Emerson School

This is our 2nd year at Emerson and we are really happy with the teachers and the strong academic program. My daughter really enjoys school! In addition to the excellent academic program they have P.E., art, music, spanish and chinese. Each child has their own computer (mac) provided by the school. They have many field trips that tie into projects they are working on at school. The teachers really understand and care about the children. They provide regular feedback and keep the parents in the loop. We are glad we chose Emerson!
--Submitted by a parent

The HeadsUp! Pre-K and K program is excellent for parents who want to expose their kids to Montessori principles and Mandarin. My kids have been going for almost 3 years, and they get Mandarin immersion in the morning, and after lunch, they have regular English. There is even a music school colocated in the building, so you can have your kids learn piano, violin, etc without having to drop them off and pick them up at another location. Last but not least, the staff and teachers always make you and your kids feel welcome and valued. I have been to other preschools that had uneven attention to kids, lower expectations entirely based on play rather than a mix of play and academic learning, and schools that stress parents out. This school is worth the drive, and it is also incredibly reasonably priced for Palo Alto. My kids view all the kids in the various rooms as peers regardless of age differences, and they admire and respect their teachers.
--Submitted by a parent

Emerson is a fine school. My son has been there for 3 years, is finishing his 2nd year of middle school. The Montessori school goes through 4th grade, is outstanding. Middle school has been a standard academic curriculum, very small class, lots of individual attention. Not perfect for many reasons, but infinitely superior to any public school. Our son has complaints, but is mostly happy to go to school, is proud of his progress. I know from looking in on classes that the level of discussion is quite high, and the books they are assigned to read range up to college level, depending on the student. The teachers all care about their students, which was not the case in my public school experience. Yes, Emerson had high goals, didn't meet all of them. Nevertheless, my son has made good progress in general thinking, writing, Spanish and Chinese. After-hours Chinese program is outstanding.
--Submitted by a parent

I am not quite sure how there could be positive reviews on this school based on my experience there and from speaking to many other parents who are still there and many who have left the school. Although I cannot speak for the preschool, the elementary and middle school has very poor teachers and academic standards. The students are uninvolved and bored in the learning process. Despite the promises made in the marketing materials and during the application process, you will find that this is not what occurs on a daily basis. Students leaving the school after a year or even a few years is very high. The school is so small because they have trouble attracting students. It is a depressing academic environment, quite frankly. We pulled our child out after a short time, as did many other parents. Please think twice before you even think about Emerson.
--Submitted by a parent

I have one child at Emerson for the last two years and was at Heads Up (their preschool) before that. Another child will graduate into Emerson this year. The school is great. The children are challenged and can work at their own pace. They have great enrichment programs, art, music, spanish, chinese. I see my kids excelling with the individualized attention the small class sizes bring. And the hours and location are super convenient for working parents.
--Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at Emerson School, with kids in Upper & Lower Elementary. We could not be happier. Both teachers are so kind and loving - they tend to both academic and emotional needs. Communication between teachers and parents is amazing - proactive and always welcome. As for academics, the system is completely transparent, organized and clear. Students are challenged, but the class size is small enough for individualized attention and lesson plans. The administration is extremely responsive. I had noticed that my daughter was in-between Spanish levels. I sent an email, and within a week they had worked with all the teachers and come up with an individualized solution for her. I would recommend Emerson to any parent who wants their child to love school!
--Submitted by a parent

My child has been attending Emerson for three years and absolutely loves school. The curriculum is challenging and offers numerous specialty classes that you will unlikely find in other schools. While other schools are cutting out Music, Art and even Physical Education you will receive all of those at Emerson including Spanish and Chinese. This is also a great school for working parents since it is year round.
--Submitted by a parent

I have 2 children at Emerson Elementary School. I love that the program is open all year & all day from 8-5:30 or 8:30-6pm which makes it very easy for working parents to not have to deal with the nightmare of arranging and paying for after school babysitters, nannies, daycare centers or a mish mosh of camps during those disruptive winter, spring and summer breaks that many other schools have. The program has a healthy pool of specialty classes: Chinese, Spanish, Music, Physical Education and Art. All my children's teachers are highly qualified and experienced. They are very happy in their elementary classrooms & love their teachers and being at school. Emerson supports an independent learning environment, so children aren't taught to the lowest denominator like seen in many traditional settings. The teacher to student ratio is ideal, 12:1.
--Submitted by a parent

Disorganized schol with a very antagonistic administration. Multiple behavioral problems among middle school students that interfered with our child's learning.
--Submitted by a parent

Very small class size, which allows for individualized instruction. Teacher and staff is great, but the president Chuck Bernstein, is not a very nice person, nor reasonable. Most of the time you do not have to deal with him, but when you do (sudden policy changes, requesting improvement, donating etc), it can be incredibly frustrating and stressful as you will not receive any respectful or thoughtfulness from this man handling the situation. As long as you can tolerate him and his unreasonable, pompous ways, it's a good school to be.
--Submitted by a parent