Admissions Academy

(38 reviews)

0.2 mi

Dipti is an incredible tutor for physics, calculus, and even college essays. She asks thoughtful…read moreguiding questions that actually make you think, instead of just giving answers, and she always makes sure there's time to pause for me to take notes. Her explanations are concise but still super informative--she can literally summarize an entire unit in a day without it ever feeling rushed or overwhelming. For ACT prep, we only had about a month, and as someone who really struggles with standardized tests, she made the whole process finally make sense. With her strategies and support, I was able to raise my reading score from a 29 to a 35, which I honestly never thought was possible. AJ Tutoring as a whole is an amazing place. Everyone is kind, welcoming, and genuinely supportive, and they even think about the small details like snacks, which makes a big difference during long sessions. I couldn't recommend Dipti or AJ Tutoring more.

We are very happy and fortunate to work with Sophia Sears, the academic tutor at the Los Altos…read moreoffice, for our children's writing and math enrichment. She is always attentive to detail and consistently goes above and beyond to provide exactly what our kids need. Sophia also makes sure to include a "fun" element in her lessons, which is especially important when working with younger children. She actively collaborates with parents, thoughtfully strategizing study plans so everyone is aligned, and she is always flexible with scheduling to accommodate our family's needs. We highly recommend her!

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AJ Tutoring

5.0

(47 reviews)

2.5 mi

We have been using AJ on and off for a few years, and this past year was especially helpful for my…read moreson in his trig class at MVHS. Once his grade started to slip significantly, we reached out to AJ and were paired with Tyler. He was instrumental in helping my son not only raise his grade, but also build the confidence he needed to succeed. He is now helping other students in the class and scoring much higher on his tests and quizzes. We are very grateful for Tyler's support and highly recommend AJ Tutoring.

We used them for AP test prep. Very expensive but quite effective. You should pick your own tutor…read morefrom their website, don't let them assign you a random one.

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Axiom Learning

4.1

(17 reviews)

1.6 mi

I do not recommend this program, especially for families seeking consistent support for children…read morewith ADHD. My son started off with a strong foundation in this program, and for the first couple of months, things felt really promising. But after the holidays, everything fell apart. We were unassigned from a tutor and left waiting on one teacher's return, while the interim tutor had no understanding of my son's needs and just gave him random, unstructured exercises. There was no communication, no continuity, and no accountability. The only meeting we had was one that I had to chase down and schedule. At that meeting, I was told we'd receive a follow-up by the end of March. It's now almost the end of April. I followed up again and was told someone would reach out. No one did. What's most frustrating is that we were sold a program that included regular performance check-ins, progress updates, and personalized support tailored to my son's executive functioning challenges. We completed all the onboarding and surveys with that in mind. None of that actually happened. The gap between what we were promised and what we received is massive, and this is after paying thousands of dollars each month. We were sold a dream: a well-rounded, thoughtful, and attentive program. What we got was inconsistency, poor communication, and a lack of care during a time my son genuinely needed reliable support. Parents, please be cautious. If you're looking for structure, follow-through, and actual accountability, I would not recommend working with this business.

Warning! Something has significantly changed with this company, and I am warning families to be…read morecareful with signing up for automatic payments or subscriptions. After cancelling our subscription, due to the issues listed below, we were told the payment would be refunded. Instead, they billed the next session to our credit card. After multiple attempts to reach someone with the authority to refund both payments, I finally called the credit card company to dispute and stop payment. Again, with many many emails and unreturned phone calls, even to the CEOs, the bank was able to settle the dispute after almost 6 months. The owners may be Harvard Grads, but something does not feel quite right, and they do not seem to be active in the business. After a year of sessions, I asked for an assessment of our daughter's progress. We received what seemed like a lot of "mumbo jumbo" of data and words, without evidence of progress that we could track. Within a week following the assessment, our daughter's tutor, with whom she had built a good relationship, was let go. With no notice, she was assigned a new tutor, and the only time slot they could offer was late Friday evening. We decided it was not a substantial value, so we cancelled. Eventually the site closed.

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Green Ivy Educational Consulting

4.6

(37 reviews)

0.1 mi

I am so grateful for the support and insight that my family has received from Green Ivy. Ana and…read moreBrandon worked remotely with my college-aged son to help develop his Executive Functioning and to provide structure during a challenging period. Using weekly Zooms with Brandon, my son's organizational and planning practices improved significantly (with an accompanying boost in GPA). Ana also provided helpful support and resources to me as the parent. We truly appreciate their expertise and support!

Thoughtful, insightful, thorough, and able to give a little tough love when needed! College apps…read moreare a nightmare, but Green Ivy really guided our son through the process, gave extra assistance where necessary, and helped him achieve his goals. He was accepted to one of his top schools and we couldn't more pleased!

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Our entrance

Mr. Test Prep

It was divine appointment that we found Mr. Test Prep. I…read morealmost never use Yelp anymore to search for anything (sorry, yelp!) but I came on here just to see if there was any SAT prep service that could help my son. He had already sat for the SAT in his 10th grade, and had a decent 1550 score, but we wanted to see if he could improve it. Mr. Test Prep's approach and clear value proposition really stood out to me in the sea of the multitude of tutors and SAT prep services. We gave it a try, our son Ethan loved Michael's style, and format, and it was a good fit for our family's needs all around. Ethan sat for the SAT again in a few months of working with Michael, and his score was perfect. Of course, everyone's mileage may vary. For us , it was a match made in heaven :) Thanks, Michael

Online only tutoring. My understanding is that Mr. Test Prep used to be great when he had kids come…read moreto his home. Now it is entirely online. My son (who actually does well with online learning) did the trial and felt he could do better on his own. I eventually got someone who did in person tutoring. In my experience, a lot of these online classes and tutors benefit the tutor but not the students. If you have a student who does well with online teaching, maybe this is okay. But if you want to pay big money, make sure you get results. For our family, the benefit of taking the SAT over and over was good. But not having any human interaction with the tutor or peers was not good. My son eventually scored a 1570 but with an in person tutor and taking the SAT five times.

At Mr. Test Prep we aim to elevate more than a score!

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Mr. Test Prep incorporates mindfulness practices into his test prep program.

Sylvan Learning of Los Altos & Mountain View

5.0

1.3 mi

When I found Sylvan, we were very concerned about our child's progress in math due to a concussion…read morewhich had caused her to miss several months of school. She had months of work to make up during the summer and was struggling in class. We had tried multiple tutors from other places but done had made a difference. In fact, she was beginning to doubt her abilities due to the situation. Sylvan Learning Center saved the day. Really. She went from a C- and hating math to a B- within a month, then to an A. She currently wavers between an A and A+! We are so thankful and highly recommend this center. She will be taking summer courses and high school prep with them as well.

My daughter's math skills have improved since she joined the program, as reflected in her school…read morereport cards and teacher feedback. I asked her if Sylvan has helped, and she said yes. More importantly, she has been enjoying the sessions with the tutors. Thank you, Vincent, Steven, and other Sylvan staff!

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Mathnasium

(13 reviews)

1.4 mi

It has a lively environment for kids to learn and enjoy math. My son is 5 and he always can't wait…read moreto his next lesson, a good indication of the enthusiasm and dedication of the instructors at this locations. All staffs are exceptionally friendly and helpful, accommodating when I needed to reschedule sessions.

I can't say enough good things about this place - it's super well-run, the tutors are all excellent…read moreand most importantly, my kids are learning. We've been enrolled for over one year, come religiously twice a week, and my kids still love coming here. The staff knows how to motivate kids and keep learning fun. When kids feel happy, passionate and energized about learning, it makes a big difference and Kobad and his team of talented tutors have cracked the code in doing this. I have 2 different types of learners, and Mathnasium knows how to cater to each child's individualized needs. I have one child who has always been super strong at math, understands concepts quickly and retains information well. Through the efforts of Mathnasium as well as our own support at home, this student is now in the accelerated math program at school. My other student is a little less diligent, often makes careless errors and is more of an average math student. However, he is now in the top math group too for his grade. Kids may do their math homework here and the tutors will help them, but I don't usually have my kids do this unless they are feeling overwhelmed with the amount of schoolwork they have that day. Usually, I want to spend our time there learning Mathnasium's curriculum to make sure kids are getting incremental learning opportunities in addition to their school's content. While my kids go to an excellent school, I feel math in CA feels a little behind compared to other states (esp east coast states) and certainly behind that of many other countries. Mathnasium gives me peace of mind that my kids are being appropriately challenged. My parent philosophy on Math is that just like anything else, the more practice and exposure you have, the better you become. Overall, I am very happy esp because the kids never complain and are very happy to go twice a week. They have made friendships with the tutors and speak about their Mathnasium "friends" often at home. We highly recommend this center.

National TriMathlon Competition

Welcome to Mathnasium of Mountain View-Los Altos

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Dr. Kobad Bugwadia, Owner and Center Director

Elite Home Tutoring

(84 reviews)

6.4 mi

Certified professionals

Free consultations

Arthur is a great tutor He is knowledgeable, flexible…read more And caring . Very devoted Tutor . Highly recommended.

My granddaughters were having some math problems in school, grades 6th and 7th grade. We were set…read moreup with Ruby, and she is very knowledgeable, and the girls are learning more from her than their school. We have had other tutors from other companies, but they seem to favor Ruby and thinks she is the best!! Now school is much more pleasant as they feel more confident in their skills.

We provide tutoring at the elementary level as well.

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We tutor all subjects K-12.

Think Academy

(80 reviews)

6.8 mi

My kids go to this location and really like the experience. The teachers are engaging. The staff is…read morevery patient and supportive as well

Nice place for kids to learn extracurricular maths. The teachers are very professional and…read moreattentive. The books have cute characters. Kids love receiving point cards after each class!

Classroom

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Lounge

AJ Tutoring

(24 reviews)

1.6 mi

Great coaching. Structured methodical and patient. The instructors are fantastic worth every…read morepenny.

My daughter works one-on-one with UPUSH tutor Matt Pickup, and we could not be happier with the…read moreexperience. Matt brings deep knowledge, excellent teaching materials, and a highly effective approach to tutoring. He is an exceptionally qualified professional. Thanks to Matt, AP US History has become far more engaging for my daughter, and she showed impressive results from the very first session. Her overall performance in junior year has also improved as a direct result of his guidance. Thank you, Matt, for sharing your expertise with such dedication, passion, and care. We truly appreciate your work and highly recommend your services.

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Building Kidz of Palo Alto

(70 reviews)

3.1 mi

Certified professionals

Women-owned & operated

We are so grateful for the incredible care our baby, received at Building Kidz Palo Alto. From day…read moreone, the infant teachers welcomed us with warmth, patience, and genuine love. They truly made us feel at ease and supported every step of the way. The team went above and beyond--providing daily updates, celebrating every little milestone, and treating my baby with so much care and attention. It was clear they saw him as more than just a baby in daycare--they treated him like family. My son has developed so much during his time here, and it's bittersweet to be saying goodbye as we prepare to move. We will always remember the loving foundation Building Kidz provided during such a special stage in his life. Thank you to the amazing infant room team for everything--you've left a lasting mark on our hearts.

We moved to Palo Alto for 2 months last spring and enrolled our 13m and 3.5y old sons at Building…read moreKidz. My 3.5 y old has been very happy in the school, since the very first day. He did tell us often that it was his favorite school. The teachers and staff are dedicated, warm and caring. They were always available to comunicate with us; and also worked hard to help our sons integrate with the classmates, despite our short stay. Both sons bonded well with the teachers; it has been hard to say good bye! When we left we got a card signed by all the teachers, the director and the assistant director. We are grateful to everyone for the wonderful care that our sons received, despite the short stay.

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Building Kidz of Mountain View

4.5

(71 reviews)

2.9 mi

Certified professionals

Women-owned & operated

Safe, happy and communicative staff…read more My daughter was at BKMV for 7 months starting year 1. I have nothing but positive things to say about the staff at BKMV. 1. I haven't experienced the kind of empathy that BKMV teachers and admin staff extend to parents before. They are very understanding of a working parent's life, concerns and trepidations. Always have something positive to say at pick/drop-off, overshare the day's activities, lots of photos and have always had someone pick up the phone at the office if I had urgent questions. 2. The campus is well fenced with good security through access codes, kids are never alone. I felt very secure in the knowledge that my baby is safe and watched after, in a clean and maintained environment 3. Teachers are happy. And it makes a difference in how they work with children. All in all if I didn't have to move cities, I'd continue with them till my baby was ready for school.

My daughter went to BK for two years, starting at 9 months old. In our search, we were specifically…read morelooking for a center-based daycare, small class sizes, and a warm environment. Class size is small in the infant room but I did not pay enough attention to the older classes. My daughter's last class (started at 23 months but not sure of the age cutoff) had 24 students with 3 teachers at one point and I believe it's down to 18 students with 3 teachers now. My daughter was getting sick very often and I wish I'd been more mindful about class sizes in the older classes in choosing her daycare. However, I think this is the price you pay when going for a center vs. in-home daycare. When touring BK, I noticed the admin seemed to know some of their students by name. My daughter had serious stranger danger so, a caring environment was a must. I was blown away specifically by Ms. Maria. She works mornings in the baby room and is the first teacher on site. If dropping off your child before 8:00, children go to Ms. Maria's room. My daughter's transition to daycare went well because of Ms. Maria. And by "well," I mean she stopped crying at drop-offs after a few weeks. Considering her strong stranger danger at the time, this was HUGE. I cried in my car the first time my daughter reached for Ms. Maria. But, I knew my daughter was comfortable so I was also very, very grateful. Two things I wish I asked about during the tour: 1. Allergy procedures 2. Teacher turnover 1. My daughter had a mild reaction to dairy. This was a new allergy at the time and was not yet confirmed by a doctor until after her start. We did inform the center of her allergies regardless. The center confirmed that this was added to their allergy list. However, my daughter was given dairy two days in a row. The second time being more bothersome, warranting a call home. The admin response was to send our daughter to school with food from home on the days when dairy was being served. However, their menu does not list allergens within the foods so we were guessing which foods did and did not have dairy. We were wrong a few times so we asked about including allergens in the menu. This was the managers reply: " We understand that when it comes to food allergies, we must take all precautions to avoid allergic reactions to products. When ordering in bulk and when the products are unavailable, we sometimes have to source some products from local stores. This can make it challenging to list allergens on the menu ahead of time." We were also told per the manager, Raji, that they would "check if adding any information to the menu is possible." No information was added. 2. The teacher turnover rate seems pretty high. At least 10 of my daughter's past teachers no longer seem to work there. And changes happen without informing the families, nor are there introductions, so there's always new faces in the rooms. Not sure if this is the norm in other centers or if teachers are unhappy at BK. Pros: - a handful of caring teachers - extracurriculars: yoga, soccer, and music (all of which my daughter LOVED) - academics in the oldest class (my daughter wasn't in this class but I've met a couple students from this class. They were certainly kinder-ready) - app with photos/videos/summaries of what students are learning and doing -- though very inconsistent. I'm not sure how often summaries are sent but at least once a month (photos are shared daily)

Don't miss our Spring Saving offer!

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Practicing our Spanish.

Baby World

4.5

(39 reviews)

3.0 mi

Locally owned & operated

30 years in business

Don't hesitate with Babyworld! Run and find teacher Elvie and teachers. They have taken care of…read more both my kiddos starting as early as 3 months old. The care and the love toward our kids, I have no regrets. As well, the location makes pickup and drop off incredibly easy!

My son attended Babyworld for 2.5 years, from ages 1-3, and we had a wonderful experience with…read morethem! All the teachers were so loving and kind. They always greeted us warmly and looked happy to be with the children. I appreciated how they spoke positively about my son, sharing how much they liked him and what he talked about during the day. They communicated his likes and dislikes with me regarding his diet so I could plan accordingly. I could feel their love for him. I also appreciated how engaged they kept the children with various activities such as cooking, painting, arts and crafts. My son really enjoyed his time there. Also, their holiday parties are the best! They go all out and make it so fun for the children and the families. They brought Santa for Christmas, bunnies for Easter, and a train for Halloween. Such a fun experience for everyone! We really miss all the staff and my son still mentions how much he misses his teachers and asks to go back. I highly recommend them!

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Los Altos - Mountain View Children's Corner

Locally owned & operated

My first impression was that this is a good place as it sits in a quiet neighborhood, the ratio is…read moregood, teachers look nice. But something happened in the tour changed my mind. During the tour of the 3-year-old class, I saw a teacher holding a cup of steaming hot tea without a lid, walking through a group of children and even hugging two of them. After entering the classroom, the teacher put the tea on a cabinet, which was fine. But a little later, she moved the hot tea to the table where the children were having snacks. I questioned the tour guide on the spot, and was told that the school provides complimentary drinks for teachers every day, and that this poses no safety risk since they've never had an incident where hot water was spilled on a child. This response shows that the school prioritizes not offending teachers over children's safety.

Just finished our first year at Children's Corner. We loved it for many reasons. As a parent with a…read morepandemic toddler, I was very nervous sending my son to school. But the school was great about enforcing their policy and teachers maintained a very clean environment. The teachers were loving, as were the substitutes. My son is trilingual and there were teachers that could communicate in all 3 languages. That was great. I love how each grade has its own play area. Mix up Fridays are fun so kids could explore other play areas. We looked forward to the activity of day table every morning. Each day was an amazing creation. For my 2 year old, I couldn't have chosen a better school. I toured all in the area and after careful evaluation we landed at this school for many reasons and very happy with that choice. We opted for 5, half days and it was perfect for my family and work/life balance.

We are an NAEYC Accredited Preschool

The Light Table is always a favorite!

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Soapy water fun!

Happy Face Family Childcare

5.0

2.2 mi

there's daycares and then there's happy face family childcare, they're not comparable, Jenny is the…read morebest, an absolute treasure of a caretaker and teacher. my son Miles graduated from happy face 8 months ago and he still talks about how much he loves Jenny almost every day. we've used a number of daycares and no one gives the children as much love, attention, and lessons as Jenny. if Jenny has space for your child, you should take that spot immediately because you will never find a better place.

I am so happy to leave this review for Jenny and her staff. I found out about Happy Face Family…read moreChildcare from Yelp, and my friend also recommended it. It was very easy to communicate with Jenny on Yelp. We scheduled to visit the place before enrolling, and I was impressed at how clean and kid-friendly everything was. There were vacancies, so we enrolled immediately. It was our first time taking to kids to any kind of childcare, so Jenny understood us very well. She texted us pictures of the kids during their first few days there, which put us at ease. Seeing their happy faces in the pictures brings truth to the name of this daycare! Jenny cooks very healthy food for the kids - much better than the cafeteria-type foods at large daycares/preschools. She also sends weekly e-mails with pictures of the kids, of the meals, and of the activities that the kids do during the week. I honestly miss this very much! On special occasions, she sent videos of the kids singing songs. Whenever we picked up the kids, the kids were always happy. We were very, very comfortable with Jenny and her staff. Her staff were just as loving and caring as Jenny. It was also the sweetest thing to hear our children singing "Twinkle, Twinkle" in Mandarin when they're at home! My favorite thing about Jenny is all the love and attention she puts into caring for the children. She treats the children like her own. Jenny is so cheerful and upbeat. No wonder the kids are happy! We owe Jenny many thanks and hugs, and we miss her very much!

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SquareCare Montessori Loyola Corners

(5 reviews)

2.3 mi

My daughter went there for 2 years from ages 2.5 to 4.5. For majority of the time, her teacher was…read moreRoberta, a very seasoned Montessori educator. Angela was her teacher for the last 6 months. My daugher was extremely attached to the centre and she was always looking foward to go to her school everyday, even after weekends/breaks. There is a large yard to play with several playstructures, sand pit, toys, chicken coop, a turtle (kimi) and an ocassional visitor bunny from the other centre. SquareCare has very personalized program for every kid with constant feedback from the educators. The teachers are very patient, gentle and kind. The facility maintains the house very neatly. The activities are well rounded - from cooking to music lessons to yoga The curriculum is also great and challenges the kid aptly. After she turned 4, she quickly started picking up math (addition, subtraction and volumes) and language arts (upto 5 letter words with phonics) We are extremely grateful to SquareCare for having taken care of our daughter beautifully in her formative years.

Square Care Loyola Corners is wonderful. Roberta is genuinely caring, kind, and attentive to the…read morechildren. They have a good balance of exposure to Montessori work, while allowing the kids ample time to simply explore through play.

Student A mastered the Cleaning Glass activity

Student B was focused on a book.

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Student A worked with Gluing

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2 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

J J.

12 years ago

Don't be swayed by the Stanford degree or the admissions director's experience. Kathy is warm and nice, but she makes the student do most of the work and she is there to answer questions. She didn't keep us on track nor did she remind of deadlines. Most of her information was from college admissions books I've already read. Nor does she have any strong opinions and stays very neutral, so it keeps you wondering if you are on the right track. Plus, her recommendations for tutors are weak. My child could have gotten into the colleges without paying for her services. She seems familiar with only a handful of colleges. I guess I'd rather have a counselor who has new ideas for me and tells me something I don't know. I feel like we could have saved the money and simply asked experienced parents our questions. Since she is a nice person, I don't want to give her one star, but I would not recommend her for a college counselor. Maybe she needs more experience but do you want to be a guinea pig? read more

I Q.

9 years ago

Kathy doesn't have enough experience and gave us misinformation in her "counseling". If your child needs help with literally completing applications, she is okay, but her advice for essays and general advice for colleges was deficient. She isn't too opinionated; maybe doesn't want to get blamed or doesn't know. She wasn't familiar with the many colleges besides some of the mainstream ones. We paid thousands for a college counselor who is neutral in opinions instead of having opinions to guide us. We needed guidance from someone with experience and would not recommend her at all. Choosing the right college is such an important decision and I feel we made a huge mistake in working with her. read more

Admissions Academy - testprep - Updated July 2026

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Sequoia Academy

3.8

(12 reviews)

Just putting my two cents out in the world! Sequoia carried me through high school, helping me get…read moreAs across all my classes, yielding me a perfect score on the ACT, and allowing me to qualify for the AIME math contest as well as the Jane Street / ATF contest. They also got me into multiple T10 colleges, as well as EVERY UC with Regent's honors at nearly all (incl. Cal's Regents award). The folks here care about each student's individual growth and success and I cannot recommend them more. As an adult I can look back and say that Sequoia set me up for success, so THANK YOU !!

I can't thank the teachers more since they are not only tutoring kids but also helping kids to be…read morebetter people overall. I am a single parent with lots of stress from work. Sequoia Academy have my totally trust and believes. I felt so lucky that I found them!

Russian School of Mathematics - Sunnyvale

3.3

(29 reviews)

If i have a chance, i would grade them -1. The teachers are very rude and instead of explaining in…read morethe class, they skip doubts. Never checks completed homework and relies on parents to do their work. Shame on them. They are all scam. Stay away from this place. Experience with our 2nd graders.

This school is inconsiderate and profit driven as they raise the price for their classes during the…read moretime when everyone is struggling with the pandemic. They come up with devious ways to get money out of their students by requiring non-refundable fees. Overall, very unhappy and disappointed in this school. All this school cares about is money, not educating children.

The Girls' Middle School

(14 reviews)

GMS was transformative for not only my daughter, but for so many girls. I cannot say enough amazing…read morethings about the school--the dedication of the teachers and staff, the special culture, and the pedagogical excellence. My daughter thrived in high school--not just in math, science, and the arts--but at being able to ask questions, advocate for herself, try new things, navigate conflict, seek mental health help when she needed it, and be fearless.

The Girls' Middle School is an incredible 6-8 school for girls. My daughter is absolutely thrilled…read morewith everything GMS has to offer. The school focuses on girls at an age that can be challenging for many, and thus really excels at creating a fully inclusive and exploratory environment. Every role at the school is filled by a girl, and the faculty is superbly hands-on with embracing all the growth ahead of girls at this age and encouraging them to try new things and discover themselves. Some stand out things for me: the Entrepreneurial Program in 7th grade involves girls founding their own company, developing a real product, working with mentors from the business community, selling their product, and pitching to VCs from the industry, while tracking all of their operational costs. Amazing preparation for the future! GMS also teaches Computer Science across all three grades, offers surfing and skateboarding experiences, woodworking and metalworking, and a strong Spanish program. The school has a full athletics program (softball, soccer, basketball, cross country, swimming, tennis, volleyball) as well as many other after-school activities that can keep your daughter very busy: school musical, homework club, art, robotics, and many more. Academically, as well as Humanities and the aforementioned Computer Science and Spanish programs, the school's math curriculum includes the equivalent of a High School Algebra I course and an optional Geometry class in 8th grade. GMS does not focus on grades and the stresses this brings, but rather builds up strong narrative evaluations over time, fostering a love for learning, and continues to give parents great insights into how their children are doing. The school also has dedicated classes for SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) which has helped my daughter so much in learning about her feelings and her place in the world, and developing a rich set of perspectives. I enthusiastically recommend The Girls' Middle School. It is often overlooked by parents focused on finding a K-12 or 6-12 school "I don't want to go through applications again!" but it's very clear from talking to many alums that girls' preferences change a huge amount by the time they are 14, and the school that might seem a good fit for them at age 11 might not be the school they'd be happiest at by age 14. GMS is recognized by many private high schools in the area, and also prepares them extremely well should your daughter join a public high school.

Lumen Learning Center

(7 reviews)

My daughter was extremely apprehensive about tutoring so when I mentioned this in our initial…read moremeeting, Louise assured me that she would be in good hands. She made an assessment of my daughter and based on her personality, matched her with Natalie. Natalie is one of the most outgoing people you will ever meet! She takes extra care working with my daughter, who has an extremely limited attention span. She makes herself available throughout the week via email, phone or text at no extra charge. She always puts in extra time for us and is extremely flexible with scheduling. In all, I am so glad I found this place. All of the tutors are friendly and they treat you like family! We tried a couple of other places before coming here and each one felt like a business. This place feels like home! They have good Wi-Fi via Xfinity and I can get work done while I wait. I highly recommend Lumen for their expertise and care.

TL;DR - highly recommended: individualized attention, caring and knowledgeable, great results…read more Louise and her team were a Godsent. My son was struggling with his school work in 8th grade: he was disorganized and confused, and had such a backload of assignments he didn't know where (or how) to start. I tried for months to get him on track myself, helping him with his homework, preparing for quizzes and tests. Nothing seemed to work. In a moment of desperation I asked around for recommendations and a number of neighbors suggested Lumen Learning Center. I talked to Louise and she put my mind at ease. She worked with both my son and his school, and came up with a plan of action. With infinite patience she (and Melissa and Gabe) guided and taught him, and slowly things began to turn around. After months of hard work my son finally graduated from Middle School, thanks to Lumen Learning Center. Louise took a boy who was unmotivated and full of self-doubt, and prepared him for academic life in High School. I cannot recommend their services enough.

Russian School of Mathematics - Mountain View

4.0

(12 reviews)

I am a real student, I know what's going on in the class. So I have to say screw RSM. Mean teachers…read moreand old fashioned learning, it's just terrible with no real benefit, it's far removed from the actual courses you will be taking in school. Don't come here.

Russian Math is great. They keep the kids on top of their math learning and way ahead of what they…read moreare doing in public school. I really have nothing negative to say. From what I see at drop off they are well organized and have a nice operations process. Parents cannot enter so I have no idea how the classroom is run. The only negative is the congestion in their parking lot at drop-off and pick-up so I now go to the side street and park there. Much easier.

McAuliffe Schools

(20 reviews)

We have 2 girls in k and 2nd grade at McAuliffe, both love school and flourish here. Its our 3rd…read moreyear with the school. We as a family love the school, each teacher and IA that we've had here are absolutely amazing, they see each child - their strengths and challenges they work with the children, they seem to love what they do and it is reflected on the children. The respect, social emotional support and collaborative environment is truly exceptional, one of a kind, and I see how it allows children the emotional availability they need to focus learn and thrive. The parents involvement makes it a village, and I believe- it takes a village. Aiding on campus and in their classrooms, has strengthened my connection with my children and their friends, and their friends' families. The community is amazing, we share similar values, and as a family we feel surrounded with like minded people. We help each other and each other's children, we notice them we pay attention when they are struggling or sad and we support them with tools we learned from the School's unique parents training program, where we learn to communicate to get cooperation and support kids confidence and well being, help navigate more tricky social situations that otherwise could have had a big impact on our kiddos'.. The training I got here has helped me become a better person and a better parent, feel more capable solving conflicts and support children resolve conflicts, teaching them essentially how to listen and how to help others feel heard, how to come up with thoughtful solutions by themselves, and execute them, to eventually learn how to resolve conflicts on their own.. I wish I learned that when I was a child. Academics alone does not have the impact that critical thinking and communication tools and independent problem solving have on a person's well being and success in the world. So schools that teach both have a huge advantage in my view. The academics here taught thoughtfully while using variety of elements for kids to grasp a deeper understanding and a strong foundation that is not relying on tedious memorization, but on curiosity and learning by experiencing. After hearing from alumni children it sounds like that type of foundation they got here gave them an edge over their peers in a more fast past complex academic environment. Win win :) This school is a gem! Highly Recommended!

This school is a gem in the CUSD…read more - very low risk of bullying. Bullying happens anywhere and in a setting where doors are closed (most schools), it's hard to stop it. At McAuliffe there are eyes and ears everywhere (teachers, parent volunteers, Ia) , so this behavior is stopped very quickly - risk taking. This is one of the pillars. In first grade, for example, I saw kids raising hands asking for help with spelling during writing class. The teacher told them to write the first draft using everything they knew (phonics) and not to stop because they didn't know how to write a word perfectly. (The teacher showed them the correct spelling in the second draft). This is brave spelling and another example where risk taking is encouraged in every curriculum - small group teaching helps kids learn better. In other schools, it's 1 teacher for 20 some kids. My friends have volunteered one day in their kids' class and they were horrified: Kids unable to focus. Literally one student was disturbing the class every 5 seconds. Both my friends felt sorry for the teacher.

AJ Tutoring

4.7

(37 reviews)

Dear Janet, Our son was admitted to Purdue University last…read moreFriday. I can't stress enough that it was a big success from your tutoring on his SAT and all the essays including additional essay that he wrote to Purdue after university deferred him. Big thank you for your support and encouragement to our son! Will always refer my friends to your tutoring! Best regards, Natalia Belova

Christine R was my son's College essay tutor. She's not very responsive. Even recently my son sent…read moreher email share that he got admitted to a very good university and to appreciate her, she didn't respond. When you pay someone $180 per hour, you expect more professionalism.

Los Altos High School

3.0

Daughter is now a Junior. Principal Wynne Satterwhite is…read moreoutstanding - I seldom meet such a hard worker. I know she works long hours and have amazing memory for many of her students!! Her counselors, teachers (e.g. Messner, Arias, Russo,Blach,Wei,Cathy) badminton coaches all deserve medals of honor!! Daughter started 2017. She liked all the teachers. Great facilities. All teachers I met seem dedicated and nice. I like their "Challenge Day" where kids are taught to be nice to fellow classmates. I'm glad I volunteered for the 3 days they brought pioneers/captains of different industries to educate kids about their professions and how they succeed in life and how to avoid bullying by appreciating fellow students, some of whom are hurting inside. I learned a lot from these lectures.

As a parent, I have seen concerning things said about Los Altos High School. I have heard concerns…read moreof inappropriate relationships in school. Racism seems like a big problem and there is not much action on the staff's part to resolve the problems this kind of inequality creates. I had to pull my child out of this school, she was having a very hard time socializing with the kids and getting along with teachers. Do better Los Altos.

Green Ivy Educational Consulting

4.6

(37 reviews)

FLEX College Prep - Cupertino

3.1