It was a Okay school. I learned mandarin there and it helped me quite a bit but it was so boringgg…read more I spent 3 hours of my childhood sitting there and I was in 6th grade at the time and in a 2nd grade level class. You can just imagine me just sticking out. Although definitely make friends if you don't you might as well die of boredom.

As my grades slipped in Mandarin class in high school, my mom found it in HER "best interest" to…read moreenroll me into Nam Kue the summer between my freshman and sophomore years. (NOTE: Yes, I was doing so poorly -- but cut me some slack, will ya? I come from a background of not even pure Canto -- my family has roots in Toishan, so I can't even speak Canto properly. I can't even speak Toishanese either! So of course pinyin and the sounds made no sense to me! The only thing I could really speak was English! I did try to get out of taking Mandarin in high school, but my mom forbade me to do so.) So yes, I did a quick reading test and they put me in...the 3rd grade. Yes, the 3rd grade with the little kids. I was about 3 feet taller than all of the class. My teacher for the year was an old guy who was supposedly the "calligraphy master" of the school. It was in this class I learned to "cheat" calligraphy writing, haha -- where you do every single stroke painfully slow. In the 4th grade, I had a teacher I liked a lot, because she, well, she gave me 4th rank despite me not doing a lot of the work -- purely because she liked me, hahaha. However, it was in this class that one particular fat boy I had to sit next to the entire year kept bugging me. He was rude, obnoxious, and a slew of other Chinese words. The only upside of this year was I made a lifelong friend who's suffered the process with me -- haha. Always got 1st rank in the class, and was the same grade as me in high school. Overall, I'd say I learned a good amount of things, but most Sundays, it was just pure boredom. I spent most of the time watching the clock tick. And the burning question -- did it help my regular Mandarin class in high school? I guess to an extent it did. It was crazy though, because that meant I had school 6 says a week, on top of swimming and violin lessons. +1 For the nice teacher I had in 4th grade. +1 For the friends I made. -1 For the assemblies. -1 For the boring ineffective ways of teaching. -1 For the fat boy.

Sterne is a great school for kids who have learning difference! The teachers are very supportive…read moreand understanding.

Our daughter is an eighth grader at Sterne, and we are glad we made this choice for her education…read more As a teacher, I am impressed with lessons I hear about. From teaching students about marine life with the Marine Mammal Center, learning about the Innocence Project and reading about a child's experience with her father's incarceration, to reading about a migrant family and their experience in the U.S., Sterne's teachers are amazing, not shying away from challenging work and topics, despite student's academic struggles. They encourage critical thinking and empathy for all people. With dyslexia and dysgraphia, she has consistent support from her teachers, making big gains in reading. Formerly a reluctant reader, she goes to the library most weeks. The teachers and staff know my daughter as a unique individual, with strengths and talents. The school's motto is "start with strengths" and I have seen this enacted many times. She explores her interests in music, digital arts, theater and studio art with dedicated teachers creating wonderful performance opportunities: playing in a rock band, participating in a unique fairytales play, or building a carefully crafted art show. We look forward to these events each year, and there is a newfound confidence in our daughter, who was shy in the past. Additionally, the administration handled a difficult situation between our child and another student, with kindness, compassion and respect, with nearly immediate contact with me. The staff made her feel safe and empowered to speak up for herself, and I am grateful for that. We also appreciate the kind and attentive staff at the front desk and office, who always help her out. Working in public education myself, I do not take for granted the opportunities the students at Sterne have for field trips, interest-based lunch clubs, and experiential weeks. These opportunities take an incredible amount of planning. I am impressed at what they do for students who could easily become disenchanted with school. The students are lucky at Sterne. We look forward to her continued growth, and eagerly applied for the high school this past year. We are grateful to be part of the Sterne family.

As per San Francisco Unified School Distinct standard practice, graduating elementary and middle…read moreschool kids from within the district have the option of filling out forms that allow you to select your top preferences for the school you'd like to attend. Apparently, my parents selected Washington and Wallenberg as the preferred schools for me to continue my education. Since i didn't get my school of choice coming out of Elementary school (Marina being #1 choice) I expected to at least get my selection this time. Wrong. I was assigned to Galileo, at the time a school known for students and their shenanigans, suspected gangs roaming within the school, and not really recognized for any type of academic achievement. Day 1 of Galileo went without a hitch. As I suspected, I attended a school with a vastly dominated Asian population with groups of other minorities spread out among the student body. This is typically the basic make up of a SFUSD public school, with at least 2000 students attending this school. When I first attended in 2004, the school was somewhat showing signs of wear an tear but when I graduated in 2008, they made significant improvements and remodeled certain aspects of the building. A new artificial turf football field was installed, there is better accessibility around the school for physically impaired people, and they completely changed the courtyard. Course wise they offer classes that you'd expect to see at other schools from your basic science courses to honors courses to AP courses. They had good teachers while I was there an generally it wasn't too challenging for me as High School should be rather easy seeing as how you can easily graduate by doing the minimum and maintaining C's as getting an F really requires work and dedication to failing. Being called Galileo Academy, you are also able to choose to enroll in a 2 year program such AOIT, The Health Academy, a Hospitality program, and others such as the four year AVID program. I was in both the Health Academy and AVID as one helped learn some basic EMT techniques, which counted as 9.5 college units, and AVID meant to help prepare you for college and assisting in the application process. All the teachers i had class with were nice, helpful and of course there's always a couple who make it interesting. Galileo also has a tradition in Sports being the most winning full football program in SF and excelling in a couple of other sports. Sports are a must to gain a good high school experience and the school staff such as counselors were all very helpful. By the time I graduated, Galileo was on it's way up rivaling Lowell and Washington in Academics. This school is also located right by the Pier for an excellent experience during lunch (or if you decide to skip out on class). With so much around, it's tough going to school everyday. Yet It is a school worth attending and will leave you with a good High School Experience. Any other school in SF is a joke. G-House is the place to be.

I went to high school here for two years, freshman and sophomore year. I felt like a lot of the…read morekids here don't care and it causes other students to not work as hard. The school is actually really nice and I love LOVE how it is right by the water. Teachers here are nice.

Francisco Middle School has long been part of the fabric of North Beach, and living just three…read moreblocks away at Powell and Francisco Streets, I pass by it almost every day. It serves families from North Beach and Chinatown, and it's always uplifting to see students from so many different backgrounds learning and growing together. On my morning walks to work or to grab coffee, hearing the energy of the schoolyard, the laughter, the conversations, and the buzz of activity always makes me smile. It feels like a true neighborhood school in the best sense of the word. Opened in 1925, the school has served generations of local families and reflects the evolving story of this part of San Francisco. Over the years, it has supported many newcomer and multilingual students, helping them adjust and succeed academically. The historic building has been maintained and updated over time, balancing its classic character with modern educational needs. As the surrounding neighborhoods continue to change, Francisco Middle School remains a steady and important community presence.

This is a complete joke of off school if I can give zero Stars I would they don't teach you well my…read moreson will be graduating this year with use torn gowns no graduation pictures only one to two tickets per student for graduation for graduation I do not recommend this school kids be having sex in the bathroom and also drugs plenty of fights this school is a complete joke I regret sending my son there

I am a Cantonese speaker, so learning to read and write Chinese was my goal. I thought the school…read morewas very effective. There's really only one way to learn new characters, which is by mindless drilling. It's not a phonetic language. For Chinese as a second language, maybe full immersion is not the best way in the U.S.. the kids mostly communicate in English during recess, so they're not practicing the language outside of class. They probably don't understand enough Chinese to really understand the lesson in the book since the teachers teach in Chinese. I wish they had a Cumberland Chinese School in the South Bay. There aren't that many options for Cantonese speakers.

Despite knowing very limited Cantonese and struggling through 6 years of Mandarin classes taught in…read moreexclusively Cantonese, I still feel like I learned a lot from my experience at Cumberland. Maybe not Chinese itself, as I can barely read, write, or speak, but I learned life-long skills and values that have influenced who I am today: things like independence, hard work, cultural appreciation, and creativity (I redrew a lot of good textbook art, and I think it inspired me to pursue art as I got older). Maybe I wish my mom let me quit after about 4 or 5 years, but I don't really see my time here as a total waste. The teachers, especially in K-4, were strict but meant well. They encouraged me to work hard, and even when I didn't understand the languages in the classroom, I remember I got an award one year because I worked so hard to memorize a passage phonetically and almost ace my final. Granted, it was in second grade, but I still have fond memories of going here. Also, my Chinese writing skills are quite nice. I took Japanese in high school, so I had some of the best kanji characters out of the whole class. I used to tell my mom that Cumberland was absolute torture and a waste of money, but I guess I've somewhat changed my mind.

Like others who've shared their experience, I agree this school offers the best overall education…read more The community of parents and staff is very engaged. We're happy that our child has been able to learn French and take piano lessons from Kindergarten to middle school and have the opportunity to participate in the school's sports teams.

the middle school is more like military camp. the rules are too insane and I wish I would have…read morepulled my child out. THe school is not child centered.... it is a dogma and not enough french is taught! Not enough french culture is provided.

Fusion Academy is a franchise of one-on-one schools with built in systems to ensure that they…read moreover-charge your student. In addition, their staff is a revolving door because they simultaneously over-charge their students and under-pay their teachers. The positives are that the education is decent and there is some flexibility if your student needs it. But even that is buried in extra mastery sessions that always seen necessary and a built in TWO WEEKS of tuition that you have to pay (then pay again in mastery (make-up sessions) if your child gets sick or takes a leave of absence. Meanwhile they are constantly pushing the next academic contract on you to lock you in further financially. My advice, use them only if absolutely needed for as short a time as possible.

My son has been taking a class at Fusion in SF. After months at the school, I had the very first…read morecommunication from his teacher. Of course, there is a problem. $4000 for one semester and my first communication is not, hello I'm your sons teacher. No, there is a problem now we need an extra $525 for additional classes. Very poor experience.

The teachers are unexperienced, rude, and show favoritism. My mental health was not the best while…read moreat this school. do better.

This school is an absolute gem! We are so grateful that we have been introduced to this school. My…read morechild is beyond happy and we are very fortunate to have such a great school staff and principal who assures that students are well supported and thrive throughout their school years. My son has gained so much knowledge and has excelled academically with the help of the talented teachers here! I highly recommend them!