604 9th Ave
Menlo Park, CA 94025

M-A is an impressive place, especially given the extreme socioeconomic diversity and varying high school readiness of its student body. The curriculum provides for courses ranging from remedial to AP and beyond. There are extensive resources for academic help (ranging from office hours to after school help to peer tutoring), a huge number of clubs and extracurricular activities, highly competitive athletics, nationally-ranked debate, award-winning orchestra and jazz bands, the list goes on. Students are given opportunities to participate and excel regardless of family financial situation. And this is borne out in the college outcomes - the majority enter college, and many go to Ivies, Stanford, MIT and top UCs. Most importantly, I have found that the teachers work hard and really care about their students - not just their academic outcomes but their entire well-being. During the pandemic, many teachers went well above and beyond to ensure that their students' mental and physical health was secure. It is a hard thing to measure, but, as a parent, heartwarming to see in action.

Sequoia High school is a beautiful campus but needs a change in its educational system. It's unsafe, and the curriculum is very limited. My daughter was a student of this school and couldn't graduate because the classrooms were a mess. I have relatives in Arizona, and they tell me how well-structured the HS is in their cities. I feel jealous of my relatives because we don't have better schools in the Bay area, and of course, I can't afford private schools.

Garfield is a school that has gone through a major overhaul in all aspects since its reinstatement into the Redwood City School District in 2010. Very skilled leadership and teachers were brought in to address the necessities of the school. Teachers work tirelessly to make sure that students are safe and learning at high levels in Language Arts, Math, Science, and social emotional well being. Additionally, teachers and staff have gone through training to address the emotional needs of students so that students are able to navigate and cope with their own emotions. Moreover, the family resources are above and beyond what is offered at other schools with a highly trained mental health team and additional community partners that offer food and produce, family counseling, and parent trainings to help improve the overall family dynamic outside of the classroom. Garfield has had a difficult history and reputation to overcome but it has made leaps and bounds with the leadership and teachers that are in place right now!