St. Stephen Lutheran School

St. Stephen is a great school. The tecarachers are great with the students. The classroom size is small which is great because the is a lot of one on one between the students and the teachers. And the staff show a lot of caring and support toward all the students.
—Submitted by a parent

St. Stephen Lutheran School has been an absolute godsend for our family. Our son has been attending SSLS starting in kindergarten. We evaluated every public and private school in Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Los Altos. SSLS attracted us for a number of reasons: 1) a "small" school environment - only 6 children in my son's class. He has thrived academically with ample attention to his needs. 2) offers tremendous enrichment opportunities - art, PE, music, field trips in addition to lots of reading (he's reading books at a 2nd to 3rd grade level after only 1/2 a year of kindergarten), writing and math. 3) a supportive and values-oriented Christian environment. While neither my wife nor I are Lutheran, we've welcomed the teachings our son has been exposed to. 4) mixed age environment - allows my son to play actively with older children who are bright, engaging, sweet and responsible older role models for him. He lives for playing ball with the older boys. We have a child that is balanced, curious, engaged, healthy and loves going to school every day. SSLS has contributed immensely to our son's growth and has become an integral extension of our family.
—Submitted by a parent

SSLS is a small Christian school with a nurturing environment. It is a gem in the Silicon Valley. The students do well because they are motivated learners. They are successful, because their teachers and their classmates support them. All three of our children have attended SSLS. We are extremely happy with the education they have received. Not only do the teachers care about "what" they teach, but also "how they teach. Our teachers attend conferences, which give them fresh ideas about teaching strategies/curriculum. We believe that one must come and observe SSLS to appreciate its unique offerings. Do not let our small size fool you! You will see our children interact with their teachers and each other with confidence, respect and Christian values. The older students mentor the younger students. Our 8th grade students have gone on to local high schools and performed very well, both socially and academically. Our former students attend top colleges including: UC Berkeley; UC Davis; UC Santa Cruz; Cal Poly; CSU Monterey Bay; USC; Biola University; U. of Arizona; U. of San Diego; U. of Oregon, and U. of Wisconsin. Schedule a visit soon!
—Submitted by a parent

We have been at St. Stephen for 3 years now after a difficult year at our previous school. My child's first comment after he visited the first time was, "The kids are really nice and the teachers listen to me." So true. I love that St. Stephen embraces the uniqueness of each child and allows the children to work at their own level; if a child is in 4th grade and doing 6th grade math, he sits in on the 6th grade math class. If a child is struggling in an area, they can work down a grade until they get the concept. There are a lot of enrichment opportunities from plays, to trips to the Tech Museum, to incredible science experiments...and socialization/manners exercises as well. One thing that we never did before St. Stephen was to act in a play. And everyone has a role, so the kids don't worry about what their classmates are going to say because they are acting...everyone does it! The plays are wonderful, too. I am very happy with my son's education at St. Stephen Lutheran School and feel that he is excelling in large part because of the exceptional staff and small class sizes.
—Submitted by a parent

My son attends St. Stephen Lutheran and it continues to be a rich environment in which to grow on a daily basis. The teachers are talented in working with each child's individual strengths as well as challenging them to explore new avenues in learning. The strong Christian leadership provides a caring, nurturing school where respect and empathy are taught. The various grade levels share recess and this provides a wonderful opportunity for the children to interact. The upper graders end up being good role models for the younger kids and it truly gives a "family" feel to the school. I feel our family has been very blessed to have our son's education take place at St. Stephen Lutheran School! I would highly recommend this wonderful school to anyone looking for a strong Christian education for their children.
—Submitted by a parent

I volunteer at St. Stephen Lutheran School, and I consider myself blessed to have the opportunity to serve there. The teachers are very talented and truly enjoy seeing the children grow not only mentally but also spiritually. The parents also play a big part in making this school amazing, which is always encouraging to me. One of the benefits I noticed of having a small school is the frequent interaction among the grade levels. The younger students really look up to the older students, and the older students understand that they have the opportunity to set a Christian example for the younger students.

I have loved having both my children at this school! It's just the kind of school I would wish them in. This school goes above & beyond in flexibility & creativity to work in the child who has difficulty learning! This was the case with my child. The atmosphere of this school is just what I wanted for my kids--warm, friendly, respect between individuals. There's a good interaction between the K-8 grade levels, a plus as they are comfortable around different ages. Liked the activities my children experienced--field trips, plays, science fairs, etc. The tuition is more affordable than most. Have been so happy with this school. My kids have come out of their experience at this school the better for it.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a great school with excellent teacher/student ratio, family-like setting, balanced activities and well thought school program. Our daughter has been attending it for 2 years and we are really happy. It is also very affordable compare to other private schools. Prior to it, we've tried another Mountain View private school (Girls Middle School) and public middle school all of which were dissapointing. With our younger daughter growing up, I am glad I will have no need to hunt for a good school again.
—Submitted by Paul, a parent