East Bay German International School

Our son has been at this school since Kindergarten and we have been very happy with the school as he has progressed through elementary, middle, and now almost finished with high school. He has been nurtured and challenged and has really grown to be an amazing student and person. He is fully bilingual and prepared to go to college in either Germany or the U.S. It's a small school and he has flourished with the kind of teacher attention he would never have experienced elsewhere. We've loved spending time with the other parents we've met through the school and are very appreciative of the teachers he has had who are caring, hard working, and skilled at what they do.

We've been overall happy with our children's education throughout their elementary/middle school years and now into high school. They are engaged, challenged, and supported. They've had wonderful teachers, excelled in their languages and done great in other subjects, made lifelong friends, and developed a sense of ownership and responsibility for their education, for the school community they are helping to build, and for their larger communities. In these pandemic years whose effects on so much of the fabric of our lives are still manifesting - on social engagement, economics, careers, relationships - the big benefits of EBGIS for us have been the healthy, safe, stimulating and nurturing bilingual learning environment for our children and the close caring community of families across grades.

This review is for the preschool program at EBGIS. We are very pleased with the program and our son is very happy. The teachers are all wonderful and our son enjoys going to school. As parents, we get daily updates on nap times as well as photos and summaries of daily activities. We like that the program is play-based. The environment is also clean, organized, and pleasant. The school's hours are also great for parents who work, with 8-6 coverage and, in the pre-school program, no closures during random weekly breaks in schooling.

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend this school to anyone looking for a top-notch education for their kid. The communication there is a total mess, and the way teachers keep changing, especially in the middle of the year, is really worrying. It feels like no one there is taking responsibility for anything. Worse, if you bring up any issues, they just blame the parents and kids instead of fixing things. And let me tell you, the gossiping between the board members and parents is totally unhealthy.We left last year and honestly, it was the best decision we ever made. Our 3 kids are so much happier now, and I've really seen their education take off since we joined GISSV. It's like night and day compared to where we were.But, oh, when it comes to donations, that's when they'll communicate. They're super pushy about how much you can donate. Really, really sad. And watch out, they'll try to trick you into signing up for another year by offering what they call a "discount". It's just a ploy to lock you in for another miserable year…Do yourself a big favor and check out the other two German schools in SF or Mountain View. You'll definitely get more bang for your buck there in terms of education quality, awesome teachers, and a great community vibe. If your main thing is just getting a few hours of German, Baks is the way to go. They're just as good as the other schools, and their preschool program is top-notch. Just steer clear of EBGIS - that place is just bad news and not worth your time or money.

Teachers since kindergarten to elementary school have been wonderful. School follows German curriculum which starts off slower, so cannot compare with U.S. standards in the lower grades, but they catch up by mid elementary grades. My child is fluent in both languages, and teachers are prepared to give kids more advanced work if they need more advanced materials.