Our child had a nosebleed at school, and the school director Colleen immediately called us to pick…read morehim up. Since we work 40 minutes away, I asked if this was part of the school's sick policy. It wasn't--the reason given was simply that a teacher couldn't manage 12 kids at once. On top of that, the preschool principal Laurie required us to provide a doctor's note confirming that nosebleeds were "okay" to let kid back to school. Even our pediatrician found this request ridiculous, but kindly wrote the note word-for-word as they asked. Despite the school's popularity due to its affiliation with a local private elementary, this has been our worst preschool experience compared to others. The teacher-student ratio is inadequate, tuition is extremely high, and communication with parents is minimal. Although it's promoted as a play-based program, most of the time children just play independently while teachers supervise rather than engage. Also they introduce screen time (TV, iPads) as early as age two. I initially chose Serendipity Preschool for my child because of its strong reputation. However, I eventually realized it operates more like a business and not care much about the kids as they claimed. After moving and enrolling my kids in other schools, the differences became very clear, in all aspects--and much greater than I could imaged. In response to Laurie's reply below: When a school director exaggerates facts by claiming "daily nosebleeds" and deliberately misleads the public while carefully managing reviews to maintain a 5-star image, it really makes me question their priorities. When I answered the call, I clearly heard the words: "One teacher cannot take care of 12 kids. Please pick him up as soon as possible." That completely shocked me.

We have one kid in his third year, a second kid starting out in the 2s ("Monkeys") class, and a…read morethird enrolled starting in 2025! If we had three more kids we would probably send them to Serendipity, too! Excellent preschool with teachers that clearly care about the kids and the school. Even coming out of the pandemic we have witnessed virtually no teacher turnover which has led to seamless continuity as the kids cycle through classes. Each class has a bit of its own feel to it depending on the focus of the teacher(s), however what is consistent is that there is a clear curriculum and excellent parent-teacher communication. As the older one has hit his stride, it is apparent that he feels a part of the community as we do as parents. It will be sad once graduation finally comes, but luckily we have two more kids to go!

We feel so lucky that both of our children were able to attend Carey for elementary school over the…read morelast 9 years. The administration, teachers, staff, and community are top notch. The teachers really know and understand each child. What drives them, their strengths, their weaknesses, and how they learn the best. The parent community is fun, supportive, and close knit. We highly recommend Carey to our family and friends.

We were Carey Parents for 13 years across 3 kids. Our time at The Carey School was magical for our…read morekids and for our family. The faculty really knew our kids well and celebrated their unique gifts; they were positive, encouraging and smart. They taught the kids a growth mindset, cultivated kindness and prepared our kids well both social emotionally and academically for middle school. The parent community is engaged, friendly and the people we've met and come to know and love will long be our community after our kids are in middle school and beyond.

My daughter spent 3 years at Stanbridge Academy, the education is definitely a little behind, but…read moremy biggest concern with this school is safety. My daughter was assaulted by male student on campus repeatedly and my daughter informed the principal and several staff members and zero of them reported this to us as her parents or police. In fact when I brought it up to the school they blamed my daughter for the assault, this floored me given this is no where near the truth. If you have a daughter especially please be very careful, no child should have to experience what mine went through and is still going to therapy for 9 months later. The head of the school Julie is the one who blamed my daughter for being assaulted and claimed her word was less credible due to her being autistic, these people are supposed to be keeping our children safe and us as parents informed. Please be careful sending your children here

This school was very helpful for my disabilities. As I first came here in 2012, it was a difficult…read moretime getting to know everyone there at first, but as the years passed by, it got better.

Our son joined Nueva's Upper School this year as a 9th grader (class of 2021). We like Nueva's…read morerigorous high school curriculum; a number of advanced courses can be deemed college-level. Its math sequence is very well thought out (e.g., one track for pure math and one for applied math) and allows plenty of room for advanced students to progress beyond calculus. We are pleased to see that our son has been spending a good amount of time at the I-Lab before/after school (helped greatly by his new found independence via the bike+Caltrain combination) and loves every minute of it! Nueva's Upper School teachers are helpful and highly qualified; many are practitioners/experts in their field. Our son's Japanese language teacher has a wonderful sense of Japanese humor that makes language learning so much more enjoyable. The Upper School has an advisory system that allows small groups of students to interact with their advisors, who in turn provide feedback to parents (especially new families!) on how their kids are doing at school from time to time. It's a great way to integrate incoming 9th graders (i.e., many new friends were made over a 3-day camping trip before start of school) and build strong ties between school and families from the get-go. Our son has a great start of the year with Nueva. Its Upper School is one we would highly recommend for families looking for a well-rounded STEM education and great teachers in a supportive environment for their kids.

I initially became interested in The Nueva School after subscribing to receive job postings. What…read moreimmediately stood out to me was how frequently new openings were being posted -- sometimes seemingly every week. As an educator, that naturally made me wonder about staff turnover. Eventually, I applied for a position and interviewed with someone who honestly seemed very kind and thoughtful. I left the interview feeling optimistic, especially because I was told I would hear back by the end of the week. In education hiring, timelines usually move quickly because schools want to secure teachers for the upcoming school year before candidates accept other opportunities. Weeks went by with complete silence. No follow-up, no rejection email, nothing. Wanting to close the loop professionally, I eventually emailed to thank the interviewer for her time and wish her and her team the best for the upcoming year. Oddly, the message bounced back, even though I had been communicating through that exact same email thread previously. At that point, I honestly began wondering whether the communication had somehow been compromised or whether I had fallen into some strange scam situation. I even called the school directly to verify that the interviewer actually worked there, and thankfully she did. The school then provided me with another email address associated with their official domain. I forwarded my message there as well, but once again received no response at all. Whether the message reached her or not, the overall experience felt surprisingly unprofessional and dismissive, especially after what had initially seemed like such a warm interaction. After later reading additional reviews and experiences from others, I ultimately realized this probably was not the right fit for me anyway. Still, basic communication and professional courtesy go a long way, particularly in education, where relationships and respect matter.

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).

As a former student I personally hated Attending Highlands Elementary as the staff was unable to…read morehandle many kids and instead of stopping problems at its scourge they make you sit inside and write a reflection letter. An example of this is when I broke my arm and couldn't participate so the school made me sit and watch for 30 minutes and when I was talking to my friends they decided to make me miss lunch to write a reflection letter. The pta is full of dead weight moms who bully children instead of getting a real job. Highlands is incapable of dealing with any kid but the quiet kids who read for fun and ban sports such as soccer and football. Highlands made me hate school and because of it I often went home crying to my parents, begging them not to take me back.

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.

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.

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.

I have one child at George Hall and it perils in comparison to FG. Both the staff and the resources…read more- there's no comparison. The community built in this school is amazing. Even the preschool. We've used two other preschools for our other kids and neither were as impressive as fiestas program. Palabras cannot express my gratitude for this amazing public school.

I really love Fiesta Gardens! I have a 1st grader how ever this is our second year at the school…read moresince we started in Kinder, they have a great staff and the community is just great! I am so blessed my daughter is able to enjoy such a wonderful place.

I used to absolutely love this school and my son really enjoyed being there. Ever since the…read morepandemic or change of staff, it has gone downhill. The staff is rude and the teachers turn a blind eye to a lot of things. The guidelines for the pandemic are contradicting as you are to not bring your kid to school if exhibiting any symptoms whatsoever or they will send them home. But then they will shame you for your child missing school because of those symptoms. It is really sad that they seem to no longer care about their students and their families at home. If you have the option to enroll your child somewhere else, I highly recommend you do. I would give zero stars if the option were available. Disappointing..

Update... My last review of Laurel Elementary School was in January 2013. My youngest child…read morefinished up at Laurel Elementary with Mrs. Samantha Stepp in 3rd Grade (she has now moved to Texas), in 4th grade he had Miss Tisha Whitely (now at another school) and at the end of the 4th grade year, Principal Glines retired (sad to see her go). In 5th grade my child had Mr. Kevin Agius for homeroom, Math and more, Mrs. Chappell for Earth Science and History and Mrs. Nancy Zapparelli for Life Science. Laurel's 5th grade teaching team made assignments challenging, fun and relevant to what is needed to do well in middle school and beyond. A new Principal, Mrs. Friel arrived for our final year at Laurel. She lasted for that year only and left to take a position at the office of education. Many teachers resigned from Laurel after her one year reign (Hmmm). One gripe... Giving assignments, which take a week to complete during scheduled school breaks is bad form (keep in mind I am a teacher). Parents are expected to take family vacations during the scheduled breaks (otherwise the schools lose money every day a child is not in school and the district wastes money sending out unnecessary postcards with your child's tallied absences), but it is difficult to vacation if our children are given massive assignments during said breaks. Do these huge assignments during "family vacation time" help children to be better prepared for what is to come? I think not (in elementary school). My son is now in 6th grade at Abbott Middle School in San Mateo (I am not reviewing Abbott) and has received his first report card (with letter grades). I credit all of his teachers at Laurel Elementary School for properly preparing him to succeed in middle school. He was given The Principal's Award for distinguished honors. We now refer to him as Mr. 4.0. He continues trying his best at all subjects and hopes to maintain his grades throughout middle school and beyond. His favorite class continues to be P.E. (Thanks to Liz Wiegand at Laurel Elementary). He is an active team member in regular season and traveling baseball, soccer, and flag football. He may try out for the golf, basketball and track teams next year as well. Again, it takes the efforts of the parents, teachers and children to have successful school experiences. Parenting/Teaching/Learning. Tag Team. Respectfully submitted by, Teresa Campbell, M.Ed.