Absolutely love this school. My son has thrived and actually enjoys going to school. Both teachers and the rest of the staff have been wonderful. Very involved and caring. I read a few comments complaining about the Biblical views, well, this is after all a Christian School that teaches Biblical truth and not a watered down version of it. Berean actually applies the Bible as God has commanded, so it is appropriate that the school is against certain behaviors and actions. As a parent I appreciate that and my son seems to find it a great place to be. This school is truly a gem for believing parents and teenagers in the Bay Area. read more

I attended Berean for both my freshman and sophomore years, and unfortunately, my experience there was extremely disappointing. As a student of color, I often felt unwelcome and unsupported. Throughout my time at the school, I experienced repeated bullying and racist remarks from other students. Despite these incidents being brought to the attention of staff, little to nothing was done to address the situation appropriately. What made the experience even more upsetting was the clear favoritism shown by staff toward certain students. Discipline and school policies, especially the dress code, seemed to be enforced unfairly. I was dress coded numerous times for outfits that other students wore without consequence, which made the treatment feel inconsistent and discriminatory. The environment at the school became so toxic and emotionally draining that I eventually transferred to another high school because the bullying had become unbearable. Instead of feeling safe and supported in what should have been a positive Christian environment, I felt isolated, targeted, and silenced for most of my time there. In my opinion, the school did not reflect the values of Christianity, such as kindness, fairness, compassion, and inclusion. No student should feel forced to leave a school because of bullying, racism, or unequal treatment. read more

Great staff, loves their students and families. Their students are our hope for the future. Keep your focus/your purpose. Love abounds here. Fabulous music concerts and dramas. read more

I went to Berean for all four years of high school and felt the need to write an objective review. This school is not perfect. That is not a fair standard. Berean has flaws that I was very aware of when I was there. The reason I give it five stars is because when I would hear my friends at public schools complain, none of Berean's flaws seemed even comparable. 1. Yes, they do teach the Bible. Berean is a Christian school. If you really don't want the Bible to impact your education at all, don't look for a Christian school. If you do, then Berean does it perfectly in my opinion. Yes, the teachers have certain beliefs on the more debated elements of Christianity, and even if they didn't take challenges from me and other students to heart, I was always free to politely argue from the other point of view without fear of being shunned. I do align with them for the most part, but I tend to play devils advocate (no pun intended). Any real pushback I ever got was only from fellow students, but never the teachers. 2. Teachers, coaches, and directors. Not sure what ancient drama is in these other reviews, but my teachers, directors, and coaches were incredible. I will refrain from naming names, but a certain math teacher always pushed me to be better, and I hated it at times, but I learned how to keep working even when it feels impossible. A certain AP U.S. History teacher granted me more extensions than I could possibly count. These extensions were the only reason I got more than 2 hours of sleep on Thursdays junior year after I over filled my time with extracurriculars. My AP Lang class had something like a 95% pass rate. These teachers are incredible, and the lessons I learned will follow me through college and into adult hood. My brother was profoundly impacted by his wrestling coach. My sister is a Spanish minor thanks to her Spanish teacher. Some people hate teachers for being "too hard" and Ive never struggled that much, but what I can say is that the hardest teachers were always the ones that (to name a couple specific examples) left their room open every (yes... EVERY) day at lunch and after school for students to get free extra help, or let students come up to them at break and ask questions or get a review of a rough draft. 3. The people. I was one of three of my siblings to go through Berean. My brother just graduated college, my sister is in her senior year of college, and I just started. We all still talk to out Berean friends. My brother is on year six of his relationship with his girlfriend from Berean. Is every single kid at Berean nice? NO! Of course not! Its high school. What I deducted at some point was this: at other schools (based on my birds-eye observations), what is "cool" is often defined by dressing or acting a certain way, giving into peer pressure, and stereotypes. At Berean, (at least in my family's experience with three separate classes), "cool" was defined as being a nice person and a good influence. It didn't hurt to try out for choir or play a sport, but it wasn't necessary. Some people I knew were jerks, but the freshmen didnt see those people placed in prominent positions. The kids that "ruled the school" were the kids that lived out Christ like love. That is ultimately what separates Berean to other schools for me. read more

I transfer to berean my junior year and I could not have been more happy. I was able to further my relationship with God, and the teachers were a big part of that. The baseball coaches are great and really made the experience enjoyable. They invested in me and helped me become who I am today. read more

We are thankful for the quality, Christian education our children are receiving at Berean. Both of our children have had the opportunity to use and excel in their gifts. My son took two AP classes as a sophomore and will be taking four as a junior this year. My daughter was able to use her leadership abilities in student government. It is a safe, learning environment where teens can flourish. It is not a perfect school, but no school is. Teachers/staff genuinely care about their students and see them as individuals. I appreciate that there is accountability as well. The deans are available to both counsel/help students as well as discipline when necessary. read more

My daughter attendes Berean Christian High School. The school has been fantastic! The office staff is friendly and helpful, the teachers go above and beyond, the music and drama departments are out of this world, and the Christian atmosphere is great. Berean was the best choice we could have made for our daughter's high school years. So grateful for the wonderful principal, Dr. Noriega, who leads from a godly heart. Definitely a five-star school! Now, of course no school is perfect. Typically the people who say negative things about Berean are those with a problem with Christianity and its socially conservative values. If you can afford the tuition, sending your kids to Berean is a safe way to guide them in the Lord before they head off to college and are, for the first time in their lives, completely on their own "in the world." PS - Every year there is a fantastic all school retreat to kick off the new year. I went to the retreat as a Chaperone and saw first hand how wonderful the school is, very fun and an easy way to make new friends, and it shows the school's not just about academics but about building a relationship with God, read more

As a Berean graduate who spent all 4 years at this school, I am qualified to tell you that this school is not a good place to send your kids. The teachers are more concerned with outwardly appearing pious than actually educating or preparing students for college. They're were a few good teachers when I was enrolled but all of them left the year I graduated. The kids are just as mean and ruthless as any other school, they just know how to turn on their false charm as soon as a parent or teacher is within earshot. I was bullied physically and had my car vandalized multiple times at this school, and the staff is uninterested in addressing these issues. The Religious doctrine is the last thing anyone should force their child to swallow. It is up to each individual to decide whether or not to believe in a religion. It is counter productive to force children to believe in God, and punish them for asking critical questions or having doubts. As a prerequisite, each student must submit a paper confessing his or her convictions and belief that Jesus is the one true God, and any deviation from this belief during your time at Berean results in being punished as a liar, as they hold true the belief that once a Christian you cannot lose your faith. This type of indoctrination is a fear based one commonly used in places like N. Korea. Also kids who attend this school will be far from socially trained to deal with the real world, where many people do not believe Jesus is the answer to every question. They also don't do school dances because believe it or not, they say outloud that it leads to pregnancy. Since when does dancing always lead to sex? Let alone unprotected sex? Dancing is a fun way to safely explore romance and sexual desire in the presence of your peers, and with adult supervision. Yes unprotected sex is a poor choice for young adults, and many of you foolishly believe protected sex is either unsafe or immoral outside of marriage, but even if you do believe these things, it has been proven many times that abstinence is an ineffective method for preventing the expression of hormones. The best defense against poor choices, is a framework of a possible future that could not happen if a baby were to come into play. For example, a parent who is very involved in helping their child set up a future full of success, and a career path that they will enjoy, and then drop in, you know if you get a girl pregnant or you become pregnant, these goals just won't be nearly as possible, but if you ever do don't be afraid to come talk to me. etc. They also do not allow pda(public display of affection) at the campus. This includes hugging, kissing, and holding hands. So tell me how this is not going to interfere with social development? Trying to ignore the hormonal processes going on within your child, and shield him or her from his or her own body and the world and peers around them is not going to be helpful. In the then they will seek out these things outside the realm of your influence, and will eventually associate the pleasure of sexual desire and romanticism with disobedience and secrecy. Also the school wastes much of it's time on biblical classes that simply pour over every detail out of context and without any historical or empirical emphasis. The bible is taught in the context that each portion is meant literally, rather than focusing on the writer, reader, context, time scale, etc. So when the passages read hateful scripture towards gays, acceptance of slaves, and horendously violent punishments for arbitrary 'sins', the pious teachers simply state that these things are just, and that the only way around it now is because Jesus paid for our sins. Which is teaching the kids that they do deserve to be stoned to death if they disobey their parents, and should ridicule homosexuals as sinners, and to thank their lucky stars Jesus paid it all for them. This is flat out wrong, and more fear mongering to promote christian indoctrination. Thankfully most of the kids in my class that I still keep in touch with have come to realize how pathetic Berean was, and how wrong the school was. Even the few who are still christian recognize that the messages taught here were far from what Jesus ever intended, but most of us are just so turned off by our experience that we just chose to become agnostic, Buddhist, or atheist. Many kids were expelled for simple infractions like listening to linkin park on their headphones on the bus, getting pregnant but still wanting to follow christ, generating too many demerits for small things like being late to class, or for just being black. Seriously, don't send your kids here, it's a very poor choice, and it will reflect on your kids, and on yourself as a parent. read more

Overall, this was a great school for our daughter, who graduated from Berean. No, it's not perfect. No school is perfect. But, on the whole, the environment they create at Berean that goes against the grain of public schools is very good. After going to a public high school, our daughter chose to transfer to Berean for the very reason that it is a Christian school. She had been in an environment where most of the students drank alcohol, did illegal drugs, were having sex and were very open about this behavior, and more than that, mocking of others who didn't engage in the same behaviors. Even though she was very nonjudgmental of others, she knew very few students who chose a different path--to not be oversexualized at too early an age and to avoid drugs and alcohol. Most of the Berean students try to avoid these typical teenage behaviors without trying to seem "pious." At this school, our daughter felt free to enjoy being a teenager without the typical pressures of sex and drugs (and the constant focus on sex and boys treating girls like objects). Most of the teachers at Berean care deeply about their students. I was impressed by so many of the teachers who really loved our daughter. I could tell they wanted her to grow and develop into a critical thinker and a person of character, showing humility, love and kindness to others. Many of her teachers still stay in touch with her and I'm sure will be mentors to her throughout her life. Not all the teachers were this way, (and maybe Berean should look at weeding out the few bad apples), but the overwhelming majority were kind, respectful, caring, skilled at teaching, funny, interesting, humble, nonjudgmental, devoted (above and beyond), and truly loved teaching. Academically, Berean was more difficult than the public school our daughter previously had attended and she felt much more challenged. Again, Berean still has a little work to do with making the academics consistent across all teachers. Some teachers were unnecessarily hard and unfair, and some were a little scattered and disorganized, but overall, I felt our daughter was prepared for college when she graduated. The other staff members at Berean are also very kind. It's unusual to be around adults where the norm is to always show patience and treat others with respect--and not just with other adults, but students as well. When your child is surrounded by people who act not just with civility, but with genuine kindness toward others, they can't help but incorporate this into their personality. Even though this isn't an "academic skill,' treating others with respect goes a long way in terms of getting into college, getting through college, getting a job, and building and maintaining healthy relationships with others. This long lost skill of respect, politeness, and being socially appropriate is critically missing from many youth today. The community outreach impresses me about this school. The students are required to volunteer a certain number of hours every year by providing services to the community. Many of the residents who live near Berean have benefited from the community outreach Berean provides--yard clean up, house cleaning, babysitting, dog walking, students coaching younger kids' sports teams, washing cars, etc. I am a teacher myself and have worked in the public high schools in the area. The respect that I see from the Berean students toward others is impressive and it is a stark contrast to what I have seen from students at public high schools. People are quick to jump on Berean students for various issues, such as driving too quickly through the neighborhood. When we drove and picked up our daughter from school, I never saw a student speeding through the neighborhoods or driving erratically. However, I have noticed that some Northgate students drive through the neighborhood too quickly and at times dangerously. I suspect Berean students are being blamed for these drivers. In terms of the students, our daughter came across more "mean students" at her former high school compared to Berean. But every student's experience is unique. She graduated with a large group of friends--girls and boys--who she connected with deeply and felt accepted by. Her experience was very positive at Berean. While it's not a perfect school (and no environment is perfect), it was much better than the environment she came from and much better than schools I have worked at (public schools). read more

my daughter attends this school and I would definitely recommend any parents considering Berean to visit and observe the school. Don't rely on yelp reviews to make an important decision like this. Some reviews can be misleading for sure. Personally, I am happy with its academic rigor, character development, care for students, and overall emphasis. read more

My daughter has attended Berean Christian High School for the past four years. She will graduate next month. The school has been fantastic! The office staff is friendly and helpful, the teachers go above and beyond, the music and drama departments are out of this world, and the Christian atmosphere is great. Berean was the best choice we could have made for our daughter's high school years. So grateful for the wonderful principal, Dr. Noriega, who leads from a godly heart. Definitely a five-star school! read more

I attended Berean and graduated from the school. It was a wonderful Christ centered place then and now a couple decades later I have very fond memories. My oldest child is attending now and he is thriving. From what I can see the school is even better now then before. It is a privilege to have Berean in this area. read more

My grandson is a freshman and he loves this school. It is definitely for Christians - it follows the teachings of the Bible assuming the students have a desire to grow in their faith and pursue a relationship with God. If you do not believe in the God of the Bible and in Jesus as the solution for sin, this isn't the school for you. read more

I am so grateful to have graduated from Berean. It cultivates such a loving and uplifting community that is so rare to see in most high schools. The teachers and faculty genuinely care about their students and want them to succeed not only in academics but also in character. My AP Calculus class was more of a family than a random group of students. While we prepared for the AP test, we also got to share inside jokes and receive great advice from Mrs. JJ. The friends I have found not only encourage me in my faith but challenge me to be the best version of myself. Often times, you will see Berean alumni come back to campus simply because the relationships they made there have so positively impacted their lives that they cannot stay away. I will cherish the memories I made and lessons I learned at Berean forever. read more

While this school is great for their academics and exposure to a variety of prestigious colleges, they unfortunately only seem to care about their bottom line...which is their 4 year college admission statistics. The communication skills displayed by their office staff are mediocre, at best. My child currently attends this school, we are not new to private Christian schools, as my child previously attended a school that only went through the 8th grade. My child and I had missed the date of registration that occurred a week prior to the first day of school due to a previously planned vacation with our family and it seems that because of this, my child missed out on multiple things..specifically, my ability to order school pictures as well as spirit wear. Picture makeups were conducted a few weeks later and I have called the office staff on several different occasions to inquire how I could order these high school pictures for our family...only to be told, very politely each time, that "they were looking into it and that lifetouch pictures had been in contact with the school to look up the students information, and that I would have an order opportunity soon, I have now made at least 5 calls, each week since only to be given this same line...either this school is dishonest or they simply do not care....either way, these are NOT Christian values for a "supposed" Christian school. And I can imagine Jesus were here, this would not be " what Jesus would do" read more

My daughter attendes Berean Christian High School. The school has been fantastic! The office staff is friendly and helpful, the teachers go above and beyond, the music and drama departments are out of this world, and the Christian atmosphere is great. Berean was the best choice we could have made for our daughter's high school years. So grateful for the wonderful principal, Dr. Noriega, who leads from a godly heart. Definitely a five-star school! Now, of course no school is perfect. Typically the people who say negative things about Berean are those with a problem with Christianity and its socially conservative values. If you can afford the tuition, sending your kids to Berean is a safe way to guide them in the Lord before they head off to college and are, for the first time in their lives, completely on their own "in the world." PS - Every year there is a fantastic all school retreat to kick off the new year. I went to the retreat as a Chaperone and saw first hand how wonderful the school is, very fun and an easy way to make new friends, and it shows the school's not just about academics but about building a relationship with God, read more

Both of my children graduated from Berean and we were very happy with our experience there. Some see the school as over strict and there are always rules that we personally don't agree with in any school or job. But, this I know, the teachers loved my kids and they felt very cared for. As mentioned in another review, there are rules about PDA (public display of affection). Most high schools have those rules,they just don't expect them to be obeyed. I've heard many more students tell me that they are glad for that rule because it makes them uncomfortable when kids are over affectionate. Hey, i'm no prude and I'm certainly not against hand holding but school isn't the best time, maybe. So, please check out Berean Christian, especially if you want your kids really loved by their teachers. read more

A wonderful Christian high school with loving teachers. I'm grateful are daughter has been able to attend there....

This place is amazing. I encourage anyone who is thinking about going here to come here. It's such an amazing environment to be around, God loving people who care about you. My experience here was amazing, I learned new things, I learned God's love for me was never ending and that teachers cared about the students. You're never alone here, you're always loved, always being watched out for, always being cared for. It's inspiring to be here, this school really does do what they say they do. Their curriculum is college based, they teach about God and the Bible, the teachers encourage their students to strive for greatness and much more great things. Before coming here, the thought of my going there was unthinkable. I did not want to come, I wanted to go somewhere else but on the first day of school my opinion changed. I had told my mom, "I LOVE THIS PLACE! I can't think of any other place to be than here!" It's really true. Being here changes lives, it did mine. If your second thinking this place, DONT, give it a shot-keep an open mind because you won't regret it. read more