Do your homework and follow your heart

It happens fast. Your family is expecting a child and suddenly you have to become an expert on everything from strollers and cribs to pediatricians and babysitters. But nothing compares to when parents must face the terrifying process of choosing their child’s first (or second or third) school. Whether it’s kindergarten, middle or high school, public or private, the search is daunting at best. Luckily, it’s a well-worn path, and there are veteran parents and kind school officials out there with inside tips. Launching these young creatures into the classroom takes courage and patience—and lots of research. But when it comes down to it, the good news is there’s nothing like your gut feeling to guide your choice.

“It’s about taking all that information and internalizing it. Let it soak in and talk with your child and then you’ll know,” says Dawn Pieper, whose son Cole just began middle school at Redwood Day School in Oakland.

While it may seem like the school year has barely begun, it’s not too soon to start thinking about next fall if your child is in her last year of preschool or in fifth or eighth grade. And starting a year before you actually need to—that is, a full two years before your child would start at a new school—can also help relieve anxiety, say some parents who have already survived the school search process.

“Get involved earlier so you can gather enough information,” says Cynthia Elliott, whose son, Lucas, just started kindergarten at Berkeley Arts Magnet, a Berkeley public school. “The more time you have, the less stressed you will be.”

“I started when Maddy was in seventh grade,” says Jackie Frost, whose daughter Maddy just began high school at St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco. “I knew my personality and I knew that I didn’t want to leave everything until eighth grade because I would freak out.”

The timeline for what can be a rigorous search for schools begins with open houses and tours in October; applications for private schools and registration for public schools in January; and acceptance, rejection or public school assignment letters in early March. The sooner you can start checking out schools that interest you, the better, whether those schools are public, private or parochial.

Know your ABCs

Parents who have been through the process before recommend the following combination of first steps: Look hard at your finances to see what kind of tuition your household can, or is willing, to handle; start doing some research online (see the resource boxes on pages 19 and 20 for school Web sites, telephone numbers and open house dates) and weed out schools that won’t work because of things like location or early start times; talk to families whose children already attend those schools; consider your child’s particular learning style by consulting with current teachers (from preschool or daycare, for example); and think about your family’s educational philosophy.

Also, if your child is entering kindergarten and has a fall birthday, it’s important to research schools’ age cutoffs. Private schools usually prefer that children turn 5 before entering kindergarten; California public schools currently will accept kindergartners who turn 5 before Dec. 2.

Once you’ve got a list of schools to check out, create a list of open house dates and other application or registration deadlines. Be forewarned that public schools do not self-market and parents must search out registration information themselves.

After collecting this information, there’s nothing to replace actually setting foot on campus, watching the kids in their classrooms and on the playground, and imagining your child walking down the halls. Parents recommend visiting schools as often as possible. Attending a PTA meeting, for example, can reveal details about the school not on display during the open house or tour.

On each school tour, some parents find it helpful to bring a list of questions, such as: How many teachers’ aides are in the classroom? How experienced are the teachers? How does the school handle discipline? What kind of arts, music and physical education does the school offer? What’s the after-care program like? What kind of parent involvement does the school expect? How much homework is there?

Some parents also keep handy a checklist of things to notice while touring the school: What are the grounds and the classrooms like? Do the students look engaged? Are the bathrooms clean? What feeling do you get as you walk around the school?

“Have a checklist of your priorities and be open to the rest,” says Ilana Kaufman, head of Windrush School, a K-8 independent school in El Cerrito, encouraging parents to look beyond what is instinctively important to them. “The real essential question is, ‘Will my child thrive here?’”

After finishing each tour, leave the school and stop to take a deep breath. Then jot down your impressions before you start the engine or continue walking. Remember that gut feelings can be as important as the facts.

“Every school has a culture and you will figure it out pretty quickly,” says Khadija Fredericks, director of admissions at St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Oakland, a K-8 independent school.

Going Public

Public schools are not going to have glossy brochures or enticing advertisements to woo prospective students. If you’re interested in your local public schools—by far the most economical option with its free price tag—you’ll have to do your own homework. And when you do, you may be pleasantly surprised to find vibrant, academically challenging, community-focused places for kids to learn.

Every school district has a different way of assigning students to schools. In the Berkeley Unified School District, for example, every household falls into one of three school zones, each with about four school options. The purpose of these zones is to ensure racial and economic integration in each school. So if you’re looking at public schools in Berkeley, the first thing to do is find out which schools are in your zone (check www.berkeley.k12.ca.us under “How to Enroll”). Francisco Martinez, manager of Berkeley’s admissions and attendance office, advises parents to first talk to families already at the schools. These conversations, he says, can often broaden—and improve—impressions of schools picked up by hearsay.

The Berkeley district offers school tours beginning in mid-November and a December kindergarten fair, led by school parents and district staff from programs such as after-school, gardening, nutrition, transportation and the arts. To learn even more, Martinez strongly recommends attending the individual schools’ information nights (held on the campuses) in mid-January.

“When they’re looking at the school, they should look at the entire school, not just one grade,” says Martinez. He adds that a common mistake is to request a school outside of the family’s attendance zone as the first choice. About 70 percent of Berkeley children get their first-choice school and about 12 percent get their second choice, he says, but sticking within your zone is the best way to get what you want.

And once you’ve done all your research and attended all those meetings? What then?

“I put myself in the position of my son,” says Elliott, the mother of Lucas who’s bound for Berkeley Arts Magnet. “If I’m 5 years old, what am I going to be looking for? Kind people, fun things to do, messy but not dirty. I relied a lot on my gut feeling.”

Unlike Berkeley, the Oakland Unified School District uses a neighborhood school assignment system, with some possibility of attending a school out of your neighborhood. This means that most Oakland children can attend their closest school, a system that tends to bring neighborhoods together because children can walk to school and use the school playground on weekends.

The neighborhoods of some popular Oakland schools, mostly in the Oakland hills, have recently swelled with new young families, resulting in some schools that cannot fit all the neighborhood children who want to attend. With the school board partially back in power after a state takeover in 2003, the district and the board are trying to give all families their first or second school choices.

As soon as you know which schools you are interested in, contact the individual schools directly for information about October and November tours. The Oakland district usually holds a fair in early December where parents can talk to representatives from each elementary school. After the fair, tour the schools you are most interested in—starting with the neighborhood school where your child has priority (check www.enroll.ousd.k12.ca.us)—taking time to chat with the principal and parents.

Says Michael Bonino, student assignment coordinator for Oakland, “The best way to see what goes on at the school, regardless of how low or high the test scores are, is to visit the site and see the teaching and learning that is really happening.”

The other free school option for East Bay families is charter schools. There are none in Berkeley but Oakland has several, including the popular K-6 North Oakland Community Charter School (NOCCS) and the K-5 Civicorps Elementary School (formerly the East Bay Conservation Corps Charter School).

Though the schools are publicly funded, the Oakland school district does not control admissions to charter schools. The admissions calendar runs roughly parallel to public and private schools, with applications due in February and students admitted by lottery in late March. Over the past several years, schools of all stripes have worked together to align their admissions dates so families can consider all options simultaneously after they receive acceptance letters.

Going Private

With every independent school brochure flashing photos of smiling students thriving in science labs and onstage, it can be hard to tell the schools apart. But on closer look, each of the East Bay’s 42 accredited independent schools has its own personality, spanning a wider range of educational styles and often offering smaller classes than public schools can.

There are Montessori, bilingual, music-focused, developmental and rigorous academic schools; an all-girls school, a boys’ choir school and many others. There are schools with impressive art, sports, drama and science programs. Some are K-5 or K-8, others are only grades 6-8 and just three are K-12. All of these schools have the luxury of complete freedom in designing curriculum because they are not subject to the state testing standards imposed on public schools.

They also come with a steep price tag, ranging from $16,000 to $27,000 per year. But if you can afford the cost, think you could qualify for a scholarship or are just curious, it’s worth going on some tours to see what all the fuss is about.

Choosing a private school—and hoping that the school chooses your child—does not have to be as stressful as many people fear.

“When I look back on it now, I didn’t need to be as stressed as I was,” says Nanci Clifton, whose twin sons just began middle school at St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Oakland. She says she wished she and her boys had enjoyed their fifth-grade year more.

“All schools are imperfect,” says Kaufman, the head of Windrush. “I want parents to understand that picking a school is a leap of faith and acknowledging the uncertainty in that helps us make it through to the other side.”

The fair offered by the East Bay Independent Schools Association at the Scottish Rite Temple in Oakland, Oct. 7, is a good place to start, Clifton says. There parents can meet school representatives, collect brochures and begin to get a sense of the range of choices.

And always, as parents move through this lengthy process, they should reflect on the desires, needs and learning styles of their child, a different process depending on the child’s age. There are things that are clear about a fifth-grader (like how they handle homework and social conflict, whether they favor sports or the arts) that aren’t evident yet with a preschooler. Parents of eighth-graders have the easiest and the hardest time with this. While it’s easier for the parents of a middle-schooler to pinpoint the social tendencies and learning style of their 13-year-old, that teenager often has thoughts of her own about which school to attend.

“You have to know the children’s temperaments and where they’ll feel safe and comfortable,” says Clifton, who has now been through two school searches, one for kindergarten and one for middle school. “If they’re not comfortable, they won’t learn well.”

For Clifton’s twin boys, Erik and Peter, this meant looking at places with small class sizes, a developmental philosophy (letting kids learn at their own pace), and good sports opportunities. Pieper, whose son just began sixth grade at Redwood Day, looked carefully at how K-8 schools worked to integrate new sixth-graders.

After the school fairs, parents should begin the exhausting open house jaunt, which can quickly fill up weekday evenings, followed by the school tours on different days. Children applying to middle and high school may have to take the ISEE, the Independent School Entrance Exam, a three-hour admission test offered several times from December to January. Clifton and Pieper recommend buying one of the ISEE test preparation books and scheduling the test for as late in the school year as possible.

Believe it or not, even preschoolers will have to undergo a two- to three-hour observation—more like a long play date with new friends in a new place—in January or February. Some parents make the mistake of trying to “package their child in a way that they’re not,” Kaufman says, like dressing them in an unfamiliar way. “Schools are generally looking for kids to be able to be who they are.”

And if applying to schools weren’t already stressful enough, parents and families will also be observed as they interact with school staff. “We don’t just accept the child, we accept the whole family,” says Fredericks, explaining that admissions directors consider the enthusiasm of parents and their commitment to staying at the school for the long haul.

After the interviews come the applications. Think back to applying to college and you’ll be fine. Tailor each application to each individual school and explain why your child will fit well in the school. Remember that the school is looking closely at all of you so work to sell your whole family, not just your child. And if you know that a certain school is your child’s first choice, by all means say so—loud and clear. Schools sometimes share information so be honest and don’t falsely lead on several schools.

“Make sure they know who you are, and be visible to them so they know,” Clifton says. And if you’re wait-listed, don’t panic. “Call them that day, say, ‘I’m going to wait for you, please put me on your call list.’ How you talk to admissions people is very important.”

Many East Bay parents find a third path next to private and public at parochial schools like Oakland’s St. Theresa School and Corpus Christi School, Berkeley’s School of the Madeleine and El Cerrito’s St. Jerome’s. Tuition of roughly $5,000 for elementary and $10,000 for high school is almost one-third that of private schools, and families—many of whom are not Catholic—feel more comfortable with Catholic schools’ traditional instruction and historically solid reputation. Families who are “in-parish,” that is who live within the schools’ official parish boundaries or volunteer and participate regularly in the parish, get first priority. Otherwise the application procedures are similar to public and independent schools.

Taking a Deep Breath

Preschool teachers advise parents to do all of their searching without stressing out their kids. That means not having too many adult conversations within earshot of soon-to-be kindergartners and not expressing disappointment when school assignments are made. Older kids can also benefit from the same kind of discretion. Administrators also advise parents to be patient, saying that bad news in March can turn into happy news in August, when many children move off of waiting lists for public and private schools as enrollments fluctuate.

The school search process is a stressful one but with some advance preparation and a cool head, it doesn’t have to be onerous. And you might even gain some new insight into yourself and your child along the way.

For those really fed up with the process, there’s always the homeschooling option (check out HomeSchool Association of California Network, www.hsc.org), more time-consuming for parents during the school year to be sure, but there’s nothing easier than applying to a school held in your very own living room.

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Sarah Weld is the parent of two school-age children and the associate editor of The Monthly.

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OPEN HOUSE INFORMATION — where available.

PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS
Bishop O’Dowd High School, 9500 Stearns Ave., Oakland, (510) 577-9100; bishopodowd.org; Nov. 2, 1-3 p.m.

Corpus Christi School, 1 Estates Dr., Piedmont, (510) 530-4056; www.corpuschristischool.com; Oct. 2, Jan. 27, 8:30 a.m.-noon

Holy Names High School, 4660 Harbord Dr., Oakland, (510) 450-1110; www.hnhsoakland.org; Oct. 19, 11 a.m.-2p.m.; Nov. 12, 7-8:30 p.m.

School of the Madeleine, 1225 Milvia St., Berkeley, (510) 526-4744; www.themadeleine.com; Jan. 25, 10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

St. Jerome Catholic School, 320 San Carlos Ave., El Cerrito, (510) 525-9484; www.stjeromeec.org; Kindergarten only: Oct. 7, 6:30 p.m.

St. Joseph Notre Dame High School, 1011 Chestnut St., Alameda, (510) 523-1526; www.sjnd.org; Oct. 26, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

St. Mary’s College High School, 1294 Albina Ave., Berkeley, (510) 526-9242; Sept. 25, 7-9 p.m.

St. Theresa School, 4850 Clarewood Dr., Oakland, (510) 547-3146; www.sttheresaschool.org; Nov. 20, 7-9 p.m.

INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
East Bay Independent Schools Association; www.ebisaca.org; School fair: Oct. 7, 7 p.m., Scottish Rite Temple, Oakland.

The Academy (K-8), 2722 Benvenue Ave., Berkeley, (510) 549-0605; www.academyk-8.com; Oct. 19, 1-3 p.m., Nov. 6, 7-9 p.m.

Archway School (K-8), 250 41st St., Oakland; 1940 Virginia St., Berkeley, (510) 547-4747; www.archwayschool.org

The Athenian School (6-12), 2100 Mt. Diablo Scenic Blvd., Danville, (925) 837-5375; www.athenian.org; grades 6-8: Nov. 8, 1-3 p.m.; grades 9-12: Nov. 9, 1-4 p.m.

Aurora School (K-5), 40 Dulwich Road, Oakland, (510) 428-2606; www.auroraschool.org; Nov. 6, 7-9 p.m.

Beacon Day School (preK-8), 2101 Livingston St., Oakland, (510) 437-2311; www.beaconday.org; grades K-5: Nov. 12, 9 a.m.; grades 6-8: Nov. 19, 9 a.m.

Bentley School (K-12); (lower school) 1 Hiller Drive, Oakland, (510) 843-2512; (upper school), 1000 Upper Happy Valley Road, Lafayette (925) 283-2101; www.bentleyschool.net; grades K-8, Oct. 26, 10 a.m.-noon & Nov. 9, 1-3 p.m. (both Hiller campus); grades 9-12: Oct. 26, Dec. 6, Jan. 11, (all 1-4 p.m., Lafayette campus).

Berkeley Montessori School (preK-8), 1310 University Ave., Berkeley, (510) 665-8800; www.bmsonline.org; Nov. 2, Jan. 10

Berkwood Hedge School (K-5), 1809 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, (510) 883-6990; www.berkwood.org

Black Pine Circle School (K-8), 2027 Seventh St., Berkeley, (510) 845-0876; www.bpcweb.net; grades K-5: Oct. 19, 3-5 p.m.; grades 6-8: Dec. 7, 3-5 p.m.; grades K-8: Jan. 11, 3-5 p.m.

The College Preparatory School (9-12), 6100 Broadway, Oakland, (510) 652-0111; www.college-prep.org; Oct. 25, Nov. 9 & Dec. 13, 1 p.m.

The Crowden School (4-8), 1475 Rose St., Berkeley, (510) 559-6910; www.thecrowdenschool.org; Oct. 15, Nov. 13, Dec. 9, Jan. 21, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

East Bay Waldorf School (K-12), 3800 Clark Road, El Sobrante, (510) 223-3570; www.eastbaywaldorf.org; lower school: Nov. 3, Jan. 12, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; high school: Oct. 27, Dec. 8, Jan. 12, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m.

Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley (preK-8), 1009 Heinz Ave., Berkeley, (510) 549-3867; www.ebfas.org; Nov. 13, Jan. 13, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Family Montessori School (preK-8), (preschool/kindergarten) 1850 Scenic Ave., Berkeley, (510) 848-2322; (elementary school)1 Lawson Road, Kensington, (510) 528-5233;
www.montessorifamily.com;
preschool/kindergarten: Oct. 20, Dec. 8, Jan. 12, 10:30 a.m.-noon; elementary: Nov. 3, Jan. 27, Feb. 2 & 9, 10:30 a.m.-noon

Head-Royce School (K-12), 4315 Lincoln Ave., Oakland, (510) 531-1300; www.headroyce.org

Jewish Community High School, 1835 Ellis St., San Francisco, (415) 345-9777; www.jchsofthebay.org; Nov. 12, Dec. 7, 2-4 p.m.

Julia Morgan School for Girls (6-8), 5000 MacArthur Blvd. on Mills   College campus, Oakland, (510) 632-6000; www.juliamorganschool.org; Oct. 23, Nov. 13, Dec. 10, Jan. 8 (all 7-9 p.m.)

Maybeck High School (9-12), 2362 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, (510) 841-8489; maybeckhs.org

Mills College Children’s School (preK-5), 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, (510) 430-2118; www.mills.edu/campus_life/childrens_school

Orinda Academy (7-12), 19 Altarinda Road, Orinda, (925) 254-7553; www.orindaacademy.org; Nov. 2, 1-4 p.m., Dec. 2, 7-9 p.m.

Park Day School (K-8), 370 43rd St., Oakland, (510) 653-0317; www.parkdayschool.org

Pacific Boychoir Academy (4-8), 410 Alcatraz Ave., Oakland, (510) 652-4722; www.pacificboychoir.org

Prospect Sierra (K-8), (elementary) 2060 Tapscott Ave., El Cerrito, (510) 236-5800; (middle school) 960 Avis Drive, El Cerrito (510) 528-5800; www.prospectsierra.org; grades 5-8: Oct. 26; grades K-4: Nov. 2

Redwood Day (K-8), 3245 Sheffield Ave., (510) 534-0804, ext. 224; www.rdschool.org; K-8: Oct. 15, 9 a.m.; K-5: Oct. 18, 10 a.m.; 6-8: Oct. 18, 1 p.m.; K-5: Nov. 22, 10 a.m.; 6-8: Nov. 22, 1 p.m.; K-8: Dec. 3, 9 a.m.

Renaissance School (preK-8), 3668 Dimond Ave., Oakland, (510) 531-8566; www.therenaissanceschool.org

Saklan Valley School (preK-8), 1678 School St., Moraga, (925) 376-7900; www.saklan.org; Nov. 9, 2-4 p.m.

School for Independent Learners, 1231 Solano Ave., Albany, (510) 525-5506; www.schoolforindependentlearners.com; Sept. 22, 7 p.m.

St. Paul’s Episcopal School (K-8), 116 Montecito Ave., Oakland, (510) 285-9600; www.spes.org; grades 6-8: Oct. 5, 3-4:30 p.m.; grades K-5: Oct. 19, 3-4:30 p.m.

Tehiyah Day School (K-8), 2603 Tassajara Ave., El Cerrito, (510) 233-3013; www.tehiyah.org; kindergarten: Oct. 29, 7 p.m., Jan. 11, 10 a.m.; grades K-8: Nov. 23, 10 a.m.

Walden Center & School (K-6), 2446 McKinley Ave., Berkeley, (510) 841-7248; www.walden-school.net

Windrush School (K-8), 1800 Elm St., El Cerrito, (510) 970-7580; www.windrush.org; Nov. 6, Jan. 8, 7 p.m.

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Scouting Schools
Following is a list of general resources, public school districts and a partial list of charter, independent and parochial schools in the East Bay

 

RESOURCES
Great Schools, www.greatschools.net

California Association of Independent Schools, www.caisca.org

East Bay Independent Schools Association (EBISA), www.ebisaca.org

Berkeley Parents Network Web site, http://parents.berkeley.edu/

Childhood Matters (Rona Renner’s radio show), www.childhoodmatters.org

PUBLIC
Alameda Unified School District, 2200 Central Ave., Alameda, (510) 337-7176; www.alameda.k12.ca.us

Albany Unified School District, 904 Talbot Ave., Albany, (510) 558-3750; www.albany.k12.ca.us

Berkeley Unified School District, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, (510) 644-6504; www.berkeley.k12.ca.us

Oakland Unified School District, 1025 Second Ave., Oakland, (510) 879-8111; enroll.ousd.k12.ca.us

Orinda Union School District, 8 Altarinda Rd., Orinda, (925) 254-4901; www.orindaschools.org

Piedmont Union School District, 760 Magnolia Ave., Piedmont, (510) 594-2600; www.piedmont.k12.ca.us

West Contra Costa Unified School District, 1108 Bissell Ave., Richmond, (510) 231-1100; www.wccusd.k12.ca.us

CHARTER SCHOOLS
North Oakland Community Charter School (NOCCS), 1000 42nd St., Oakland, (510) 655-0540; www.noccs.org

Civicorps School (formerly the East Bay Conservation Corps Charter School), 1086 Alcatraz Ave., Oakland, (510) 420-3701; www.ebcc-school.org

PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS
Bishop O’Dowd High School, 9500 Stearns Ave., Oakland, (510) 577-9100; bishopodowd.org

Corpus Christi School, 1 Estates Dr., Piedmont, (510) 530-4056; www.corpuschristischool.com

Holy Names High School, 4660 Harbord Dr., Oakland, (510) 450-1110; www.hnhsoakland.org

School of the Madeleine, 1225 Milvia St., Berkeley, (510) 526-4744; www.themadeleine.com

St. Jerome Catholic School, 320 San Carlos Ave., El Cerrito, (510) 525-9484; www.stjeromeec.org; Kindergarten only

St. Joseph Notre Dame High School, 1011 Chestnut St., Alameda, (510) 523-1526; www.sjnd.org

St. Mary’s College High School, 1294 Albina Ave., Berkeley, (510) 526-9242

St. Theresa School, 4850 Clarewood Dr., Oakland, (510) 547-3146; www.sttheresaschool.org

INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
East Bay Independent Schools Association; www.ebisaca.org; School fair: Oct. 7, 7 p.m., Scottish Rite Temple, Oakland.

The Academy (K-8), 2722 Benvenue Ave., Berkeley, (510) 549-0605; www.academyk-8.com

Archway School (K-8), 250 41st St., Oakland; 1940 Virginia St., Berkeley, (510) 547-4747; www.archwayschool.org

The Athenian School (6-12), 2100 Mt. Diablo Scenic Blvd., Danville, (925) 837-5375; www.athenian.org

Aurora School (K-5), 40 Dulwich Road, Oakland, (510) 428-2606; www.auroraschool.org

Beacon Day School (preK-8), 2101 Livingston St., Oakland, (510) 437-2311; www.beaconday.org

Bentley School (K-12); (lower school) 1 Hiller Drive, Oakland, (510) 843-2512; (upper school), 1000 Upper Happy Valley Road, Lafayette (925) 283-2101; www.bentleyschool.net

Berkeley Montessori School (preK-8), 1310 University Ave., Berkeley, (510) 665-8800; www.bmsonline.org

Berkwood Hedge School (K-5), 1809 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, (510) 883-6990; www.berkwood.org

Black Pine Circle School (K-8), 2027 Seventh St., Berkeley, (510) 845-0876; www.bpcweb.net

The College Preparatory School (9-12), 6100 Broadway, Oakland, (510) 652-0111; www.college-prep.org

The Crowden School (4-8), 1475 Rose St., Berkeley, (510) 559-6910; www.thecrowdenschool.org

East Bay Waldorf School (K-12), 3800 Clark Road, El Sobrante, (510) 223-3570; www.eastbaywaldorf.org

Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley (preK-8), 1009 Heinz Ave., Berkeley, (510) 549-3867; www.ebfas.org;

Family Montessori School (preK-8), (preschool/kindergarten) 1850 Scenic Ave., Berkeley, (510) 848-2322; (elementary school)1 Lawson Road, Kensington, (510) 528-5233; www.montessorifamily.com

Head-Royce School (K-12), 4315 Lincoln Ave., Oakland, (510) 531-1300; www.headroyce.org

Jewish Community High School, 1835 Ellis St., San Francisco, (415) 345-9777; www.jchsofthebay.org

Julia Morgan School for Girls (6-8), 5000 MacArthur Blvd. on Mills College campus, Oakland, (510) 632-6000; www.juliamorganschool.org

Maybeck High School (9-12), 2362 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, (510) 841-8489; maybeckhs.org

Mills College Children’s School (preK-5), 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, (510) 430-2118;
www.mills.edu/campus_life/childrens_school

Orinda Academy (7-12), 19 Altarinda Road, Orinda, (925) 254-7553; www.orindaacademy.org

Park Day School (K-8), 370 43rd St., Oakland, (510) 653-0317; www.parkdayschool.org

Pacific Boychoir Academy (4-8), 410 Alcatraz Ave., Oakland, (510) 652-4722; www.pacificboychoir.org

Prospect Sierra (K-8), (elementary) 2060 Tapscott Ave., El Cerrito, (510) 236-5800; (middle school) 960 Avis Drive, El Cerrito (510) 528-5800; www.prospectsierra.org

Redwood Day (K-8), 3245 Sheffield Ave., (510) 534-0804, ext. 224; www.rdschool.org

Renaissance School (preK-8), 3668 Dimond Ave., Oakland, (510) 531-8566; www.therenaissanceschool.org

Saklan Valley School (preK-8), 1678 School St., Moraga, (925) 376-7900; www.saklan.org

School for Independent Learners, 1231 Solano Ave., Albany, (510) 525-5506;
www.schoolforindependentlearners.com

St. Paul’s Episcopal School (K-8), 116 Montecito Ave., Oakland, (510) 285-9600; www.spes.org

Tehiyah Day School (K-8), 2603 Tassajara Ave., El Cerrito, (510) 233-3013; www.tehiyah.org

Walden Center & School (K-6), 2446 McKinley Ave., Berkeley, (510) 841-7248; www.walden-school.net

Windrush School (K-8), 1800 Elm St., El Cerrito, (510) 970-7580; www.windrush.org