Cleveland Elementary School

This is our first year at the school but so far we are happy. Our Kinder teacher is excellent and focuses on social emotional learning, community building, and academic learning. The school is a sweet, warm, loving building. There is dance (music for the upper grades), PE, and library weekly. There is a cafeteria and most children eat breakfast and lunch at the school. The brand new play structure is great and brings joy to all the children.

I’ve had two children at Crocker and have nothing but great things to say about it. My kids have loved their teachers- some are the best out there and some are good. It’s a warm, inviting community and there are tons of events and opportunities to participate. I’ve enjoyed seeing my kids participate in the vocal performances, the science fairs, the oratorical and more. It has been a really great experience for my kids and our family.

I am a parent of a fourth grader. My child has been studying in this school for five years. Every teacher is very friendly and patient with the students. The principal of their school is bilingual. In addition to English, she also speaks Chinese. She speaks Chinese very well. In addition to the principal, the school also has many Chinese-speaking teachers. In terms of communication, the school has Chinese-speaking teachers and Spanish-speaking teachers. The school’s learning environment is very active. In addition to the classroom, there are also after-school cram schools. My children like this school very much, and I am the same. ! !

My child has been attending this school for three years. The principal, teachers, and staff are caring, welcoming, and easy to communicate with, and they consistently keep parents informed through ParentSquare. The school encourages family involvement and regularly invites parents to participate, which I really appreciate. The facilities are clean, and there is a strong sense of community and diversity.My child has participated in the after-school program each year, including the transition from Girls Inc. to Oakland Leaf, without any issues.My main concern is that the academic pace can feel slow. While the school provides great support for students who need extra help, students who learn quickly may spend a lot of time reviewing material they’ve already mastered.

Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't judge a school by its price tag. Some may think that St. Anthony might be better because 'you're paying for your kids education....or... you're paying for your kids to succeed.' Sorry, wrong school here! St Anthony did not prepared students for HS. Moreover, materials that are taught in 8th grade should classified as 5th grade level work. Students spend unnecessary time on things such as "Thank you cards" when they should really be working their butts off. The kids are very disrespectful! I noticed many of them form 'teams' where they include/exclude certain individuals and just start gossiping (teams are formed by race, grades, gender, etc.) Not a good environment for kids to learn to be more accepting of others' differences. I graduated over 7+ years ago, most of the friends that I graduated with went to CSUs, 1 or 2 went to UCs, and I remember a few of them actually got married because he/she got a baby.

I moved my kids from public school to St. Paul's (4th and 7th grade) and it exceeded all of my expectations. The academics are rigorous but beyond that they are really helping the kids develop real world skills like executive functioning (staying on top of deadlines, planning for long term projects, scheduling your week), public speaking, working in groups, emotional intelligence and critical thinking. The curriculum is really engaging and interactive, my kids talk about what they are learning in school a lot more than they used to and teachers get really creative in their lessons to keep things interesting. Teachers are genuinely guiding the learning and not just following a textbook. They seem energized and excited to be at the school which is a breath of fresh air as the teaching profession has really been a tough place to be in the last decade! I sometimes worry about how AI is eroding critical thinking and replacing a lot of jobs in our society and I feel like the kids who go to St. Paul's will have a highly desired skillset that isn't easily replaced by LLM and will be confident in navigating the future no matter what it looks like. The school culture really stands out to me as well. Almost every school I toured will talk about antibullying efforts but at St. Paul's there is really an ethos of kindness and inclusivity that is in everything that they do at the school. It comes from a place of authenticity, is felt by every staff person (and even all the parents!) that I've encountered and to me it's more powerful than a disciplinary protocol. The school really builds a community within the classroom and across the whole school! For my middle schooler I was concerned that it might be too small coming from a big public school environment but I've noticed that it has actually allowed my kid to be themselves instead of trying to fit into a certain clique. My kid looks forward to going to school now and it has been so so cool to see him pursue academic excellence with pleasure and pride instead of just complying with weekly homework.I was on the fence about leaving public school, especially because I didn't want my kids to be sequestered in an environment where all their peers were privileged but the opposite has been true! I have been delighted with the socioeconomic and demographic diversity at St. Paul's. I also was hesitant because of the financial commitment but I have zero regrets. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made for my kids.