The process of looking for a new school is overwhelming due to the sheer number of options. You…read morecome up with a comprehensive list of 10-15 schools you are considering and try to knock any of them out for even random reasons so that you can focus on touring and applying to a more manageable list of schools. Berkwood Hedge was on my long list - and when I read some of the negative reviews, I almost just crossed it off of our list. I am so thankful that I kept my mind open and saw Berkwood Hedge for myself. My son joined the 4th grade class this past Fall and it has been truly transformational for him and our family. After years of unhealthy social situations in his past schools and lack of attention to his learning needs, due to the care from Berkwood Hedge, he is now starting to come out from a haze of low confidence. His teachers, Olivia and Elisa, have been invaluable in helping him grow in confidence. Before you make any decisions about schooling for your child, I implore you to just attend one community meeting that happens in person every Wednesday morning at 8:45 on campus. It really does take a village and Berkwood Hedge has set up just that - a loving village around our children. When you hear the head of school, Love Weinstock, speak, you know that this care for the whole child is everywhere in the school's culture. You will definitely see the intentional approach in your child's classroom but you will also see it with restorative justice with Silver, music with Ajayi, learning with Edie, art with Laura, school operations with Kris, and the list goes on. We will be moving to Berkwod Hedge's upper campus next year and we are really looking forward to it. They have really been able to increase the diversity in the upper grades. Furthermore, Love leads with so much clarity that I look forward to seeing that come alive in middle school.

I graduated from Berkwood Hedge this year and I did not have a good experience. I went to Berkwood…read moreHedge from 6th to 8th grade. When I joined this community I did not feel accepted. A couple of months ago at the end of the year, there was a shadow student that tried to sit down and eat lunch with Berkwood hedge students, and the kid was told don't sit with us!! We don't want you here!! And the teachers didn't do anything about it. I think that is a pretty common experience for new students at Berkwood Hedge. I definitely had similar experiences happen to me. The academics are pretty good, but the math levels are not based on grade so it can make people in lower levels feel bad because some people from the higher levels brag about it. The sports are good because everyone gets to play and there is no tryouts but for most sports Berkwood Hedge doesn't win games because they are playing more inexperienced players. Some traditions that Berkwood Hedge has are strange to me like the blessing song and the sound baths. My family chose not to send my brother here because I didn't have a good experience, so I don't recommend this school.

My son is currently in first grade at the Academy and we consider ourselves very lucky to have…read morefound this gem of a school. It is a place that nurtures his innate curiosity and encourages deep learning and a personal intellectual engagement with the world. This is balanced by a warm, diverse, and kind environment where children feel seen and are accepted for who they are. From our first visit, we were captivated by the cozy charm of the campus and its welcoming atmosphere. Walking through the halls, you can't help but notice the confident, composed, and articulate students. On any given day, they're engaged in meaningful conversations with peers and teachers or participating in lively, thoughtful classroom discussions. A Love for Learning What sets the Academy apart is its focus on deep, meaningful learning. In kindergarten, my son quickly grasped math concepts through Ms. Cherney's "double-decker bus" technique, a creative visual tool for numbers that add to ten. By year's end, he was proudly bringing home story pamphlets he had written, blending creativity with growing writing skills. He also adopted the SEL class mantra, "nothing is ever perfect," which inspires him to embrace a growth mindset daily. Now in first grade, Ms. Labarca builds on his foundation with hands-on, multi-sensory learning. Montessori cubes and open-ended questions challenge his critical thinking while teaching him to understand the "why" behind concepts, not just the "how." It's been great to see his curiosity deepen as he learns to think from first principles. The Academy fosters a culture where learning is both prioritized and celebrated, with academic rigor as the standard. This is beautifully balanced by a community that values students' well-being and sense of belonging and genuinely prioritizes diversity. A Thriving Community The Academy is a close-knit, supportive community where every child is valued and heard. The teachers are both kind and inspiring. Their passion for their subjects and for teaching shines through, making them exceptional role models. Many of the teachers have been part of the school for over 30 years, a testament to their dedication and the strength of the community. Our Head of School, Cecee Penney, has a remarkable talent for inspiring and connecting with the children. The parent community are warm and unpretentious. Many are intellectuals with ties to Cal/Berkeley and the surrounding research community and bring a rich diversity of perspective. Many volunteer their time and expertise to enhance the school experience. Some have given talks to the school, some recent topics include The Science of Climate Change, Cultural Lessons about Ethiopia, and Day in the Life of a Doctor. Why We Love the Academy The Academy is a place that sparks a love of learning while fostering a strong sense of community. From Yayoi Kusama-inspired art to Socratic discussions, it seamlessly blends an education that prioritizes creativity and critical thinking. It's a place where children explore, ask questions, and grow to be ambitious learners. For our family, the Academy feels like home--a place where our son is thriving, not just academically but as a thoughtful, curious, and confident individual. We're deeply grateful to be part of this community and happy to share more about our experience. If you are considering the school, feel free to reach out to me, Jaireh Tecarro, at tecarro@gmail.com.

We decided to withdraw our children from The Academy after ongoing concerns about bullying, lack of…read moreaccountability, and weak leadership. Our son faced repeated exclusion and inappropriate comments from classmates, including remarks that he was disliked "because he is Turkish." Despite our repeated reports and requests for support, the school minimized the situation and stated that "there was no bullying." Yet even during classroom assignments, our son expressed in writing and drawings his deepest wish for a world without bullying -- something no child should have to feel so strongly about in the first place. We tried for months to collaborate with the school, to have meaningful conversations, and to trust that the situation would improve. Unfortunately, it did not. Two students -- one acting as the leader and another following his lead -- consistently targeted him, and there were no real consequences. The administration's responses were consistently dismissive, suggesting a lack of understanding of the emotional impact such behavior can have on a child. Our son's sense of safety was completely eroded. Leadership at the school often acts in denial rather than taking responsibility. Communication is reactive and defensive. We also learned later that the administration offered us a $6,000 refund in exchange for signing a non-disparagement contract -- essentially asking us not to talk about our experience. We declined. Families deserve honesty, not silence. Academically, the school claims to be "one year ahead" and to follow a rigorous curriculum. After transferring to another school, we learned this was not true. Many concepts were skipped or taught superficially, creating learning gaps. Teachers are inconsistent -- some are good, while others frequently absent or disengaged. The third-grade environment in particular suffered from poor classroom management, inappropriate peer interactions, and a lack of supervision during recess and lunch. Conversations among students included inappropriate topics such as smoking and alcohol, even at this young age. This reflects serious gaps in oversight. The school also advertises a French program, but in reality, students only learn a few isolated words throughout the year -- far from the language exposure and learning that parents are led to expect. This is one example of how the school's marketing and actual classroom experience do not align. The only staff member who genuinely helped us and consistently supported our child was the inclusion and belonging teacher. She truly cared, followed up, and tried to make a difference when others didn't. To our shock, after leaving the school, we learned that she had been laid off. It's hard to understand how a school that claims to value inclusion could let go of one of the few people who actually embodied it. Adding to the concern, we later found that in the 2024-2025 school year, the administration encouraged families to post positive reviews online to boost enrollment numbers, as the kindergarten class had only six students enrolled. That context makes recent glowing reviews highly misleading. I would advise anyone considering this school not to rely on those reviews, as many were written under pressure to improve the school's public image. When The Academy was founded years ago, it had a strong reputation. Sadly, under the current leadership, it has lost its integrity, its sense of community, and its educational quality. For us, both the financial cost and the emotional toll were high. We are writing this review not out of bitterness, but out of responsibility -- so that other families can make informed decisions. Our new school has shown us how dramatically things can change when children feel truly safe, respected, and supported. Every child deserves that.

My son attended this school for 4 years and my daughter now been there for 3 years. What a…read morewonderful community of students and families. The environment fostered at School of the Madeleine is incomparable to any school that I've ever visited before. Any kid will thrive anywhere if they are destined, but for a parent to thrive as well is a dream! There are many activities for students to make wonderful friends and build great memories. The teachers work from the heart and the principal and staff are welcoming and supportive. I highly recommend this school for families looking to give their child a well-rounded education!

We spent the better part of 2021 researching schools for our twin boys to begin Kindergarten and…read moreafter several recommendations from friends, we landed at The School of the Madeleine. Our boys are headed into 3rd grade and we could not be more grateful for the experience we've had at The Madeleine in our first three years. Beginning Kindergarten at a school where our children didn't know a single person was a bit scary for us, as parents. They were immediately comfortable and welcomed into the community by the faculty, staff, students and the families. The genuine warmth and inclusivity that was around us was so refreshing and it has only grown stronger since then. We have found the Madeleine to be an incredibly well balanced and enriching place for our children as well as us parents, too. The principles and values exhibited at the school extend well beyond the classroom. We are as happy with the culture at the school as we are with the education. Anyone who attends just one of the daily morning assemblies can feel the positive energy emanating from the administration, faculty, students and families. It's my favorite way to start my mornings . . . no joke. I cannot recommend the School of the Madeleine enough for those seeking a home for their child's K-8 education. We are deeply grateful for the wonderful experiences and relationships we've had in the relatively short time we've been here.

We have two children at TBS - 2nd grade and ECC. We actually stumbled upon the ECC campus when…read morelooking for a preschool for our older daughter. We found it to be an amazing place where our daughter thrived, became curious and always wanted to jump out of our car to go to school. During our kindergarten evaluation, we looked at several other schools to make sure we were evaluating all of our options. It's the best kept secret of private schools. Education is changing and TBS is light years ahead. If you are looking for a school that markets academic rigor, than this is not your place. But if you are looking for a school that creates children that want to learn because they are excited about it, always looking to understand their impact in their community, a dedicated staff of accomplished educators, forward thinking, understand the link between social-emotional learning, focus on the 4c's, project and maker based learning, and more than this is your place. I work with a lot of private, public and independent schools in the Bay Area and this is one of the best.

TBS provides a nurturing environment with comprehensive educational support that will not only…read moreshape your child's academic growth but also instill a sense of confidence and curiosity that will benefit them throughout their life. TBS takes an empathetic approach, and kids have gone to top bay area high schools with success because of the solid educational foundation. Parent of TBS alum

This is my daughters school and so far we are loving it. She is finishing up second grade and was…read morenew to the school this year. The education is very solid and the music program is fantastic. They have small class sizes and two teachers per class. I feel that they really know my child here and that is worth every penny. Amelie's review: I really like my school,teachers,music and science. I love sitting near the class room at snack and hanging on the high bar.

Our daughter has completed two years at Black Pine Circle and every morning she is in a hurry to…read moreget to school. I'm writing this review because she has flourished at BPC, both academically and socially, and without a doubt the school can take a lot of credit for it. The headmaster John Carlstroem knows what he is doing, and runs a very happy ship. A school is a complex environment with many personalities and expectations that need to be managed. John works with a reservoir of deep intellect and excellent management skills and has managed to set a harmonious tone for the whole school. He thinks deeply about education and pedagogy, and he spends the school's money wisely. John's passion for the school is reflected in extraordinary commitment by the teachers, who are superb. In the lower school the kids learn english and math well, and the school's emphasis on music permeates lessons and activities and is wonderful to behold. In a review such as this it is not possible to describe the full extent of the curriculum, but I have been continually amazed by what my daughter is learning. Most importantly, her teachers have taught her self-respect, self-confidence, and have instilled in her a love of learning. I have spoken to many parents around the Bay Area, and I know there are many good schools. Still, I may be biased, but I feel that BPC is special, in a very good way. P.S. The math club is among the best in California.

I had went to John Muir elementary for 6 years and I will say it was a amazing experience nice staf…read morenice teachers and everything I love the campus and like I always said slay baddie queen

Caring staff and awesome grounds. Great place to work at if the current principal personally likes…read moreyou and your opinion matches hers. I was there this past year and quickly noticed how true this was. I had a very challenging class and was only given negative feedback, and then just ignored. So I thought, "Okay, maybe I'm not all that great of a teacher." Then after getting to know the staff better, I learned that many staff members were unhappy with her. There was one teacher there who taught 1st grade for many, many years To try to get her to quit, she moved her to 5th grade. That position could of been filled by anyone who actually wanted it. She also suggested to a staff member that she should retire. When she said she wasn't ready, the principal immediately got her transferred to another school. After being on medical leave for most of the school year, the secretary returned. Before she returned, the principal announced that she was coming back. By her announcement, it was clear that she didn't want her back. After getting to know the secretary, I learned that she wasn't liked by the principal. The principal interactions with her are all negative and now the union is involved. One day a student in my class was pissed off and yelled, "Fuck you! " the student didn't know the principal was standing right behind him. The principal took him out of class and he returned in less than 5 min. Apparently the principal told him that she understood that he must be having a difficult day, but we must choose different words when expressing anger. I was dumbfounded and thought the student would be suspended and not given a 5 min therapy session. What a horrible school year it turned out to be. It's sad because this principal isn't at all the leader who I thought she was going to be. There's more but I've said enough. Getting rid of her would definitely move my star rating to a 5.

As public schools go, this is a good one to consider despite the less-than-attractive architecture…read morethat greets prospective parents when visiting. We originally were disappointed with our assignment here (let's put it this way: Berkeley asked us to make our top 3 choices for schools where our kids would go. We did not get choice #1, #2, or #3. Welcome to Berkeley...) The school has an amazing garden which has been up and running since before 1908 (they have photos which document the life of this garden). The gardening teacher is cool! Her name is Tara and she is swell! The cooking classes use food grown in the garden and the lunches are all 100% ORGANIC!!! No weird stuff, no hormones in the milk, no growth hormones/antibiotics, etc. Every single kid gets a 100% organic Universal Breakfast at 10:00 each morning regardless of family income. It's a given, like PE (duh! Kids need exercise and good food in order to learn...we can't count on the government to figure that out. Remember Reagan telling us all that ketchup counted as a vegetable....) Anyway, sorry about the tangent, I just think this is such a cool arrangement. Here's the greatest part of the whole thing (for me, anyway). Every Monday morning there is an assembly welcoming the kids back to school and encouraging parents to stay. There is a teacher, Mr. Ted Watson, who is AMAZING!!! He leads the kids in campy songs that make me laugh so hard I almost pee my pants (imagine the average 3rd grader). My all-time favorite song is "The Weeny Man". Here's some lyrics and you decide: I know a weeny man He runs a weeny stand He sells most everything from hot dogs on down. Someday I'll join his life I'll be his weeny-wife. Hot Dog!! I love the Weeny Man!!! Well, there's more but you get the gist...Who wouldn't love this?! This teacher gives me faith that teachers can be fun, cool, get kids' attention, and have fun learning. Hot Dog!! I love the teachers at this school! The principal is cool, too. If you live in Berkeley, and you're bummed you didn't get into the fancy school on the hill (you know which one...), please give Washington a chance. It has a lot to offer. 4 Stars b/c some of the teachers need to retire or just quit teaching, most are good tho'. The cafeteria ladies remain humorless despite the high quality food offered.

I volunteered for Ms. Talbott's class a few years back and I had the most wonderful experience…read moreever. Ms. Talbott is one of the leading teachers at Washington Elementary in equity, forward thinking and compassionate teaching. The school board should model their philosophy after her teaching standards and practices. My work schedule does not permit me to volunteer anymore but for all of the parents out there looking for a stellar Kindergarten teacher at Washington, try to get into Ms. Talbott's class.

My third and final review, as we pull our last kid out of MX prematurely. I'm afraid that the…read moretrend is negative, with a mediocre but insecure principal exerting full control over hiring. Alas.

Amazing new charter school in Berkeley! Finally, an alternative to BUSD Public schools... with its…read morevision and philosophy REALM has its head and heart in the right place! REALM = Revolutionary Education And Learning Movement. They have a 6-8 grade middle school and a 9-12 grade high school (currently enrolling just 6th & 7th grade & 9th & 10th grades). Located on the corner of Addison and 8th st in West Berkeley, off University. MISSION: to cultivate resiliency, develop critical thinking skills, advance knowledge through rigorous studies, and equip students to serve our communities and the world in the 21st century. Realm Charter School will serve diverse urban students in grades 6-12 using a student-centered model that features project-based learning, an emphasis on technology, research and action on concerns in the community and activities that develop emotional resiliency. VISION: to increase academic achievement and social responsibility by creating authentic and challenging learning environments based on four central program elements: (1) project-based learning, (2) immersive technologies, (3) mindfulness in education (Transformative Life Skills), and (4) participatory action research. We seek to develop in each student the ability and passion to work wisely and creatively in order to become life-long learners with the skills necessary to contribute to the betterment of humankind. This will be accomplished by immersing our teachers and students in authentic and virtual learning environments that require collaboration, inquiry, critical thinking, ingenuity, imagination, and active problem-solving. PHILOSOPHY: REALM is designed to be a project-based, technology-rich learning environment that promotes critical and socially responsive perspectives. This means that students will learn to think about the world as a set of interconnected systems that can be affected through rigorous studies and action. Students will navigate and create complex information networks, virtual worlds, and immersive learning environments by utilizing emerging technologies. Moreover, through culturally relevant instruction and curricula, students will recognize and own their ability to shape our world and to better humanity. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Victor Díaz, President, Jabari Mahiri, Vice-President Tracey Sheer, Board Chair, Christyna Serrano, Secretary, Nancy Williams, Chris Knaus, Becca Prager

I hated the school it's so small to be a high shop the are no school teams and they have like one…read moresecurity guard named Greg he's hella cool with all the students tho. And the way the school looks is so bad it's ugly different color walls and there is big rats in the bushes I hated that place but only two teacher M.Reynaga and Ms.Ale where good teachers that's about it

We absolutely love this school. We have two kids here and have had such a great experience. The…read moreteachers are wonderful--warm, thoughtful, and genuinely invested in the kids--and the French immersion has been amazing to watch. We're an American family, and one of the things we love most is the incredibly diverse, international community. Of course we love that our kids are learning another language (and all the benefits that come with that!), but they're also learning about different cultures, foods, places, traditions, and histories just by being part of this community every day. The programming is also incredible. There's a big focus on social-emotional learning, including time with Christopher, who is so sweet and wonderful with the kids. And the enrichment classes are so fun--cooking, mud art, accessory design, chess, drumming, gardening, and lots more. Even my two-year-old gets to do gardening! And then there are the chickens who live at school, which my kids love. It's one of those little things that makes the school feel special--the kids get to learn about nature, animals, caretaking, and responsibility as part of their normal school experience. Most importantly, our kids are happy there. They're learning so much, they love their teachers, and they're growing up surrounded by people from all over the world. We feel really lucky to have found this community and can't recommend it enough.

We loved this bilingual school. It gave a really advantage when it was time to go to high school…read more Because of the dual immersion in both systems, the academic level was higher than a regular school which opened a large aera of opportunities to choose from after 8th grade. It inspires a way of thinking out of the box if your kid embraces all the opportunities to learn there. Successfully entered in a UC university.