445 E McKinley Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94086

I would pick Ellis over Stratford, Challenger, Cherry Chase, or any of the available options for lotteries or private. First, the facilities are beautiful and functional, as you may know they're brand new. Second, the teachers are tenured, experienced, and truly care about each kid. Third, the community is vibrant. Not just spirit days, but parental involvement that raises the bar. I love Ellis and my kid has been thriving there, compared to Stratford for Pre-k.

Personally speaking, the teachers are amazing. One example is Mr. Huang, who is very helpful with whatever you need, and he is very caring. The school's admin team is mostly good, but the principal is really hard to reach for both parents, students, and staff, which is poor management in my opinion, but the assistant principal team is great and always ready to help. The math and science curriculum they use is fine, but the textbooks are very bad; the science TCI curriculum is very bad. One example is this year, Miss Villareal (7th grade, SS Teacher) converted the TCI lessons into fun activities that still taught us the same things. The cafeteria food is awful, so I recommend bringing food from home every single day. Maybe try the pizza, but the rest is.....not good.Overall, the school is good, with some major flaws that could be fixed easily, but the principal is "too busy" to care.

When it was time for my two kids to start high school, we heard a few mixed rumors, but our experience over the last couple of years has been absolutely fantastic. If you’re looking for a school that reflects the real world and has a super supportive, down-to-earth community, FHS is exactly that.The teachers here are seriously amazing and genuinely care about the students as human beings, not just test scores. My kids have felt so seen and supported by the staff. One of my kids joined the marching band, and I cannot emphasize enough how incredible that program is—it has taught them so much about teamwork, time management, and commitment. The school also has some amazing pathways like their CTE programs and engineering classes that actually let kids do hands-on, real-world projects instead of just memorizing a textbook.What I really love most about Fremont is the overall vibe. While a lot of the other high schools in the area can feel like hyper-competitive pressure cookers, FHS is wonderfully diverse and grounded. It feels like a place where kids can actually just be kids, figure out what they are genuinely passionate about, and still get a top-tier education. The parent community is also super welcoming and involved, especially when it comes to supporting the arts and athletics. My kids are thriving here, and we honestly couldn't be prouder to be a Firebird family