Fusion Academy and Tilden Preparatory School

We are looking to learn more about the two one-on-one-classroom schools in the area: Tilden Preparatory School and Fusion Academy. If anyone has investigated or has recent experience with either or both of them, we would love to hear from you. Anything that you consider relevant will be news to us!

Thank you for your help.

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We looked at both and chose Fusion, where our son spent his junior year last year. He is now back at Berkeley High as a senior. We had a great experience and it was absolutely the right decision. I would say our kid didn’t love it, but he acknowledges that it was the right place for him at that time. Happy to chat in more detail! 

I wanted to note that there is one more option - SIL, School for Independent Learners in Los Altos. Similar 1:1 instruction, full-time or dual enrollment, offers a-g subjects, well-versed in remote. https://sileducation.org/

Our 7th grader is a full time student at Tilden Prep this year. He is dyslexic, so after spending elementary school years in Albany public school we signed him up for a school for dyslexic kids in Oakland for his 6th grade. He did not like that school, so before COVID SIP in March we thought he would go back to Albany Middle. Over past summer he took a couple of classes at Tilden prep to make up for the sixth grade content. He absolutely loved the personal attention and learned a lot. Tilden is doing remote learning this school year, but since it is just one-on-one he really got to know his teachers. It also helps that he is not stuck in front of the computer for the whole day. He takes 4 core classes: math, science, English and history, but has only two classes per day. (M, Wed, Fri - English & Math; Tues, Thursday- History & Science). The homework load is pretty heavy, but there is no busy work, so he does not complain. We proctor the tests ourselves, but there is an option to sign up for a study hall. Overall this year is the first when our teen is calm and engaged in learning.