The afternoon pickup is terrible. The line is always near the traffic light. It takes over 40 minutes to pickup my kids. The altitude of security staff is unbelievably rude. They yell and shout at people. No body should be treated in that way! read more

We love gateways summer school! Looking forward to next summer for another adventure and fun for kids

Excellent education and covid careful. I don't understand the negative reviews. Our kids have done this camp for 2 summers and the teachers teach a lot. read more

My three children have attended gateway summer school for three years. Each year I am dissatisfied with the sign-up process. But the reasonable cost and the quality of majority of the courses offered are worth the pain. That said, my daughter had a horrible (!) experience with a 'investment' teacher who was outright racist to her. Two years ago we dropped 'geography' as my third grader was bored to tears coloring maps ... We have noticed that some courses are not as challenging as my one might wish. We have learned to only take classes that are not offered in our regular school, such as United Nations, electrical science, Architecture, etc. Classes such as writing and math have not met our childrens' expectations. They are basic. Geometry has a great teacher - kids love her course. It is obvious that the courses do not change as children move up to higher classes. Taking for example a math class in first grade should not be followed by taking a math class by the same teacher any of the following years as content is mostly identical. Pick up and drop off are chaotic and made harder through the security staff that 'directs' traffic. The security staff shouts, asks parents to drive off with kids who are not yet buckled, etc. While campus (San Diego Jewish Academy) has security on site it has been surprising that there is neither any formal plan to tackle bullying or other behavior issues in the classroom nor is there a plan for the unlikely event of an emergency. I became aware of this when one of my daughters was bullied in class and when a severe storm warning came up just before dismissal. The children were allowed onto a large open field at the top of the hill despite the thunderstorm and risks associated with it. When the director was asked whether there was a plan to manage any kind of weather warning or other safety issues I was unable to get a response. The director clearly a very well-meaning woman, but politely said short on social graces. read more

Gateways Summer School - Specialty Schools Near Me - San Diego, California

I echo the sentiments of many of the reviewers below. Due to the impacted nature of the sign up process, my daughter had a hole in her class schedule. The school does not offer any oversight outside of classes. When I called to try to work something out, I was told that there was no space and I would have to shuttle my daughter to classes 4 times a day. When I asked for a refund on the steep cancellation fee due to this "catch 22," the director of the school was rude and disrespectful. The director actually hung up on me after I asked for some basic information to assist in the refund process. Buyer beware! read more

After reading several reviews I felt the need to write something. Let me start by saying my 2 kids have been attending Gateways Summer School for 6 yrs now. With that said the registration process for me personally is easier now than it was at first because I do have priority registration (which means I get to sign up at an earlier date than the new families) My kids love it and we look at it as fun academic learning. I allow them to be part of the process of picking their own classes. The only reason I can NOT give a 5 star rating is because I agree the pick up process is a pain. Drop off in the morning if timed right isn't so bad. The under paid traffic control people don't/can't do very much to help. I've watched parents yell, ignore and argue with these people who are attempting to do their job. I've even seen adults/parents be so angry(and I'm sure frustrated) that they have crashed into other cars:( The thing that has helped me stay calm and want to continue to send my kids here is, I get to the pick up line early and have about 45min of peace (I read, listen to a book or eat lunch) the other option is wait till the traffic dies down a little then pick up your kids. The school actually recommends parents to do that and the your kids are in a safe place while waiting. If you hang in there, it does get easier. Just my thoughts from a current GateWays parent. read more

This is the fourth year that our daughter has attended Gateways, and it is the first year for our son. I continue to be pleased with the content and breadth of the courses and the quality of the instructors. However, my husband and I (and many other parents) are upset about the horrible pick up/drop off experience. Gateways' traffic coordinators at drop off and pick up (both front of school and back of school) are UNBELIEVABLY RUDE and DANGEROUS!! It is a disgrace. They shout at people at the top of their lungs to "pull forward" while their young children (my younger child at Gateways is only 6 years old and my older one is 9) are in the middle of getting in or getting out of the vehicle. News flash: Parents are not going to move their cars when their kids are halfway in or out. IT ISN'T SAFE AND THERE ARE OFTEN ONLY A FEW FEET MORE ONE COULD PULL FORWARD! Also not cool that they usher the cars forward as kids are literally CHASING their parents' vehicle. The kids see their parent and try to get in the car but can't because the parents must continue to pull forward. I saw a girl fall on her face because of this. In the future, please look into getting Rent-A-Cops with better dispositions and without God complexes. read more

My children have had an incredible experience at Gateways for four years. Then, when they became teenagers they were hired as TA's for two years and had an amazing summer working experience as well. This is an amazing place for educational, fun, and informative camps. I highly recommend Gateways to any parent! read more

My Children loved it! There are a variety of fo classes and my son has enjoyed all of them. Also, the registration is simple enough. Overall a great experience! read more

The Director said " This school is for highly intelligent children only" after my child complained that the math teacher called some children idiots! The school has no regard for the child and when my child ( gifted by the way) asked questions of the math teacher, he was told he should have listened. Arrogant, non inclusive and really rude Owner/ director. Instead of speaking to me and my child denied teacher would say this. well she did and given the school is held at an inclusive San Diego Jewish Academy, I think school needs to find their way back to teaching children and stop the discrimination against kids that are gifted with special needs. This is called discrimination! read more

In general I was pleased by the school. Yes, enrollment process is tough (have to wake up at 6 am to register on a specific day, and good luck with picking classes if you are not on a priority list - quite stressful), could be improved. But the price for 3 weeks is good, kids like the school (my son even asked if I could transfer him from the public school that he is attending to this school after he went there for the summer in 1st grade;-) Some classes are not challenging enough (all depends on the instructor), but overall a pleasant experience. My dad picks up the kids, so I dont know about horrors of that, but drop off is pretty good, there are several people who direct you - just come earlier not to stand in line, that's it. read more

This school MAY be run by volunteer parents, but those same volunteer parents have LONG forgotten what it is like to try to place children in educational opportunities for the Summer. The registration system is INCREDIBLY non-user friendly, puts pressure on parents to REGISTER FOR ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, just to save a space, then hits parents with steep cancellation fees. Attempting to speak with a "human" garnered additional frustration. Terribly snobby... no empathy.Great school, but good luck getting by the dragons at the gates. read more

A sobering experience, humbling, and shocking. It is perfectly OK to stick to your policy, but the attitude some of the staff showed- rude, arrogant, showing little sympathy - was just so low. I also observed some volunteer-like youth either sitting at a welcome/introduction desk, or walking around, all have something in common - no smile. Hefty, non-refundable tuition for a life experience for my young one - do not expect everyone is going to be kind. read more

Our daughter has gone to GW X 5 years. She loves it and has learned a lot. It takes a while to gain senority to get popular classes, but it is always great to lean new things. The GW program rents out space in a beautiful campus setting read more

This is the third year our children have attended Gateways, and we are pleased with the courses offered, teachers and overall experience. However, the security service that Gateways has hired this year to oversee pickup and dropoff is HORRENDOUS. The security guards have a difficult job, without a doubt, but in prior years they have handled it as well as possible under the circumstances. This year is different. This year, the security guards are EXTREMELY RUDE AND DANGEROUS. Today, I was picking up 5 YOUNG children from camp, following Gateway's recommended curbside pickup procedure. When I got to the front of the pickup line, the children jumped in the car and started fastening their seatbelts. I was turned around watching them to ensure that all seatbelts were fastened. This took under 30 seconds. When I turned back around to start driving, I noticed a security guard standing in front of my car taking a photo of me. When I asked what he was doing, he rudely said that I was holding up the line and he was taking a photo of my license plate to turn me into the head of security. When I explained that I was transporting 5 young children and it took them a few extra seconds to put their seatbelts on, he said, in an exceedingly rude tone, "You can't hold up the line, you need to drive without seatbelts and have them put their seatbelts on while you are driving, IT'S EASY LADY." In addition to this being illegal in California, it is also unsafe, particularly in a chaotic parking lot such as this one. I also echo everything Stella S. said about children chasing their parents' cars as they are told to start driving while their children are climbing in. I have witnessed multiple rude exchanges and unsafe requests between the security guards and parents this year, but today's experience finally pushed me to the point of writing this review. I also plan to report this to the Director of Gateways as well as the head of security. So far, I haven't been successful reaching anyone, but I have left messages. I encourage anyone who has a similar experience to do the same, as childrens' safety is a paramount concern. FOLLOW UP: I received a return call from the Director of Gateways this morning. She was very concerned and understanding. She confirmed that this is a new security company this year, and said she will personally go out to observe pickup and will also discuss this concern with the head of the school as well as the security contractor. Fingers crossed that we see some changes. read more

My twin daughters liked the classes okay, but I noticed they were let out early from their 3rd class (which is supposed to end at 11:50 am), and no one was waiting with them near a busy pick-up area. This is the second time that myself or my husband arrived at 11:48 am and they were waiting alone. They were in tears. No aide, no teacher. I also noticed the car in front of me being waved through by parking security, and the driver did not have a placard. When I called to be released from the next session due to security concerns, I was told by Carolyn Wood, Director, that my earliest opportunity for the Board of Directors to review a documented request would be September. She said "nothing has ever happened here" and the place is "secure." I will try explaining that to my scared twins. At this point we have already committed $500 for session two and I don't know if I can even get a partial refund for this scary experience! read more