My daughter started school in the summer of 2024 and she could not be happier. All of the teachers…read morehere are caring, nurturing, and very happy to be working with kids. Her TK teacher, Ms. Swarnali, has really created an environment geared towards fostering a joy of learning. The kids do science experiments, arts, writing, reading and so much more. My daughter is leaps above other kids her age due to her TK with Ms. Swarnali!

I started my daughter in Preschool at Harper at 3.5. She had not been to school before, and I was…read moresuper nervous about this transition for her. She started with Ms Mamta, who was amazing with the transition. She was so patient and accommodating to all of her big feelings. She very quickly started loving school. She is currently in Ms Swarnali's class, and she has truly blossomed, she is truly exceptional! From the very beginning, Ms. Swarnali has created a warm, nurturing environment where she has felt safe, encouraged, and excited to learn. Ms. Swarnali consistently uses positive reinforcement to guide and motivate her students. Her approach has helped my daughter grow not only academically, but also emotionally. I've seen tremendous improvements in her confidence and the way she interacts with others -- changes that I credit directly to Ms. Swarnali's support and teaching style. It is clear that Ms. Swarnali is deeply committed to the well-being and development of her students. We feel incredibly fortunate to have had her as part of my daughters early learning journey.

I have worked in early intervention for over 5 years and have been to many preschools in the area…read more This school is a true gem and by far my favorite I have been to. All of the teachers are very kind, caring, and experienced. They love what they do which is hard to come by. The school has a beautiful and welcoming layout. Each classroom is clean and organized. The playground is amazing. The school schedule and curriculum is very enriching and well planned. The school was also very accommodating to a student that I worked with. She made tremendous progress during her time at TLC. The owners Kristi and Lynn are amazing women as well as all of their staff. Some of the teachers that helped my client progress so much were: Chelsea, Cindy, Rinku, Daisy, and Vicki. They were all phenomenal. Many of the other staff were also so kind and sweet like Karen, Victoria, Paige, and Elena. They always said hello and greeted my student and I with a smile. TLC is a welcoming and warm environment that fosters learning and independence in all children.

We absolutely LOVED TLC! My 2 kids, a boy and a girl, went there for a total of 5 years and I can't…read moresay enough about how much we loved our experience. Lynn, Kristi, Vicki, Elena, and every teacher we interacted with was always kind and supportive, with our kids' best interest at heart. We're still in touch, 5 years later! Both of our children attended, and my niece, and from day one it felt like a second home for them. The teachers are incredibly caring, attentive, and patient--they really take the time to get to know each child and celebrate their unique personalities. Our kids were always excited to go to school, and it was wonderful to watch them grow in confidence, kindness, and curiosity. The learning activities are creative and engaging, mixing play with meaningful lessons that helped prepare them for kindergarten while still letting them be kids. As parents, we were especially grateful for the open communication and the genuine love the staff shows for their students. It's clear that the whole team puts their heart into creating a safe, nurturing environment where children can thrive. The facility is beautiful, btw! We can't recommend TLC highly enough. Our kids felt happy and supported every day, and we feel so lucky to have found such a special place for their early years.

This school was horrible, they hired a predator without doing the right background checks and a lot…read moreof the teachers are rude to students or just don't teach them what they need to teach (one teacher specifically taught they're class what they weren't supposed to learn and that stunted the students knowledge for the next year) . This school is bad at hiring good teachers and the students being forced inside the cafeteria during lunch is cramped and uncomfortable

The teachers aren't that nice and the school is in poor condition and dirty as heck they need to…read morefire most of these horrible teachers

I attended this school around the 2006-2010 time frame (I was born in 2000) for Kindergarten until…read more5th grade (then to Windemere Ranch Middle School and Dougherty Valley High School) as it was my residential public school. It could be worse. I knew some good teachers who cared, and some maybe less so. But it is (or was, at least) better than other elementary schools, honestly. I wonder if any of these teachers are still there. I had Mrs Coquia for Kindergarten, Mrs Petraglia for 1st, Mr Maloney for 2nd, Mrs Valdez for 3rd, Mrs Van Aken for 4th, and Mrs Vela for 5th. I did make some lasting friendships that still exist to this day, and I don't have any terribly bad memories about the school. Field trips were pretty often and very interesting and a lot of fun. I don't know if they still do this but I have memories that will last a lifetime from Camp Arroyo and Camp Walker Creek (I think that was the name?) which were a few nights for 4th and 5th graders, in cabins accompanied with chaperones. Truly a blast! Also they did sometimes have pretty good food, at least to a kid. I remember I loved nachos and tater tots as a kid!

11 years later and the school has deteriorated. the school leadership is not as strong as it used…read moreto be, and the culture of the school is not respectful. no respect for personal boundaries. one of the newly hired teachers is awful - gave my child anxiety. we ended up leaving and transferred our kids to coyote creek, which was so much better for us. it so sad because our oldest flourished here and it was so nice at that tjme. unfortunately the new administration is not as welcoming and didn't do enough to keep the quality of education up, or improve the school culture to make it more inclusive.

Ms. Mona is one of the most dedicated teachers I've ever met. She has years of experience and…read morewisdom. She is truly invested in each child's growth, development and success. I have sent all three of my children to her over the years and we strongly recommend her school to anyone who is looking for a high quality academic program balanced with a nurturing and loving social emotional environment. Her preschoolers are well prepared for elementary school and are often doing kg/1st level work before they've even graduated preschool. She helped developed excellent foundations for all of my children before elementary school with an emphasis on manners and respect. Her program is reasonably priced as well.

We feel so lucky to have found Tassajara Montessori for our son and even more grateful that he's…read morehad Ms. Mona as his teacher. She's one of those rare teachers who truly puts her heart into everything she does. You can feel her passion and patience in the way she connects with each child. Our son has truly flourished in her class. He has grown not just academically, but also in confidence, independence, and how he interacts with others. Ms. Mona has this amazing way of nurturing each child's strengths while gently helping them grow in areas they need. She consistently reinforces good manners, kindness, and social awareness in such a natural, meaningful way. The values and life skills she's taught our son have laid a strong foundation that will stay with him for years to come. She's had such a lasting impact on our son. We can't wait to send our younger one to her and see him thrive the same way. We HIGHLY recommend her school to any parent looking for a thoughtful, empowering start to their child's educational journey.

The Athenian school is a special place. My son plays sports and I have travelled to many Bay Area…read moreprivate schools for matches. No schools have campuses as beautiful as Athenian, not College Prep, Bentley, or even Nueva. Athenian's 75-acre campus is at the foothill of Mt. Diablo, it is a bit remote but the beautiful campus rivals some small colleges. Campus aside, I feel the teachers really try to make learning fun, and the kids are all happy going to school there. The academics are pretty rigorous, but the kids don't feel stress out. In a small class of 12-15 students, my son can't hide or cruise. I see improvement in his communication skill and work ethnics in just a few months. Sports are a big deal in Athenian and get a lot of supports from parents. My son made a lot of friends from joining different teams. I have run into many talented Athenian kids in arts, musics and sports. Some get recruited into top universities in their junior years. The school puts out a lot of events for parents to participate, mingle with the kids, and get to know each other. There are parents bookclub, coffee / hikes, Student plays, Jazz night, culture nights, and homecoming night. Some of the performances are opened to the public, I encourage you to come and see for yourself. One review talked about director of admission. Chris has left Athenian a couple years ago. All the staffs I interacted with are nice and receptive to new ideas. Another reviewer highlighted guest speakers and domestic/international trips. I couldn't agree more. There are so many learning opportunities that made me jealous (I went to UC). Every semester, alumni would come back to share their college experience. One common theme is how well Athenian has prepared them and they are thriving in top 20 universities. If Athenian kids can survive 3 weeks camping in the Death Valley and the Sierra, other adversities will seem easy to them. If you want your kid to be well-rounded, resilient and have a diverse group of lifelong friends, Athenian is the perfect school. https://www.athenian.org/athenian-blog-and-news

After years at The Athenian School, the pattern is hard to miss and it's not a positive one…read more Academically, there are visible coverage gaps. Teachers are reassigned across subjects in ways that feel reactive, not intentional, and it shows in uneven rigor and depth. Oversight appears inconsistent, with little indication of sustained evaluation or development to ensure instructional quality. Staffing stability is also a concern, midstream departures and changes have impacted continuity in the classroom or elective, which matters from a student and parent perspective. The rubric/grading shift, framed as "equity," ends up compressing outcomes. In practice, it reduces differentiation between students and lowers the ceiling rather than raising the floor. Strong students aren't pushed; weaker outcomes are normalized. It can also reward students who closely match what a given teacher is looking for, rather than those demonstrating deeper or more independent mastery, narrowing, rather than expanding, meaningful academic rigor. Communication is another friction point. Parents receive a high volume of emails from multiple sources, with information spread across messages and platforms. Important details can be difficult to track, especially for those already managing full schedules and inboxes. School climate is also worth examining. In our experience, our teen encountered peer interactions that raised concerns around inclusivity and respect for differences. We did not see clear communication or follow-through addressing those situations or, at best, limited transparency or parent dialogue when problems arise. More broadly, the student body and staff do not reflect a high level of diversity, which may matter to families. Programs like AWE are positioned as unique and distinguishing. There are committed people involved, but the program carries additional cost and execution issues (recurring when talking with previous parents). At the institutional level, the school feels adrift. We've learned of the loss of the boarding program this year, ongoing turnover, and shifting priorities all which suggest a lack of clear direction and raise a straightforward question: what, exactly, are you paying for? College counseling reinforced that concern. Guidance leaned heavily toward "safe" schools, with little appetite for thoughtful risk. We chose to override it and our teen was admitted to a school labeled "unlikely." Bottom line: our teen succeeded, but not because of the school's systems. It was largely in spite of, with limited added value from the institution. For families considering this school, go in with eyes open. Ask direct questions about staffing stability, grading philosophy, program execution, and how information is communicated to families. The answers matter, look for clear, concrete answers, not just polished or well-rehearsed responses.

We have 3 young ones with the oldest being in Kindergarten. I must say that we are very impressed…read morewith this school. They have teaching down to a science. And I'm not just talking about the academics, which by the way is off the charts top 10 in the entire state and the top API in San Ramon, which has great elementary schools altogether. They are tops at teaching kids important life skills, social skills, the importance of volunteer work and fundraising. This school does programs such as food and clothing donations in the winter for the homeless, an amazing school supply fundraising event where they donate all of the supplies to an inner city elementary school (this year it was a school in Richmond), jog-a-thon, anti-bullying resources, and many more wonderful programs. Our daughter loves being a student here and loves her amazing teacher, Mrs. Choa. We have seen such development in her since the beginning of the school year. She can read fluently, is good at math, is a good problem solver, thinks and speaks logically, and is so confident for her age. This school has great school spirit and does so many great events both for its own students and for others, I can't think of another elementary school that could compete!

Excellent elementary school with first-rate administration, talented teachers and dedicated staff…read more Highly recommend!

Literally opened yesterday for business and as expected, it's very much a work in progress. Parts…read moreof the school are still in construction, they still need to fill some positions, and each day, kinks in the drop off/pick up process are improving. I have three kids with one in 1st, another in TK, and the last having a few year still. I plan on a long term relationship with Bella Vista that will stretch almost 10 years so the little stuff won't matter. Again, it's still early on so take my review lightly and think of it more as a place holder. I'll be back at the end of year one with an update.

Extremely rude staff. When the staff is so unprofessional and rude how can I expect them to teach…read moremy kid good manners?

Beautiful school campus, came to see our niece in a school play. Kids did great and play was fun,…read moreno pictures allowed due to trademark of the show but vey high quality costumes, sets and production. Had a great time, good job Isabel you rocked!!

Used to pick up my niece and nephews after school to help out my sister. Tried to walk but not…read moreanymore. Now using the car. Enjoy all the wildlife in the area. Have seen snowy white egrets. Have spotted Peter Cottontail and friends hopping around the bushes. The wild turkeys at the tiny park about 3 blocks from the school were harmless. The coyote was closer, only 1.5 blocks away from the school. It nonchalantly strolled along the sidewalk in broad daylight. Great school but be careful of their real life mascot.