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.

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

As a high school soccer/lacrosse referee, I will be writing reviews for all the fields I officiate…read moreat. Although you give 1 - 5 star ratings for Yelp, I will be making five separate ratings and the overall average will be the final Yelp rating. The following is my rating for San Ramon High: Field / Turf Condition *** Field configuration ** Lights **** Seating **** Scoreboard *** OVERALL RATING 3.2 Note: All the fields in the San Ramon Valley School District are changed at the same time. I'm not sure why San Ramon's is in the best condition. Monte Vista, Dougherty and Cal definitely need to be upgraded. My only pet peeve with San Ramon's field is the concrete strip between the track and the turf field. Quite dangerous for players and referees. Cleats don't do well on concrete. I have seen quite a few spills over the years.

Cool school, kinda gives too much homework.read more

So much ridiculous entitlement. We cannot get into our residental complex at the corner of El Cerro…read moreBlvd at times as the parents block the entry and speed up to cut us off when there is the slightest opening. Yes, they speed up to stop at the red light on El Cerro. Such blatant rudeness. Catholic hypocrisy to its fullest! We tap the horn and they either smugly smile or stare straight ahead and don't acknowledge at all. During their drop off and pickup times, look out as they clearly think their time is more important than anyone else's. Their kids play doorbell ditch throughout the neighborhood after school, disturbing residents. Are these the kind of people you want your kids going to school with? Entitlement, rudeness, lack of parenting at its finest!

St Isidore school teaches kids lessons each day with amazing teachers too! And, this community is…read morevery safe with great kids and a very clean campus.

My experience at Los Cerros Middle School changed me as a person…read more I entered from Vista Grande as a goody-two-shoes, concerned about my "permanent record," trying my best, playing in band, and writing poetry. One day, as I'm sitting down eating lunch, an administrator hands someone at the table a clipboard. "Everyone at this table has to sign up for lunch detention." My beautiful, immaculate permanent record would be ruined! (Note from an adult: Permanent records either don't exist or no one will ever care to read them, so don't worry about what's on them.) Somehow, every one of us had messed up already. "What did we do?" we asked. "Someone threw a recyclable aluminum can in the trash can at the end of this table yesterday, and because I don't know who it was, you all have to be punished." But anyone can throw anything in a trash can at any time, not just the people who sit at the nearest table, we noted. She didn't care. It's just a can? Didn't care. I don't drink out of cans? None of us were even SITTING at this table yesterday? No, our stupid children logic didn't matter, we don't deserve agency or space to reason. This admin just wanted to show how little justice actually mattered, you're just supposed to cower under her authority. This wasn't an isolated incident; I also got real, after-school detention because I forgot to ask my parents to sign my math test. How is it supposed to benefit a student to stare at a wall for an hour after school? So, what did I learn from this experience? That getting in trouble has nothing to do with whether you did anything wrong. It's all about getting caught. Ever since then, I forged signatures on my tests and never got caught. My new favorite hobbies are trespassing and graffiti. Maybe you've seen some of my work around Danville. Los Cerros has a nice Literary Magazine, though.

We have our 2nd child in Los Cerrito's Middle School and have been happy with the most of the…read moreteachers, the staff and the top management. On the occasions where the teacher was out of line we went to the vice principal and got it taken care of, eventually both bad teacher left the school. When there were trouble between the kids management took care of it quickly and efficiently. The education is top-notch, we have no complains, the kids get a good education.

It has taken me over a year to gather the courage to write this review, and my motivation is not…read moreborn out of anger alone, but from a place of profound disappointment and a broken heart. My journey with this school, which spanned nearly five years, was full of moments that initially filled us with hope but ultimately left us deeply disillusioned. When my daughter and I were first accepted, we were elated. I remember the tears of joy as we shared the news with family, and we even brought a cake to the staff to express our appreciation. We believed we had found a safe, nurturing Christian environment where my daughter could thrive academically and spiritually, and where she would form lasting, meaningful relationships under the guidance of a Christian curriculum and staff. Unfortunately, as the years went by, our experience was consistently marred by disappointments, particularly with the behavior of some of the teachers. What was even more troubling, however, was the principal's response--or lack thereof. Time after time, when issues were brought to her attention, Miss Westgate, the principal, would dismiss concerns or, worse, turn the situation around, making the staff out to be the victims despite undeniable evidence to the contrary. This lack of accountability was heartbreaking, but I continued to hope that my daughter was still receiving a good education. One of the more distressing events during our time at the school involved a teacher who submitted a letter to CPS, claiming that I was unsafe with my daughter because she sat in the front seat of the car. The car in question was a two-seater, and the airbag had been turned off--perfectly legal. CPS, when contacted, dismissed the claim as frivolous, noting they often receive baseless reports from this school. This was just one example of many, where the school staff overstepped, and yet no action was taken to address the behavior. Another shocking incident involved the leaking of private information from a live scan to parents who were not authorized to see it. Despite my attempts to bring this to Miss Westgate's attention, there was no explanation, just a shrug and an admission of ignorance. I had nothing to hide, but the idea that such sensitive information was handled so carelessly was inexcusable. As time passed, my daughter's emotional well-being became a growing concern. She was bullied by a former close friend, and after repeatedly addressing the situation with the staff, I was forced to take matters into my own hands. I spoke politely with the child involved, reminding her of their past friendship and encouraging her to reconcile. I even communicated this to the child's father and Miss Westgate, who assured me she would look into it. The following day, however, Miss Westgate informed me that I was no longer allowed on school property, that my behavior was deemed inappropriate. I was barred from participating in school activities I had been a part of for years, including chapel and father-daughter events. Despite my efforts to resolve the matter amicably, the school took an aggressive stance, forcing me to withdraw my daughter. When I made the decision to pull my daughter from the school, it wasn't out of spite but out of necessity. I needed to protect her, and unfortunately, staying at this school was no longer in her best interest. The final blow came when we enrolled her in a local public school, only to discover that she was a year behind academically, despite having been told that private education would provide a better foundation. This gap in her education, combined with the emotional toll of her experience at this school, has been incredibly difficult to navigate. We've had to hire a tutor to catch her up, a process that has added more stress to an already challenging situation. As I reflect on this experience, it is clear to me that the principal, Miss Westgate, failed to hold her staff accountable for their actions. Despite providing her with ample evidence of their misconduct, she chose to defend them and, in the end, made it impossible for us to continue our relationship with the school. It's with a heavy heart that I share this review, but I feel compelled to speak out. My daughter's experience, our family's experience, was far from the Christian, nurturing environment we had hoped for. I would caution any parent considering this school to carefully weigh these factors and consider whether this is the right place for their child.

I'd give this school no stars if I could. If you don't live in Danville or Alamo, find another…read moreschool. I reside in Walnut Creek, and everyone looked at me like I was poor or would question why I'd consider going there (even though my house in Walnut Creek is upwards of 3m and theirs in 1.5-2). My daughter went to the preschool for two years. Poor communication with teachers (they only communicate at pick up in front of other parents, while other schools have apps for communication. No focus on whole child, sit, read, write mentality. If you question anything they will slowly push you out. Was told after testing that she wouldn't do well at the school (she was four). They tested her multiple times without communicating that. There was no communication all year that she had been struggling (shows they don't care about how the kids are doing until testing). Ms. Kalina is awful. Very fake (most of the staff and other moms are). Shows favoritism and said "we will see how this baby turns out" while I was pregnant. Wasn't a good fit. Don't waste your time and send your child to Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church or Contra Costa Christian (some of the teachers at SRVCA said they heard great things about it). My kids now go to those two schools, are thriving and so happy. My daughter told me "I like my new school because they don't put me in time out" (a which we knew nothing of-go figure). Older facilities but genuine and loving community-everything you want for your baby and at least they have real grass. Oh yeah, we donated over 1k to have a buck with our name put on it for their upgraded outdoor area.

Excellent school with excellent teachers. In my experience,…read morethe staff are accomodating, profesional and clearly dedicated to their students.

Terrible school! I still go here, terrible teachers ALWAYS ON THEIR PHONES and the kids are…read moreANNOYING. Its the teachers fault for not doing anything. You can get in trouble for the littlest things here! If you punch a kid, you don't get in basically in any trouble. But if you accidentally say this school is terrible, then you will get in big trouble. The teachers only tell not teach, and thats it! Oh dont get me started, the teachers always barely know the topic. And one time, teachers made us teach the lesson, and make the quiz, quizzes were usually rigged and not checked by the teacher. This school is not what it used to be, DONT GO HERE! Go to Windemere, if you want your kid to actually suceed.

The marching band is really good there Excellent programs…read moreThere was a Spanish teacher who got on my nerves but they were chill

One son graduated and i have a senior at MVHS. MVHS…read moreprepares students for college. They offer challenging classes and many options for students to choose from. Not just academically but a lot of extracurricular activities for students to get involved Dance, Theater, award winning music programs, competitive sports. the counseling team is amazing. They are there for the students. Always available to help and guide. The Principal, Dr. Ahern is constantly on campus and keeps us parents on the loop on what is happening at the school. He does monthly coffees and parents are always welcome, our ideas and input are heard. Parents have plenty of opportunities to volunteer, something we never got a change with middle school. The school is on top of bulling and any issues that arise, i am sure there are drugs like any other High School, it depends on the parents being aware and involved with their children. The school wants students to succeed. During Covid the school and the school district have been on top of testing and safety protocols. Parents and students are involved and opinions matter. Glad the students had the option to go back to school, i wish it was done sooner. Lastly, it is locate on the beautiful foothills of Mt Diablo! And it is a beautiful campus!

I'll be honest - this place nearly drove me insane. It's not a happy place. I attended 2014-2018…read moreand I hated most of it. There were a few teachers I loved - but they are actually gone now (moved to different schools) such as Mr. O'Haire (math) and Mr. Seipel (PE - weights class) who moved to schools closer to where they live. The teachers, for the most part, were good and cared about the students to an extent. My issue lies with the other students. This place is infamous for the student community, which, in short, was not enjoyable, for the most part. While I did make some lifelong friendships, I do not miss 80% or more of the people I knew. As well as teachers, most administrators were okay. And DVHS has the best proms/balls in the bay area. Also, DVHS is academically superior. I was an average student at DVHS, with a GPA around 3.7, only a few Honors/AP courses. I had friends with over 4.5s, but also knew people with under 3.0s. I believe this place is a top 10 public high school in California, academically. The struggles I've had in high school made my time in college a breeze. College is so easy to me because DVHS was just so hard. I went from average at DVHS to (well) above average at my current school (which is certainly not prestigious like an Ivy League or UC school, but is a decent school indeed). If you plan on going to a small liberal arts college or a community college after graduating DVHS I think you will have a really easy time. I know many people currently (2020-2021 high schoolers) that transferred to Cal High or other schools because of how notoriously bad DVHS is. I actually switched to Venture Independent Study next to DVHS (public, part of SRVUSD) in the middle of my junior year and only took 2 classes at DVHS for the last 2 years (concurrent enrollment for AP calculus and a science class). My diploma is technically Venture and not Dougherty Valley. Of course I miss high school sometimes, but I am certainly glad to be done with that period of my life. Also, if you are 16-19 and know someone from DVHS, I would try to go to prom with them ;) My prom in May 2018 was memorable, definitely my most prominent (lol, no pun intended) memory of this place.

Former student here, would definetly recommend sending your child to a different school like cal…read morehigh instead. The staff is the biggest issue at this school. Teachers and counselors (apart from a select few) do not teach well and students end up having to basically self study whole courses. Staff also think students are beneath them and don't resolve issues that come up during the school year. The college and career counselor Mrs.Theobald, probably the most important person at that school because she manages internships and volunteering opportunities through the school, was the main reason I left this school. A mistake on her end (not telling me that the due date of an application was actually before the written date) made me lose an important internship opportunity, and when i went to turn in my application, she put the blame on me for not turning it in earlier (i turned it in 2 weeks before the date written). I even sent a long email to her about how i felt about the whole situation to which i got a one sentence response and no follow up or apology. That situation made me realize that i would never succeed academically if i stayed in dvhs. The school's staff has been kept based on seniority, not quality, so most of the teachers are bad, and counselors are very unhelpful and never actually try to solve problems that students have. The school might be rated high on a state level but it's because the students work so hard by themselves, so don't be fooled by the high ranking, this school has many issues.

Basketball game time!…read more this campus is awesome! great gym, very clean and well kept adult basketball league plays here during the weekdays.

This school was horrible, they hired a predator without doing the right background checks and a lot…read moreof the teachers are rude to students or just don't teach them what they need to teach (one teacher specifically taught they're class what they weren't supposed to learn and that stunted the students knowledge for the next year) . This school is bad at hiring good teachers and the students being forced inside the cafeteria during lunch is cramped and uncomfortable

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.

As a high school soccer referee, I will be writing reviews for all the fields I officiate at…read more Although you give 1 - 5 star ratings for Yelp, I will be making five separate ratings and the overall average will be the final Yelp rating. The following is my rating for Cal High: Field / Turf Condition * Field configuration *** Lights * Seating *** Scoreboard ** OVERALL RATING 2.0 Note: The northern end of the field the lights are fantastic which I assumed was paid for by a cellular phone company since there is a cell tower under the lights. All the other lights need to be replaced with LED. Turf needs to be replaced. Wear & tear from football, soccer, lacrosse and track.