Lafayette Schools
Hello, we currently live in SF and buying a home in Lafayette or Orinda for the schools. I have a 3 year old boy and a baby girl on the way this Dec.
Can anyone tell me what the best schools are in the area? Is it Burton Valley, Happy Valley, Lafayette Elementary or Springhill Elementary??? They are all listed as 10 schools but are they truly even or all the same in terms of education? Are class sizes bigger in one versus the other or the same?
We have a choice to decide now what area to buy in and am not sure which to choose. Any opinions are welcome! Thank you very much.
Oct 11, 2016
Parent Replies
This is my completely biased, non-scientific opinion, but I would say the schools are generally ranked in the order of HV, Springhill, BV and Lafayette Elementary. Burton Valley is quite a bit larger than the other three schools and probably has somewhat larger class sizes, although most classes in the elementary schools in Lafayette are relatively small. Springhill has the separate special ed program, BV has the GATE program for 4th and 5th graders (although only a couple kids from each school are invited to join that every year). Springhill and BV both have large beautiful gardens the kids help with; not sure about the other two schools. With the passage of the bond issue in June, the district will be doing major upgrades to the facilities at each school. Things like traffic patterns and ease of pick up, drop off, and after school care might affect your choices too; good luck!