The sheer enjoyment of giving an opinion to my high school as an adult seems so beautifully…read morecathartic, and so wrong. Just perfect, so me. Why is Tam so much more fly than when I went there? It's not like I went to school in the dark ages. I'm not forty. I'm not embarassed to tell anyone that I'm 26 years of age and that I was class of 2000. That school, for the area that we are in was incredibly ghetto in my opinion a few years back. Our science classes had no new equipment and so we would be stuck with twenty year old beakers that you couldn't read the measurements on. The glass on the tubes seemed so thin I was always terrified it would break in my hands when I put them in the centrifuge (oh yeah, sorry, we didn't have a centrifuge, bummer). My drama department, for whom I will represent until I die, holla CTE, holla, had productions in a ghetto side room attached to the gym which we called "the black box". Folding chairs half falling apart and duck taped stage boxes were what we used to create "lavish" productions and blocking. But I guess maybe we had it better. We needed to create bigger and larger concepts in order to make the meager surroundings fantastic to our audience. We had to work harder. The back parking lot was filled with potholes, which would damage my car. Hence, the fact I was that asshole student that parked my nice car in Mead theatre (yes, right in Mead theatre to those that know it) and for some reason got away with it. Must have been that crazy rockstar mentality of "fuck you, and who gives a fuck" that I had back then, and still retain to this current day. Some of my teachers were incredible, hence the four stars, that's just for you guys! I had some inspirational teachers that literally changed my life like Dr. Cruz and Susan Brashear. They helped to make me believe in myself and were my home away from home while going through those difficult formative years which I try to keep telling them have never really gone away. My high school reunion is coming up soon. I'll be interested to see all those people that I never really liked that tried to cheat off of my science and foreign language tests, who I never let. It wasn't my fault that they didn't study or get it. I'll have to re-dye my hair the color it is now, pink, which is the color it was in school 8 years ago. Oh, and show up in my Ferrari with one of my sexy high school teachers that they'll probably assume I was sleeping with in school (did I? hmmmm......) as my date so that I can really come back and throw 'em through a loop. I do have a note to my science teacher at Tam though. You know who you are, the one that told me that I would never become of anything, and that I was cheating beacuse I didn't need to study like the other kids, because I understood it and it came second nature to me. The one that told me I should be a writer and not a veterinarian. Well hey there, I was top of my class in Boston in sciences. So eat that shit bitch! See staff of Tamalpais High School!!!! I haven't changed a bit. I just have a better car, more authority, I'm more obnoxious, and have a better laywer.

I went to high school here and it was not as pretty as it is now. What lucky kids, and they…read moreprobably don't know how good they have it. Talk about an institution for learning.

Our daughter has attended middle school at MTS. It's a warm and inclusive environment with a great…read moreteacher-student ratio. The teachers and team are outstanding. Their science program is especially strong, and we love that she embraces STEM subjects at MTS. She also loves the enrichment, clubs and performing arts. Our daughter is excited about learning and loves her teachers. The long-term impact is huge as she will graduate from 8th grade soon, and will take with her a lifelong thirst and thrill for learning.

I love Mount Tamalpais school. Me and my friend once visited on a weekend and the campus was…read morebeautiful. I know a couple people who went there and they said they had a wonderful experience.

I was browsing on yelp and was quite shocked to see that MHS has received several negative reviews…read morefrom angry neighbors who are upset over a sidewalk. This sidewalk was recently built to keep residents and MHS students safe on a quite busy street. As I regularly walk on this street with sometimes as many as four young children (we carpool) I was overjoyed when the project was finished and I did not have to grab on to my kids trying to dodge speeding cars anymore. I find it quite inappropriate that some of the residents who were against this project try to hurt the school and its reputation by posting negative and irrelevant reviews on yelp. These reviews should definitely be read with a grain of salt as they have little or nothing to do with the education and quality of the school itself. I speak from first hand experience. We have been a MHS family for almost five years and have been extremely happy there. Our two oldest children have absolutely thrived, both academically and socially. We love the teachers who have been nothing but outstanding. We don't live in Mill Valley and we spend approx 30 minutes driving each way. While this is exhausting we believe that it has been absolutely worth it. Tired of the commute we initially enrolled our second child in a very popular and more local preschool closer to our house, but having already experienced the excellence at MHS we quickly realized that the two schools were not even comparable. Thankfully we were able to transfer our daughter to MHS mid year where she has been since. We instantly noticed a huge difference in her enthusiasm and awareness. She now started coming home from school wanting to share everything that she had learned. In other words, our experience at MHS has been worth every minute spent on the road and we absolutely want to give this very special school our warmest recommendation.

I attended Marin Horizon in the early-mid 2000s, from 3rd through 8th grade. Those years were…read moreextremely formative for me, but unfortunately were not positive - in fact I remember them today as being the worst years of my life. The academics at MHS may have been good, but were rendered irrelevant by the brutal, ceaseless bullying I experienced, the scars of which haunt me to this day. I have memories of horrible things my classmates did to me while the faculty and administration stood by and did nothing. It pains me to think that my parents spent so much money for me to be treated so poorly, and even today I wonder how I made it through those years of misery and came out the other side. Today I'm 32 and have a wonderful and fulfilling life that I am extremely proud of - everything I have is not because of, but rather in spite of, my time at MHS.

My children love this school and so do my husband and I. It is supportive, nurturing and a safe…read moreplace for children to learn and grow. The parent community is amazing which we appreciate so much. It takes a village and this is the type of village I want and need as I raise two children. Our boys have learned to self advocate which will serve them so well. Marin Primary and Middle School walks the walk, read the Mission, it holds up. My two sons have attended MP&MS since Junior Kindergarten and Pre-school. My oldest son will graduate from Eighth grade next year. All of the teaching staff is amazing! The team teaching model works so well. And the Specialist Program is top notch (Spanish, Drama, Music, Projects Lab, Art, Outdoor Education and Garden). You know it's an amazing environment when you arrive to pick up your kids after a long day and they would rather stay at school!

It's been disheartening to watch this school's accelerating slide into mediocrity…read more Things were bad before COVID, and then some new administrators and teachers came in. It looked like things turned around for a year or two, but now they're worse now than before. The one remaining bright spot were the friends and community we built through the school, but now many families we know are pulling their kids out for other schools, or are actively planning on it in the coming year. The school is raising tuition and hoping to scoop up clueless newcomers to area who heard about how great MPMS was in the past, before they realize what it is now.

Hillwood has indeed been a blessing to our family. It was so great coming back for the Schools…read morerecent reunion of parents and students. The returned visit was such a awesome reminder of how much of a foundational building block the school provided for our kids. The classes are small, student-teacher engagement and academics are outstanding. They always serve healthy lunches, which was important to us. We sent both our older son and younger daughter. They both got accepted into excellent bay area Private High Schools and they graduated with honors. Then they both went on to receive a 4 Year Army ROTC Scholarships for college. My oldest son went on to obtain a degree in aviation, then was called into ministry and went on to obtain his Masters in Divinity. He is now serving as an Army Chaplain Officer. My daughter went on and graduated with a (BSN) Bachelors of Science in Nursing. Graduating Summa Cum Laude from Nursing School. Now serving as an Army Nursing Officer. It was definitely due to the outstanding foundation that the Hillwood Day School imbedded into them both while attending. THANK YOU HILLWOOD ACADEMIC DAY SCHOOL. MR AND MRS GRANTZ, we so appreciate you both for all your care and support from you and your team. Hillwood will forever hold a special place in our families heart.

The Nature Study campus of Hillwood Academic Day School. It is actually a cabin owned by the…read moreprincipal of Hillwood, Mr. Eric Grantz. It's very fun and all the kids love it when there's an event here :)

I attended Redwood as a freshman and sophomore from 1967 to 1969. The math and English classes for…read moreAP students (they didn't use that term back then) were excellent. With about 1800 students, it stands to reason that quite a few would be academically outstanding. I personally knew two who went on to Harvard and one who went on to Yale. Virtually all of the students who bothered to study qualified for a UC or CSU campus. The rest went to community college and then transferred to university, or they had no interest in college and went into sales, the trades, the military, etc. I had attended a small private school and was not comfortable with such a large high school. I had no understanding of what people dread about large public high schools: cliques, bullies, etc. But for someone who wasn't particularly outgoing, I was treated reasonably well. I have always been interested in what is going on in education. I understand that Redwood chose to stop taking money from the state of California (am I wrong?). That would be a good thing. The more parents have control over what their students are learning, the better. Some people talk about Redwood kids being snobby. That was certainly not my experience when I went there. But large public high schools are much more forgiving environments for children who are goodlooking, athletic and outgoing than they are for students who aren't any of those things. I advise parents who have choices (e.g., public vs. private schools) to keep this in mind when they are selecting schools for their children.

UPSIDE - Best teachers around, especially Ms. Rubio who consistently works overtime to help her…read morestudents succeed. Top notch education for your children. DOWNSIDE - Lots of drugs, entitled kids and intense social politics; emphasis on money and status. Not too unusual for a high School, but this school makes the book Mean Girls look like child's play. Little or no participation by my daughters teachers concerning diversity week which is sad, because the kids I have met here show a surprising lack knowledge about people who are not white, straight, rich or privileged.

If I could give Hall less than one star, I would. Unfortunately, the Principal, Eric is so full of…read morehimself he's unable to do what's best for students. He seems to be on a power trip rather than helping kids. He likes to put on a show and loves to hear himself talk (just go to an assembly!). This guy is clueless and has no idea that kids simply don't connect with him! Sadly, many parents don't either. After volunteering every year since my kids were in Kinder, I stopped when I realized Eric was just an egotistical, mean-spirited bully! I no longer wanted to raise money or give money to support this school! Also, the science and math classes aren't quite up to par with the standards, so kids are entering high school feeling behind. It is getting better in the last year or so, but more house-cleaning needs to happen to get rid of teachers who've been around too long and aren't doing their jobs.

As far as middle schools go, this is an excellent one. We left a fancy private school for our…read moredaughter in San Francisco and felt that Hall Middle School provides a rigorous and relevant education from 6th through 8th grades. Our daughter is now thriving at Redwood High School. Thanks to the principal, the teachers and the community of Hall!

The typical public school wasn't working for my daughter so we looked around to see what else there…read morewas. HPS is a unique one-to-one teaching situation that allowed her to catch up on the subjects she was behind. Before HPS, she thought she didn't have the smarts for math or science, but after a few months at HPS she became confident in math and science -- all she needed was a new approach...an approach no other school in Marin has. Now (two years later) she has blossomed into a confident teen who is interested in life and the world. We owe her transformation to HPS and she would say the same!

Headlands Prep has been a fabulous experience for our daughter. She is extremely bright and…read moreinquisitive, and the teachers have met her interest, challenged her, guided her and really connected with her every step of the way. Along with her academic interest, she has ADD and this has proven no hurdle at Headlands. The teachers are equipped with the right tools to keep students engaged, let up when necessary, and refocus when required. The administration is incredibly student-focused and understands the different learning styles that make a learning community. Our daughter has felt supported, has grown academically and has connected socially. We really couldn't have asked for a better middle school and high school experience!

This thanksgiving, there are many things to be thankful for, one of them is to recognize this…read moreestablishment! "The Edna maguire Mustangs are racing in the right direction " I would like to express my appreciation for the Edna Maguire elementary school of Mill Valley . It is a great thing to observe that the educators care about each other in the challenging time of the Pandemic . A well organized and professional environment, Mr Leo Kostelnik the Principal's daily announcements are educative and brainstorming for kids , by which he oversees a highly talented and dedicated people! It is a product of team efforts , skills and talent ! Some with 20 years experience in education , The Teachers produce high quality work ! Teachers like Mrs Ordonez, Mrs scholtz are fantastic without forgetting other teachers , like Lisa Monge , Mrs Jen ( Calm and relaxation expert )Mrs Bremer , Lindsay Caruso, Miekley Leslie , la lanne Jackie , Jennifer Ferrer , Fielder Leslie, Mr Mares and Mr Tong , They are very patient , enthusiastic and love their job ! The zoom link distance- learning is successful . Kids seem to be happy , learning and following along well ! As the teachers and kids are preparing to go back to school for in person learning when it's the right time ! The school is well prepared. Masks and hand sanitizers are used frequently! The classrooms are kept clean and health precautions are observed! Keep up the good work and happy thanksgiving!