Emerson vs. John Muir vs. Malcolm X

Our son is in TK at Malcolm X and really enjoying it. However, it is a bit far away, where as Emerson and John Muir are both walkable so we are looking at these schools for kindergarten next year.

I would love feedback on recent experiences at Emerson and John Muir and if there are any major differences here and with Malcolm X. Thanks!

Parent Replies

New responses are no longer being accepted.

We have been at John Muir for the past two years and have had a great experience. Our newish principal Paco Furlan is very experienced (he spent many years at Rosa Parks Elementary as principal before joining JM) and takes great care to get to know parents and students alike (teachers also seem very happy under his leadership). The school is small with a beautiful campus, the teachers are tenured and the parent community is close knit and raises a sizable budget through the PTA for intramurals, dance and field trips. Another perk is that the after school programs are generally not oversubscribed (our child loves Kids in Motion, which is the LEARNS option). Overall, we feel very lucky to have found such a wonderful school in Berkeley.