Feb. 18, 2016 This…read moreschool is good, and this is reference to my experience. My child has been here for 3 yrs now and has been thru a lot of ups and some downs. I believe that the school can be better if there were certain staff members that would be more professional. This is off topic but let me continue. So there are two lanes going in to the school, but starts as one when you enter the school property. right lane is for the dropping off/picking up, then the other lane is to drive on until you get past the dropping/picking area and park. Its NOT professional when the staff is telling you, "you can't leave your car here", in the lane where you are picking up your child that you can go get your child in under a minute and be back before you know it. (When there is no one there.) But the next day and a few times down the week and then more and more you go, you start to see the staff letting (OTHER) people (CERTAIN RACE) park and get out, chit chat, making other people wait in their cars when the Lane is suppose to be clear. (Thats Bolony) Hello.! Just because you have an orange vest on doesn't make you anymore special than you think you are. Doesn't make you have special powers and neither does it make you a figure of the law. You are suppose to be courteous and guide people politely to where they need to be. First of all, there should be someone at the fence where cars enter, so that this specific person can let people know, SLOW DOWN. because its ridiculous to see these people Jamming through the parking lot where kids can pop out in front of you just like that, so that they can eventually come to a Stop behind everyone else waiting. PEOPLE!! its a school Zone. Slow the EF down.!! i go here to pick up my child and always, ALWAYS enter slowly (Like the Sign says) and leave Slowly. Plz inform the kids, make it clear to your children that they should be aware of cars because let me tell you i have seen multiple parents zooming in and out of the school and cross walk where there are adults and kids waiting to cross and don't have the courtesy to stop and Give them the right of way. Sometimes even when kids and adults have already set foot on the cross walk ppl don't EFING stop.! Just be weary of these drivers and keep your eyes on your kids. Ive seen adults come really close to hitting children either walking or on bikes. And then act like they are not doing anything wrong. ATTENTION ADULTS!!!!! Read the updated DMV handbook and read it until you comprehend the rules because some of you are ignorant and shouldn't be driving at all. But thats my opinion.

My daughter Clara just graduated from Santa Cruz children's school after 6 years there from…read morekindergarten through 6th grade. I was not sure how to thank the school with all it's dedicated teachers and outstanding directors Joanna and Deric, so I decided to write a review. From day one she became part of a large caring family. When she left she expressed nothing but love and appreciation for all her friends and teachers. Though sad to leave, she felt confident and well prepared for her transition to middle school. In the last couple of years my daughter learned to organize and complete all her work with proud independence. She improved her writing skills considerably, excelled in math, and took up multiple musical instruments with the many talented music teachers at the school. Beyond core courses, the school also puts on plays, a yearly concert, and an end of year multi day class trip adventure for older kids. My daughter has had World inspired cooking classes, movie making classes, circus fun, learned to play chess, civics class with a ucsc professor and much more. How they manage to do all this, keep the kids inspired and eager to learn, as well kind to one another is remarkable. If you are looking for a school where your child will be happy, eager to learn and go to school each day, and well prepared for middle school, I highly recommend Santa Cruz children's School.

After beginning our son's grade school at a different private school in the area and then having…read moresuch a disappointing experience over 2 years, both for our son and for us as parents - we decided to check out Santa Cruz Children's School from a referral and reading reviews.-- After attending the open house in June of 2013, we felt like it was worth a try and hoped that they would provide the care, curriculum, enthusiasm, professionalism and transparency they promised, we so desired and felt we deserve. Now half way through our son's first year at SCCS, they have proven to be all we had hoped for and we couldn't be more grateful. My son is enthusiastic for school every single morning and afternoon! The teachers and administration members have shown to be professional and respectful to each other, the children and parent community. The children are also respectful, kind and supportive of each other. There have been no negative issues of any kind in the classroom or on the playground and I feel strongly that is due to the great degree of responsible supervision, respectful, timely and honest communication and policy that is in place and honored. Our son's 2nd grade teacher has shown a true love and compassion for teaching and children. She fosters the imagination, learning and beauty of each child's individualism and personality. It is a small school with about 48 children, at first a concern of ours, but that is really in where the blessing lies. The small class sizes offer important individualized attention, learning and support. Organization, scheduling and attention to details are top priorities. The school's scheduling of curriculum and homework requirements are clear and consistent! This in itself has provided a better learning structure for focus, responsibility, self-confidence and academic success. We have seen our son's academics (Math, Science, Reading & Writing Comprehension, Spelling) progress and are continuously stimulating and engaging. There has also been great support of Music, Astronomy, Life-lab, Spanish, PE, Art and his beloved Chess! His interests are flourishing along with his love for his new school. He is supported and encouraged to be imaginative, inquisitive and true to himself. We feel very fortunate to have found such success with Santa Cruz Children's School. Thank you!

My son has been going to this school for a few years. We love the community, the teachers have been…read moreoutstanding, the parents are actively supporting operations, and overall it's a very happy place to be.

ok so i personally don't like this school that much because the teachers are not nice and they yell…read moreat you for really weird reasons. also, im pretty sure lots of the teachers and office staff have bipolar depression... For example, they are singing and dancing and laughing with you then all of the sudden they start crying or screaming at you. I think alot of the staff have some kind of anger issues or anxiety because they seem to always be uncomfortable around children and definitely seem intimidated by their students.

If your child is fairly average, it can be a great experience if they get one of the better…read moreteachers. Our child started here in kindergarten, and had 2 very good to excellent teachers, 1 okay teacher, 2 poor teachers who used old fashioned methods, seemed burned out, and lacked patience, and 1 young teacher who appeared to want to win a popularity contest with the students. If your child has any sort of disability related to a learning problem or difference, RUN. The school receives very little money for special education, and views those students as a liability. They will go to extreme lengths to avoid providing any specialized instruction or related services. Most people either move or find another school district in the area.

Brook Knoll is a great school that is made up of wonderful teachers, support staff, administration…read morestaff, parents and kids. My son has been attending for a number of years and we have had a lot of great experiences.

Great community elementary school. Staff truly cares for children. There's been a lot of new…read moreconstruction making updates to the school recently.

It's an amazing school and teachers are very supportive. Also the fact that they keep up with so…read moremany traditions from 1958 is amazing.

The best elementary school in Santa Cruz county. Their PTA raises six figures every year.read more

Words can't express how happy we are that our children (2 boys) have been here at SCWS since 2012…read more I'll share about both academic development and social development. Our kids are flourishing and being cared for as individuals, as opposed to following a regimen determined by testing standards. Some parents are worried about the academics, because reading happens later than in public school. But what they might not know is that the children learn to fall in love with letters and stories, prior to learning to read. I had a concern, but our second grader is now reading beautifully and easily. The early math lessons are more advanced, as they learn how to add, subtract, multiply and divide a number, all at the same time. They also learn the spelling and Roman numeral while they're learning how the number is used. In other words, they have context for what they're learning, so it has meaning (and is therefore more easily retained) vs. just memorizing a set of numbers. Every time I have a parent-teacher conference, I can feel the true love and care for our children. Our boys have developed deep friendships already with other children whose families have similar values. Each of our boys carries a level of confidence and self-assuredness that we believe would be stamped out my well meaning teachers and potentially other children who are modeling what they watch on TV. I understand there were issues with SCWS in the past, with funding and with some administrative policies (or lack thereof). Parents of older children shared mixed reviews...But I believe this issues have been straightened out and SCWS is a wonderful school and community we are proud to be a part of. If you're a parent who wants to give your children a true childhood, where they aren't exposed to violence, too much stimulation through media that is way too mature for them, and a commitment to the development of your child's spirit, SCWS is the place to be.

We have had an absolutely wonderful experience at Santa Cruz Waldorf School! The nurturing…read moreenvironment and dedicated teachers truly set this school apart. From the moment we stepped on campus, we felt welcomed and inspired. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed to foster creativity and critical thinking, allowing children to explore subjects in a meaningful and hands-on way. Our children have flourished here, academically in math, writing, and languages, as well as more broadly with the arts, music, gardening, outdoor education trips, and more. If you're looking for a school that encourages a deep love of learning, I highly recommend the Santa Cruz Waldorf School.

Worth its weight in gold for an excellent education with small class sizes and teachers that are…read moreteaching for the love of teaching and enriching children's life. Over the years my children have attended there have been a couple of hurdles, but overall a wonderful experience. Also, your child will learn life skills and conflict resolution that you, unfortunately, will not find at a public school.

Great education. Great teachers! excellent campus and location. Good curriculum. Thumbs down for…read moretheir sports program. We always get ready for a game and at the slightest hint of rain the school cancels the game and then expect the other team to not take that as a forfeit, boo! Our friends at the others school have seen us do it multiple times and feel pretty cheated by it. If you live in the mountains and school in the mountains you should probably learn how to drive in the mountains.