I'm sad to report that College Park hit the wall this past year. In terms of it being a school…read morewith qualities our family supports, it's no longer a fit for us. Be aware: API results blend gifted (self contained) classes with the general school population. To analyze test scores for non-GATE Mandarin-track kids, you'll have to dig hard. It's a mixed picture. Sadly, most parents don't know how tough it is to staff Mandarin schools well (I've been involved with Mandarin immersion schooling for 25 years). CP is now bleeding experienced staff who feel the program under-serves kids who can't deal with immersion. They're 100% right btw. To evaluate this school accurately, ask tough questions about budget, and visit more than one Mandarin program. This one's budget is threadbare and nearly entirely reliant on volunteers to supplement teaching. If your child is a VERY adept speaker of English (i.e. will not require any help ever supplementing his reading or writing in English) an un-funded Mandarin public school education probably won't do much damage. Our story... In 2011-12, a bullying problem flared up. A core of tough boys were leading teachers around by the nose, disrupting class,and taunting kids. Ours got it often, others had it worse. There was a lot of boy-on-girl bullying. We and my daughter asked for help, but teachers were intimidated by the boys and ineffectual in handling them. We asked about a bullying policy and were told there wasn't one. Some teachers were turning a blind eye out of misplaced empathy for boys who needed to be removed from class, educated separately, or punished. I was told - after witnessing a very public humiliation of my daughter by 5 boys - that "these kids have trouble at home." It was my 9 year old's job to suck it up and tolerate it apparently. The air at College Park is thick with racial politics, and it has repeatedly affected the daily lives of some children (granted some kids feel none of this and to them I say: mazel tov, you've been lucky). The principal rejects the concept that there are discipline problems, or indeed ANY serious problems with the program. Her own staff roll their eyeballs when the subject of Mrs. H "listening" is mentioned. Nothing derails her constant, tedious boosterism. Imposing Mandarin immersion on a student body whose parents are perhaps 10% functionally illiterate or 40% poor English speakers is just bad policy. It's true that a few English-learners excel, but they are a tiny minority. Most struggle. Many fail. These kids need a strong traditional English program. Teaching quality is all across the board. Many long-time teachers of English at CP have been wonderful. Some of them are leaving. And frankly, their efforts are being undermined by this now unfunded, experimental Mandarin program. Given the extreme needs among the local kids for outstanding English teaching, I'm truly confused about why the district would continue Mandarin at College Park. You're lifting API at the expense of kids who need the 3 Rs. Budget decimation. In December 2011, the federal government pulled the grant program that funded the $300,000/year Mandarin immersion program at College Park. To be clear: THE FEDERAL MONEY IS GONE. We all knew it was coming. I asked if they wanted help raising serious foundation money but was told they didn't understand the questions I was asking ("What is your budget and where is it written down?). The level of naivete around how to manage the loss of funds by raising other funds was startling - really startling. You do NOT find $100k+ at a bake sale or a single Chinese meal for PTA members. Heavy fundraising requires professional expertise and a budget. They have no expertise and demonstrated confusion when asked for a budget. A nice, totally inexperienced group of parents was assembled to raise money to replace some of the funds. They had raised, by June 2012, about $20,000. So, from $300,000 to, less than 1% of that. The principal doesn't dig outside expertise. Big mistake. She needs heavy help fund raising and she's not asking for it. The lady shows all the signs of having a thin skin and refusing help she can't control. 3rd and 4th grades were combined. There is no more differentiated instruction in Mandarin. New parents rarely understand how badly CP's immersion compares to those in other districts. Their kids may end up doing ok, but only if they have plenty of outside tutors in Mandarin. We were sad to leave that community of friendly people. PTA folks are super. But we felt that under present leadership, CP would never fix its troubles. There are some super smart parents trying to make it work at CP. I earnestly wish them luck. But it's unlikely the program will thrive without leadership change.

My daughter is now in second grade. She was a kinder when a brand new principle came to the…read moreschool. I had a lot of respect for the previous principle and I also feel really good about the current one. I think Steven Chuang probably speaks more Mandarin than English so his delivery might be misunderstood by folks that are native. Over the course of the last 3 years I do see a lot of compassion and effort on his part, and the teachers too. It seems to me like this is a great school where u have parents teachers and principle working together. I will say I am not a fan of the district people for taking away the magic from the bilingual after school program. Kuai Le. I was not impressed by the people sitting in the district offices.

We have been a family at EDS for 14 years - all 4 of our children have attended. My kids have all…read morebeen academically prepared and socially/emotionally developed during their years here. It is important to note that we as parents, love the adult community. I enjoy attending the Day School Parent Association meetings, the family events like Fall Festival and Donut Day, and the adult gatherings like Cheers and the Spring Party. It is a community for the children and the parents.

Good school for neurotypical kids who are into sports, but not for kids who don't fit that mold…read more Small class sizes, supportive teachers, friendly community and fun events are plusses. But the curriculum is inconsistent, there's a high turnover rate, and an appearance driven culture. Lots of talk about diversity, community, SEL but mostly displayed with performative events, not curriculum or genuine fellowship. Changes in administration went from "We'll do whatever is necessary to support him" to "No, if we do that for him, we have to do it for everyone" (and everyone could benefit). With mild ASD, all our son needed was accommodations for field trips, a sensory space to take breaks and explicit SEL for all the students about teasing and bullying. With a high tuition and large administration, we thought we could expect those things, but we couldn't. Even the social connections we and our son made during six years at EDS have nearly all vanished. The school is not what it used to be.

Both my siblings, one year apart, have been mentioning that a specific teacher has been going out…read moreof his way to treat them and most boys in their classes badly for the past two years. Both my siblings had this teacher for 4th grade and the youngest one has informed me that, to add the cherry on top of two years of constant unprofessionalism and disrespect, he tossed her report card to the floor and told her to pick it up in front of the rest of the class. This is after constantly leaving her out of things, going out of his way to ignore her, and this was similar behavior given to my younger brother last year when he was in this man's class. I don't want to fully point fingers, but the fact that he is an older white male picking on latinx children and other students of similar and very different backgrounds, while heavily favoring female students from what not only my siblings told me but their friends as well, is severely concerning.

Highlands lives off the reputation as historically being one of the better schools in the San Mateo…read more/ Foster City district. In my experience; however, I'd say it's a school in decline. Highlands has a basic California-wide standard approach to teaching, one that would work in non-tech cities like Fresno or Modesto. Because of its location, a large number of its kids come from silicon valley families and have higher expectations for learning than just a standard California education. Unfortunately this school does not adequately cater its teaching to meet the needs of this large demographic as the elite schools in the mid peninsula do (Fox, Baywood, etc). The typical classroom at highlands consists of 2 large groups of kids with different skill sets. One group is of advanced learners and the other is of those who perform "below basic standards". There really aren't many kids who have skills in the middle. The school's main principal to teaching is to "ensure all students learn the essential set of skills needed for basic life" and that "no kid is left behind". In each class, all kids are taught the same level of math. Given the class's wide disparity in aptitude levels, this means that math is taught at a lower level and at a slower pace (one thats catered for the slower learners). Advanced kids are not challenged in class and their potential is not realized. Many of the advanced learners, (especially the boys), tend to become distractions in class, tune out of the lessons, or have low self esteem because they 'can't focus'. This is all due to their lack of stimulation to the unchallenging curricula being taught them. I'll also mention that there's a significant bullying issue in the school (especially at the 3rd - 5th grade levels). The teachers and administration have never directly addressed it and, in many times, choose to ignore it. My kid has witnessed this many times first hand and I have friends who have pulled their kids out of Highlands and into private institutions primarily to get them away from the relentless bullying that they were experiencing. The last thing I'll mention is that the school is pretty run down as it was built sometime in the 50's or 60's and hasn't been kept up much since. It is also populated over its initial capacity. The capacity issue isn't from local kids, but from the kids bussed in from a lower-income north of downtown neighborhood (a legacy of the 1960's inner city bussing regulations). To handle this extra capacity, there are 2 'temp structures' that have been used for years as 'permanent' classrooms. If you are a parent that lives in the footprint of this school and have the means to put your kid in a private school, I'd recommend that you strongly consider that option. A common theme I've noticed is that many parents put their kids through private school up until 8th grade and then send them to Aragon for high school (Borel, the middle school, doesn't have a great reputation either).

D-Tech is a great charter school for students and parents seeking an innovative approach to…read morelearning rather than a standardized school. Highly recommended to all families looking for a unique school like this.

As a current softmore at this school, there are lots of negatives from this place: the food is…read moreinedible, and Ive gone to lots of schools, the food at this school is the worst food I've ever had, I wouldn't even feed it to a stray dog. The tech policies are damn near dictatorship-like where you can't use personal computers because the school forces us to use the barely functional school Chromebooks with so many websites blocked it makes North Korea look like a free country because they want to see what we are doing at all times on our computers. Then there is the grading system, which if you get a 1 on one outcome even if you have 4s on every single other one, boom you are failing that class. Then there is the D-lab classes that only this school has, absolutely the worst classes I have ever taken, and that class is almost impossible to pass even if you try as hard as possible. Also this school has the dreaded by all students Yonder policy where you have to lock up your phones in the morning, and I've heard from friends some teachers make you unlock the pouch randomly so they can see if the phone is actually your phone and not a decoy by making you log in to it and check your account on your phone. One of my friends was almost suspended for taping random things to a protein shake bottle because the teacher thought it was a bomb. Also it has got to be the most LIBERAL ASS school I have ever seen. Like when trump got elected last November the teachers were saying there was emotional counseling for everyone who didn't like the election results. So in summary, this school has food that not even the prison system would feed to death row prisoners, more rules around tech than North Korea, and it is the most woke school I have ever been to which is saying something because I went to a charter school in Santa Cruz for most of middle school. DON'T GO TO THIS SCHOOL. This review is a student POV so it can be more trusted than others because I have been going here for 2 years and experienced almost everything about this school so far.

To quote Jesper Johansen from the movie "Klaus"…read more "That's it! This place is the worst! It's cold and icky, and the people are mean to me and I miss my silk sheets!" staff was pretty good except for the English teacher. Curriculum was unnecessary. Entire place was absolutely filthy except for the teacher's lounge. The people there were truly some of the worst I have met. Thank you.

It's a school behind a school, it's kinda in the cuts. The people seem really nice here. The place…read moreseems really cool for a place that has kids. The parking lot is pretty packed but I found a spot.

I am a member of the Saints Squad. The parent welcoming committee. I understand the importance of…read moreonline reviews, researching and looking at schools to assess whether or not it is the right fit for you and your child, so here is a more updated review. Many of the reviews that you will find online are outdated, and comments about those administrative personnel are no longer with the school. I also know that each individual family will have their own experience and perspective, but here is ours. We have one child that graduated two years ago (at Serra now) and have two more still at the school. More recently one who started kindergarten. We are the largest of the catholic elementary schools in the San Francisco Archdiocese. We like the academics and structure and I will say... it's challenging. But there's no other way to prepare these kids than to give them this structure and chance to learn boundaries and how to succeed themselves. Personally, my kids are thriving here. My two boys like that the school offers sports as early as 4th grade as a way to introduce them to baseball, basketball and track and field. They also have volleyball for the girls. Like with any school, you have to find a balance. We try not to get too looped into the politics, as all schools will have them. If you can have a small filter to block out some noise, you'll be fine. We find that we like the structure and the rigor of the academics and find that the kids are well prepared going into high school. St. Matthews feeds many kids mainly to Serra, SI, Notre Dame, or Mercy when they graduate. Then there is a mix of the public schools like Hillsdale, Aragon, Burlingame, and San Mateo. The parent community is second to none. Everyone that goes here says that it is the BEST! There are so many ways and opportunities for the parents to get involved and interact. This is what makes us different and I would agree. Many different parent committees to plan events for the school. Carnival, auction, etc. The school is closely tied with the parish. There is a school and parish committee that try to align together on events and religious education. This year, 2024, Saint Matthews Catholic School has adopted a new administrative team approach to providing leadership to the school and it has worked really well. So well that the Archdiocese is looking to this as a model for all schools based on its success so far. We don't have a set "Principal" or "Dean" in terms of title, seeing that a Leadership team that works together can leverage each other's strengths to get things accomplished in order to meet the needs of the school and students and not have to rely on one person to do a "job description" or part of it when it is not their strength. It's a team approach to success. The community here is great. The 40 volunteer hours per family is so easy to do. And that's what helps to create the community that we have. People say that Saint Matthew's Catholic school is large with over 600 students. However, my family preferred this when deciding on a school to start our oldest child. Thinking about our own experience growing up, there were two classes per grade and just didn't realize that maybe that is more the norm. My wife and I preferred that there were two classes per grade because each year they will mix up the students. We felt that this would better prepare the students socially to adapt to larger sized schools when they go on to high school. We felt it also helps them to learn how to adapt to different people and personalities, of which is a very real world life skill. So, we actually do not mind that there are two classes per grade. The lower classes also have a full time aid in the class to help with the teacher, so it is not a 1:32 ratio. One classes per grade will have our kids be stuck with the same 30 people for the entire nine years. Which can be very challenging. But for some families, that is what you are looking for, so I understand. There are many activities for the students to get involved with. Sports, Drama, Journalism, tech, Student Government, Music. They learn Spanish at an early age. And have volunteer hour opportunities. The school does integrate religion into the curriculum. There are many families and students that are not Catholic that attend this school. We are hitting the re-start button with our family as our five year old has entered kindergarten this fall. However, we do not regret going here even though with all the changes that have been going on. We were impressed with how they had handled the COVID situation and learning. They kept the students' best interest in mind in terms of continuing with their academics and making sure that they were not missing classroom instruction. The gym is by far the nicest gym for the kids! It's bright, lots of natural sunlight. The side doors roll up, so during hot evenings, can open them up and the siblings or parents can watch from the courtyard by the tree. According to my

We've been part of the St. Matthew community since our child started kindergarten last year, and we…read morecouldn't be happier. Our child continues to grow academically, socially, and spiritually in ways that have truly exceeded our expectations. What really sets this school apart is the strong sense of community. From day one, we've felt welcomed and supported--not just by the faculty and administration, but by fellow parents and the parish community as well. There's a real partnership between home and school, and parents are encouraged to take an active role in campus life. Whether it's volunteering for traffic duty, participating in fundraising events, or coaching sports, there are many opportunities to get involved--and so many parents who genuinely want to pitch in. The staff and teachers are warm, approachable, and passionate about what they do. The values-based education and emphasis on faith development have been a wonderful foundation for our child.

This school was the best choice my husband and I made for our kids. Both started in kindergarten…read moreand one will be graduating middle school this year, the other will be starting middle school next year. The community of families is wonderful and I feel like we have an extended family. The kids are always cared for and loved. I have a wonderful set of lifelong friends as do my kids. St. Gregs has prepared them spiritually and intellectually to move on as successful high school students. They will always have great memories and friends from St. Gregory School.

If you're looking for a good academic curriculum, this isn't the school for your child. There is…read morelittle instruction by the teachers , zero homework and lots of "let's watch a movie or listen to an audiobook" time. Instead of instruction, they give the kids "time to do homework." Several "no school" days. It's not a good school. Public school system is much better. Also they have a verbally abusive math teacher who is not even a good teacher. The principal is meh. Doesn't care about anything besides money.

I cannot say enough positive things about the Charles Armstrong School and the incredible impact it…read morehas had on my son's academic experience and truly, on the trajectory of his life. He is a dyslexic and dysgraphic learner who is now thriving thanks to the skills, tools, and confidence he's gained at Armstrong. It's so refreshing to be in a learning environment where every subject is taught through the lens of the dyslexic learner. My son was happy at his previous school, but his academic confidence was rapidly declining. Since joining Armstrong, he feels like a star and is finally able to live up to his full potential. He's no longer an outlier. Here, everyone learns the way he does. The teachers are incredibly dedicated and deeply knowledgeable about how to reach and teach these remarkable learners. The small-group instruction has been key, and we also love that Armstrong offers all the benefits of a larger school--sports teams, student government, performing arts, and a wide range of extracurriculars. If you have a child with a language-based learning difference, get them to Armstrong ASAP! We only wish we'd come sooner.

We are new to CAS but so far our experience has been exceptional. Our son participated in their…read moresummer program and after a month we observed a discernable improvement in his reading skills. The school seems intensely focused on working with the parents to set goals and objectives for students' development over the school year and the level of communication with us as new entrants has been high. They appear to be incredibly well organized. The kids wear uniforms--that gets a "like" from me. I will update this review over time.