357 E Balfour Ave
Fresno, CA 93720

This is one of the best high schools in CA. It is located in the nicest part of Fresno so receives lots of funding from the surrounding wealthy community. The teachers are top notch and the education is on par with a private school. The academics are challenging and definitely prepares kids for college. There are so many extracurricular clubs and the sports programs are top notch!

My daughter is an 8th grade student at Kastner. Overall, she enjoys her classes and teaches. The school provides a solid academic foundation and many opportunities for students to seek support if they are struggling with classwork. There are lots of great ways for students to get involved in campus life - many clubs, extra curricular activities, and sports to chose from. My main criticism with this school is the lack of enforcement regarding the cell phone policy which creates many issues from safety to bullying to classroom distractions on campus. Although Kastner states it enforces a "bell to bell" policy for cell phone and electronic use on campus - I have not seen any evidence that this is true. In fact, many teachers (especially the P.E. teachers) encourage students to play on their phones when they do not have a lesson plan for the day (which is often). Visiting Kastner, you will see a vast majority of students walking to class with a phone in hand, playing on their phones at break instead of participating in social engagement, running with a phone in hand during P.E., and using cell phones during class time. Students are frequently bullied and recorded without consent, both during break and in the locker room, with videos and photos landing on social media. No consequences will be issued to perpetrators unless students report it is happening, which many students don't want to take the time to do. Students are also frequently exposed to explicit and inappropriate content, as many students have no parental controls on their smart phones and share content with others at recess, break, and locker room time. This school could be so much more if it actually enforced the cell phone policy and encouraged social interaction, instead of encouraging a "play on your phone and be quiet" mentality.

I have two kids that have been through his school, and all I can say is that its an AWESOME school! The teachers are awesome and they care for each and every student. The academics, sports, music and all other activities are uptown mark!! Nothing but 10/10 for Valley Oak Elementary