Hidden Valley

Silva Valley possesses a tenured, well experienced staff that is always supportive and as a parent I truly feel that they want the best for my children. My kids love Silva Valley and are almost always excited to come to school.

This is a great school. Two years ago, it was rated a 9, but now it's a 7. I’m not sure what caused the change, though we recently had an influx of students, including some with behavioral challenges, and many new families moving in. Before COVID, the school was very different. With my third child now attending, I’m hopeful it will return to its previous standards and scores.

Need to get better at the bullying issue they have at this school and actually call the parents when it happens not wait to the end of the day and write on a paper about it. I'd rather get a call to actually here what happen.

The Pros: Tremendous parent involvement and support. Strong PTO. Teachers who care and have a lot of classroom experience. High test scores. The Cons: 30:1 ratios in the classroom and there is a bit of a "drill and kill" philosophy in the classroom with a lot of worksheets and desk work (don't expect experiential learning to happen too much). Currently no music curriculum in lower grades, PE two times per week, and art is done by parent volunteers. Classroom ratios are a school district issue. The board is a bit of a mess and does not take into account parent feedback and concerns regarding class size. That said, there are issues with declining revenue due to less students. With large class sizes come some social issues for kids in the younger grades and some bullying behavior that could be prevented if teachers didn't have such big classes, in my opinion. My star rating would be higher if the district could figure out some innovate ways to lower class size and provide a more well rounded education.

Very active PTO, teachers really care about students

Empire Oaks has been such a great experience for our kids. Our oldest started in 2016 in kindergarten. Each year, our children have had amazing teachers. The teachers are brilliant and caring. For our first 3 years at the school, we experienced a new principal each of those years, the current principal is fantastic. She engages with the kids on a daily basis, she has been seen covering yard supervisor and food staff positions when there is a need. She’s patient and understanding, and very kind. She is always looking for ways to improve the school environment. I’ve spent lots of time volunteering in my children’s classrooms (pre covid) and can attest to the amazing way the teachers here work with the kids. Many of the grade level teachers work as a team, helping each other and keeping curriculum similar to one another. Lots of time is spent working with the children on issues like bullying, social emotional learning and trying to teach them to be a part of a community. An older review on this site made mention of the parents and their income status being paraded around. In the 5 years we’ve been a part of this school community, I’ve had the opportunity to meet all kinds of parents. Can’t say that I know anything about any of their financial backgrounds, but I can say I’ve met so many really neat, kindhearted, generous parents. Parents who bend over backwards to help the school, to help with school events or help each other. Many of them we have become close friends with. If you’re considering Empire Oaks because you’re looking to move into the area or choice into the school for other reasons, don’t let a review of the parents make the decision for you. Take a chance and meet the families your kids are in school with, you might be surprised at how down to earth and lovely they are. The parents are another part of what makes this school amazing.

Excellent. I am confident that I was valued. Lynne is among the best educators in this world. I am eternally grateful for the educational skills, creative thinking abilities and other rare attributes I obtained under her direction.