I'm not surprised by the extremely negative news about this school. I've talked to multiple parents…read morewho have pulled their kids out because the staff and administration... Well, you know what? Just google the school in the news. This isn't an issue between students. This is from repeated failures and a staff culture that is toxic. I've also heard parents complain of retaliation when they report problems with the school, as well as discrimination.

I actually used to go here it's beautiful here, it has a gymnasium, it make me feel like home.read more

The school of advancing technology. Very good teachers. But it could use some upgrades besides some…read moreportables and a fence. I went here in 1999, I think, it's been so long.

I go to this school to get some books and I read it in my class and It's really cool I love how the…read moreinside of the media center is so cool they also take digital or physical student id cards and I love how they have so much books! Ms Jan is the person that works at the Media Center she is so nice and sweet when you ask her for a book she is nice love this school library

This isn't the best school in Gilroy I went there in 6th and I was bullied and they didn't care at…read moreall they kept telling me they were there to tech not babysit when they should care more about helping like south valley did the ladies in the office were rude to me and the school could use a few improvements I had a horrible experience there after I went to south valley I liked it way better at svms

Could not have designed a better school myself to be sending my two boys to. Have been attending…read morethis school since 2022. They treat your kids like their own. I feel my sons have multiple mommy's because that's just how they treat your kids. They are happy to go because the teachers are happy to be working there. 100% send your kids here, they will flourish and grow before your eyes!

Our daughter went to this school for 2 years & I can't praise it enough. Trusting someone with your…read morechild, it's a BIG decision. From the minute we toured the school I knew it was the right fit for us & worth every penny. It's a very special place & I'm so very thankful we got to be a part of it. The teachers G had (Ms. Karla & Ms. Ashlyn) were terrific and always kept me in the loop daily how she was doing and were so quick to respond to any messages I had sent. Most importantly she LOVED going to school & learned so much. The classes are smaller so they get 100% hands on during their day to make sure they succeed and are ready for Kindergarten. The staff also uses an app in which they post pics, send communications and really give you a close feel of your child's day. Miss Jenny is a truly special person that runs the school. She does such an amazing job & really makes you feel like family and sees each child for the special little individual they are. Each celebration, concert, holiday, spaghetti feed etc. always felt like a great big family coming together. I truly miss it & wish I had a 2nd kid to do it all over again =) Go check it out for yourself, you'll fall in love too =)

When Student was 11 and got A's in her college courses. We had actually informed Student that since…read morethese were college courses (and no other options were available that semester with Covid) getting F or D's were perfectly Ok - even expected. When I saw she had near perfect scores, I was impressed, but I also felt burdened. I knew I had a child that was going to need excess resources and there wouldn't be a clear roadmap. Normally I would teach and coach her in math, chess, homework, computers, tech etc. But I feel the roles got reversed really early. I don't know if it's a national or international issue, Santa Clara or Gilroy, but I've seen a trend recently a lot of students have been leaving SC schools: eg students getting pulled out for homeschooling (so much so that CA agencies are aware of this trend). Other Asian families in the Gilroy area complained the local schools were racist, prejudiced. Unlike some nearby schools, whether it was a student like ours that needed special academic challenges, or other students with diverse or difficult backgrounds - (I want to make clear that most "trouble" students are actually extremely bright. I also think many, many students are capable of college level study early. Just the logistics can be really difficult) - St. Mary's welcomed both the students and families, parents into a large family. Now Student is 14 and mom purchased a brand new race motorcycle for her. She plans when she turns 15 to ride legally (as CA DMV allows). So it's really a matter of months that she'll have her own vehicle, and riding motorcycles on her own. There was this really narrow window of opportunity for teachers and staff, administration, other families and parents to help Student. St. Mary's really was (not just saying; actually) formed a village and gave the guidance, help, teaching, discipline, love and faith needed - really very badly needed - to send Student and Family in a good direction. It's difficult for me to recall names, but... Thank you Principal Ervin, Mrs. Dowd, Mr. Williams, Ms. Layman. Thank you staff Mrs. Emily, Mrs. Karen Moreno, Mrs. Tanaya. Dawn for constantly reaching out to us, late night urgent text msgs to get media / projects we missed; including Student in all the media presentations. (I'm getting help on this comment so will be adding names). Thank you St. Mary's staff holding up an entire school travel bus just to take Student on board. Any other school would have just left Student behind. We completely forgot about the huge school trip. With my background, I really thought I'd be the last person having no idea how to parent. God, Jesus operates in and within St. Marys. God makes good better, and those in difficulty - healed. We were so blessed to have their Love and Faith; we watched not just Student, but many students taken in - regardless of challenges - improved, cared for, and sent to High School with Blessings. I remember multiple times really wishing St. Marys had a high school. I felt really insecure about us having aged out / graduating from Marys. We really appreciated the positive feedback from staff, teachers of our parenting. I'm not an expert, but I feel a lot of students this age - they're happy to get the dress they want for Prom / dance, the top-of-the-line GoKart, the best cell phone. But often, Student was very very disappointed I couldn't quickly get her a McLaren W1, the HP4 race bike equipped with "straight Akrapovic pipes"... I had to write emails to Service departments asking them not to take instructions from Student, as she had a $32,000.00 "mod order w/ rush" she put in herself on my vehicle; calls emails from MacLaren on the "new vehicle" I was apparently about to purchase. (She has admits having all my banking info and self-taught computer programming; went from creating AI entities / avatars on Roblox straight to hacking my accounts). Even though I knew Student would need to get a career and make her own money one day to buy McLarens, I did often feel I couldn't give Student the resources she wanted to pursue her interests / passions. St. Marys had that Holy Spirit or just kind-heartedness to compliment us on ways they saw good parenting, and that gave us a real sense of relief and satisfaction. Especially for me, I'd never been a parent before. (There's no reddit for this kind of stuff). Ideally, God is always in our lives, whether we have everything figured out or not. If or when you can't handle things, you need God. Whether your student / kids are already good, or facing challenges, God is the best option and St. Marys has God's presence to improve the students and families that go there. I recommend you do everything possible to have your child at St. Marys. Divine guidance / school is available in Gilroy.

Great with communication and the teachers give each student individual attention. Gilroy and Santa…read moreClara in general have very very low quality schools. Glad St. Marys is a fantastic alternative.

This is the hometown/country school that stands far and above any public or private school…read more Children are grouped by ability, not age. Because of this, every child has the opportunity to excel at his or her own pace. My kids are each doing work and progressing well above the typical grade level work, because of the way they are grouped. The staff here is fabulous. Each child is treated as as an individual. The children are taught that with actions come responsibility, and they are expected to be responsible for their actions. Classroom sizes are small (6-10), which greatly contributes to the positive leaning environment.

The headmistress of this school does not regularly pay her teachers. Please consider this when…read morethinking of sending your child(ren) and your money to the school.

Registration for new students and not owning a house in Gilroy is probably harder than buying a…read morehouse. The amount of proof that you need to provide to register a student is unbelievable. If you rent or share housing with other family members and you are not the owner be aware they will make it almost impossible to register your student. I mean yes I understand some people lie but when I turned in the application for my kid there was enough evidence that this was my home but nope apparently that was not enough and they wanted more proof. Might as well they should start asking for a video recording of the last 24hrs of you living in your residence. Awful experience!

Horrible service! They want parents to volunteer and get involved but then you have to go through a…read morewhole process of tb testing and back ground checks. Which is fine... but then you have The district only offering the paperwork during one hour period on Tuesday and Wednesday! Umm hello, it's paperwork not like you guys are doing the actual test why is it so hard to pass out some forms?! Not to mention! I called for these set times etc, and was told they would be doing it all day Wednesday's, so I went in and was told "No that's incorrect" it's only in the morning. On top of that the lady I spoke to told me I only needed my ID, now I need to provide them my social security too! Y'all need to get more organized and get your information correct!

Luigi Aprea School is one of the best elementary schools in CA and the definitely the best in the…read moreGilroy area. Excellent teachers Excellent parents participation Excellent facilities Excellent extra-curricular activities State API Scores 9 out of 10

Recently had 5th grade students from Ms. Marshes class to Camp and other destinations. Greatly…read moretreated well by teacher, parents and students on my bus. They did an Excellent job. You all must be very proud of them as I am Had a wonderful time being their driver, made me feel very welcome and comfortable, even cleaned up the bus. HATS OFF to all Pleasure serving you John Joseph (JJ) Reele, Motor Coach Operator, Quality Assurance Travel however now with VIA Adventures, Merced, CA

This is the preschool that everyone wishes for their child. Creative, playful, routine,…read morestructured, inventive, friendly, caring, patient, skill-building, independence-building, optimistic, lots of outdoor time, age appropriate pre-academics, and wonderful class size, 12 kids with 1 teacher and 1 assistant. Blossoming minds was founded and is operated by Jill Wall former Las Madres president in Gilroy CA. She is wildly qualified as a certified elementary school teacher in California, having taught in schools for many years before founding Blossoming Minds. In addition, she has the experience of raising 3 amazing kids of her own. She has used all of this knowledge and training to build the PERFECT preschool. No matter what preschool philosophy you're looking for (Montessori/free-play/traditional/nature/Social Emotional Learning), you will find the best concepts from all interwoven into Ms. Jill's curriculum and activities. Most class days begin outdoors with free-play on the playground/sensory tables/big vehicles so that kids can workout their morning wiggles before they start the day. The kids may then work on a thematic play-doh project, building project, or skill-building activity. Next, I adore that there is a communal snack for the kids as it creates the environment of dinner party for 12 little friends. The day may culminate in an art project that brings out the theme of the week. There are new themes every week from autumn apples, winter ice fishing, Dr. Seuss week, Valentines loving friends and family, spring rainbows & blossoms in the garden, lucky leprechauns and so many more. Each month, Ms. Jill selects a few letters, shapes, and colors to incorporate into the themes and activities each day. While allowing for a lot of creativity, Ms. Jill sprinkles in pre-academics to many activities without the kids really recognizing that they're learning something new that will help them in the future. Raisins and cheese cubes at snack -- they might be building a fun pattern with them, jumbo push-pins dotting around a pumpkin print-- they're learning how to hold a pencil, communal snack -- they're learning how to be part of a group & share, planting silk flower stems in a pot -- textures of sand and holding a pen, sticker time -- we might be learning how to count, puzzle time -- we're learning spatial awareness, frequently practicing songs with phonics -- we're building skills to eventually read, songs with numbers that use our hands to count -- we're learning math and motor skills, making a reindeer out of play-doh -- we're building hand strength for future writing. I adore that there is so much imagination throughout the day but that the activities are organized and very well thought-out. Between the format and smaller class size, preschool descent into chaos is completely avoided. Children know what to expect, they know the routine, they relax, they feel safe, they build their social skills, and can really enjoy their day. Ms. Jill is so experienced, she has a real optimism and is seemingly ready for any kid-type that walks through her door. I highly recommend Blossoming Minds to anyone seeking a joyful and foundational start to their child's education. My review likely won't do Ms. Jill's preschool justice, but know that it is MAGIC!

Miss Jill runs an amazing pre-school. Both of my children attended, which means I was a parent…read morethere for 6 years. Miss Jill provided engaging lessons that sparked curiosity and learning. There was ample opportunities for learning through creating or exploring. She had amazing sensory tables and crafts. The playground and outdoor facility was like no other option in our area. The academics were on point. She uses alpha friends (phonics program) which truly gave my kids a strong foundation for reading. If you're looking for somewhere for your 2, 3 or 4 year old- look no further. This was the very best place for our two boys to begin their education.