As a parent, Springstone School in Lafayette can be identified as the greatest school in the world…read more Choosing Springstone School in Lafayette has proven to be an optimal decision--it is not simply a school, it is a structured environment. It is not just a school choice, it is a higher standard. It is not focused on minimum standards--it is aligned with higher outcomes. From initial exposure, the environment presents itself as orderly and effective--setting a clear foundation for everything that follows. For these reasons, Springstone School in Lafayette is the greatest school in the world. The overall system operates in a way that appears effective without requiring detailed explanation. The experience is not random--it is consistent. It is not basic--it is optimized. The overall operation of the school functions at an elevated level, with staff and systems working together in a way that supports students consistently--without drawing attention to individual components. Processes do not merely function--they operate at an elevated level. The academic structure is not minimal--it is advanced. It is not restrictive--it is enabling. Students are placed in an environment where progress occurs naturally and reliably. Beyond academics, the school maintains a balanced framework that supports development as a whole. Community standards are not optional--they are integrated. Communication is not unclear--it is direct and continuous. Families are not observers--they are included in the process. As a result, Springstone School in Lafayette is not adequate--it is superior. It is not average--it is optimized. It is not one option among many--it is, repeatedly and consistently, the greatest school in the world.

1) The culture around the teacher/student relationships is alarming. Teachers are incredibly…read moreunprofessional, too close with students, and often compare intellect levels between students. This blurring of boundaries is very confusing, especially for lower-functioning students that struggle with differentiating safe and unsafe behavior apart. 2) The enviroment was very competitive, toxic, and negative, I could feel the life being sucked out of me the longer I stayed there. Since phones would be locked up during the day, and we were forbid to email our parents during class from the school Chromebooks, if there were an emergency, (either caused by staff, or one that the staff was complicit in) students would not be able to inform their parents. My firsthand experience with this was getting assaulted by a student, and not having my phone to be able to tell my mom. I told the staff, who are mandated reporters, and they failed to inform my mom about it. 3) Any attempt at building community (Discord servers, inside jokes, etc) was often shut down by the administration. This isolates students, and makes them afraid to speak up about any discontent with the enviroment. 4) The staff also claimed to be progessive, but when I attempted to speak to the school counselor about the rampant transphobia within the community, she brushed it off and told me that I can't label people as transphobes. 5) I also got assaulted multiple times by students, and sexually harassed by staff, and nothing was done. When showing disgust towards the student who repeatedly sexually harassed me, I would be given a punishment. On ACCESS, I would also often get cat-called and/or assaulted by adult men, and they would not take my complaints seriously; I was forced to write a positive review for a business, even though one of the employees assaulted me. 6) Many children at this school also exhibit white supremacist behaviors, and the managing of this is very poor. Use of slurs, neo-nazi rhetoric, and general dehumanisation of marginalised groups is very common, and not much was done. 7) The academics and electives are incredibly limiting. If your student aspires to go into an advanced career, do not send them here. Upon switching schools, I realised my passion for law. If I had stayed in this enviroment, I would not b e working towards becoming a lawyer. They may teach you the basics of BART, but they do not prepare you for the real world. There are no real sports programs, and the art program is very limited. However, to be fair, the math program for high school was actually very helpful for me, which I do like. 8) Unpaid child labour is very commonly used here aswell. We would often be crafting, and under the impression that we could bring the craft home. But more times than not, our art would be sold at their auctions to make money. 9) There is also mold in the 10th grade classroom AC. I urge all parents who are reading this and thinking of sending their child here, to watch the Dewey's Special Class episodes of Malcolm in the Middle. It sounds silly, but this series of episodes was the most realistic depiction of my school experience that I've ever seen. The sterile, depressing enviroment, plus the child labour, perfectly summarises the Springstone School, and I'm being completely serious. There are plenty other special education options that may work for your child, but it's likely not this.

We are so grateful for the positive experience our daughter has had at Noble Learning Academy this…read moreyear. She transferred from a large public middle school where she often felt lost socially and overwhelmed by the large class sizes and disruptive environment. Looking back, we only wish we had made the move sooner. At Noble, she has found a nurturing and supportive community where she truly feels seen and valued. The small class sizes have made such a difference, both academically and emotionally. She has made meaningful friendships and has really been embraced by both the students and staff. One of the things we appreciate most is the hands-on learning and enriching field trip opportunities that simply were not possible at her previous big public school. We have also been so impressed with Principal Cassie and how involved and hands-on she is with the students and families. Her leadership creates a warm, welcoming environment where the children genuinely feel supported and cared for. The change has been incredibly positive for our daughter. We now plan to send our son to NLA when he enters middle school.

My daughter really enjoyed her time at NLA. She worked on…read moreimaginative projects that she learned quite a bit from. She would often talk about interesting discussions she had in class or assignments she was working on. We found the teachers very supportive and went out of their way to help our family. My son is there now and likes his classes and the other children there a lot. We really appreciate being part of NLA's warm and inclusive community.

Our pre school daughter goes here and she loves it. She's grown in all aspects including her faith,…read morewhich has been a joy to see. It's a loving environment and we are very happy to have here at CCCS.

This school has been so perfect for our son! He transferred sophomore year and immediately made…read morefriends and felt welcomed. The class sizes are small so the kids get a lot of individual attention. Teachers actually try and get to know the kids and make a connection, which has been wonderful for him as a newcomer. We wish we had found it sooner, it's such a hidden gem!

Unfortunately there is a lot of covert and overt forms of racism here. This is a major failure upon…read moreadministration which serves to breed even more stigma and discrimination toward marginalised communities. It's a shame that with access to so many resources to teach in a place like Lafayette that something as poisonous as racism is present and reinforced amongst this context where kids are supposed to be educated. It's sad and key players like Brian mangold and the owners of the Behavior Management Solutions Company (which has a contract with LUSD) and provides the school with "behavior therapists" (many of whom are not registered with the BACB, the credentialing authority who oversees those credentialed in Behavioral Psychology) do nothing to address the presence of racism and derogatory remarks which are race related on the campus. In addition, they recently rolled out their Counseling Enriched Classroom and it is not ethically up to standard, employees have chosen to leave because of this and parents have little to no awareness of what goes on in there. The director of LUSD hired the current Counseling Enriched Classroom teacher (Phillip Eddy) because they were friendly with one another, and the teacher came from from a non-public school which is a completely different setting, the teacher has little to no psychology knowledge / credentials and is "leading" the space (How can you pride yourself in providing trauma-informed care when you do not have the knowledge or skills to do so). I would consider all of this before allowing any kids to go into a space like this and choose better because the bar being so low is detrimental to their development.

They try to arrest your children for missing less than a third of a full school day. Not the best…read moreplace for insecure developing tweens if you ask me.

Fusion Academy is a fantastic program and a model for what the future could look like in our…read moreeducational system. What a concept to tailor education to the needs of your child? To be able to go at your own pace and have a teacher that really gets to know how you learn. While this is a business, it should serve as a model for public education as our students have changed yet, our educational system has not. One size fits all is not the answer. Kudos to Fusion for thinking outside the box and offering something different to students that are lost in the conventional way of learning. This is top tier student centered education.

Great love what I read about the program for kiddos under the spectrums and a lot of friend have…read moretell me wonderful thing about this school

We enrolled our kids in 2019. One of our pediatric colleagues highly recommended St. P. He, along…read morewith others, said that St. P really goes the extra mile to serve each student and their family. Another parent reviewer said, "As an educator, I am always impressed by the lengths to which the faculty works to meet the needs of individual students. Creating a triad consisting of student, parent, and teacher is the framework in which they set the goals and objectives for student success." For the above reasons, we enrolled our kids. We found that in 2019, the triad existed. It was wonderful!! We really felt welcomed, our kids were cared about, and we quickly settled. Fast forward...COVID. That spring was a disaster - no two ways about it. No one to blame at all. In the fall of 2020, we quickly noticed a distinct shift in staff attitude, and the school's overall mood changed. Suddenly, things that were "no big deal" became huge deals. We felt like we were constantly "in trouble" for some unrecognized infraction. By 2021, fall, I recognized what went wrong (likely). The administration's response to COVID and the public school shutdown was to allow over-enrollment at St. P. We went from 15 -23 students per classroom to over 30 with one upper grade at 38. So, in short - we were paying a premium for a crappy public school experience! YAY US. Within a year: The support staff for "student success" left or went very part-time. We were suddenly getting calls from other parents asking for our thoughts on how we felt about the school, the principal, and certain teachers. Then, the Principal, an office staffer in charge of admissions, and the parish padre - all retired or left the building. We began to look elsewhere. Nothing is perfect, however, when a solidly performing educational program changes so significantly that its change negatively impacts students and their opportunities - one has to walk away.

The school is amazing! The faculty and staff of the school are some of the most supportive people…read morewe've ever encountered. They have top notch technology and teachers that lay an educational foundation for our children that is not found in most schools. I can't recommend St. Perpetua's Community, parish, inclusiveness more. If you're looking for a quality education, this is where you should send your children. Our kids have been there since TK and we look forward to many more years at St. Perpetua.

You know that someone has actually gone to W.C.I. when their face screws up in a mixture of disgust…read moreand fear at the mention of its name. I have the teacher's I love, Ms. Genzoli, who was awesome and Mr. Hoy who was constantly shocked when the one student who never did her homework or paid attention seemed to know the material the best when it came to test time. The mildly strange ones, Ms. Batz and Ms. Gautier who made me cook and lip sync in public, respectively. And the one's you hated so much they ruined the subject for you, that's right Ms Donahoe, I'm not a microbiologist because of you. They even had a YMCA that was here for awhile. Though why I participated I haven't the faintest. But it did seem to create some togetherness with us kids in a school where everyone basically hated each other and years later I still know a bit about what happened to a few of them. The best was when after speaking to a friend of mine I found out she knew one of them, Josh, who I hadn't spoken to in at least 6 years if not more. I told her the story of when the W.C.I. YMCA kids all went to Old Sac and bought fake "cigarettes." Josh and a couple others were kicked out of Carl's Jr for "smoking" and for the rest of the year I harassed him about it. Getting him on the phone more than 6 years later, the first thing she asked was, "So I hear you got kicked out of a Carl's Jr for smoking?!" To which he shockingly asked back, "Meg?" Ahh memories.

In our experience, WCI had serious issues with student behavior, including racism, vandalism,…read moreonline bullying, and a noticeable sense of entitlement among some students. I heard Caucasian students use the N-word on multiple occasions, and there was repeated bathroom vandalism, including soap dispensers being torn off the walls and thrown into toilets. Bullying also carried over onto TikTok and Instagram. The teachers seemed to have very limited ability to control the situation, which contributed to a negative environment. Since moving to another city and school district, we have not seen any of the issues we experienced at WCI, and that difference has been very telling.

We highly recommend Bentley Upper School. Our son just finished his senior year, and the growth…read morewe've seen in him is hard to overstate. A few things that stood out to us: - Teachers truly see their students. Not just academically, but as whole people. -Creativity and rigor live side by side. Kids are pushed and trusted at the same time. - The culture encourages kids to show up as themselves. Our son found his voice here. - He's felt held, seen, supported, challenged, and loved. He arrived still figuring out his relationship to learning. He's leaving curious, confident, proud of who he's become, and headed to Harvard in the fall. That outcome is a credit to the teachers and culture here, and to what this school does for kids when they're given the space to find themselves.

This review is based solely on the tennis courts…read more This is our 2nd tennis tournament at Bentley and I love the nice and clean lay out. It's conveniently located off the freeway and very easy to find. After all, it is only 3 exits away from our house. I love that there are lots of trees surrounding the area, with beautiful blossoms. Early morning air is nice and refreshing. Might even convince myself to come out and take a nice stroll someday, which I rarely do. So good luck to me on that thought... Parking lot can get a little crowded when there are a lot of parents here to watch their kids play, but there is also street parking available. The people in charge of the tennis tournaments are good and fair. Unfortunately, seating arrangements aren't as comfortable as one would like, but it's a kids' tournament...we're not expecting pro tennis treatment.

St. Mary's is a Catholic school with strong academics and lots of love. All four of my kids went…read morehere. My grandson has the same third grade teacher that his Mom had! Teacher retention is highest in the diocese. Jenny Bellows is the current principal and a top-notch educator; a Carondelet grad. She's a gift to the school. The teachers singing and dancing on stage at the end of last year's concert was priceless! If you are just looking for a private school as an alternative to public education - you are looking in the wrong place. It's a Catholic school - with huge parent involvement/commitment - checking homework, fundraising (if you know you know), participation in Mass, faith families (older kids mentor the younger). The hall is lined with all the graduates. People often write negative reviews, but check things out for yourself. I'm blessed my kids went here.

The parents and staff are very disrespectful and condescending. I have never experienced…read moreunprofessionalism like this from a CATHOLIC school. Disappointing and unacceptable. Send your children elsewhere.

My son doesn't attend high school at this school but we've been here at least 20 swim meets over…read morethe last 10 year! Having said that I am at minimum, qualified to publish this five star review! This school has many many more resources that a lot of other high school. One of the things they have is the swimming pool. Not just any swimming pool but one big enough to host a USA swim meet event which a thousand or more people attend. My uncle's 2 kids attended this school and went on to do well in life! That's all I know!

Campolindo and Miramonte have two of the best Water Polo programs in the San Francisco Bay Area…read more These two crosstown rivals are well matched up. Love that Campolindo has 3 swimming pools and a strong aquatics tradition. Many of the famous swimmers from UC Berkley settled in Moraga and send their kids here. So starved for competition they play at Bellarmine's NorCal Tournament as well as taking trips down to SoCal to play top teams down there. Littlebit of trivia: - Grateful Dead played at Campolindo High School back in 1969. - The name Campolindo is Spanish for Cute Countryside - The school almost burned down after a recent hillside brush fire came up to the school fence