisted to start and got in by Sep so it does happen. As for the big class sizes, it's more friends for your child.

We've been part of the Stratford family since middle school, and the transition to the 9th grade at…read moreStratford Preparatory has been fantastic for our daughter. We are so far very happy with our choice! One of the standout experiences was the comprehensive planning session with her counselor, Mr. Cheng, back in 8th grade. They mapped out a four-year plan for academics and extracurriculars tailored to her interests, which gave us a clear roadmap and a lot of confidence. The academic programs are rigorous, as expected, but what we've been most impressed by is the supportive environment. Our daughter feels challenged but not overwhelmed. She joined the cross-country team and, as a freshman, was able to represent the school in the HS league. The athletic programs are in a growth phase, which we see as a huge plus. It gives students a real opportunity to make an impact, be part of a close-knit team, and help shape the program's future. Beyond sports, the competitive clubs are a major strength. The robotics club, in particular, has fantastic mentors and provides an incredible amount of hands-on experience for the students. It's great to see her so engaged and learning so much. We highly recommend Stratford Prep!

Horrible, teachers are lousy and do not teach, all teachers don't even speak in a understandable…read moreway, all staff sounds untrained and annoyed, would not recommend

My son recently graduated after attending Old Orchard from K-8th grade. He and his classmates…read morebenefitted from teachers who challenged them, a culture of excellence, and a diverse, tight-knit community where students felt comfortable bringing their whole self to school. Very different than what I remember from my large, public middle school experience! He and his classmates were all accepted to their top choice high schools with placement in honors and advanced classes, and I have no doubt that they're all very well prepared to succeed in high school and beyond. We loved everything about the Old Orchard experience from the school's seamless response to Covid, the inclusive sports program, investment in arts and language, and diligent preparation for high school admissions process.

My two daughters have attended OOS, and we love it! I want to say a big thanks to the…read moreadministration, they are just great! Any concerns or questions which we ever addressed to them were always resolved. No matter what question we had, we always saw friendly staff which is open, ready to help, and resolve any situation in the best way. Academics are great, which is big deal for us. After OOS, kids attend highly selective high schools, and doing great at rigorous classes; which is again a great compliment to OOS teachers for good preparation. OOS does a great job at helping their 8th grade students with the high school admission process. The school community is wonderful, great families, many of which became our close friends. The classes are small, allowing each student to grow. There are always lots of opportunities for parents to be actively involved in school life, but it is not mandatory if your busy life does not allow you to do it. Highly recommended this school!

My husband and I are both educators and have worked in public education in secondary schools for…read morethe past 15 years. We were lucky that for the first 3 years of our daughters life, we could rely on grandparents for complete childcare. When going to work, our minds were at ease knowing she had excellent care and attention at home. The downside was that at 3 years old, our daughter had not had much opportunity to socialize with other children or stay with an adult other than her grandparents or parents. We were of course, concerned that the transition to child care or school might be disastrous. I cannot be more satisfied with our decision to enroll our daughter at the Challenger School, Shawnee campus. We began with the summer school option, enrolling her in a half day program, 5 days a week when she was 3 years and a few months old. This was the perfect transition for a child who had no experience staying with other adults outside of family. Her cognitive, social, and emotional progress was visible immediately. That Fall, we enrolled her in a full day program in the 3 year old class. A year later, and we are still so happy with our experience. Our daughter will be enrolled in the 4 year old program for the 17-18 school year. While the curriculum and academic expectations are indeed rigorous, the staff is so incredibly loving, caring, and nurturing. The instruction is given in a way that engages the students through music and art. The children genuinely have fun while they learn and appreciate the structure and routine. We are always impressed with the work our daughter brings home. She is only 4 and can print her name, blend letters to phonetically read and write 3-4 letter words, add and subtract numbers, and so much more. Her experience is not unique as most if not all the students in her class can do the same. On top of this, every staff member from the administration, security guards, secretarial staff and teachers are excellent. I feel as though I am leaving my child with family. This is an incredibly important feature to me as I need to feel as though I am leaving my daughter in loving and capable hands when I drop her off to go to work. We have bonded with a number of parents from her class and get together for the kids birthday parties and other social events. I cannot imagine a better place for our child. I am happy to answer any further questions about our experience if you are interested in enrolling your son or daughter. Also, the school offers a tuition incentive of 15% off through a referral program. Please contact me if you are interested in this opportunity.

So like it was good my child is very smart compared to other students but I like think there's too…read moremuch of a jump between first grade and second grade like wdym at third grade all the sudden everything changes like my child's teach Ms. Holland got mad at my child and yelled at her for not knowing the difference between legal and just like wth?! However I do like Mrs Bamber, she's very supportive bc she helped my child get better grades. Although fifth grade is the hardest grade because of the biggest jump in curriculum. The turnover among teachers and headmasters are high at this campus. Don't know if it's the same for other campuses. It's upsetting when you're getting new teachers who aren't experienced in teaching. Honestly Challenger also preps you to be concerned when transferring schools because Shawnee is so small it will be easy to get lost in other campuses and like I hate this school. But they give you gold for completing PreK to eighth grade so I like that