The Quarry Lane School

Love this school! My daughter learned so much and received the highest eduction we could ask for. So worth it!
—Submitted by a parent

Choosing a school can be one of the most challenging yet important decisions a parent can make. After meeting with the staff and teachers at QLS I knew I had made the correct choice by sending my daughter there for high school. The school offers a full range of honors courses, AP courses and the opportunity for an IB diploma. I believe Quarry Lane s focus on individual students needs, passionate, knowledgeable teachers and invested, professional administrators make THIS private high school worth every dollar spent on tuition.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent at Quarry Lane School, I can attribute the well balanced experience my children have received to the school administration and faculty. I want the best for my children and consider private school as the best way to invest in my children's future. I chose Quarry Lane School for the International Baccalaureate Program they offer. My kids are a step ahead of their neighborhood friends that attend public school and feel confident in my investment at Quarry Lane!
—Submitted by a parent

We had to move my second grader from another school midyear. Quarry Lane made this potentially stressful and difficult transition extremely smooth for us. I am impressed with their curriculum and professionalism of school administration. There is a very clear communication from school to parents and I feel that our daughter has very clear rules and expectations from her teachers. She is being academically challenged and the structured environment helps her stay focused. I regret not putting my child into Quarry Lane earlier and instead selecting another school.
—Submitted by a parent

As a non-teaching member of the Quarry Lane administrative team, I definitely have a unique outside-insider perspective. While I am a part of the everyday happenings of the school, my interaction with students is more sporadic. That being said, I am continually impressed with the overall level of respect that I see at this school. The students are completely open and are extremely friendly. I have encountered numerous students at both the lower school and upper school levels who look me in the eye and greet me, even just in passing. The teachers are enthusiastic about their work and truly thrive on their students progress. There is a definite sense of community that resonates throughout the school. I am truly proud to be a member of that community.
—Submitted by a teacher

I have a 3 year old in preschool and 5 year old in kindergarten - and they excelled academically! I think QLS is a great school - the kids are excited to learn and they make good friends. The teachers/staff listen to both the kids and the parents - and they really to want children to succeed. I would definitely recommend this school for bright, motivated kids and parents looking to give their children the best start possible.
—Submitted by a parent

Our decision to switch from the Pleasanton public school track to QL was the best decision we've made for our daughter. She began at QL in middle school and will be entering 9th grade this coming school-year. When she began at QL, she was already 1 year behind the QL elementary school students in certain academic areas...especially math. She was floundering in Pleasanton elementary school and was also bullied substantially. At QL she has thrived academically and in self-confidence. The teachers, principal, and headmaster make extra efforts to know each student very well and help shape them to succeed. The Co-Directors of the Upper School, Ms. Paz-Rumore, and Dr. Tom Keating, are nothing short of phenomenal. And the Founder/Headmaster, Dr. Arac always has the students uppermost in mind as he steers his magnificent school into the future. This school is all about "applied learning" where mere knowledge gained from a textbook is not enough. Further, in addition to the AP classes, QL is the only private school in the East Bay that offers an International Baccalaureate (IB) program which will provide motivated students with an extra edge. Google IB to learn more. Thank you QL!
—Submitted by a parent

Quarry Lane has the most well rounded program in the bay area. The curriculum is rigorous but interesting. The students have passion for what they re learning due to the expertise and enthusiasm of the teachers and administrators. I cannot believe some of the high level thinking my lower school student is doing! She has developed great communication skills too. The students at Quarry Lane aren t pushed to achieve by teachers and administrators. They move at their own pace but are consistently challenged. It s not just about test scores at Quarry Lane. While they teach at a gifted and talented level, they support students to get there. Many enrichment opportunities are also available. My child can develop creativity and showcase her writing, performing, and leadership skills. She can solve real world problems using the critical thinking skills she has developed at Quarry Lane. They provide a full education. The results prove it. Take a look at what the kids at Quarry Lane are doing. They aren t academic robots like students in other private schools. QLS kids are super stars!
—Submitted by a parent

My son has been attending Quarry Lane for 3 years now. Preschool and Kindergarten were great experiences for him and us (as parents). We chose this school after being underwhelmed by Carden West. As time goes on, however, I have learned that Quarry Lane seems to be more concerned with making money and receiving the next accrediation rather than truly meeting the needs of each student. I completely agree with another post that states to look for other options from middle school and beyond. Even other parents in my son's class are looking to other schools for that time period. We are considering other options even for 2nd grade. Our son has excelled in all subjects up to this point, but his confidence is being crushed by his current teacher (and yes, we have addressed this concern on multiple occasions with his teacher and the lower school director to no avail). The fact that our son has gone from loving to not at all liking some of his subjects has us very concerned. He's in first grade and we think that the teachers should be making sure every child has a positive learning experience rather than pushing the student to over achieve for testing score purposes.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is attending the Pleasanton campus for Preschool and we are very happy with Quarry Lane! The school is very clean, the teachers are great and the classrooms are cheerful! I would recommend the school without reservation! As for the comments about it being a business; of course it's a business! Every school is, public or private! If you want a high level education for your child it is going to cost you!
—Submitted by a parent

I have been a parent at the Quarry Lane School for 7 years. My children began in the preschool programs and have continued thorugh the elementary and now are currently attend teh middle school program. Quarry Lane is more than a school to my family, it is their home away from home. The faculty makes such an effort to connect to each child individualizing thier experience. My children are very different in terms of performance in the classroom and both have been able to flourish in the Quarry Lane environment The acess to administration and their true dedication to the students is demonstrated in the classroom and thorugh the community events. The school is growing and there are changes, all positive. Every new faculty memebr brings a different educational and life experience to the community and the influx of new , motivated, and diverse students makes lunch time an education for your child i and of itself. Quarry Lane is an amazing place where my children have been led through their education with kindness, support, opportunities and passion. the vision of teh school is clear and once you join this community you will become part of that vision.
—Submitted by a parent

It is interesting that reviews on Greatschools are bi-modal, love it or hate it. I guess "just satisfied" people do not write reviews. I am only familiar with the elementary school. In any case, I have been underwhelmed by our experience at Quarry Lane. This is truly a for-profit organization. It's hit or miss if you have a good teacher, leaving me with the impression that overall school procedures and standards are not well developed. There is strong evidence that the owner is a businessman, not an educator. Giving Quarry 2 stars might seem harsh, but I want to send an effective warning flag to other parents. Certainly if you are considering middle school and above, do not waste much time investigating Quarry; there are better options. I can't argue with parents who give this school 5 stars. Their teachers might be different, and the individual class environment for their children might be good. But it's possible that these parents and children would be better satisfied at a different school, we might never know.
—Submitted by a parent

This is our families fourth year at Quarry Lane and we could not be happier. The teachers have been excellent-each year my child has been inspired to do her very best. The teachers expectation for behavior, academics and social interaction are always clear and consistent. The Lower School Director is truly invested in making the environment at this school positive and supportive of all students. Her goal of making sure that the best and the brightest teachers are employed has resulted in a staff that is dedicated to making the school great. The owners vision for creating an outstanding educational institution that will give students the ability to attend the college of their choice, is now a reality. He worked hard to build a K-12th campus and continues to seek the best teachers to offer the most opportunities to students-recently adding the IB program at the High School.
—Submitted by a parent

As an involved parent at Quarry Lane School I can tell you first hand the dedication the administration and staff have for my children. They started as infants and are now in the elementary program. I pay the price literally, because I see results each year. As a type A personality I visited many schools before deciding on QLS. Montessori just wasn t my thing, I prefer a more traditional setting with teacher direction and group learning. I am not in to the faith based curriculum the local church schools offer. My only other choice was Carden West, but they didn t offer me the K-12 program Quarry does. Carden s class sizes drop dramatically in the elementary program, which makes me worry about their stability. I am proud of the progress my children have made and can t wait until they join the list of top universities the graduates of QLS attend.
—Submitted by a parent

Quarry Lane Elementary School has been a great disapointment. They have a very high teacher turnover rate due to the difficulty to work with their Headmaster (owner of school). The school is more interested in quantity (tuition money) and not the "quality" of education. Their elective classes are hard to measure and are not frequent. The environment of the school is sterile and cold and the teachers are often not qualified.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of a Kindergarten student at QLS Dublin. I am very happy with the well-rounded curriculum at Quarry Lane. My son went from being unhappy, bored and unsure at school to being confident, independent and eager to learn. He is genuinely happy. The only reason I gave the school 3 stars instead of 5 is that the number of early dismissal/school's-out days seem to model those of public schools, which is A LOT. This poses major logistical difficulty to working parents with demanding jobs, and it is hard to rationalize considering the high tuition. Challenger has the competitive advantage here since it hardly has any dismissal/school's-out days when most companies are open. I really hope I don't have to make a switch, but since my job determines whether or not I can pay tuition, I might have to face that decision next year.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of a bright child who is not a great student. I am amazed at how the teachers at Quarry Lane in Dublin truly go 'above and beyond' to motivate her. They are available before and after school to support all students. We have been to several different schools and I have never seen such commitment and dedication to all students' learning as I have at Quarry Lane.
—Submitted by a parent

My child attends the Dublin QLS high school. We thought the small class size and individualized attention he'd get there would surpass anything he could get in the large public high school in our town. Unfortunately, he as not performed up to expectations. Part of this is him, but frankly we've gotten very little support from the teachers. There are a couple teachers that are truly excellent, but the few brand new ones (new to the school, not to teaching)leave much to be desired. No efforts to contact us to put together a strategy on how we can help him improve. The teachers seem quite inflexible and punitive rather than facilitative. IN addition, the school is for-profit, and I agree with other posters that the owner seems more interested in the bottom line than in achievement. We are probably not going to place our son there next year.
—Submitted by a parent

Last year I was a true believer (2007/8) because my child had a G:R:E:A:T teacher for first grade. Although we started the year a bit rough (some issues with bullies which we worked hand in hand with the Director and the teacher to resolve) and when the issues were resolved my child flourished. Unfortunately at the end of the year most of the teachers left, the Lower School Director stepped down. Like most parents we were scared - but we kept our child in QLS because we believed. Well with new teachers came a new school. This school year is lack luster and the teacher does not communicated effectively with the parents. Our child is not flourishing anymore. I am investigating other options - public and private. It's unfortunate that we went from hot to cold in less than 2 months of this new school year (2008/9).
—Submitted by a parent

My son went to pre-K and we were amazed with results. In less than 8 months of only half day classes he learned whole alphabet, writing, reading, numbers to 100 and so much more. Right now kindergarten is a breeze! Excellent teachers, caring and professional administration staff.
—Submitted by a parent