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

Springhill has the most incredible teachers. The quality of attention and care to the unique needs…read moreof each individual student are amazing. has the most incredible teachers. The quality of attention and care to the unique needs of each individual student are amazing. Also, the design thinking method of running experiments is very entrepreneurial, setting our kids up at an early age for success in today's modern world!

I couldn't be happier with our experience at this school. I'm a teacher myself, and this school is…read morea dream come true for my son. Small class sizes, fabulous staff, and individualized learning for each child. I highly recommend you check it out!

Whenever I ask my daughter if she likes her school she shouts, "No, I love it!" Wonderful teachers,…read morelarge campus, bilingual program, fabulous librarian, and some of our dedicated parents have worked to launch EXPLORE AfterSchool, an after school enrichment program with enormous potential. Plus, the totally rad people of Santa Cruz approved a measure that is allowing us to do some major, much needed maintenance upgrades. Our score on Great School doesn't look like much but when I come to Bay View and watch my little daughter run, laugh and play with kids from so many different backgrounds I am filled with optimism and pride. She is learning so much at this wonderful school. I'm proud to be a Bay View parent and proud to send my kids to a Santa Cruz city public school.

I think sometimes people get a little over-anxious about junior's second-grade experience. Is he…read morebeing challenged? Are his interpersonal skills appropriate encouraged? Do his teachers understand his personal foibles? He's in second-grade. So long as he's reading the appropriately-colored book and hasn't bitten anyone, he's probably fine. This was a great school, as far as I recall. We were a rag tag bunch of kids of hippies, some farm workers, academics from UCSC and pretty much everything you could think of. What I remember best is that we had great guest speakers. There was an environmentalist from up on campus who came to give a talk about unleaded gas (yes, I'm that old), and a lady from the temple who showed us how to play the dreidel at Hanukkah, someone's dad gave a translated account of Mexican Independence for Cinco de Mayo, and a sweet hippie who played us songs about love and peace in music class.

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.

Santa Cruz Waldorf School has been a good fit for my children. The kinder program is magical! Being…read moreable to play and learn to connect with peers and teachers AND nature is just what my children needed at that age. Over the years, we have learned reverence and rythm and the beauty of slowing down from our time at the school. Their love of festivals and community connection is unmatched. I appreciate the deemphasis on screen time as well. The Waldorf practice of teacher looping was something that was quite new to me and at first I was a little hesitant about. I have grown to see the process of keeping the same teacher from grade 1-8 as a true gift. It has given my children time to be seen and understood to learn most effectively. If you are exploring elementary and middle school alternatives, SCWS is a great option to consider!

​ Our daughter went to Common Threads for just over a year…read more We choose CT because we liked how the teachers told us they approached early childhood education (thoughtfully and with compassion). Our daughter was, at first, very excited to go the school. She talked about her friends and what she did each day. Within a month or two, we noticed that drop offs were becoming difficult. But upon picking her he end of school, we would receive positive reports almost every time. A few months later, we received a call from one of the teachers telling us that there was an issue with our daughter, but they didn't want to talk about it over the phone. We were startled by this of course. Upon meeting with her teachers we were told that they believed that our daughter was having developmental issues citing anti-social behavior and sensory-input difficulties. They insisted that they had dealt with these things many times and suggested a child psychologist observation which resulted in nothing significant. From then on, we checked in every school day to see how our daughter was doing from her teacher's perspectives. We always received glowing reports and thought things were improving. We enrolled her in summer school and continued to receive positive feedback. On her second day of her second year at Common Threads we received a call from one of the teachers telling us that they could no longer accept our daughter there. We were blindsided, hurt and confused. The teacher told us that they didn't think they could give our daughter the attention that she needed despite months and months of no issues being reported to us. Our daughter was in tears. She wanted to see her friends and talked about all the activities she was looking forward to. "I can do it, I can do it" she sobbed to us. We spoke with teachers from other preschools and they were floored by CT's behavior. Other parents reacted the same way. We were fortunate to have a schedule flexible enough to take a few weeks to find a new school. We've also been working with experts to determine if our daughter has the issues that CT cited. Though there are areas she can certainly improve on, the experts are clearly telling us that she is a healthy, bright and mature-for-her-age little girl. A few weeks later, we found a new school that our daughter immediately connected with. She's social, curious, helpful and happier than ever at her new school. She's thriving. I would never recommend CT after the way they treated our family. Poor communication and erratic behavior is how a pre-schooler might act, but it is certainly not how a pre-school should act.

We've had our son here for four months and are very happy with them. Great teachers, a really…read morecaring staff.

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!

Wish I could give you all ten stars. We feel so fortunate to send our child here. Amazing staff…read moreand teachers, involved parents, great atmosphere. Their after-school program is awesome too. We love Main Street!

We love our school, and are so fortunate to have Main Street School in our community. Two of our…read moreolder children attended when it was brand new, and now our three younger children are attending. Appreciate our principal and teachers, our community of parents, and everything it has to offer. Thank you!