Upper State

Rich parents pay for their students to get A's regardless of skill set. Teacher turnover is high. There is a lot of inexperience at this school. Learning level is low unless you get one of the "good" teachers.

Our son was very well prepared for high school (high school was a breeze) and is doing great in college. Beyond the academics, he learned to organize himself, prioritize his work, and how to study. The school's sense of community and support of the teachers was wonderful. The cherry on top is that our son and we made life long friends.

The Knox School of Santa Barbara has turned out to be the perfect fit for our family. Our experience is with the kindergarten and also upper school. Something that really stands out about the peer groups at the school is that they are very enthusiastic to learn. The community of close knit parents is refreshing. Knox has many social events that help us parents get to know each other. The school really fosters developing good character and nurturing the bonds between classmates. As a parent it finally feels great knowing that my children’s social/emotional needs are a priority. I’m so thankful to the dedicated teachers who offer hands-on experiments and learning that keeps kids engaged. My child that at one time didn’t like math is now confident and far ahead of our friends from other schools. For the first time my kids come home and want to tell us about all they did at school. A few of the strengths at Knox are STEM, Arts, Music and lessons that have really grabbed my kids attention. My middle school kid I feel will be very well prepared to be successful in high school. My only regret is not finding this school sooner. Every child deserves a learning experience like this.