Carden Day School of San Jose

My 2 children have attended Carden Day school . My son attended the school for 6 years , graduated from Carden , was accepted in to all the private high schools he applied to, chose Bellarmine college prep, graduated from Bellarmine, and was admitted to several great colleges with scholarships. He is a Freshman at Santa Clara University with a full academic scholarship, and we owe all his success to the great education he received at Carden. I have been so impressed by the quality of the education , the curriculum , the wonderful teachers, and the caring principal . My daughter is also graduating this year from Carden Day school after attending 10 years ( K1 - 8th) . She has turned in to a confident, outgoing young lady , and is so proud of the great education she has received at Carden Day School . She has been interviewing at several private high schools as part of their admission process, and when asked what is her plan for future, she responses , " with the great education I have received at Carden Day School, I know sky is the limit" . I highly recommend Carden Day school of San Jose, and I am grateful for the wonderful way this school has shaped my children's future
—Submitted by a parent

We have been at the school for 5 years now, with two kids who are thriving in a small community of students, parents and teachers. Because the school is small, the teachers really know our kids and are able to teach to their strengths and weaknesses. The school instills responsibility by teaching kids study habits, including keeping track of homework and assignments, rather than relying on parents. It's exciting to see our kids so engaged and self motivated. We also love that they are getting a well rounded education that includes PE, French, art and music. As a household with two working parents, we really appreciate the wide array of after-school activities and clubs. A majority of the kids stay after school so our kids prefer to be with their friends, having fun and enjoying extra-curricular activities.
—Submitted by a parent

My sons have been at Carden for the past 3 years. They are very happy there, take pride in being part of its community, and love to learn and play. As a parent, I appreciate the balanced environment (highly academic and challenging, lots of non-academic activities, instilling respect and gratefulness in our children). I also love that the Parent Association has monthly programs open to all (Fall Festival, Spaghetti Social, Ski Trip, Mother's Day event, and much much more).
—Submitted by a parent

Carden has been an excellent school for my 11 year old child. My child has now been there for 4 years and has enjoyed growing and learning at Carden. Middle school curriculum is wonderful with strong academic focus on the sciences, math, language arts and Latin. To my surprise, my child loved learning Latin this year. The class ratio is great at Carden letting teachers focus on each and every child in the class. The curriculum is well balanced and gives my child opportunities to engage in other activities besides the academics.
—Submitted by a parent

Carden has a wonderful elementary school curriculum. The education has a lot of variety and diversity of content and approach and the teachers do not hammer information into the students' heads. My child has been at Carden for the last couple of years now and particularly enjoys the many enrichment activities like field trips, special programs, and plays.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two of my sons at Carden and they both are very happy there. The class ratio is great and allows for a lot of attention from their teachers. They are also learning French and will learn Latin in later grades. I and my wife, who has experience teaching, are very pleased with the education and environment at Carden and have been recommending it to our friends.
—Submitted by a parent

Carden is a great school. This is my son's fourth year at Carden and he absolutely loves it. The school personnel are very caring and supportive of the students. They teach the students good values and respect for each other. I like the fact that the school has students from all races and ethnic backgrounds. The academics are excellent and the children get a well-rounded education in contrast with other private schools in the Bay area. My son attended one of these other schools prior to attending Carden.
—Submitted by a parent

Yes, all the comments from Jan 2011, which were negative have been removed. Even my comment was removed. My son was hit by 2 different students and I requested a written report by the administration for 2 years now but, haven't recieved it. Basically, trying to even deny that it happened. I had to child to therapy becuase of it. The bullying is rampant and teacher/administration have no handle on it or any written guidelines that they would follow. They just wing it and try to hide it under the rug.
—Submitted by a parent

Our girls love this school. We have one in both Kindergarten and Pre-K. The teachers and staff are very caring. The ratio is amazing with 3 teachers for 25 kids. And communication is very good though parents should be somewhat proactive (e.g. how is my daughter doing & how can I help?). The ladies in the office are so warm and helpful. This school is a small community but wonderful. Great place for working moms (after school care & classes and overall communication).
—Submitted by a parent

Our boy attended pre-K and new is in Kindergarten and he is flourishing and very happy. Carden does have a warm and caring atmosphere yet still offer a rich, demanding and wide ranging curriculum. I intend to send my other younger son there next year. Highly recommended!
—Submitted by a parent

I am introducing my son to this school this fall. It does upset/scare me to see negative messages like this (posted on Jan 13 and May 19th). What if that is true? However, that was not the feeling I got from the open houses and the school private tours. I see the children seem happy and polite... which was the reason why we are choosing this school. Again, I am a future parent at this school but I recommend all potential parents visiting the school instead of relying on the messages posted on this wall.

Don't attend this school if you have other choices. The academic is less challenge and my kids were bored to death. Teachers are not professional and some shouted at kids. The teachers turn over rate is high --- always at personal reason. They have very limited communication. Don t just look at teacher student ratio and that cheated me at the beginning. I heard sevarl scary stories and saw many kids left. So don t go there if you have other choices.
—Submitted by a parent

The last four posts are clearly from the administration . I love the "come to our open house" ad in one of the posts. Just more manipulation.... Read the older posts from the last 6 months from real parents. This school has been slowly falling apart for some time. Do find parents to talk with but not the cherry picked parents at the open house. Find parents who have had kids here and find out the truth about ALL of the ISSUES.
—Submitted by a parent

I am countering the negative post of a few days ago. I am the mother of an older child, and my child has been nurtured and treated as a valued individual at Carden. Nothing like what that reviewer describes! (I would pull my child out immediately if there were bad language, strife, etc.) One would be tempted to say that maybe my child is just lucky to be having such a positive experience. But, between last year and this year, only one child left the entire Upper Campus. In these economic times, it is rare to find that kind of continuity within one grade. But this school has unmatched continuity for the entire Upper Campus! Facts don t lie families would not stay if the school were anything like that negative review. Families stay because the school provides fantastic academics in a truly warm, nurturing environment. And alumni come back to visit as if they are coming home to family So hard to find that kind of environment these days.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children at this school, in grades 3 and 6. Both have been at Carden Day School of San Jose since PreK. The kids are very happy at the school and have made many good friends. We have been with the school through the growing pains and other challenges that any developing private school faces. At moments, it has been a trying experience. But through it all, the good has always far outweighted the bad. My children are receiving a solid education, grounded in classic teaching methods that have stood the test of time. They are learning not one, but three languages (English, French and Latin). They are singing and performing on stage as well as conducting science experiments and participating in math contests. The 3rd grader was writing a Haiku last night as the 6th grader reminded me to get him new PE shoes for the PE they have every day. Last month, my older child brought home a styrofoam mannequin head that he had to build up in preparation for the paper maiche gargoyles they were to make for art class. Underlying these varied examples is a solid foundation of everyday teaching of the basic principles of language, math, science, social studies and music.
—Submitted by a parent

This is our 7th year at Carden and we are delighted by the education our two children are receiving there. The music and arts programs give new meaning to the term "performing arts"; the language instruction is fantastic; the math/science/computer curriculum (computers at the upper campus) is comprehensive and engaging; and both of my children know how to diagram complex sentences and read for comprehension and understanding - not rote memorization . Carden is a growing school and we are very proud to be part of that growth! Come to the school's open house on January 29th, speak to the teachers and the parents and find out for yourself.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two boys at Carden, in grades 3rd and 2nd. I find this school has brought out the best qualities in both of them - although they are very different from one another. One of them thrives on the challenging curriculum, strives to be organized and to do his best work in Math, English, French and Social Studies. The other one loves to participate in the plays, show off his artistic abilities and recognition of musical notes and looks forward to their educational and inspirational field trips. What they have in common is an absolute love and admiration for their teachers and the entire school community. I can't imagine providing a better education for them.
—Submitted by a parent

There is a great divide amongst teachers. Some are great and others are not, you would expect consistency in caliber of educator at a private. The school doesn't leverage technology. Not only does it not use the internet technologies like School Loop, but the teachers do not have email. The shool needs a governning body, the administration is good at business development, but management is poor and communucation is frightful.
—Submitted by a parent

The ratio of student to teacher is great. A lot on individual attention is given to each student. The school accommodates family who needs to be out of town or when the child is ill. The student is exposed to many cultural activities.

I was terribly nervous to send my child to this school. I am unfamiliar with the Carden method and was afraid that it would be too structured. I am extremely pleased with the school. It's well-rounded and the teachers are innovative and caring. Wow!
—Submitted by a parent