We really appreciate the MCS community and would definitely recommend it. Our son has been…read moreattending MCS for 2 years, starting in the Nido room when he was almost 1. He's since moved up through the toddler room and is now in the primary/ preschool community. Our new baby will be starting there this January. Our son is thriving and remains consistently challenged and nurtured. The leads in his classrooms have been wonderful, showing a genuine interest in his development. Our son had a few normal but difficult behavioral challenges in the last few months when our second son arrived and the leads and staff have responded with grace and care, working with us to support our son. The space and setting is also beautiful!

All three of my kids have attended and some still do. They started at their Nido program and have…read moregone through (or still are) Toddler and Primary. The guides and aides are and have been loving and caring towards my children. Furthermore, they have helped provide more than simply a nice place to play and have fun. My kids have learned lots of skills that have translated to home and academics. They have helped support our kids in aspects of life we may have been working on at home (i.e. napping, toileting, and the like). My kids enjoy going and I feel good about sending them there.

We have had an absolutely wonderful experience at Santa Cruz Waldorf School! The nurturing…read moreenvironment and dedicated teachers truly set this school apart. From the moment we stepped on campus, we felt welcomed and inspired. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed to foster creativity and critical thinking, allowing children to explore subjects in a meaningful and hands-on way. Our children have flourished here, academically in math, writing, and languages, as well as more broadly with the arts, music, gardening, outdoor education trips, and more. If you're looking for a school that encourages a deep love of learning, I highly recommend the Santa Cruz Waldorf School.

Santa Cruz Waldorf School has been a good fit for my children. The kinder program is magical! Being…read moreable to play and learn to connect with peers and teachers AND nature is just what my children needed at that age. Over the years, we have learned reverence and rythm and the beauty of slowing down from our time at the school. Their love of festivals and community connection is unmatched. I appreciate the deemphasis on screen time as well. The Waldorf practice of teacher looping was something that was quite new to me and at first I was a little hesitant about. I have grown to see the process of keeping the same teacher from grade 1-8 as a true gift. It has given my children time to be seen and understood to learn most effectively. If you are exploring elementary and middle school alternatives, SCWS is a great option to consider!

Small classes sizes of 20 or less! College prep work and mental health support from Rachel the…read morecounselor. Teachers have office hours after school and always contact parents. Students get support for both academic hiccups and emotional battles. my son has never felt more supported :)

My daughter is finally thriving and doing well after lots of bullying and over worked teachers. The…read moreteachers at Cypress are happy and it shows. The college prep curriculum is strong but doable. Lots of time for teachers pay attention n support the students due to small class sizes. Principle and counselor are super engaged for whatever support is needed. They are on top of issues quick. Love this place!!!

Tara is a unique and magical educational experience in the redwood forests near Land of Medicine…read moreBuddha. Our daughters attend and are thriving in the elementary and preschool programs. The preschool program is located in the heart of Soquel. The teachers are terrific and the children and community wonderful. While in Soquel proper, they do make weekly trips up to the redwoods to play and explore. It's an excellent program filled with creative activities, traditional Montessori education, and play. The elementary program is located within the Land of Medicine Buddha, nestled amongst the redwoods, where the children hike, play in the stream, and count banana slugs while on their way to the playground. The class sizes are small which allow our daughter to receive more attention and tailored education than in a traditional public school. Montessori-style teaching meets the student at their current level of development for each subject, providing flexibility and ensuring a child is challenged and not left behind or left waiting for their classmates to catch up. The elementary school teachers are wonderful, highly experienced, and a positive influence on our daughter. Lastly, the school ethos of compassion, mindfulness, inclusion, and kindness instill important values in our children and foster a culture of like-minded parents and teachers who share these same values. PS - Refreshingly, there are no screens at Tara. The children learn through their senses and through physical objects, not by the glow of pixels and hum of electricity.

My children have been at Tara since January of 2022 and every year we are grateful to be a part of…read moretheir community. We started at the Village campus and are now at the Redwood campus. Teachers Adela, Bev, and Regina at the Village Campus are so dedicated and passionate about their work. They show up happy to be there every single day. The daily trips to the Redwood campus to be surrounded by the forest, fun field trips, and Montessori teaching approach have been so valuable to my children. Teachers Namasya and Lisa at the Redwood campus have also been wonderful in continuing the Creating Compassionate Cultures curriculum, which at the heart is based on our body's own wisdom. I love the interconnectedness and values they teach at this school: why it's important to be kind and practice gratitude towards plants and animals, how to make a difference in other's lives, the natural elements and how they pertain to us, food sources & cooking in class, how to be a good friend and so SO much more-- these values feel like the true core of what it means to be a happy, healthy & balanced human in the world and I am just so grateful to have my children learn it at such an early age. Grateful to Tara for going on five years of a truly wonderful experience.

If your child is fairly average, it can be a great experience if they get one of the better…read moreteachers. Our child started here in kindergarten, and had 2 very good to excellent teachers, 1 okay teacher, 2 poor teachers who used old fashioned methods, seemed burned out, and lacked patience, and 1 young teacher who appeared to want to win a popularity contest with the students. If your child has any sort of disability related to a learning problem or difference, RUN. The school receives very little money for special education, and views those students as a liability. They will go to extreme lengths to avoid providing any specialized instruction or related services. Most people either move or find another school district in the area.

Brook Knoll is a great school that is made up of wonderful teachers, support staff, administration…read morestaff, parents and kids. My son has been attending for a number of years and we have had a lot of great experiences.

We transferred our child here after her previous daycare had reliability issues, and we're now sad…read moreto be leaving after two wonderful years because it's time for kindergarten. We appreciated the Building Kidz curriculum so much that we opted to keep our child enrolled rather than enrolling in TK when we had the opportunity. The teachers are outstanding -- warm, compassionate, attentive and responsive to every child and parent. My only minor gripe is that I wish there was a parents contact list! Fortunately the school invites parents in regularly for late afternoon parties which are adorable and allow parents to meet. And the plays are so much fun and such an amazing thing to expose these littles to at such a young age. If your kid likes to put on shows at home, they will especially love BK.

Has gone incredibly downhill in the past year. They used to be amazing but significantly ownership…read moreand staff turnover has destroyed it. Every ounce of me regrets sending my child here. They send kids home for no reason with fake illness, have zero classroom management skills, do not understand normal child development, and have the most unreasonable expectations of young children. Literally my biggest regret as a parent.

This might be a strange review, but I'm at a volleyball game and the Salesian girls are all wearing…read moremasks. I really appreciate how respectful they (and their families and coaches) are being. The other team, sadly, is not showing the same amount of care and respect for our community. This tells me so much about Salesian at a time when no one under 16 is vaccinated for COVID-19.

We did extensive research on schools in the area. This school was recommended by an educator. It…read morehas one of the best blends of environment and academics I have experienced. The surroundings are beautiful, the facility is good, the staff cares and listens to the children, the children are held accountable, and the academics are challenging as they should be. I also found that many of the parents themselves are teachers and staff at other surrounding schools, and they have their children at Salesian, that says a lot. They also have an extensive sports program, even though they do not have an indoor gym. They work it out using other local facilities. We are glad we found Salesian!

I love the school it is always a good place. Have a good day or not the choice is yours.read more

I'm a parent in the works of enrolling my child in this school! What a great impression I've seen…read moreso far! The principle has a really awesome deminor about him! The front staff has been so helpful navigating the parent portal! Today Pam Perkins went above and beyond helping me with the enrollment papers! Thank you so much! We are excited about 6th grade! Wahoo! Sincerely from a parent that was born in this town and went to Branciforte middle school!