As a parent with more than one child at Mark Day School, what continues to stand out most is how deeply the school truly knows each student. Beyond academics, teachers take the time to understand who children are--their strengths, challenges, interests, and values--and help them discover how they want to contribute to the world around them. Mark Day School builds on basic structures of academic knowledge acquisition and focuses on something far more meaningful: developing thoughtful, reflective, engaged humans. The culture encourages students to think critically, speak confidently, and act with empathy and purpose. Public speaking, collaboration, and self-awareness are woven naturally into daily life, not treated as add-ons. The result is a community of children who are not only capable learners, but genuinely wonderful people--curious, grounded, and a joy to be around. Mark Day has a rare ability to shape students who will contribute to society in meaningful, positive ways, and as a parent, that gives me tremendous confidence in the education my children are receiving. read more

We were a new 6th grade family joining the MDS community. Our son was previously at Highlands Christian Schools in San Bruno from 18 months old (They have a wonderful toddler daycare) to the 5th grade. It was great for our son to be entering the 6th grade at a new school with another dozen or so new children from outside schools. The summer buddy family program gave us an opportunity to meet other rising 6th graders and their families. We cannot thanks these parents enough for the warm welcome prior to the start of the school year. In the 6th grade the kids are given their own laptops to be used throughout Middle School. The 6th grade 4 day Outdoor Ed trip to Pinnacle National Park fell on our sons birthday. It was his first time away without any parent chaperones and he loved it. The school dealt with COVID-19 by following the science and took great precautions to ensure the safety of the children. In late March 2019 there was a 2 week teacher training then the kids were back in school via Zoom. We continued to use distance learning in the 7th grade until the winter break when he returned to the classroom. He is now in the 8th grade and we feel grateful to MDS for keeping our kids and community safe. The teachers, administrators and staff are 100% vaccinated as are the students age 12 and older. The kids ages 5-11 are now catching up to reach 100% vaccinated. The high level of education and life experiences our son is getting at MDS has exceeded our expectation. He has made new friends and is excited to be looking at the next chapter of his education, High School. We highly recommend this independent school. read more

This is an amazing school and community with attention to detail that I so appreciate. Our child is enjoying the academic rigor while benefitting from the supportive environment with a high level of expectation for respectful, thoughtful interactions throughout. We approached with cautious enthusiasm as the application and welcoming process was excellent down to every email, tour, welcome event and package mailed to us as we knew they have to excel at admissions... But it has followed through to all aspects of our child's education there and exceeded our expectations. The teachers are attentive and see each child where they are and push them to individual needs for healthy challenge in an engaging way. Oh! The play and drama room with Miss Iliza at the helm has been a wonderful addition to our kiddo's life and a place she loves to go at lunch to sing karaoke and hang out with friends. Our daughter is thriving in 6th grade! read more

AMAZING School. They teach 3 different languages (French, Mandarin and Spanish- as well as English of course)... The Head Master (sounds creepy but it really isn't)....is amazing. He has this ability to remember everyone's name that he meets. So, he knows everyone's name that walks onto campus. All the students have to get up to do public speaking at least once a month (they will get up on stage and tell a joke usually). They have a full music program, an art and theatre program and a full science program. They have a garden where they grow all of their own veggies...and they have a butterfly garden that harvests the butterflies that all of the students had the opportunity to help build. Can't say enough of this school- it is definitely one to check out. FYI though, the application process is very difficult and it is not easy to get in- even though it is pricey (it is a private school- what do you expect). read more

If you're considering enrolling your child in this academically-mediocre, status-conscious, social-climbing excuse for a school, please ask the admissions person how many children who STILL LIVE IN THE AREA have left the school. The "language program" consisted of "Muzzy" DVD's. That's NOT teaching language. The discipline for a first-grader in my kid's class was to send him to the office and not allow anyone to speak to him. Since the kid didn't know what he'd done wrong, it wasn't a corrective action, it was simply mean-spirited. Also, if the kid is "not a fit" the other students are allowed (and in fact, encouraged) to take cheap shots, whether verbally or physically, while the staff looks the other way. Our kid had to do 3 straight months of tutoring to catch up to the rest of the class after leaving Saint Mark's. I'm not kidding; I'm not making it up. Run, don't walk. Take the money you'd have spent on the ridiculously inflated tuition and make a donation to your local public school. . . read more

Simply AWESOME school. Our family has had a great experience at this school. The Headmaster is one of the the most amazing men I have ever met. Teachers are engaged and aware of the needs and abilities of every child. Sounds too good to be true but it is true! We have had four (very different from each other) children go through the school and the experience has been very, very positive for all! As far as the previous poster and no time for sports or anything but studying... NOT our experience. Our daughters who were interested in sports were able to play competitive basketball (CYO/AAU) and soccer (Class I) while still making good marks in academics. The schoolis demanding to be sure but the kids are taught how to manage their time. Yes it is expensive... Do you have something better to spend your money on? read more

Saint Mark's is a self-proclaimed "Mission-Driven school". To fairly review the school we ought to look at that mission statement which reads as follows: "Saint Mark's School discovers and nurtures what is finest in each child in a vibrant, inclusive, non-sectarian learning community. Innovative and full of heart, Saint Mark's strives to develop well-rounded critical thinkers in a challenging program that fosters academic excellence and responsible world citizenship." The school is generally viewed as successful in providing a nurturing and supportive environment. Parents of current students are satisfied with the SEL program. Students are obviously happy and enjoy school; the families are lovely. SMS emphasizes responsible world citizenship with its annual passport day and various world partnerships & local charities for which the students are constantly raising money. It is incredibly inclusive with its enormous financial aid budget of $1.5 million; hot lunch, the bus, afterschool club, etc. are all covered in addition to tuition. The entire community (parents, students, faculty, and staff) is welcoming and kind and full of heart. All of this being said, the parents of above average students collectively agree that Saint Mark's DOES NOT offer a challenging program that fosters academic excellence. Rather, the academic program is, at best, average. Despite constant promises from the admissions team and heads (of school, lower and upper) to the contrary, the disappointing fact is, Saint Marks does not keep its brightest students academically challenged. Sadly, there are very few instances of meaningful differentiation. In fact, every child K-6 follows the exact same math curriculum and every child in grades 3-8 reads the exact same books for their literature curriculum. There are no leveled math classes or groups until 7th grade and no leveled reading groups after 2nd grade. Homework is the same within a classroom and generally across each grade. There might be a few teachers that offer your child an opportunity to do extra work (and they are true blessings!), but there is nothing embedded in the school's educational program that allows for a meaningful differentiated curriculum. Unfortunately, helping each child meet his/her fullest academic potential simply isn't a priority at Saint Marks. Requiring students to complete the same homework and classwork as every one of their peers for their entire elementary education simply ISN'T differentiation. More options for differentiation are available in most Marin County pubic schools. (The most clear example of this is SMS not offering geometry to 8th graders which is common in public schools.) If your child is above average and you are looking for a school with strong academics, I would look elsewhere. read more

Eight years later, we're still impressed with how thoughtfully Saint Mark's teaches their students the values of compassion, responsibility and respect. The students learn how to think critically, advocate for themselves and build life long friendships. Saint Mark's is a school where the students love to learn and they want to be there. We love the fact that each child's talents and learning styles are valued and appreciated. We have been most impressed by the innovative and academically challenging curriculum throughout the grades, where learning is fun and collaboration among the students builds community. Although the school does not emphasize standardized testing, the students consistently receive high scores. High schools love Saint Mark's students because they are confident, articulate, well prepared and balanced. Definitely a place where your child will receive an excellent well-rounded education! read more

We love Saint Mark's School! The school offers terrific academics in a warm and nurturing environment. We currently have two children in the lower school. We live in the Reed Union School District and considered all of our options (both public and private). We deeply value education and it became obvious that Saint Mark's was the best fit for our family. The school is small (but not too small - approximately 40 students per grade) so teachers and administrators truly get to know the children. Joe Harvey (Head of School) is very friendly and approachable and makes a point of knowing all the students and parents by name. Joe is also an inspiring leader and embodies the school's Seven Pillars of Character (Honesty, Respect, Caring, Fairness, Citizenship, Courage and Responsibility). The teachers are all very experienced educators and yet also fun and warm. In addition to receiving quality instruction in the homeroom, our kids enjoy time in the library, art class, music, drama, Spanish, Mandarin, and P.E. as well as visits to the organic garden complete with chickens. The SEL (social emotional learning) program is also an important part of everything the school does. Being a K-8 school gives older students an opportunity to serve as mentors and leaders to the younger children. This is one of the many ways that the school fosters community. The parent community is made up of a lot of accomplished and at the same time very nice people. As nice parents usually produce nice kids, we feel very happy about our children's peer group. I could go on and on listing Saint Mark's wonderful qualities, but the proof is in the pudding. Both our kids adore their friends and teachers and cannot wait to go to school every morning! read more

The school is full of self-congratulations however needs to take a hard look at what it stands for these days. Most of the parents here that are happy have nothing to compare it to outside their own school experiences and preschool. Some are here simply because they are lacking better options. Mark Day School is far from stellar. Administration is lacking considerably, campus is a dump ( they are working on this but expect to fund it), nice parent community, some good teachers and others not very impressive. I guess it all comes down to expectations. It's good, not great. I've heard long standing members of the community say "it's far from perfect and we have had some good years and not so good years but in the end it's been good enough." Coming from some of the biggest supporters of the school and board members that is pretty pathetic. Is that really the education you want to provide for your children? Keep looking. I assure you there are better solutions. The head is new and building his team. A lot of change and future uncertain based on some questionable decisions. Good news is they have a new name which is a step in right direction even if it is meaningless to your child(RENs) edu. read more

Saint Mark's is an amazing school -- it offers everything we're looking for a school and more than I ever imagined I might look for! My husband and I looked at independent schools in both Marin and San Francisco and were thrilled to find Saint Mark's. Our son has thrived there. The other day I asked him whether anything fun was happening at school tomorrow and he said, "something fun happens every day at school, Mom." I'm not kidding. He's 9 and it's true he's learning Mandarin and he knows where Kenya is and he can add 4 digit numbers in his head. It's also true that he reads for fun, knows words to describe his feelings, looks in the eyes of new people when he meets them, and plays soccer with the best of them. Saint Mark's has been instrumental in creating these abilities in him and more. If you're looking for a K-8 school for a kid in your life, check it out -- it's definitely worth it! read more