Cornerstone Academy

NO counselors or Social Workers on-site. Disheartens me to keep my child here any longer.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter attended Junior Preschool(JPS) and Senior Preschool(SPS) from 2009 to 2012. Let's say I am impressed with how much she has learned thus far. JPS - She learned how to be independent & built a strong foundation of learning both Chinese and English. SPS- By the June 2012, she is able to recite all phonetic sounds, writes in lower & upper case A-Z, counts and write to 100 both in Chinese and English, knows rhyming sounds, opposites concepts, understands directional words, months of the yr, days of the week, four seasons, body parts, shapes (draw & recognize), colors, practice good health, hygiene, & manners, draws human figures, perform weekly show and tell, catches/throws ball, observes rules/follows directions, etc. An added bonus is tuition includes two hot meals and two snacks/day. It's peace of mind to know that she is well fed each day. As a parent, what more could you ask for from a school?
—Submitted by a parent

I attended cornerstone from Kindergarten to the 8th grade. K - 4th grade was great all around. Once I hit 5th grade, my social life went up and my academics went way down. You start to form a little community with the friends and people you meet at this school. If you saw someone outside of school, you'd be able to pick up a conversation with them easily. I had a lot of fun 5th to 8th grade but I didn't learn ANYTHING about ANYTHING. Middle school here is so strict. You MUST have your parents come pick you up/sign out of the useless "sign out" sheet before you can leave. C'mon they are in middle school. They can take care of themselves. We weren't even allowed to leave after school unless we had permission from our parents. My friends and I would plot forever just to sneak out to get an after school snack. Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun with my friends here but once I attended a public high school, everything changed. Everyone is so independent whereas I was just a lost sheep. Cornerstone didn't prepare me for the real world at all whatsoever.

Horrible, worst times of my life. The school offered zero freedom and was strict on the most petty things, a very close-minded school. It's excuse for its strictness and close-mindedness is religion. You won't survive in the real world if you come here.

Worst times of my life. The school was very strict and close-minded because of its "religion." Very strict on the most petty things when it should have focused on other areas, such as teaching their kids to behave rather than sending them home for an untucked shirt. You won't survive in the real world if you send your child here.

This is a great school for my child. We enrolled her to this school because the school teaches Chinese, and the teachers are caring and disciplined. We are so glad that she is there. Within three months of pre-school enrollment, my daughter could translate Chinese / English back-and-forth. She is also learning a lot academically and socially. More importantly, the teachers give her individual attention, encourage her to continued to do things she enjoys, and provide consistent feedback to us about her performance in school. We live by West Portal Elementary School District, and we had a chance to discuss its chinese immersion program with the teachers during a Open enrollment discussion night at the West Portal School. We were extremely disappointed about the communication skills of the teachers. We plan to keep our daughter at Cornerstone as long as we live in SF.
—Submitted by a parent

We came from South East Asia and the Schools over there are known to be focusing very much on academic rather than sports and character-building. Due to my husband's work committment, we have to leave our country and settled in San Francisco. We enrolled our kids in Cornerstone Academy. We are so glad that we did that. Cornerstone Academy is a very good private Christian school. They are both good in academics and sports. Most importantly, they teach students moral, responsibilities and discipline.
—Submitted by a parent

I am an alumnus of Cornerstone Academy and am very proud to be able to say so. Cornerstone was did an amazing job of putting me ahead of my peers by thousands of miles. The curriculum was far more advance than the local public school system, and the teachers and faculty sincerely cared for us, their students, and all took extra steps of love to motivate us and keep us on track. Some nitpick about diversity and segregation. My class had a couple Latino students, both of whom I am still friends with, and they will both tell you that they never felt like outsiders at Cornerstone. Cornerstone provides an excellent education and instills the morals required of outstanding students and citizens during the younger, more vulnerable years of the students.

We loved this school along with the teachers when our daughter was in preschool. There are still some things we like such as the security and the school itself but overall the school lacks diversity and the non asian children begin to feel like outsiders after first grade. Also, to me it seems like the loving and nuturing environment displayed in the preschool program changed immediately in first grade. I do not feel it is good for the children to be pushed so hard in the lower grades and also think that Chinese should be optional and not mandatory in the academics program. This school really needs more diversity overall and the children outside of preschool should not be treated like they are at a military academy. It is not always productive to force too much academics on children too quickly as it inhibits their growth and creativity.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter attended the Preschool program at Lawton site. She has learnt so much not only in acadmic values but also her acknowledement of morale and being a quality individual. The teachers are well trained and sincerely care for the children. I have no worries and have peace of mind seeing her steady progress. With no Chinese language background, she managed to speak fluently, more advance in reading, writing, math than other kids at the same age. It would be my number one choice if I have more kids. Highly recommended.
—Submitted by a parent

The prior principle, brought in to reform and diversify the school, has left. With him, left the innovations, stability and new breath needed in the school. There is lack of school programs and a need for injection of new ideas. There is a question of financial dedication by the school management for their lack of financial committment to put forth moneys for qualify trainers for their teachers and assistants. Though the committment is their, the infrastructure and the knowledge base needs serious improvements.

I have three children and two are currently attending Jr. Pre-school and Sr. Pre-school at the Lawton campus. I'm very satisfied with the school program and curriculum because both of my kids have learnt a lot. He is at a different level as compared to someone at the same age in daycare and public school. Besides learning how to count, read, write in Chinese and English, they are taught how to make creative art and crafts. Besides, they are able to learn their own heritage and the chinese culture through events like the moon festival and chinese new yr. I would recommend all Chinese parents to enroll their kids into their pre-school program because it serves as a strong foundation for academic learning and their mother language acquisition which will definitely help them in their future.
—Submitted by a parent

Each year more and more students are leaving the school and going to other schools. This should tell you something about Cornerstone Academy. The teachers in middle school and high school lack teaching skills. No creativity.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent of a former student, I can strongly say that Cornerstone Academy has a great academic program where teachers are dedicated on the success of their students. In addition, there is a great amount of parent involvement in the success of their children's education. The students learn Cantonese in elementary school, but have the chance to also learn either Spanish or Mandarin in middle and high school. At Cornerstone, there is a wide variety of sports and music available, but the school lacks in the amount of extracurricular activity. Overall, Cornerstone Academy is a good school for training your child toward a better education and strong work ethic.
—Submitted by a parent

My kids are excited about going to school everyday. I have three enrolled. They sometimes complain about the amount of homework they receive, but I think it helps them to be responsible for their study habits. They enjoy the dance and sports program they are in. I feel that they are learning and growing as individuals. I'm happy that as parent I don't have to worry about sending them to an outside after school program. They have a before and after school program that is all included in the monthly tuition. I am extremely happy that I do not have to volunteer for fund raisers!
—Submitted by a parent

Middle school not that great. Language option needs to improve. The school instead of improving is going down. Their Elementary programs are great a recomend parents to place them only for the elementary section.Specially the new principal Mr. Wilkings is making the school more enjoyable for students and parents.
—Submitted by lw, a parent

Standards are high. Environment enables kids to focus on learning. However, no real accommodations if your child has learning difficulties or needs tutoring.
—Submitted by a parent

The teacher quality is not too impressive. Their discipline method can be a little harsh sometimes.
—Submitted by a parent

I am pleased with the education our son recieves. I would however prefer that the children were allowed more time for creative activities.
—Submitted by a parent

Academic programs are poor, and lack good teachers. Music, art, and sport programs were previously well-funded and hence common, but has now been diminished to a measly 'orchestra', 'choir', and 'sports teams'. The sports teams are poor and lack good leadership. Parent involvement is common, and quite good, however. Looks like the parents are more motivated than the staff itself.
—Submitted by a former student