South Bay School Districts
- Related Category: Living in the South Bay
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Dec 2013
My family needs to relocate to the San Jose area. We currently live in and LOVE Alameda. Does anyone know of good schools (Kindergarten) and childcare (2yr) in the San Jose area? Once we figure that out, we will find a place to live. Thank you!! JCH
We live in the Santa Teresa neighborhood. We moved from Rockridge. It's a huge difference! Pros: no homeless walking by contributing to crime. Cons: little to walk to though we do have library and RiteAid and a few small restaurants and are close to hiking. Our school district, Oak Grove, initially kept class sizes small when most other schools upped the class numbers as they had funds from selling some property. I don't know the current class sizes. As for childcare, we used the corporate-run Bright Horizons and were mostly happy. content in SJ
Contemplating a Move to Palo Alto
June 2013
We are contemplating a move to Palo Alto, but our oldest son, who will be starting kindergarden in the Fall of 2013 might need a more non-standard learning environment than the average kid. Here in Berkeley, the kind of place at which we think he would thrive is the Berkeley school, or Black Pine Circle, for example. Does anyone know whether there are schools on the Peninsula that have a similar style or philosophy? To describe our kid briefly, he is very creative, very bright, curious - but not the most focused, and has a fine motor delay which might present an issue when first starting school. Any advice would be very much appreciated. nervous about move
You may not find any school for your child in Palo Alto or the Peninsula.
We researched and searched for several years to find a school that fit our child's needs and learning style. We did find them in the East Bay but not in Palo Alto where we lived or on the Peninsula.
Really you have to understand that because of the wealth in so many cities, including Palo Alto, on the Peninsula, those rich cities have great school districts and there really isn't a need for alternatives.
Affluent parents just pay for tutors so their kids 'fit' in at school. Or they send their kids to private schools in San Francisco, boarding schools back East, or they move away like we did.
That said the only school that I know of that might fit the bill for you is The Neuva School which is for gifted kids and is very innovative. I don't have any personal experience with it, but heard great things about it.
You should also look into the Parents Club of Palo Alto and Menlo Park and tap into their resources for more up to date info.
Good Luck. Former Peninsula Mom