Kathleen MacDonald High School is part of a K-12 educational facility that opened in 2022. We…read moreattended a basketball tournament this past weekend. The facility was beautiful. Refillable water stations. Comfortable chairs in Lobby area. Adirondack chairs in the quad area.

Worse school they never cared about social anxietys and Feeling safe but 1 of my pe teachers was…read morethe BEST She would let me do the work after everyone left best teacher God bless her

Ive never gone there but because of the ratings I guess its good but then also there's some really…read morebad comments there's not many though so I guess I really don't know. I'm a third grader by the way.

My daughter has been here since kindergarten and she has really enjoyed it. The Principal and…read moreTeachers are all very supportive and helpful. This school offers many opportunities and has a great music program, as well as amazing afterschool activities. My daughter loves being a part of this wonderful community!

What a great day! I was so impressed with OSD School's commitment to supporting its community. The…read moreschool provided food and daily house hold items (like shampoo, conditioner, toilet paper, blankets, and more) for the students and their families during the holidays, which is such a thoughtful and generous gesture. It truly shows that OSD is dedicated to taking care of its students and their families both inside and outside the classroom. We are so lucky to be part of such a caring and positive school environment!

I'm extremely disappointed with the overall quality of this school. Unfortunately, our experience…read morehere over the past few years has been frustrating and discouraging for several serious reasons. First of all, the leadership is completely unstable. The principal seems to change every year, and that lack of consistency trickles down to the rest of the school. It's hard to feel confident about any long-term improvement when the administration is constantly changing. Beyond academics, the school really doesn't offer much extracurricular activities which is a missed opportunity for students who want to explore interests outside the classroom. But by far, the most concerning issue has been how poorly bullying is handled. My child has been bullied--physically and verbally--by the same student for three years in a row, ever since 2nd grade. Even though they've been in separate classes since 3rd grade, the bullying continues at recess. We've reported this multiple times, and nothing meaningful has been done. No disciplinary action has been taken against the student responsible, and we are baffled as to why the school refuses to take stronger action. To make matters worse, when my child finally stood up and defended herself after being hit, she was the one who got in trouble and was warned she might be suspended. That kind of response is incredibly unfair and discouraging. It sends the message that defending yourself is more punishable than being the one causing harm. Yard duties are also a major problem. Either they're not present during conflicts, or they simply ignore the situation altogether. When someone is hurt or gotten into arguments, they were nowhere to be found to supervise the kids or just stood by doing nothing. There are also some strange and frustrating inconsistencies with staff behavior. On one occasion, my child stepped on a roach and was told not to kill it because "it's nature"--yet the school doesn't apply that same level of care or concern to the kids who are being harassed daily. A teacher once even told the class that a rock is a living thing, which is just flat-out incorrect and makes us question the quality of education being provided. We've also had some concerns about the overall school environment. For example, there were a few instances of theft in my child's class, but it didn't seem like the teacher was able to address them effectively. Every year, the good kids my child connects with end up transferring to other schools, and now we're starting to understand why. The ones that stayed doesn't like the school either. Over the years, we've noticed that several families who value a positive learning environment have chosen to move on, which has made us wonder if ongoing issues are prompting those decisions. When I ask my child if she misses this school, she immediately and firmly says 'No' without hesitation -- which, to me, speaks volumes about her experience there. This school desperately needs better leadership, more active, caring, and responsible staff, and a serious commitment to creating a safe, nurturing environment for all students. Until then, I would not recommend it to any family.

We had a wonderful learning experience at the Stratford Preparatory Milpitas this year and we feel…read morefortunate to have had Ms. Khushboo as our daughter's math teacher this year. She has been incredibly patient and encouraging, and has guided her step by step in a way that really built her confidence and interest in math. She goes beyond academics and truly cares about the children's overall well being and growth. She takes time to understand each child, highlights their strengths, and creates a positive space for learning. Her support, kindness, and constant communication with parents have meant a lot to us. We also appreciate the supportive school environment, all teachers and well maintained campus, which together creates a great place for children to learn and grow.

Stratford Preparatory Milpitas just opened last year - and we have had a positive experience so…read morefar. The 6th-grade team is highly professional, capable, and deeply invested in mentoring their students. * Ms. Khushboo (Math): She puts incredible dedication into improving student math levels. She is always approachable and spends a significant amount of time providing constructive feedback to parents, which helps keep students motivated on their academic journey. * Ms. Trautner (ELA): Friendly and kind, Ms. Trautner provides invaluable guidance on creating effective study plans. She makes sure that students are well prepared for upcoming assignments and tests through her organized approach and her sample tests. * Ms. Gardner (History & Specialty Subjects): She is very encouraging and mindful of the unique needs of growing pre-teens. We especially appreciate how she tracks Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) through engaging and thoughtful questions. * Ms. Revankar (Science): An award-winning educator, Ms. Revankar brings a high level of expertise to the science department. The science curriculum has hands-on activities and projects. Science camp was a lot of fun for the students as well! * Coach Scott (PE): He puts a lot of effort into designing and implementing a robust PE curriculum that keeps the students active and engaged. * Ms. Robinos (Spanish): She makes Spanish class creative and fun, successfully encouraging non-native speakers to participate and gain confidence in their speaking skills. * Mr. Chu (Computer Science): Mr. Chu assigns challenging projects that push students to develop & apply their technical skills in new ways, ensuring they stay ahead. The curriculum at Stratford is undoubtedly rigorous, and we truly appreciate the hard work of the teachers and leadership. The newly maintained school space also provides a great environment for learning. One area that can be improved is the extracurricular clubs - I think that there can be certain goals set which students aim at achieving over the course of the school year, and the mentors need to help them track the goals as well as communicate updates to parents better. We are hopeful that the clubs grow and evolve further in the coming year.

This is a nice campus and the school develops students socially and intellectually to prepare them…read morefor both college and adult life. Investing in your child where your boy becomes a man. You can't put a price on the future.

First, understand that your son will not get into the best college he possibly can if he goes to…read moreBellarmine. This is lost in the fine print and is conveniently elided in the promo materials. The school will tout the few grads that end up at MIT or Harvard and act like they pulled those strings, but the truth is those kids are geniuses and would have gotten into those colleges with or without Bellarmine's name. In order to understand this effect, we have to look at the average performers at Bellarmine --- the average kids who work up until 3 AM every night only to get rejected by UC Davis or Cal Poly. A good portion of Bell grads even end up at SJ State. I personally know a grad who ended up at community college. Allow me to ask a very simple question: if you're paying money for an institution, should you not harvest an advantage from that institution? These types of outcomes are simply unacceptable for the tuition fees that Bellarmine demands (100k). The problem is every student at Bellarmine is ultimately remarkable and intelligent. However, colleges can only accept a certain amount of students per school. Thus, only the geniuses (who are fine on their own) get top acceptances while your reasonably bright son ends up with a disappointing result. This is the dirty secret at Bellarmine. There is a lot of coping built into the culture where people say "Well, at least I'm prepared for college" --- not understanding that their college result would have been much better had they just gone to a public school for FREE. Their grades would be better and their workload would be slashed in half. This outcome is absolutely unacceptable for the dollars spent. Second, the workload at Bellarmine is huge. Even nearly 12 years later, I am shocked at the inhuman level of work assigned if a student opted for a competitive curriculum (APs, Honors, etc.). It was commonly accepted that the average bedtime was 2 AM. Students walked around with heavy backpacks filled to the brim with books. The library was always crammed with students studying and finishing up presentations. Stress was rampant. During junior year, a classmate ran away from home after scoring a B on an exam. For this level of work, one would expect great rewards upon graduating. This never materialized. Tons of students who worked themselves to the bone found themselves matriculating at unremarkable colleges surrounded by students from public schools who didn't work nearly as hard. Unacceptable. Third, the academic difficulty at Bellarmine was ridiculous. English classes expected students to write at a college-level and graded as if it was college-level. Presentations were expected to last the entire class period (30-50 minutes). Afterwards, you were picked apart by an open forum like a thesis defense. Exams were incredibly difficult. I distinctly remember a random pop quiz dropped everyone's grades by 10 percent. A's to B's in 10 minutes. This is absolutely UNTHINKABLE in public school. When I finally had gone to college, I was mortified to learn that presentations were 10 minutes max at even upper division level courses. Now, you might think that academic difficulty is fine for a "college-preparatory" high school, but your son bears that price when his war-torn "B" is weighed disadvantageously against an "A" from a kid who didn't nearly work as hard. Colleges do not make that distinction. Bellarmine is only locally recognized, but it likes to think of itself as Philips Exeter. This is a horrific deal. Fourth, there is a problematic culture of teacher worship at Bellarmine. Now, there are always good & bad apples. But the bad ones had a profound effect on the students. Teachers are very aware of the hyper-academic culture enforced at Bellarmine and understand the power they wield over their students. What results is extremely unprofessional behavior: yelling, berating, inappropriate jokes with underage boys, and deeply personal attacks. I recall a teacher once mocked a student's garage rock band as the reason why he scored a C on a quiz. Such comments upon reflection are incredibly unprofessional and are not befitting of an institution with its hands in your pockets. This culture of teacher worship was perpetuated by students who were afraid of being vindictively graded, and was what allowed controversies like a former English teacher's sexual grooming of female students (visitors from another campus) to be even possible and go unquestioned for years. In summary --- Bellarmine delivers partly on its promises. Does it have a great facility? Yes. Are the teachers good? Most of them. However, it is also a steward of some deeply problematic issues: it is academically punishing and unforgiving, and it screws over your son when it comes to college admissions. A parent who wants to pay 100k tuition for their son to go to this school should understand two things: he will likely give a great talk on food production rights, and he will also attend USF.

I've only been on this campus twice for track meets. this rating is based off visuals and campus…read moreenvironment, which i got to see during warmup jogs. overall very spacious, plentiful parking, the track is like a greek stadium. there are night lights, two exits, home + away bleachers, a commentary stand, an inner field, a lil walkway behind the bleachers to warmup jog around. i can see how it used to be a college campus.

Overall, independence highschool has terrible math teachers. There are multiple math teachers here…read morewho don't teach and blame the kids for their terrible teaching.

Great school, great community, great administration. The school takes really great care of their…read moreteachers.

We attendee a parent student event. My brother in law was encountered by one of the school staff…read moreand was verbally threatened that he would be tackled by one of them if he did not verbally identify themself. Where is the cordial and respect we hold to a high standard for educators? Apparently none. I had to calm the staff member down and redirected the situation.

My 3-year-old son started Challenger Preschool with almost no English and significant separation…read moreanxiety. He is also a highly sensitive child, so I was honestly very worried. I had heard that Challenger was a very structured school, and I wasn't sure if he would be able to adjust. To my surprise, everything went much better than I ever expected. By his third day, he walked into school without crying and even took naps there. That was something I never imagined would happen so quickly. Over the past six weeks, he has come home happy every single day. He is always excited to show us the artwork, drawings, and classroom projects he made. It's obvious that he enjoys his time at school and feels proud of what he accomplishes. The biggest surprise has been his English. Before starting school, he couldn't speak any English at all. I wasn't expecting a three-year-old to make so much progress in such a short time, but now he comes home pointing out letters, telling me their sounds, and sharing words that start with different letters. Watching his excitement about learning has been incredible. I also want to mention that the teachers (Miss Sonali and Miss Hema) are much warmer and more caring than I had expected. Although Challenger has a reputation for being strict, our experience has been that the teachers are patient, gentle, and attentive to the children's emotions while still maintaining a well-structured classroom. On the days I picked him up early, I saw happy children engaged in activities, and the classroom had such a positive and joyful atmosphere. A special thank you to Miss Sonali and Miss Hema. Your kindness, patience, encouragement, and dedication helped my son feel safe, loved, and excited to learn. As first-time parents sending our child to an English-speaking preschool, we were naturally anxious, but you made this transition so much easier than we could have imagined. We are truly grateful to have had such a wonderful preschool experience. I would highly recommend Challenger to any family, especially those who are worried about sending a child who doesn't speak English. Children are often much more capable than we realize, especially when they have caring teachers like these.

The best decision we have made for our son's early education by enrolling him at Challenger…read morebareyessa for preschool. Ms Priti and Ms Prerna have been wonderful teachers to my son. In just a few months he has made such an amazing progress in phonic, reading, spelling and writing and most importantly he loves learning. He absolutely loves being in their class and has already decided that his little sister should have them as teacher as well :) thank you for making his preschool experience so special.