Encounter Bay, Alameda, CA 94502

This is a great school for some but can be an incredibly toxic environment for others. Great opportunities, with access to field trips, technology, and well qualified kind teachers. I had access to technology from as young as 2nd great that has set me up well so far. The school is small and has very specific traditions that it sticks to. I noticed a lack of principal interference with student complaints and needs. Some of the more tenured teachers seem to be beyond reproach and can treat students as they please. The rules are restrictive, arbitrary, and constantly changing. Every year lunch monitors told us not to do more and more during recess. Some of these monitors were volunteers who were just lovely but others would refuse to get balls that went over fences, and prevented you from doing so. Or asked specific students they disliked to take abandoned trash all the way across the campus rather than asking students near the bins, they would play games with tired and hungry students, waiting to release them to lunch just because they could. Equally some volunteers devoted time to organize fun recess events purely out of the kindness of their hearts. Principals were completely out of touch with the middle school which was nearly ignored. I definitely don't recommend this school after 5th grade. Bay Farm is completely what you make it, if your unlucky enough to be stuck with bad teachers and staff you will have a terrible experience with no administration interference, it varies from year to year.