I didn't not attend California High School, but my Grand Son did. So it was with great pleasure…read moreand appreciation that we attended his graduation last Friday, from the grandstand and later on the field (for pictures) when the ceremony was over. My most touching recollection was watching all 800+ of them walking in at the beginning. I was also impressed that from start to finish (including speeches, passing out diplomas, Tassel movement) was a crisp hour and a half. And so the next step begins.....

this school sucks when they dont feel like helping your child they put them in special ed and have…read morethem fend for themselfs for the rest of high school.

I went here around 2011-2014 and I kinda miss it. I made some good memories. Loved Hancock geometry…read more(despite it being my most difficult class and not an A grade, it was fun), Osborn core, and band with Hoover! Last I checked, Ms Hancock teaches at DVHS, Mr Osborn became an administrator (principal or vice maybe), and Ms Hoover became an admin at DVHS so I guess my experience with them is no longer attainable. Great America and Disneyland with band, and Six Flags for graduation, was great!

I love Windemere Ranch Middle School. I am currently a student at WRMS!! I would say there are…read moreamazing teachers staff and great education. Though we are one of the top schools in California the lunches are a bit disappointing. Considering we are one of the top schools in California I expected the lunches to be better!

The Athenian school is a special place. My son plays sports and I have travelled to many Bay Area…read moreprivate schools for matches. No schools have campuses as beautiful as Athenian, not College Prep, Bentley, or even Nueva. Athenian's 75-acre campus is at the foothill of Mt. Diablo, it is a bit remote but the beautiful campus rivals some small colleges. Campus aside, I feel the teachers really try to make learning fun, and the kids are all happy going to school there. The academics are pretty rigorous, but the kids don't feel stress out. In a small class of 12-15 students, my son can't hide or cruise. I see improvement in his communication skill and work ethnics in just a few months. Sports are a big deal in Athenian and get a lot of supports from parents. My son made a lot of friends from joining different teams. I have run into many talented Athenian kids in arts, musics and sports. Some get recruited into top universities in their junior years. The school puts out a lot of events for parents to participate, mingle with the kids, and get to know each other. There are parents bookclub, coffee / hikes, Student plays, Jazz night, culture nights, and homecoming night. Some of the performances are opened to the public, I encourage you to come and see for yourself. One review talked about director of admission. Chris has left Athenian a couple years ago. All the staffs I interacted with are nice and receptive to new ideas. Another reviewer highlighted guest speakers and domestic/international trips. I couldn't agree more. There are so many learning opportunities that made me jealous (I went to UC). Every semester, alumni would come back to share their college experience. One common theme is how well Athenian has prepared them and they are thriving in top 20 universities. If Athenian kids can survive 3 weeks camping in the Death Valley and the Sierra, other adversities will seem easy to them. If you want your kid to be well-rounded, resilient and have a diverse group of lifelong friends, Athenian is the perfect school. https://www.athenian.org/athenian-blog-and-news

After years at The Athenian School, the pattern is hard to miss and it's not a positive one…read more Academically, there are visible coverage gaps. Teachers are reassigned across subjects in ways that feel reactive, not intentional, and it shows in uneven rigor and depth. Oversight appears inconsistent, with little indication of sustained evaluation or development to ensure instructional quality. Staffing stability is also a concern, midstream departures and changes have impacted continuity in the classroom or elective, which matters from a student and parent perspective. The rubric/grading shift, framed as "equity," ends up compressing outcomes. In practice, it reduces differentiation between students and lowers the ceiling rather than raising the floor. Strong students aren't pushed; weaker outcomes are normalized. It can also reward students who closely match what a given teacher is looking for, rather than those demonstrating deeper or more independent mastery, narrowing, rather than expanding, meaningful academic rigor. Communication is another friction point. Parents receive a high volume of emails from multiple sources, with information spread across messages and platforms. Important details can be difficult to track, especially for those already managing full schedules and inboxes. School climate is also worth examining. In our experience, our teen encountered peer interactions that raised concerns around inclusivity and respect for differences. We did not see clear communication or follow-through addressing those situations or, at best, limited transparency or parent dialogue when problems arise. More broadly, the student body and staff do not reflect a high level of diversity, which may matter to families. Programs like AWE are positioned as unique and distinguishing. There are committed people involved, but the program carries additional cost and execution issues (recurring when talking with previous parents). At the institutional level, the school feels adrift. We've learned of the loss of the boarding program this year, ongoing turnover, and shifting priorities all which suggest a lack of clear direction and raise a straightforward question: what, exactly, are you paying for? College counseling reinforced that concern. Guidance leaned heavily toward "safe" schools, with little appetite for thoughtful risk. We chose to override it and our teen was admitted to a school labeled "unlikely." Bottom line: our teen succeeded, but not because of the school's systems. It was largely in spite of, with limited added value from the institution. For families considering this school, go in with eyes open. Ask direct questions about staffing stability, grading philosophy, program execution, and how information is communicated to families. The answers matter, look for clear, concrete answers, not just polished or well-rehearsed responses.

As I approach my senior year in high school, I think about my time I spent here; I attended from…read morek-5 returned for 7th and 8th grade. When they moved campuses in 2015 that's when it all started going downhill. They had to renovate an office building to be the foundation for the upbringing of kids. We didn't have any real grass; we played kickball on a patch of turf. The hallways and cafeteria felt like that of a hospital's and the classrooms were white walls and brown carpet. When I started struggling with my mental health in middle school, there was no support system, I literally had to tell the Dean all of my problems. Everyone was the same and bland. Also the change in teachers was so frequent and confusing like you'd have a teacher for one year and then they'd leave the school and you'd be taught by another teacher who was just starting their first year. The tuition is expensive for such little resources like the computers we used were from 2005, no yearbooks, discontinued bus services (I had to ride the public bus for 30 minutes everyday), there was no sense of community or understanding for students. Overall if you want your kids to attend school and not an internship, don't send them here.

My son was a student there in the early 80s. He just turned 50 and he's quite successful. He often…read moresays that Dorris Eaton is the reason. He speaks about the education, the staff and the whole experience. I agree with him wholeheartedly. I was a single parent, and the tuition took about every cent I had. I have never regretted it. It was worth every cent I had to spend. As a result Of his experience, both my grand children are the products of private schools. Whether or not, they are as good as DE, I d o not know, but I do know they are better than the public school system. If Nancy and Jerry are still there, hello from Sandy Richmond . Ryan remembers you fondly.

Great Person Ajay Gupta, gives importance to students and their benefit, very Student oriented and…read more helpful person.

My son has been going to Brilliant Minds Academy for a year now and their services have been…read moreoutstanding. The teachers at BMA genuinely care about wanting to make the students better. I am extremely grateful to Sadia Ali, the owner of BMA in San Ramon, as she has helped my son on all fronts; academically as well as socially. She is very open to parent's suggestions and anything that would help the students get to the next level. I highly recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a program for any educational needs.

This school had a lot of fun events. Students enjoy going to the school with lots of energy. School…read moreteaches the students well and my kids have a blast.

Quarry Lane offers strong academics, and experiences vary based on teachers and workload.read more

I attended this school around the 2006-2010 time frame (I was born in 2000) for Kindergarten until…read more5th grade (then to Windemere Ranch Middle School and Dougherty Valley High School) as it was my residential public school. It could be worse. I knew some good teachers who cared, and some maybe less so. But it is (or was, at least) better than other elementary schools, honestly. I wonder if any of these teachers are still there. I had Mrs Coquia for Kindergarten, Mrs Petraglia for 1st, Mr Maloney for 2nd, Mrs Valdez for 3rd, Mrs Van Aken for 4th, and Mrs Vela for 5th. I did make some lasting friendships that still exist to this day, and I don't have any terribly bad memories about the school. Field trips were pretty often and very interesting and a lot of fun. I don't know if they still do this but I have memories that will last a lifetime from Camp Arroyo and Camp Walker Creek (I think that was the name?) which were a few nights for 4th and 5th graders, in cabins accompanied with chaperones. Truly a blast! Also they did sometimes have pretty good food, at least to a kid. I remember I loved nachos and tater tots as a kid!

11 years later and the school has deteriorated. the school leadership is not as strong as it used…read moreto be, and the culture of the school is not respectful. no respect for personal boundaries. one of the newly hired teachers is awful - gave my child anxiety. we ended up leaving and transferred our kids to coyote creek, which was so much better for us. it so sad because our oldest flourished here and it was so nice at that tjme. unfortunately the new administration is not as welcoming and didn't do enough to keep the quality of education up, or improve the school culture to make it more inclusive.