Piedmont Middle School
Parent Q&A
Parent Reviews
Parents, please Sign in to post a review on this page.My 6th grader loves Piedmont Middle, but he is both socially and academically motivated. Piedmont is obviously a public school system, and as such offers standardized education - at a high level - but in general it's not juicy creative learning, though there have been some interesting projects. From reading the many BPN posts on Park Day and St. Paul's, and from having attended private school myself, it sounds like the teacher attention would be more individualized at private than at PMS. Are you considering moving to Piedmont, or did you receive an IDT? If the latter I wonder about taking a spot from someone who is self-motivated and would love the opportunity to flourish in Piedmont. I'd say that Piedmont education is standardized, while the private schools sound more customized to each child. My child thrives at Piedmont Middle, and as parents we are happy with the school as well - it's the right place for us. It suits his personality, but not that of all children - some prefer private to Piedmont, and some genuinely prefer Piedmont to private, and have moved between the two. Assuming you've toured all three, which environment resonated with your child most?
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Special Ed program at Piedmonth Middle School
June 2011
Im wondering if anyone could please share their experience with Piedmont Unified,Special ed program. My son is entering middle school and we are looking for a special ed program for learning disability.Do they have a self contained class room,or a small class?Placement in a mainstream class wont work. Since we are stuck with limited choices and its the end of the school year, i wont be able to visit their middle school to make an observation. Any experience/help is greatly appreciated!
Piedmont Middle School does have some Learning Center classes, where they have a 1/15 ratio and the teachers have special training. They also have a special ed program that goes all day, but is more remedial. My kid was somewhere between Learning Center and mainstream, and never did well in the mainstream classes. They were pretty unforgiving on assignment tracking and note-taking at the time, though it has been a few years. The LC classes were good, though. high school mom
Input on Piedmont middle school
March 2009
We'd love to get some current input on Piedmont schools, especially middle and high school. We have the opportunity to move to the district and the concern we have is that it will be too academically intense for our child who's spent her elementary years in a small private school. The academic setting hasn't been so easy for her and we worry about it being geared towards the high-achievers. What about kids who need some help -- not special ed, but extra support? Do these kids suffer from self-esteem issues? Would a place like Berkeley be better because there's more diversity, both academically and socially? Thank you for your insights! Worried mom
I think Piedmont middle school is good. It is small and personal and the teachers are responsive to the students and parents. Not all the students are super high achievers. There is a wide variety of students and parents and there is a Middle School parent group that meets to discuss issues with middle schoolers. Amount of homework depends on the teacher. I went to Berkeley public schools, though it was many years ago, and it is easy to fall through the cracks and get behind. Piedmont Middle School mom
I would not worry about the curriculum being too difficult for your child if she is a middle of the class student academically. The curriculum is not geared toward high-achievers at all; in fact, quite the reverse. I have children in both the middle and high-schools and it has been a problem that they have not been challenged. There is, however, I believe a lot of pressure among the students (driven by some of the parents) to participate in too many activities. I don't think that this is specific to Piedmont however. The biggest issue for your daughter, especially in middle school and less so in high school, may be the social scene. Middle school seems that it can be tough socially for girls (I have boys- hopefully the mom of a girl will respond.) I do not know your socioeconomic status, but Piedmont skews high in that regard. Although we are not among the wealthiest by any means, we are certainly comfortable and constantly working to make sure our kids know how good we all have it. It can be an uphill battle when they have many friends who routinely travel extensively, have all the latest expensive electronic gadgets, etc. On the good side, there is a strong emphasis on community service and recognizing and respecting diversity. And in general the neighborhoods and schools are safe places. The high school is particularly strong in the performing and fine arts. And contrary to popular belief, Piedmont is strongly Democratic and we have become friends with many interesting folks. Piedmont Mom
Hi,
I live in Piedmont and have a middle schooler. Can't speak for Berkeley, but I also considered it an option when I moved to the Bay Area.
I ultimately chose Piedmont because of the ability for kids to roam with a high degree of independence, the convenience to the city, and the fact that because of its small size, all the schools are neighborhood schools so we wouldn't have to do a big shlep to get to school each day... which is important (particularly for single working parents).
My sense is that the two experiences would differ significantly. Berkeley is a lot bigger, probably more well-rounded place to go to school; your child will have exposure to a lot more variety and opportunity across all dimensions (probably a wider selection of AP classes, for example, and a lot more kids across all walks of life), but the downside would be that it could be overwhelming. Piedmont feels like a small town, with only about 200ish kids per graduating class. I've found it to be welcoming ... it is a small community and many of the kids know each other since they were tiny and root for each other to be successful in a way that is meaningful to them as individuals. Also, the degree of independence for kids is high. The downside is that there isn't as much economic diversity, not as much variety, the black population is under-represented, and you have to work hard to make sure your kid understands that some of the wealth they see displayed on a daily basis is not the norm for 99.99% of people.
I haven't had a problem with Oakland, personally. It has its problems but I go out in Oakland all the time and think it's great. It has the same problems as San Francisco (challenging situations with un-housed people, car break-ins). I definitely don't leave anything visible in my car, which can be a pain. And pharmacies lock things up, so it can take longer to get your face wash. But this is all the same for Berkeley.
Hope this helps.
As a former Berkeley High student and an El Cerrito High school parent, I feel both were well rounded (good mix of academics, sports, clubs, arts). Neither I at BHS, nor my child at ECHS, felt that the environments were overly competitive. Students could push themselves, or not, there was no stigma. Unless you need to live in Berkeley or Piedmont for a specific reason, you may also want to check out the cities of El Cerrito, Albany, or Alameda, all of which are very walkable and have good high schools.
Without a doubt Piedmont. Look at the metrics but most importantly think of the context; Berkeley high is larger than most liberal arts colleges. Not exactly a cozy environment. And like any giant organization full of all sorts of people. In terms of going in and out through Oakland, I’m not sure what the statists say, but north Oakland feels about as safe (and occasionally, unsafe) as Berkeley. The areas of Oakland surrounding Piedmont are probably safer than most neighborhoods in Berkeley (maybe with the exception of the hills and Elmwood).
Generally, Piedmont High is considered more competitive than Berkeley High, and Berkeley High is larger and more diverse. Whether that makes one school or the other better for your child is a separate question, though, and one you may not be able to answer until he's older. They have different education models and course offerings, so it's worth looking at the programs at both. One difference at the middle school level is that Piedmont has only one middle school, while Berkeley has several and has a zoning system to assign students--so you aren't guaranteed a spot in a particular school, and may not be assigned to the school closest to your home. The Oakland neighborhoods that border Piedmont are filled with multi-million-dollar homes and arguably safer than some Berkeley neighborhoods, but it is true that the nearby commercial districts, restaurants, and even the library that serves Piedmont are all in Oakland, so if you aren't comfortable there, you may not enjoy living in Piedmont. You will find property crime in both Piedmont and Berkeley; violent crime is pretty rare in both cities. Piedmont is better resourced than Berkeley and far better resourced than Oakland on the public safety front, though, so they do respond quickly when there are issues. You may also want to consider Albany, which is a lower price point than Piedmont but similarly has a single middle and high school and a lot of the walkability that Piedmont offers. Each district has its own strengths and challenges, so a visit may help the most.