Montclaire Elementary School

Attended from TK - 1st grade, and each year the teachers got progressively worse with less and less experience. They can't seem to keep the good ones we liked. While math and science were good, my child's English suffered learning when teachers who could not speak clear English themselves without heavy accents. One year, the teacher complained my child was hyperactive, but sat my child alllll the way in the back of the class. The art and music programs were great with winter and spring performances, but that's not enough to justify over $22k / year. Ultimately, I felt I was paying a college tuition for inexperienced teachers and got stuck the majority of the time with teachers who did not have native proficiency in English. If your child doesn't fit their cookie-cutter mold, it's like they don't know how to deal with a simple thing such as hyperactivity. Bullying was also annoying at times by a few spoiled entitled boys. Lastly, the school is sorely lacking in diversity being predominantly Southeast Asian, and I say this as an Asian person myself.

St. Simon Parish School in Los Altos has been one of the best decisions for our children. They are thriving academically and growing into kind, respectful individuals. The school emphasizes character development through the lens of Catholic values. While students attend Mass, the focus is on living the principles of the faith: kindness, humility, compassion, and service, which are a part of daily life at the school. We especially appreciate how the curriculum encourages civic responsibility. Students participate in charitable activities and volunteer efforts, helping them develop empathy and a strong sense of community.The teachers are caring, dedicated, and attentive to each child’s needs. They create a safe and engaging environment where students can succeed. Beyond the core academics, the school offers a robust enrichment program and talented resource teachers who round out the curriculum:- The dedicated art teacher works with grades K–8, introducing various techniques and tailoring projects by grade level.- The athletic PE teachers emphasize fitness, sportsmanship, and healthy living through varied activities.- The music teacher brings formal training and passion, teaching instruments across grades and leading the children’s choir.- Spanish is introduced in Kindergarten and continues as an elective in middle school, taught by two energetic and engaging instructors.- The science teachers are passionate about STEM and create hands-on learning opportunities.Our children haven’t faced significant conflicts with classmates, but we trust the school’s leadership to handle behavioral concerns equitably and carefully. Speaking of leadership, the principal leads with compassion, humility, and a visible commitment to every aspect of the school community. Her presence and engagement make a tremendous difference.St. Simon Parish School has become more than just a place of learning; it’s a community. We’re proud to be a part of it and grateful our children are growing up in such a nurturing, values-based environment.

LACS is one of the best schools in the Bay Area. We sent both of our girls there. The older one has dyslexia and was behind in her reading, while in public school. LACS had incredible flexibility to put her into the Learning Assistance Department (LAD) program in English, while keeping her in the regular classes for Math and the rest of the curriculum. LACS Principle, Ms. Hibbert, personally worked with her in the mornings on her reading and writing skills. Over the course of 2 years, LACS teachers were able to advance here reading and writing skills to move here over to the regular program for all subjects. It’s quite remarkable and we are eternally grateful to the school. One thing that sets LACS apart is that their teachers are highly trained and certified in Slingerland, Orton-Gillingham, or Wilson Reading Systems. Our younger daughter was extremely shy when she came to LACS K-grade. We were very worried. Ms. Taylor was able to get her to open up and become comfortable with class participation. It was a big relief to us, as parents, to see our daughter blossom at LACS over the course of several years. Teachers at LACS are very caring and supporting, all the while making sure that the students are learning and advancing their skills. Tuition is very reasonable and lower than in other private schools. As parents, we appreciate the schools’ efforts to keep the tuition low and focusing on things that matter: education and supportive environment for the children. The education philosophy is traditional, probably what you have experienced when you were kids. We really appreciated this, as we wanted our kids to value hard work, integrity, respect, drive to succeed, all the while being in a 100% supportive environment. And they have a Science teacher with a Biology PhD from UCSF and Postdoc from Stanford!I would wholeheartedly recommend this school to anyone. We went through 4 schools in the Bay Area, public, charter and private. LACS is by far the best.

We spent five years at WSP Los Altos in the early childhood years. Their early childhood program (preschool and kindergarten) are the best if a family can afford the private school fee. The teachers and staff are exceptionally trained and dedicated to students in classroom. However, we had a very depressing experience in Grade 1 which was utterly chaotic from a management and learning standpoint. Not only were the educators lacking teaching experience (not meeting the criteria to teach as per the California public school guidelines), but the entire program philosophy is not backed by science of learning but is grounded in Rudolf Steiner's views on education. Their was minimal intervention or support for the neurodivergent students in the classroom.There is no rigour to provide documented written feedback on child performance till end of Grade 1 and parent perspective on educational outcomes is disregarded. The student's notebooks were sent for parent review at the end of school year, we noticed that our child had written less than 2 dozen pages in the entire school year. Their is no standardized child progress protocol and it boils down to a happy childhood environment without concrete deliverables on language arts / maths / science / social studies. The focus on outdoor learning and arts / music as integral to child development deserves an applaud. In our view the public schools are better equipped if you are looking for standardized school protocols and accountability on performance. If you are looking for a happy childhood, WSP is a great school to begin your school journey.

This school is such a gem! If you are looking for something super traditional, full of worksheets and conformity, then this is not the place for you. However, if you value kindness, hands-on learning, collaboration, joyfulness, and creativity, then Ventana is a tremendous option. I have had three children graduate from the school, and have a fourth currently there. All of my children are very different learners - whether seeking extra challenge and depth, or needing some learning support - and they have all thrived at the school. Ventana’s real secret is the way that they get to know and treasure your child. Children at Ventana feel 100% seen, heard, and respected by adults. They are treated as competent and so they respond with competence, which is a key and transformative tenet of Reggio Emilia education. The social-emotional curriculum is intentional, consistent, and effective, and graduates of Ventana know how to conduct themselves in all kinds of social and group settings. All of my children have consistently received praise from their middle and high schools about their ability to get along with others in both social and work/project settings, which was one of our primary goals for their education. Another critical piece of a Ventana education is the confidence of their graduates. They are all children who know exactly who they are, are proud of that identity, and have no hesitation in advocating for themselves. We also have high standards for academics and did not want a school that focused on SEL and soft skills at the expense of academics. We have been very happy with the rigor of the academics, and our children have been well prepared to go on to top private schools in the area. Singapore Math is a very intuitive and effective curriculum, and our kids have graduated “ahead” in math, without any outside work or tutoring. The writing program is particularly robust and produces sophisticated and enthusiastic writers. The art program is awe-inspiring - the art the kids create is unique and meaningful. My kids adored the tinkering program, as well as music and lots of fun afterschool classes like robotics and sewing. The preschool is full of wonder and charm, with an emergent curriculum that is effective and organic. I wanted my kids to feel magic and joy when they were in those critical early years, and to come out loving to learn for the sake of learning itself - and this is exactly what we got at Ventana.