Cornac Ter
Fremont, CA 94539

Both of my children attended Gomes—my older child is now at Hopkin, and my younger is currently a 5th grader. Gomes has truly been their second home for six years. They know the teachers, staff, and even Mr. Norm, who volunteers at the crosswalk every morning. The strong sense of community, care, and support is unmatched. From academics to games, activities, and an outstanding PTA, Gomes has given our children a joyful childhood filled with great memories, friendships, and a solid foundation. If you are choosing a school, I highly recommend Gomes—where your child’s story begins and prepares them for the next chapter.

Like someone said in another review, the reason the scores are so high at Hopkins is the families. The overwhelming percentage of Asian Americans means that these students are put in extreme extracurriculars, learning far more than is expected from their grade level. This isn't racism, it's just how the parents of these students were raised. Teachers are so used to students already knowing the curriculum that they don't teach, especially in the accelerated math classes. They expect you to already have the knowledge you're supposed to learn, and they skim over the lesson without really teaching it. As an Asian American pressured to be in accelerated math, I am not good at it, but my race raises the bar for me. Teachers are all different individually, but there are some teachers who play favorites, who will swear at students, and lose their tempers far too easily for someone who voluntarily took a job educating teenagers and pre-teens. Don't look at the demographics and think that this school must be super academically focused. It's not, and I suggest looking for a school where the teachers actually teach. The strict teachers don't teach, they just assign work we don't have time to finish. The lenient, chill teachers don't teach, they just please their students with free time. Other than that, it's just like any other American public school where the vice principals go crazy over kids not hugging but don't bat an eye at the condoms and math textbooks clogging the toilet. The counselor I have is nice and I like her, but I can't say she really helps with what I need. Somehow no matter what topic we're discussing always turns into what classes I'm taking in high school. Compared to other schools in the district, fights are significantly rarer, as is bullying and discrimination, so if you're intent on choosing Fremont then I would say Hopkins is good. I would also recommend Horner or Thornton, though you should probably look into the high schools that they feed into.

Mission San Jose High School is an intellectually demanding environment where the classes, specifically AP classes based off my experiences, seem to value more intellect and wit, but are really an excuse to cram in information in what has been a parody of true, inquisitive learning. Although there are some great teachers (shout out to Mr. Leu for providing a safe space to learn accelerated precalculus and encourage the basketball team on a winning streak), most of the teachers are mediocre to bad. I had this AP Chem teacher (I won't mention her name for privacy reasons), who taught in the most un-intuitive way, based off my opinion, and instead of researching how the legendary teacher Feynman taught kids physics, she resorted to going on tangents about how we were all slackers who won't do the work and panic about us not getting full scores on the tests. But there's a reason why I have to resort to tutoring to even comprehend the subject matter of chemistry.But even if the teachers are mediocre for the most part, a critic could argue that the intellect and acumen of the student populace (for example, their exemplary executions of homecoming festivals or club logistics), would provide a vibrant Bell Labs of discovery and start-up opportunities for professional advancement, as if bright peers can congregate in such a way that they could create something meaningful and useful to improve our day-to-day lives. And yet even if I believed in this Platonic utopia, I would argue that this is a rare exception to the trends I've seen amongst students in MSJ. Most students are more concerned with acing the next test, disregarding anything intellectual or treating it with forced cheer or even blatant mockery, based off my biased experiences. And I see so many diverse people, homogenized into the same panicking and "locked-in" archetype that doesn't even bother to read a book called "Deep Work" on actual productivity.So to conclude my thoughts, parents should seriously consider their children enrolling in this school because this school will erode your child's sense of creativity or intuition, stunt their potential, and if they don't have a good teacher, they'll be lucky if they get tutoring. It's a shame that Mission San Jose High School is a place of so much potential and intellect that is unfortunately squashed in the pursuit of going to a good college.