Let me start off by saying the church is absolutely beautiful. The priest is so kind and checks in…read moreon classrooms sometimes during the day. Which is absolutely wonderful. The principal Mrs. Bala is the most caring person I know she expresses gratitude in all she does. Also she knows every student's name by heart. The American History teacher is very compassionate. She cares deeply about everyone. The English and Literature teacher has a great understanding for helping young learners. She teaches them how to work hard and educates them accordingly. The Spanish teacher is outstanding she teaches students in new ways. She makes learning fun and makes school exciting. Everything else needs to be better developed or up to date.

St. Mary is an amazing little school in downtown Royal Oak for preschool - grade 8. The teachers…read moreand staff are an exceptional caring team and the families form a wonderful supportive community.

Given my beau's family are graduates of Berkley School District, going in with my little one,…read moreexpectations were high. I heard a great deal about the exemplary elementary school experience they had at Burton in Huntington Woods, the strong programs at Norrup, and the fantastic music program at Berkley High School. Considering the lowest degree in the family is a Bachelors and everyone ended up as active citizens gainfully employed in professions they enjoy or love, I'd say the school district met the mark. A generation later, my child has been enrolled in the Berkley School District's "Building Blocks" program since he was twelve weeks old, giving me an excellent view of school system as he advances towards elementary years. Currently we have made it so far as pre-K in the year-round program. The pre-K programs cost about $900 a month for full-time, year-round care, allowing me to avoid worrying about daycare alternatives in the summer, which are few and far between with two working parents and nearly every other relative employed too. Half-day and full-day options are available from 6 weeks to 6 years, and the slate ranges from one day to five a week. Tuition assistance for needy families is readily available and advertised, and I'm fairly sure that kindergarten and pre-K (4-5 year olds) are also free for families under a certain income range. Is it worth it? Every. Damn. Penny. The Building Blocks program at Tyndall uses the HighScope curriculum, a nationally recognized program with measurable benchmarks for all levels, and that combines intellectual and social development with physical activity and age-appropriate goals. All lead teachers must be certified, and they create outstanding lessons that give children lots of time running about outside, playing together, reading, and enjoying group activities or crafts. There's no way I could recreate this on my own without taking an early childhood education program, let's face it. (Never mind I'd go insane with only a 3-year-old for company all day). Their pre-K classrooms are clean, bright, and happy places full of toys and reading centres, science tables, play stations, and more. My little one basically abandons me at the door, says 'Toodleloo,' and off we go. He's got friends made in the infant rooms who remain highly involved in his day to day activities, and new ones integrating happily. Berkley preschools always have events going on -- meet animals, play on drums, have a dance party, learn about dinosaurs. You can tell the caregivers and teachers truly love their kids, and it's not simply a job to them. These are caring, loving people who still keep after their former charges. Success speaks for itself. My child is happy, well-adjusted, and blows his ASC (a standardized measure for how well a child holds up against pediatrically/child educator-approved measures for their age group) scores out of the water. He's never had an issue we, as parents, couldn't work through with a discussion with a teacher on the best supportive strategy to gently encourage good behaviour or pick up another skill with a little practice. My only caveat with the school district is its communication of closed days: you /really/ need to get on the newsletter distribution and read it. I've shown up more than once to find the school inexplicably shut for a professional development day or such, and there was not good signage/reminders. This has improved with time, but I appreciate a handout sent home or whatnot. Pretty small beans compared to the warm, nurturing environment I've had the joy of sharing with my kid, though!

I am a product of this system, namely the high school at this address…read more The most notable thing about the curriculum was a strong emphasis on writing. I remember how easy my classmates found it to excel in college writing classes, while other students struggled, big time. So, if you are looking for a school system to nourish independent thinking, and writing skills (invaluable), you ought to consider Berkley.

Teachers fun great funny sweet, perfect singing, lovely happy sweet, kind perfect andread more

The head of school is very kind and welcoming, staff is very polite as well. I love this school and…read moreyou will too!

Bishop Foley Catholic High School has the best of both worlds where it's class size enables…read moreexcellent student and staff to student ratio for a much needed safe and high quality academic environment but offers educational (AP, Honors classes) and athletic programs that rival the best larger sized schools. My son's student class is close knit where each student knows everyone and supports everyone. About 75% are involved in athletics and/or other extracurricular activities. They are true to the Catholic Faith and support many religious based activities such as the March in DC and World Youth Day with the Pope. My son loves his experience as he begins his Junior year. I'm confident that both the staff and coaches will prepare him well for the top universities that he is planning for application and to serve the less fortunate in his community.

Our child has THRIVED here and we absolutely love it! Its smaller school feel makes it feel like…read moreclose family. The other parents are super nice as are the students. We feel it's definitely preparing our child for college (academically, as a future leader, as a moral Christian, athletically, etc). We couldn't be happier and are planning to send our younger children here for high schoo

Our daughter spent several years thriving at Japhet School. She earned nearly straight A's,…read morecherished her classmates, and fully embraced the community. We believed we were in the right place -- until her mental health began to decline and the school failed to act. In January 2025, her grades dropped noticeably, and her pediatrician, counselor, and prior neuropsychologist all recommended accommodations to support her suspected autism and rapidly progressing anxiety. These recommendations were brought directly to the Head of School and her teacher -- and were met with delay, deflection, and silence. Despite presenting medical documentation, past accommodations, and a collaborative proposal, no meaningful steps were taken -- not even acknowledgment. For months our daughter struggled through 5+ hours of homework per night, experienced escalating distress, and began exhibiting severe trichotillomania. We asked for urgent follow-up, confirmed her suffering, and even laid out specific accommodations recommended by her care team. The school's response? Vague reassurances, inaction, significant delays, and ultimately -- a statement that they were not resourced to help and we therefore were forced to withdraw her with 7 weeks left in the academic year. Her final days at Japhet were devastating for her and me as her parent. Staff completely ignored our emails. Her friends were never told she was leaving. She was sent home with hours of homework knowing it would never be graded and despite confirmed withdrawal due to mental health. There was no closure. No sense of RELIABILITY, HUMILITY, or RESPECT not for her as a learner, nor for us as a family. Japhet often speaks of its 18 character qualities -- initiative, courage, gratitude, justice, respect, reliability, joy, humility, peace, and more. But in our experience, these values were words on a wall, not principles in practice. When our child needed understanding, flexibility, and human connection, zero compassion was shown despite the fact that she was unraveling inside their very own walls. We share this to caution other families of neurodivergent children, especially those with autism +/- PDA profiles. If your child requires flexibility, emotional safety, accommodations or genuine partnership -- be prepared. Our experience was marked by neglect, poor communication, and a striking lack of sensitivity. Japhet may not leave students behind academically -- but emotionally, we were left entirely alone.

I looked at multiple preschools before enrolling my son at Japhet. It wasn't a hard choice once the…read moreadmissions director gave me a tour and informed me about their character building program and showed me projects that kids had done in previous years. My son used to go to a Montessori for two years prior so I was wondering if he would be able to transition well and to my delight, he is thriving and loves his teachers and loves going to school. The school has a unique community feel that makes everyone feel included, informed and well connected. I am so glad I found japhet! If you are looking for Schools in this area (anywhere in pre k to grade 8) I highly, highly recommend that you visit Japhet and see for yourself!

We had a very disappointing experience with Shrine Grade School last year. Before enrolling,…read moreseveral local teachers warned us about leadership and academics at Shrine, but we chose to give it a chance and quickly regretted it. The school was consistently disorganized. The principal seemed disengaged and unhappy in his role, while the assistant principal was unapproachable. Even their newsletters were full of grammatical errors--alarming for an academic institution. Most concerning was the school's push to hold back pre-K students. Even when classroom teachers said children were ready for kindergarten, administration insisted otherwise (this is the case for 3 different families we have spoken to). In our case, they repeatedly claimed our 4 y/o May-born daughter was "too young for Kindergarten," which is simply not true. We later learned this was likely due to a lack of kindergarten space, making the decision feel misleading and financially motivated. The one bright spot was our daughter's teacher, who was kind and capable, but strong classroom teaching cannot make up for weak leadership. Now that our daughter is at a new school, the difference in organization, communication, and overall educational environment is striking. I fear for Shrine's future if leadership and priorities do not change.

Very nice place my kids love going to school here it's such a great Catholic education such great…read moreteachers and great community