We came here to pick up our niece. This was my first time picking her up. The pick up line of cars…read moreis an experience. There is even a line just getting off the freeway. Luckily we saw her as soon as we pulled up. I was worried we wouldn't be able to find her in the crowd. Picking up isn't for the lighthearted.

I had two children attend here. If your child is interested in a career in the sciences this school…read moredoes not prepare them for the way classes are taught at a top tier university. The way in which they test (multiple corrections opportunities) and teach (use of calculators) is the opposite of what they do in university. O'Dowd is focused on the appearance of grades but the grades aren't real. They worry about what they can say about college acceptance rates and types of institutions students are accepted to but they don't actually prepare them for how to study for or take exams properly. It's not worth the cost for the outcome. Maybe if your child is interested in the liberal arts or some general finance degree it's fine. If their focus is to just play sports this might also be your spot. If your child is not a minority likely also fine. If you want them to go to one of the top schools in the nation and survive - this is not for your child. Counseling staff have outdated ideas and a relic leading them all. The school does not offer anything that supports essay writing at school or as part of an assignment as many other high schools of a similar position do. They do nothing that provides value. They provide a place for students to submit their college options (for their tracking nothing more) and provide zero coaching on applying. They do not offer support to those that are paying their wages and keeping the lights on. Look elsewhere. This is not worth the financial investment given the lack of genuine college preparation experienced here. Huge disappointment.

This review is for the auditorium...it is a great venue! The production you can do there is 2nd to…read morenone. The parking was easily accessible. Restrooms were clean. I did not know what to expect. I will admit it is one of the better Oakland schools auditoriums.

We love it at JMSG! Our sixth grader is thriving. She receives so much personal attention and help…read moreto become a confident student. She struggles in math and is becoming a confident math learner. She absolutely loves the emphasis on women's empowerment. This is helping her grow into the kind of woman we want her to be. She participates in musical theater after school and is looking forward to playing basketball next season. What a gorgeous campus, dedicated teachers, and unparalleled curriculum! I'm so glad we found JMSG for our girl!

My 6th grader loves JMSG because "all the classes are really fun and engaging. It is a forest…read morelearning environment with positive teachers and nice friends." The Head of School and the school counselor / wellness teacher welcomes every student at the curb as they arrive every morning! They ask them how they're doing and they answer parent questions. All the teachers are incredibly kind, generous with their time, enthusiastic about their subjects and about teaching middle school girls, engaging, and well qualified. They arrive an hour before school starts in the morning for "cornerstone" when the students can come in and get extra help From them, ask questions, and look over homework. Every week they have special guests and special events, like a whole day dedicated to "words" last Friday, where 3 different authors came in and spoke to the students, and then students got to pick from a variety of literacy-themed electives to attend for the rest of the day. Pi Day was also very fun, with many activities centered around understanding pi and eating homemade pies. At the end of the year, the whole 6th grade class produces a musical. And this year the musical is an original score written by the school's very talented music teacher and a Berkeley Playhouse Children's theater educator and director! We feel very lucky that our daughter was accepted into JMSG and gets to have such a magical middle school experience. She is enjoying learning and is enthusiastic about all subjects. She is excited to go to school every day and takes pride in being completely independent and confident about all her homework assignments.

Great school. Students work hard. Teachers are capable and young. Security is tight. The Leader…read moreof the school is a star. Can't go wrong here. They improved in the face of a serious pandemic to stem the widespread national CoVid slide. They deserve real praise for that work + result.

This is the best Jewish school you can possibly find in SF-East Bay area…read more We have 2 kids in the school right now and another one will start Kindergarten this coming fall. We chose this school after touring several others and could not be happier with our decision. The school serves a diverse spectrum of Jewish community with various levels of observance and cultural background. They provide excellent general education along with Judaic curriculum and immersive Hebrew language studies. They have amazing art and science program, which my kids are very excited about. Aftercare program has a ton of activities to choose from. The classes are small, which allows for more individual attention. Academically, my kids are very different and require different approach to help them maximize their potential. One child, who is enthusiastic about math, is able to take a more advanced math course, while my daughter is able to get extra support to help her with reading fluency and spelling. The entire school community is very welcoming. I can tell that teachers are truly committed to maintaining a warm school environment where children enjoy learning and also thrive socially. My son transferred there from another school, when he started his 3rd grade, and his transition was very smooth. I really appreciate the fact that the school staff is easily accessible for any questions or concerns. We are able to maintain a great communication with teachers and office staff, even though we live far from school and are not present there daily.

Montera is a really good school, the teachers and…read more staff and principals might not always be good but they make it fun to be there and learn most times. I think that it is the people and friends that I made who made it fun to be at Montera.

Montera is a really good school, the teachers and staff and principals might not always be good but…read morethey make it fun to be there and learn most times. I think that it is the people and friends that I made who made it fun to be at Montera.

AS a concerned parent of an 8th grader, I am disgusted at how this school's teachers and…read moreadministrative team behave. On a number of occasions I have met with my daughter's teachers to express concern about her slipping grades. I was told this was due to missing homework assignements. I asked the teachers if they could please notify me if there were any issues before a marking period, as there is no way to check online or follow with teachers (like most modern schools have the capacity of tracking assignments online,) THE SCHOOL HAS NOT MADE IT MANDATORY FOR TEACHERS TO POST HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH IS A SHAME. Teachers are so OBVIOUSLY burnt out at this school, and the administration has their head in the sand about it. At Bret Harte, you are given no tools as a parent to help your child, or know if assignments are missing or late. My daughter went from A's and B's when she started in 7th grade to C's and D's in one marking period - without a single phone call from a staff member. It is very easy to see how children fall through the cracks in the OUSD...Bret Harte is a perfect example of why Oakland Public Schools are a DISASTER. My daughter is lucky because she is NOT going to a public high school here - if she gets lost in middle school, I can only imaging how lost she'll be in high school. I feel sorry for all of these kids whose parents aren't so proactive. Find another alternative...you'll be glad you did!

I began teaching at Bret Harte Middle in the middle of the year last year and did everything I…read morecould to get a spot teaching this year. I'm so happy I did. Teachers continuously push to improve. I am proud to be a part of such a hardworking and intelligent crew! Our students are amazing! They are so thoughtful, interesting and always growing. The diversity of backgrounds here at Bret Harte means we have a wide variety of thoughts, opinions and curiosities. I appreciate that Bret Harte is a micro-model of the community of the Fruitvale area and Oakland!

I am an alum of NLS from a single parent home in East Oakland. From there I went to Marin Academy…read morefor high school, received a bachelor's degree in economics from UC Berkeley, last year I received my MBA from Stanford University, and I currently work at Google. I would not have achieved any of those things without NLS. I split my elementary school years between public school and private school, so I'll speak to what makes NLS special. From my perspective, many schools (public and private) can provide a strong academic foundation. NLS was just as good as my strong public school in that regard. What I gained from NLS is belief in myself that anything is possible. It came from the dreams fulfilled that line the walls, the stories told at morning circle, and from teachers and administrators truly caring about what I wanted to be when I grew up. And in a practical sense, the school provided access, access to the most elite prep high schools in the U.S. Before NLS, I had not even heard of the majority of them. NLS represents a turning point in my life in terms of building confidence, ambition, and knowledge of opportunities that were previously unknown to me.

It's so sad that I have to give this school such a low rating, but it is very well deserved when it…read morecomes to how they nurture 5 year old children. I am writing this review not to bash this school, but to make prospective parents and current parents aware of the principle and the kindergarten teacher Ms. Jennifer and Mr. Peter; the director of student affairs. These three people at this school support yelling and snatching from children. Now this school promotes anti -bullying and respect, however do not display this toward the children. I will give a brief on my particular experience. Ms. Jennifer is one of the kindergarten teachers at this school. She is an emotional wreck and has expressed that she gets very frustrated with the children when they aren't orderly and she admitted to snatching from my child and others. Her reasoning for this was because and I quote "It's the end of the day and I'm dealing with 15 5 year old's and your child has told me multiple times that snatching isn't nice". On this particular day, my child walked out of the classroom at the end of the day crying hysterically. Ms. Jennifer didn't tell me the whole story when I asked why my child was crying, she just told me that she told my child "no" and that made her cry. But the real story of why my child was crying at the end of the day, was because this lady yelled at her and snatched something out of her hand in front of the entire class. When I asked Ms. Jennifer about the incident again she said, " No I didn't yell at her, I just spoke to her in a really mean way and in a really loud voice, honestly I just got really frustrated and yes I did snatch from her". Now when is it ever appropriate as a kindergarten teacher to behave this way? That was rhetorical..... Not ever. I appreciate the honesty, but it's never OK to yell and scream at a 5 year old or snatch. I tried to have an additional meeting with this lady, to try and see if we could move past the situation. She walked out of the meeting like a 5 year old and her supervisor Peter is an enabler because he coddled her like a 5 year old. I guess she can dish it to a 5 year old, but can't take it from an adult. I reached out to the principle about the incident, she sent me some 5 paragraph reply which 3 of the paragraphs was a copy and paste. Non the less, she said she didn't think that the teacher acted inappropriate. She's a joke! Collecting money from the state, acting like she cares about our black babies, but really what their doing behind closed doors, is not what they're advertising. Just be aware!!! Their fraudulent and after 25 years, you would think this Michelle lady would be way more professional and know the difference between appropriate behavior and egregious behavior from her faculty. I definitely reached out to the organization that they are members of and filed a complaint and took my child out of this school. You get what you pay for. I'll take my $1,000.00 somewhere else. My child is so amazing and a blessing to me and so may other people that meet her. I will not let anybody dim her light or steal her sunshine.