Castro-Upper Market

St. Philip School has an amazing community, parents, staff (teaching & admin), and students. We are both stunned and disappointed at the negative reviews - this is not our experience at all. Our kiddos have thrived at St.P, and we appreciate the level of discipline and respect that the school expects and encourages. Although they can sometimes seem a little silly, I agree that even the refocus forms and tardies help set up our kids for success in High School and onward - consequences to choices is a good life lesson to be learned early on. I understand that no school is a full match for every child. If St.P isn't the fit for your child, move on, and find the better fit, so that you and your student can thrive elsewhere, and have a brighter energy going forward.

Our daughter has been attending Adda since she was 3 years old and this school has had a positive impact on her overall development. In my experience the parents who can appreciate what this school offers consider themselves lucky to have found it. The infusion of performance arts throughout the day fosters a community of joy, lightness, collaboration and, creativity. While some kids are particularly talented, what stands out to me is that every child participates in all of the arts/performance regardless of their particular gifts. every kid has something to add and they boldly contribute. There is no negotiating away the rigor in the sciences, math, grammar, geography etc. I really have enjoyed watching how articulate and curious our daughter is in the world around her. The parent community is extremely down-to-earth and everyone focuses their energy on making sure the children get the best education possible without pushing any special agendas. Admittedly it is a long day at school (although for two working parents, the 8-5 schedule is very much appreciated) …we find our daughter still able to take on some extracurricular activities some nights of the week (ex. 2hrs of gymnastics on one week night) and she still stays on top of homework. Last thing I will say is that I really love how all the grades interact with each other freely & with respect. For many SF children who are “only” kids, it’s nice to see them have “the big sisters/bros” in the upper grades and also see that same caring energy shown to the kids in TK/K. Overall we feel very good about this school and would heartily recommend!

We chose La Scuola three years ago for its combination of warmth and strong academics. I toured a lot of K-8 schools and the warmth and personality of La Scuola stood out. Dig a little further and I was impressed by the International Baccalaureate program and language immersion. I have to say we haven't been disappointed. Our child loves the school and is always happy. I have been hugely impressed by the teaching standards and communication. Just fyi, we have no Italian at home and love that our child is learning the language and will take on Spanish in the coming years. Great enrichment program and aftercare for all (if desired). I can't recommend the school enough.

This school is not academically challenging. They claim that they have their own custom curriculum - it’s a joke. There is no text book - instead, they get poorly photocopied worksheets from other text books that other schools use. They don’t teach history, they don’t give grades, there are no consequences for being late, disruptive, and not doing homework or doing poorly on an asssessment. If you want your child to be academically prepared for middle school or high school, don’t go here. We left a few years ago and have not looked back! I still stay in contact with some of the families and all I hear are complaints even though on social media, they post about how wonderful the parent community is (which it is) and how great that their kids get to go on an exchange program to Taipei. The parents never complain publicly about the school, but behind closed doors, they definitely do.