Academic Pressure etc at Head Royce/Redwood Day Middle School?
Dear BPN Community:
We are wondering if there are current or recent Head-Royce or Redwood Day families who can provide an updated perspective on their experience at either of those schools - specifically their Middle Schools. We have a 5th grade child who is looking at the Head-Royce and Redwood Day Middle Schools next year, and while we won’t hear admission results until March, at that point we would have only a few days to decide, so we wanted to seek BPN perspectives ahead of time.
Specifically, we would like to better understand how much academic pressure there is, the expectations for kids and families to keep up vs school-provided support, and the social emotional well being of kids. Some of the specific areas include 1) What is the homework level from 6th-8th grade like? 2) What kind of support do the kids get with homework, or if they are struggling with a particular topic in a class? Our kid can need help with math specifically and with executive functioning in general. 3) What kind of support/intervention does the school provide when there is inter-personal conflict (our child is decidedly on the quiet side)? In general, we are seeking a kind and gentle environment to give our kid some space to grow up/catch up while feeling good about themselves. Does Redwood Day or Head Royce fit the bill? Thanks in advance for any firsthand perspective that you can share. Feel free to DM us if a quick chat is easier.
Parent Replies
Hi. We have three kids, two of whom are currently at Head-Royce middle school and one who is in High School at Head Royce. Generally speaking, I don't think that the academic rigor is that high in middle school especially. This is a concern, as I think the High School is at a very different level with MUCH higher expectations - and I don't know that the middle school does a good enough job of preparing the students for a substantial jump between 8th and 9th grade. I find the middle school to be quite gentle - you can retake any tests for either 100% of 50% of the points (depending on the teacher), etc. The teachers are very, very approachable and can definitely help kids as they need more help. The homework level is not that high and gently increases with each grade, but is very manageable. Again - this changes drastically once in high school. The goal of the middle school is to build confidence in the child - which is why it's, in my opinion, much 'softer' than it needs to be. Generally we really like the school but think that the high-school curriculum and experience is of much higher quality (despite the level of homework). I also love the ease of not having to apply to high school. Btw, math teachers (with one exception) are terrific in middle school.
I would also consider St. Paul's, if they are still accepting applications. I have a middle schooler there and it addresses a lot of what you're looking for--sixth grade is heavily about executive functioning ("how to do school") and they have a learning specialist who supports diverse learners. They also have a staffed homework period at the end of each day for kids to work on their assignments in a space where they can (and it's expected/normalized that they may) ask peers or teachers for help. Not sure how it compares to RDS, but we have friends with kids at Head-Royce and there does seem to be more homework at H-R (and definitely a more traditional classroom structure--at St. Paul's there's less emphasis on grades, many opportunities to correct or sometimes entirely re-do an assignment or test if you didn't do well, a lot of group work where kids have to work with each other, more time spent on social-emotional vs. academic content, etc.) They're quite different environments, and will fit different kids. The families I know at RDS all have younger kids; based on their experiences, I'd guess the RDS middle school is more similar to St. Paul's than to Head-Royce--but each school has its own strengths and challenges.
Hello!
mom of a current 10th grader who attended RDS from 6th (when the pandemic began) through graduation, here. I cannot say enough good things about our kid’s and our experience at RDS. Truly, it was worth the high tuition and the drive to get there (we’re not in Oakland).
Our child also struggles in math and had identified social challenges. RDS was wonderful to work with on both fronts. They were fully in compliance w his accommodation needs (eg using a basic calculator for math and science quizzes and tests; sitting up front in those subjects, etc.) Our kid—and all students from what I could tell—were well supported academics and socially. In 6th, for example, all kids learn how to use a planner, how to sort school emails, etc. RDS provided a very well rounded and 21st century education, which included teaching kids about the dangers of vaping, drugs, social media and drinking as well as MS aged appropriate sex Ed. And these weren’t one-off lessons, either. They were built into the curriculum.
My kid had many (95%) amazing teachers and the head of school John Loeser? Chef’s kiss! He’s super communicative, on top of it all (the school’s pivot to distance learning was truly impressive) and runs the school beautifully and respectfully.
We found the community and school itself to be very welcoming and super supportive of DEI. They truly walk the walk and talk the talk!
One other truly amazing thing about RDS is the incredible help given to 8th graders in deciding on and applying to (if interested) parochial, public and private HS’s. There is a dedicated staff member who walks you through the process and individualizes suggestions based upon your kid and their needs. That was crazy helpful.
In conclusion, the only negatives I have about RDS are the price tag (though value for your $ is excellent) and that we had to drive a lot to take our kiddo to meet friends as they all lived in cities different than ours.
best of luck! I hope you’ll love RDS as much as we did (should you choose it).
After reading your post, I wanted to put in a recommendation for the middle school international track program at Ecole Bilingue in Berkeley. We were in your situation a few years back, and got into both of the schools you suggest - but my kid picked EB, and honestly I'm so happy we went with his choice instead of my preference. We were mainly looking at EB for the accelerated French program (which has been fantastic) but what I didn't expect was such an atmosphere of kindness and support combined with academic rigor. They really get middle schoolers and know how to help them develop into their best selves, academically and personally. I've seen my somewhat apathetic and quiet kid (who I used to have to nag all the time to finish homework) grow into a confident young person with good time-management skills and a nice group of friends. When I asked my son what I should say in this review, he had two main points: 1. "they push you to work hard, but they don't push you over the cliff" and 2. "some kids can be annoying, but nobody is mean."
Bottom line - while I appreciate the accelerated French, it's really the academics and social climate that are the true stars of the show. While no school is perfect for sure, EB has been a great choice for our family, and I encourage you to check them out. Good luck whatever you decide!
https://www.eb.org/bilingual-programs/middle-school-international-track
I am a parent of a middle schooler at Redwood Day. My child is thriving academically and feeling very supported, and I feel academic pressure there is pretty low (easy on the student). My child never seems to bring back homework. Class periods are longer, so students are encouraged to finish their work in class while the teacher is still there to answer questions. They also have study hall, and after school office hours, and my child uses those times to finish all their homework, assignments, and study for upcoming tests, and tries to bring home as little as possible. The school emphasizes executive functioning and independence, so my child does plan out their week and budgets how many class sessions and study halls they have, and figures out how much to get done at school vs bringing it home. If students choose not to use study hall time, they do bring the work home. (For example, I was informed that some kids prefer to chat or play on their computers during study hall.) Students are given study guides before a test, and the test pretty much covers the information on the guide--if you study it, you'll ace the test. If you score poorly on the test, you can ask the teacher to do a retake. Written assignments are often done in drafts, so the student can polish it up before submitting it. Pretty much I feel that kids are set up to succeed. Do I feel sometimes that they could apply a little more pressure? Perhaps! But I can say that my student is thriving and really likes the work, and does not feel stressed out by school.