This school was hands-down the best choice we made for our son. He had a fantastic experience in middle school and is now excelling as a 10th grader, with his sights set on the Diploma Program. read more

Our son started summer 2020, with K and 100% distance learning. Excellent experience! School leadership, teachers and staff are all super professional, very friendly. They really know how to make learning via zoom exciting and valuable. We highly recommend Alto to anyone looking for top IB education in the SF Bay Area! read more

My daughter has attended this school since pre-school and loves it! Aside from being bi-lingual, she is learning so much through specific units that help children understand the world they live in and how they relate to it. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Program helps kids learn by doing, feeling, building, touching and utilizing their curiosity to ask questions. She has become more independent and has confidence in herself and situations that she is put it. She is more and more comfortable speaking in front of a group and can express herself well. She hasn't even hit the 1st grade. She loves going to school and sometimes it's hard to get her to leave!! The schools community is wonderful and they offer many fun activities throughout the year. Winterfest, Sommerfest and a St Martin's lantern parade are just of few of the fun activities. I encourage you to consider this great school in the heart of the Peninsula. read more

Great concept, administration and communication not at all ideal: To begin with, I am a great proponent of the overall German-speaking pre-K and elementary school philosophy of focusing on creativity and interaction, instead of mostly pushing academics. So, if you are "shopping" for an educational philosophy, this one will not teach them math on age-inappropriate levels, but teach them the creative skills which can allow them to handily compete with anybody later on - yet avoid anxiety and have fun in the process. So, "Tiger parents" beware, this is not for you, the model is diametrically opposite from the Singapore/Shanghai model, yet it leads to similar outcomes (as evidenced by successful school systems in German- and Scandinavian-speaking countries). At the same time, the German school model being fairly egalitarian overall, the price point for the school is fairly modest, for Bay Area conditions. So, why only three stars? A good system can be implemented badly. The teachers were great and very competent, but it was obvious that the atmosphere between the administration and the teachers was tense. Administrators would sit in on parent-teacher conferences, and it was obvious that the teachers had to be careful what they could say, to make the school look good. In case any administrator reads this: no teacher ever complained openly, but it was just too obvious. Another issue: our daughter had speech delay issues when she attended, and one reason why we sent her there was to possibly find other German-speaking families she could play with (she's bilingual, and I am the German speaking parent). Once the other parents found out that she had difficulties communicating, they would essentially avoid us, not respond to invitations to kids' birthday parties, or play dates. [I guess you people know who you are, in case any of you read this.] So, German-speaking families are not immune to adopting the ways of the snooty Bay area. In summary, if you consider a German-speaking school, I would recommend the one in Mountain View, that follows the more "German" model, and the atmosphere is significantly more easy-going (which we only realized later). GAIS is IB, which is basically Swiss. Lastly: I've seen some of the more negative comments about the school disappear since I checked last, the rating used to be decidedly more negative. So, I guess directed to Yelp, I would like to say that I've made screen shots of this post, so I will publicize it if this gets deleted too. J.Z. read more

The benefits of the International Baccalaureate (IB) approach to learning as practiced at GAIS are numerous. One, it's fun. The kids are engaged and enthusiastic. Every time I go on a field trip the docent or guide or whomever invariably comments that the kids show the most interest and ask the most questions of any group they've ever had. Two, it's great training for actual work (rather than training in how to get good grades). An IB education is applied. Kids don't just learn math skills; they use math in applied research projects to solve real problems. Our kids don't wonder what math is good for. Three, presentation skills are stressed from the first grade. My 7th grader has already made more presentations than I had made after working for ten years. Four, it's very, very concerned with the whole child. Emotional development and social skills are an integral part of the curriculum. The kids get support to become respectful, compassionate people. Five years ago, GAIS was the first school in the world to have its primary school curriculum certified by the World IB authorities in the German language. The middle school program is now getting its IB World certification. This allows the school to benefit from the teaching experience of hundreds of other International Schools around the world. GAIS curriculum also covers all the same standards required by the state of California for public schools, but sometimes in a different order or way. So a child that transfers to public school or another approach in the middle of the program, especially mid year, may be far more advanced in some areas but may not have studied others already. The GAIS kids consistently outperform international school peers worldwide (much less California public schools) on standardized assessment tests. And, more importantly, they consistently succeed in public and private high schools, colleges and beyond. My spouse and I are English speakers. Both of us are Americans with no cultural ties to Europe. Yet our kids are fully bi-lingual in English and German, and kids add a 3rd language in 5th grade. Because it's her 3rd language, our 7th grader is progressing rapidly in Spanish. We feel the language learning - irrespective of what language - will benefit our kids for years to come. Math... well, it's Germans we are talking about here... so the math curriculum is solid. The music program led by Ms. Nathan, using the Orff Schulwerk method, is a big hit with my 1st, 4th, and 7th grader. The school also began a new band program this year in the Middle School. Drama and other creative arts are part of the English program from early on. It's engaged our children in English as a subject of study and provides a nice balance to sentence diagramming, spelling, and the like. read more

Alto International School was our top choice among high schools in Silicon Valley for my son who has been attending French American Immersion programs up to 8th grade. Alto International School has a global dimension that the other schools lack. It is the only school where you can take two languages at the same time. The only International Baccalaureate Diploma Program from Prek to 12th grade in the Bay Area and students can obtain a bilingual diploma in various languages. International Baccalaureate Diploma program is not only rigorous and well-rounded, but it also connects one to thousands of other graduates throughout the US and abroad. The academics are second to none and highly regarded by selective universities in the US and abroad. The diversity of languages and backgrounds of the students and faculty make International an incredibly dynamic and enriching place to be. Students don't need to be fluent in any particular language to enter the IB program. Teachers are outstanding, and the administration team is highly organized and caring. My son loves Alto International School, and he says the environment is similar to a utopia! Alto International is a gem in Silicon Valley, and I am grateful for having my son in such a highly intellectual and at the same time caring environment. read more

This is probably one of the most amazing schools you will find in our area, whether or not you are actively seeking out an IB education for your children. Our son has been attending GAIS for the past 3 years and is now in Kindergarden. GAIS is by far the most diverse, inclusive and welcoming school community we have encountered. In his time at GAIS, our son has blossomed into a critical, independent and creative thinker and doer who understands not just his immediate surroundings but can connect what he learns with things he sees going on in the world (the school refers to this as raising the kids as 'world citizens'). Just yesterday, my husband and I attended the first ever student-led conference in Kindergarden (!), and we walked away feeling proud and impressed by what our 5 year-old told and showed us while leading us through the content of his presentation. We love that the school really fosters the social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in addition to academic development, while preparing the children for situations they will come across in the real world, now and later in life. The curriculum is age appropriate, and in the early years is focused on things no textbook can teach your child, like creative thinking, conflict resolution and developing team skills. Parents take pride and joy in being part of this awesome community, and I can't say enough good things about the staff and administration of the school. We would (and do) highly recommend the school to anyone. read more

Our children have been part of this school for 8 years now and we love it. The IB program has a unique approach that allows children to learn in a way that fosters love of learning, curiosity, risk taking, self confidence, independence and our kids are thriving. The sense of community is great even for children who start in the middle of the program or during the school year. Teacher-student ratios are small and the teachers are engaged and support each child in their class to bring out the best in them. Our children are growing up in a different society, characterized by technologies that were not even invented when I grew up. They face different challenges and this school prepares them to become caring and confident world citizens. read more

My children are attending preschool and kindergarten and love it. We chose the school because we felt the international baccalaureat that they offer is just what we where missing in our education and what is needed to see this world from a wider perspective, preparing our kids to be livelong learners. We love the project based learning! If you don´t expect your child to get dirty and play in the mud in preschool, you might consider another school. Kids get to play with hot glue guns and manage to create fantastic art work with it. The day is very structured but still allows them to still be kids, play and explore. Go and see - its a fantastic team, great teacher and above all - a wonderful very international community in this school! read more

This hidden gem of a school is a secret no longer! Our kids have been at the school since preschool, with one currently in 4th grade and the other in the Middle School, attending 6th grade. About 25% of the families have two German speaking parents, 25% have one German speaking parent and the remainder of the families are either both American or come from over 40 different countries. German language skills are not necessary for preschool, (they will pick up the language there), nor for Kindergarten (where they will receive additional instruction). Both the Middle School and High School (just starting the 9th grade in 2016-2017) have English-only tracks, so don't let the "German" in the school name deter you. This is the ONLY International Baccalaureate (IB) school in the region and US colleges and universities are rushing to embrace IB graduates. The school is exceptionally strong in Math and Science, and the entire IB process of learning through inquiry produces exceptional students. When the school was Preschool thru 8th grade, the GAIS graduates pretty much had their pick of any private or public High School in the area, because of their test scores, the IB program results, and the school's reputation. Classes are small, the teachers are superb and from around the world and every student gets a lot of attention. This is a parent-run school, so you have a lot of input and impact on the way it is run. I kid you not, my kids fight to go to school. The school district we live in has wonderful public schools. The fact that we choose to pay (and the price is a bargain compared to other private schools) to send our kids here, tells you everything you need to know about this incredible school. read more