Brookfield School

Do not recommend this school. Third world country hardware, housed in a old Islamic mosque with no security patrol, average teachers, low admission standards, HUGE class sizes, high tuition. I mean 24 in its first grade class, $13,000/year.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is a transfer student at Brookfield. We couldn't ask for a more welcoming place for him. He is finally challenged academically and is more at home with his peers. He told me that he "loves the school because everyone in his class is like him". He is excelling in the excellent learning environment at Brookfield.
—Submitted by a parent

OK, what happened to an update on school security from school owner? We were told that we are going to receive an update on current security procedures, or we all forgot Newton, CT too soon.
—Submitted by a parent

I am not much of a read and rate person, but following an extremely disappointing musical performance by our children last night I feel compelled to make a comment. We have several children spanning the upper and lower grade levels and thus have been with Brookfield for some time. Over the recent years we have witnessed a continual decline of our student programs. A few include the dismissal of an excellent Art instructor for extremely substandard replacements and is reported due to financial issues however exact reasons are unknown. The recent dismissal of the schools music instructors for over 42 years and replacement that lead to the dismal performance last evening and then forced standing ovation by the principal: it was a disgrace! The computer science department is running on windows operating systems and programs with no thought or consideration about those with Mac computers, iPads, iPhones etc........Needs to enter the current century! For the amount of Tuition, some of the class sizes are extremely large, yet in the upper grades a large class size seems to be greater than 5 (think there might be some academic issues?) I wont go on: hope it gets the attention of ....
—Submitted by a parent

My kid is reading chapter books front to back and she's 6 years old. She is doing complicated math problems, has an extensive vocabulary, enjoys writing (now in cursive-- 1st grade!), but still loves make believe and running full speed through the bark at the playground. She enjoys sleepovers and painting her nails. Her peer group is incredibly diverse. Each child, no matter how different their background, is kind and open minded and as wholesome as they come. Every school has its flaws, but this school concentrates on making our community a better place by educating its children in a balanced, comprehensive and worldly way. It teaches them to lead by being gracious, smart and strong without certain societal frills. These kids have no idea how skilled they are or how much they actually know. That, in my humble opinion, makes this school amazing. BUT, if you don't believe me... ask the kids.
—Submitted by a parent

My child is in a lower level grade and we are very pleased overall. Outstanding academics and children very much strive for meeting high academics and social standards. I love the small class sizes, parental involvement, like-minded families with similar goals. Areas for administration to focus on: retaining teachers (likely a salary issue), and enhancing middle school academics (which would then increase class size appropriately there). I think if these areas are addressed, Brookfield would earn the 5 star rating that it is capable of achieveing.
—Submitted by a parent

I am also a current parent, and yes, while this school is NOT for everyone. I would disagree with this school being for TOP performers and provides superior academics. I would say for the middle school French, History & some parts of the English are very good. Math, Science... go elsewhere even public for a Top Notch, Superior education. I do like the class size but that's pretty much it. I'd say for 7th & 8th for sure you can find MUCH better for free as students do not perform better or in some cases even as well as their public counterparts. Just my take.
—Submitted by a parent

There is clearly one disgruntled parent posting multiple bad reviews of this school. You can tell it is the same person, because he or she misspells the same word in each posting. I assure the reviewing community, that I am an actual parent at the school, and I wrote one of the very positive reviews posted below. The school is not for everyone. If a child is not a superior academic performer, the child is likely to experience difficulty at the school. The school best meets the needs of the truly top academic performing students. It has been a fabulous academic experience for our children.
—Submitted by a parent

This school was a very bad experience for us. Several children in my child''s class were either pushed out or left voluntarily with no refund. My child's teacher told me honestly that she would not send her own children there. It is true about the homework. If you want to do 3 hours of homework as a parent, with the result that your child hates school, this is the school for you.
—Submitted by a parent

Every morning our son avidly looks forward to another day of learning at Brookfield, & of engaging socially & academically with peers. He's quite fond of his teachers, who've been giving him just the right amount of push & stimulation. At his previous high ranking public school, he complained of boredom, but no longer. Brookfield is our best match for multiple reasons. We love the teachers. We re quite taken with the positive, contagious spirit the principal brings to our campus. We enjoy watching the kids engage in playful competition & friendly socialization before classes. And we re especially pleased with how the kids themselves take pride in their academics & push themselves & each other in a thoughtful manner. Our 3rd grader just walked into my study, at my invitation read this, & suggested a couple of grammar tweaks & then gave me a thumb up. :-) Summary? Brookfield students are enthusiastic, diverse, international; welcoming of each other & of academic challenges. Everywhere, seas of hands wave their desire to participate. Now I m seeing that same contagious excitement exported to our son s other classroom experiences outside of Brookfield. Bravo, Brookfield!
—Submitted by a parent

It says a lot that the principle and the owners have to put good comments on the review page. They are obviously not secure enough and don t trust the parents to put positive comments. Honestly, many of the five star reviews are from the principle herself. Because of the language and the way they are written are very similar. Dr. Jo, it s time for you to leave the computer and go out and see what s actually going on in the school!
—Submitted by a parent

Our son loves his teachers and is challenged by the program. We chose Brookfield because of their outstanding academic program, the wonderful curriculum, and the opportunity for him to be challenged. All of those things have been there in spades! Additionally, we love the community! Academics are incredibly important, but so are the quality of kids, parents, and teachers that he associates with. We love Brookfield.
—Submitted by a parent

We searched all over Sacramento for a school that would fit our desire for a school that focuses on high academic standards in an environment that fosters a desire to learn and kindness to others. We had some trepidation hearing about Brookfield's curriculum. We investigated and liked the warm/fuzzy and physical aspects of parochial, parish and private schools. We did not like the entitlement /behavior we saw in the children at some of these schools combined with a less academic curriculum. So far, I cannot be more happy with Brookfield.They teach good homework habits from the start and the teachers clearly tell parents to not do the homework for the child.They stress that "creative spelling" is perfectly fine and what they are looking for the enthusiasm from the child to want to "write" stories which leads to some creative spelling. Some parents may want their child to turn in work that is heavily edited and maybe these parents feel pushed to do the work for the child. This not the goal for the teachers or the students.I have been happy with the extracurricular options at this point. The structure is lacking but the school is addressing it. All in all, happy after much research.
—Submitted by a parent

If you want a school with facilities below public school standards and with a curriculum that pushes you to do your kids' homework for them then this is the school for you. At this school teachers are under paid and over worked and they don t cover enough in the class so there is a huge pressure from the principle on parents to hire them as tutors. Also the teachers turn over is very high. Many teachers quit right before school starts therefore kids end up having no teacher for the first few weeks of school
—Submitted by a parent

My wife and I knew that choosing the right school for our child would be one of the most important decisions we'd make as parents. We were looking for an environment that would help our child identify and develop her unique talents. We were looking for a school that would be an extension of our home in promoting the values we look to instill in our children. We were looking for an environment that would make learning fun; encourage our child's creativity; and a place that would give her a real foundation for her dreams. We found that school in Brookfield. Here are just a few reasons why we love Brookfield... The principal personally tests each and every child before admitting him/her into the appropriate class. The teachers are knowledgeable and very engaged with the parent community. The class sizes are appropriately small. The owners of the school communicate directly with the parent community about their future plans for the school. Brookfield School gets a five start from us!
—Submitted by a parent

Brookfield has been an excellent place for our two daughters. The opportunities provided to our girls in arts, education and sports are perfect for where are girls are in life. They will have a new facility next year which will significantly improve the building they are in. But, the people and curriculum is top notch.
—Submitted by a parent

So far, our experience has been wonderful. We LOVE Mr. Davis - the first grade school teacher.
—Submitted by a parent

We realize that not every family is the right fit for a school. Families who choose Brookfield place great value on quality education. Our teachers are excellent, well-trained, caring people, many with Masters degrees and extensive teaching experience, and all of whom get accolades from the vast majority of parents. The principal is the school's leader and is very responsive to parents. We, the owners, are equally involved on a daily basis, albeit behind the scenes. Class sizes are rarely over 20, and the curriculum and teacher quality have significantly improved during our 9 years. SAT scores have always averaged in the 90s, and they rose this year. Yes, the school building is old and has many drawbacks, including no air conditioning. Unfortunately, since we do not own the building, we have been unable to change this. After a long search, we are delighted to share that plans are underway to move next summer into a brand new building. Meanwhile, Brookfield remains the top-quality preparatory school in the Sacramento area. Our graduates are highly sought after in local high schools and consistently test into higher-level classes. The quality of our results speaks for itself.
—Submitted by a teacher

Here is the skinny on this school. Several teachers are excellent, some average and others are just poor. They are underpaid and overworked. The principal is not a take charge kind of person. The out of state owners direct this school by remote. Lower class sizes are large -20+in some cases. Upper clases lose a lot of students. The school is old-there are classes that have no a/c-this is not new. Why they dont put in a/cs, even window ones is beyond me. Limited sports facilities. The bathrooms are atrocious. Things have unfortunately gone from bad to worse over the last few years and nobody seems to listen. Sad about Brookfield
—Submitted by a parent

My 5-year old is in pre-first and she likes the school from the first day. The amount of homework is not too much. My daughter can easily manage it and also completes the extra homework. I check her homework every day and help her correct the mistakes. She has been making so much progress every day, beyond my expectation.
—Submitted by a parent