Walt from Walt's Adventures here at Star Academy in San Raphael, California…read more Everyone learns differently in their own right but when they need specialized learning, they are classified as special education. Star Academy is not just a non public school going through the motions to enhance the education of their students. Instead, Star Academy is a school with specialized educators and a full team of specialists all sharing the same goal... the educational excellence of their student body. Their levels include not only junior high but high school and has everything that any other school has during their academic years. If your child needs bussing, they are accommodating, counseling, therapy, it can be found all on site. If your child learns differently, then I recommend this institution. I have entrusted them with my own daughter and I dare say that I have never once regretted my decision.

My son has gone to Star for most of his school years, and from elementary to high school, it has…read morebeen a wonderful experience with supportive, knowledgeable and loving educators and administrators. Kids are given instruction tailored to their individual needs, levels and learning styles. Social growth and friendships are also fostered. Kids feel safe and seen and their interests and talents are encouraged. If you have a child who learns differently, I'd highly recommend Star.

Their Coffee bar is great! Lots of gluten-free dessert and bagel options! Very friendly and…read morespacious interior that's good for working.

Wonderful place to explore and enjoy a caffinated beverage. They now offer breakfast sandwiches…read morethat are very good. It is nice knowing that your purchases support a good cause.

This school was not on our radar when we were looking for an alternate placement for our moderately…read moreaffected son. He started here in third grade, and some of the behaviors we were having issues with were spitting, hitting, elopement, throwing tables, chairs, stripping off his clothing, breaking windows, etc. (sound familiar?) His elementary placement had been a nightmare. We were picking him up from class every day, and he was expelled from school because they don't have the resources to care for a child like our son. The spectrum school was the one everyone talked about, and we were very unimpressed when we visited that school as we searched for alternate placement. Tucked away in an office park, admittedly it was a slight turn-off, we met the staff and his new instructor (to be). It was well lit, student art lined the halls, the staff and teacher were welcoming, and every person there was as sharp as a pin. We were so impressed, it was like night and day different from any placement he had before that time. We couldn't wait for him to begin, and for the first time for as long as we could remember, we felt optimistic. With a full-time behaviorist, language pathologist and occupational therapist; not to mention real 1:1 (or 2:1 or 3:1 when needed) staffing coverage, they assured us we would never receive a call to pick up our son because he was acting out. They didn't. They do not react to behaviors, they extinguish them. We are moving out of state, and the first thought is how terrified we are of the possible placement he may have as he finishes eleventh grade and completes his senior year; especially when we think back to how bad it can be. BUT, we are so optimistic about our son's future because ABC has given him the tools he needs to cope with whatever challenges face him in the future. We know we will be able to help him with whatever placement because he is a very different person now than he was when he entered this school. At one time we thought we would need to place him in a group home before he became an adult simply because his behaviors were out of control. Now, we KNOW that he will be able to transition into adulthood in a very organic way, and when the time comes for him to move out with some "room-mates", it will be because of a mutual understanding, not because we are unable to control him. His time at ABC is what has helped to make this possible. The workability program has given him a great sense of pride and accomplishment, and when he moves into the transition program as a young adult, he will be ready. We will miss them terribly, and we hope that this helps someone who is looking for a good placement for a child on the spectrum. They know how to help your child.

As an advocate and special educator of 24 yrs, I highly recommend this school. Great, professional…read morestaff. Great atmosphere and powerful learning going on. Age-appropriate skills development

I'm always careful to speak out about Oak Hill School because my son isn't a "typical" attendee…read more He's ADD and not neurotypical, but never tested as on the spectrum. We went through four different public school Special Ed systems in different districts, tried multiple interventions and strategies, but his engagement with the curriculum in public school had ground to a halt by the time he reached seventh grade. Knowing he was out-of-the-box, I started looking for a place where he could thrive on his own terms. He's curious and inventive, but not one for marching to anyone else's drum. The public school system kept trying to "break" him, to make him conform - and I understand why! They have many students and they can't cater to each individual, but if you're trying to "break" my younger son, you'd better come to the table with a lifetime supply of patience and endurance because I've lived with him for seventeen years now and I've yet to see a crack in his persistence. It took eight months to entreat the district for a transfer. Since he didn't test as on the spectrum, they questioned why I thought it was a good fit for him, but within weeks, he was engaging with the teacher and staff. Over the last three years, he's gone from wholly unresponsive in public school to developing his own ice cream business with a fellow student, budgeting and making the product, participating in a Sonoma State University survey of non-neurotypical students to provide feedback for NASA's research on an astronomy course, participating in a student internship at a local restaurant and engaging with his fellow students. The staff and faculty is indeed like a family, as one of the other reviewers said. Only maybe better than most families. I can't speak from her perspective, but from my own, it's a place of tremendous acceptance. A place where the students are valued for their gifts, where they're encouraged to advocate for themselves and aided in expanding into their potential. Finding Oak Hill has truly been a turning point for our family. I found it at a point where I'd begun to despair that my son wouldn't make it out of the public school system in one piece, when the hurdle of high school graduation had felt remote and improbable. He's now approximately a year and a half from graduation and we've discussed college options. He's interested in science and engineering. Finding the right school for our children is SUCH a personal decision and one's experience can vary so much from the next. Many of the schools where my sons struggled were highly ranked. Quite a few of them offered programs I might've loved when I was their ages, but hypotheticals don't translate to the individual needs of our kids. All I can say is, Oak Hill is an incredible place with a staff and faculty of warm, thoughtful people and my son has become more thoughtful and engaged through his association with them.

This has been a wonderful school for my son John. He's struggled for many years, and we found the…read morefaculty to be wildly supportive. Charlie Beavis in particular has been an incredible counselor for John, both academically and spiritually. The positivity and light that radiates throughout the campus has been undeniable. We definitely made the right decision looking back over the past few years.

my daugher graduated from san domenico in 2017 with honors and, as a result, was very well…read morepositioned to select the college of her choice. her san domenico experience was tremendous, and a part of her life that i'm sure she will never forget, especially considering the very close friends she made in the four years she attended. the ethnic diversity sd offered and championed never ceased to amaze me, a diversity that also encompassed international students from every corner of the world. i was equally impressed with sd's willingness to make their tremendous academic program accessible to lower income families, which further enriched the sd experience. having said that, my daughter enrolled at sd when it was an all-girls high school, and her class remained all-girls throughout her time there, as the classes below her began to accept boys due to sd's (controversial) decision to move away from an all-girls high school format. parenthetically, i can't say enough about what i consider to be the enormous personal and academic benefits an all-girls high school can offer. my daughter also attended sd when it was considered a "catholic school", however it could hardly be compared to the "catholic school" sd once was decades ago, which i considered to be a positive. altho we are a catholic family, we had no desire for our daughter to attended a rigidly denominational high school, instead our priorities were focused on the education and academic support she would receive, which sd delivered in spades. now that sd is no longer an all-girls school, i'm sure it's quite a different experience. however i am close friends with two families who have high school age boys enrolled at sd, and they have been very happy with the experience.

We transferred here after two years in a local public school and cannot be happier. The campus is…read moreextraordinary and filled with beauty all around, from the redwoods to the babbling stream. Education with purpose is not only their motto but one they truly live up to. The community and staff are down to earth and kind and inclusive and educated and driven and all around wonderful. They truly shape the minds and the character of the students to be sharp, creative, and conscientious members of society.

As a parent with more than one child at Mark Day School, what continues to stand out most is how…read moredeeply the school truly knows each student. Beyond academics, teachers take the time to understand who children are--their strengths, challenges, interests, and values--and help them discover how they want to contribute to the world around them. Mark Day School builds on basic structures of academic knowledge acquisition and focuses on something far more meaningful: developing thoughtful, reflective, engaged humans. The culture encourages students to think critically, speak confidently, and act with empathy and purpose. Public speaking, collaboration, and self-awareness are woven naturally into daily life, not treated as add-ons. The result is a community of children who are not only capable learners, but genuinely wonderful people--curious, grounded, and a joy to be around. Mark Day has a rare ability to shape students who will contribute to society in meaningful, positive ways, and as a parent, that gives me tremendous confidence in the education my children are receiving.

We were a new 6th grade family joining the MDS community. Our son was previously at Highlands…read moreChristian Schools in San Bruno from 18 months old (They have a wonderful toddler daycare) to the 5th grade. It was great for our son to be entering the 6th grade at a new school with another dozen or so new children from outside schools. The summer buddy family program gave us an opportunity to meet other rising 6th graders and their families. We cannot thanks these parents enough for the warm welcome prior to the start of the school year. In the 6th grade the kids are given their own laptops to be used throughout Middle School. The 6th grade 4 day Outdoor Ed trip to Pinnacle National Park fell on our sons birthday. It was his first time away without any parent chaperones and he loved it. The school dealt with COVID-19 by following the science and took great precautions to ensure the safety of the children. In late March 2019 there was a 2 week teacher training then the kids were back in school via Zoom. We continued to use distance learning in the 7th grade until the winter break when he returned to the classroom. He is now in the 8th grade and we feel grateful to MDS for keeping our kids and community safe. The teachers, administrators and staff are 100% vaccinated as are the students age 12 and older. The kids ages 5-11 are now catching up to reach 100% vaccinated. The high level of education and life experiences our son is getting at MDS has exceeded our expectation. He has made new friends and is excited to be looking at the next chapter of his education, High School. We highly recommend this independent school.

It's been disheartening to watch this school's accelerating slide into mediocrity…read more Things were bad before COVID, and then some new administrators and teachers came in. It looked like things turned around for a year or two, but now they're worse now than before. The one remaining bright spot were the friends and community we built through the school, but now many families we know are pulling their kids out for other schools, or are actively planning on it in the coming year. The school is raising tuition and hoping to scoop up clueless newcomers to area who heard about how great MPMS was in the past, before they realize what it is now.

We have sent all three of our children to MPMS and they thrived, both academically and socially…read more There is a commitment to knowing each student not just for their school work but for their emotional growth and development. MPMS is a hidden gem in Larkspur and I appreciate the commitment the school makes to deeply knowing kids and their needs. The parent/faculty community is wonderful too.

My two boys have gone through Brookside and absolutely thrived. The teachers are ALL amazing,…read morededicated, nurturing, loving, smart, wonderful people who have allowed my children their own voice with just the right amount of guidance. My boys have gone from shy to confident well-prepared for the next step kids. The admin and staff are so strong and supportive of both kids and parents. Brookside has the academics partnered Social Emotional Learning, buddy programs, Special Education (with amazing support for children and families), Stem programs, service learning (Children 4 Change), Outdoor Education, Integrated Reading & Writing Curriculum, Award-winning Music programs, Visual & Theater Arts programs, and more all of this at our beautiful elementary schools. The support for special education is absolutely solid. RVSD schools are top notch in all ways. Thank you for making my children's experience so very special!

I've had kids at two different RVSD schools. Both of them have been excellent. Our experience at…read moreBrookside for the district-wide T-K program was wonderful. The teacher was loving, fun, and incredibly patient with a diverse group of lively 4-5 year olds. The other school we've been at is Hidden Valley and the staff and community there are lovely. The teachers know all the kids, and the Principal not only knows all the kids names, but she knows a good number of the parent's names too. I remember volunteering in the garden after school and she came out to help. Then she thanked me for all my volunteering even though I work full time. She remembered that from a prior conversation, I didn't even recall. The school has a buddy program so kids are partnered-a younger student with an older one. My kids love it.