Magnolia Science Academy Santa Clara School

The best school in the Santa Clara! Great kids, wonderful teachers, and very supportive parents.
—Submitted by a teacher

this school is unorganized, causing all of its inhabitants to suffer from the administrative councils "innovative ideas" i am very dissapointed at the school.
—Submitted by a teacher

I do not agree with the last review. My son is at MSA two years and he loves the school. The teachers aren't dreadful but disciplinary, respectful, and methodical. They help the children with tutoring after school from 3:15 to 4:00pm at no charge. Regarding the donations,they aren't mandatory so people do not have to get tired; however, the MSA understands that we are a charter public school which offers a variety of elective courses starting at 6th grade and the money we get do not cover them. I think that we need to change our philosophy of being always receivers. If we want a safety place, and a better academic level for our children out of the high pricy private school we need to give some for the well being of our children. My family doesn't make a lot of income but there is always something to share with our MSA community. Go MSA.
—Submitted by a parent

My child attended this school. The administration seems most interested in promoting the school and lesss interested in fixing its very real weaknesses. In particular, there are some dreadful teachers who are pretty much incompetent. But no one seems to notice. Some teachers are wonderful, but they don't outweigh the others. I also got very tired of mandatory "donations" to the school. My child lost points in one of his classes because we wouldn't give the school books or a small amount of money specified by the administration.
—Submitted by a parent

When Magnolia had growing pains (having more than doubled due to lack of good public middle & high schools in Santa Clara), and some parents complained consistently, they were heard. This is a major difference thanks to being a public charter. The management moved swiftly to incorporate parent requests, brought in new leadership and replaced some teachers. This never happened in our old public school.
—Submitted by a parent

magnolia school management system, academic approch and grading system are unusual. . the way they manage things does not make sense, and their academic approch depends on creating high pressure on students. (no balance)
—Submitted by a student

its stupid and unorganized the administration are completely lost the vice principle has his favorites and picks sides if you have a problem with a teacher he dose not listen to your problems. the rules make no sense such as you cant use your phone after school because there are clubs after school they also abuse their power over negative points if you walk over to the trash can and throw a piece of paper thy give you a negative, which can lead to Saturday school and detention. The fact is that this school is not organized and shouldn't be open they should be incognito for 3-4 years then open it up when they actually have learning abilities. The last comment I'll leave is that the teachers do not listen to you they think you are just a kid and you do not know anything, they spend half the class period lecturing you about the actions of one student that thought they where funny and did something stupid.
—Submitted by a student

Both my son and daughter attend Magnolia and we re very happy. I chose this school because of its academic flexibility and the smaller class size compared to our neighborhood school. My son is very good in math, and he has been able to study in a level that is appropriate for him based on ability and not grade. This wasn t possible at the neighborhood school. I feel the teachers we have had are very talented and 100% invested in my kids growth and experience. I expected the school to do well academically, but I was pleasantly surprised with the athletic departments and the level of coaching for both afterschool sports as well as PE, and with the range of electives and clubs. I also appreciate the level of cultural diversity at the school, which I think is a valuable thing for my kids to experience. It s a great environment where accomplishment is valued and is measured in many different ways so the kids have many opportunities to succeed.
—Submitted by a parent

My son switched from his neighborhood middle school to MSA for 8th grade. He was immediately welcomed by the teachers and students -- in fact, one of the things that most impressed him was how quickly he was accepted and fit in. MSA believes in strong minds, strong bodies, so there are good sports options both as an elective and after school. On the academic side, progress reports come home twice during the semester before the final semester-end report, and parents and students can track their assignments and grades on the CoolSIS program daily. This is a great tool for making students responsible for keeping track of their own work -- missing assignments are noted in bright red! My son is taking advantage of one of the afternoon tutoring clubs, with the full support of his coach, who promotes academics even if it means missing sports practice. The fact that the school doubled in size, plus the move to the new campus, means that there have been some growing pains. But the principal, teachers, staff, parents and students all are very committed to building a great school and we are making great strides! We can't afford private school, and are so grateful for MSA!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is a six grader here. We have mixed feelings about this school Academic programs , Free advanced after school clubs, very dedicated staff. Good system for kids and parents to track progress on academics as well as behavior. On negative side, school management needs to work on clearing the " Muslim school " image. Due to a high percentage of staff and students from same community this is noticeable and need focus to ensure that there are no bias. Management also needs to overcome the administrative challenges of growth.
—Submitted by a parent

Magnolia provides a safe and comfortable learning environment for my son (6th grade), who really enjoys the amount of independence in combination with guidance and encouragement he gets there. Every school has fantastic teachers and teachers who are not a good match, and that is the same here. The parents are very involved and contribute to making the school an environment that feels like a second home. About the principal, my son said, "He doesn't just sit in his office like other principals, he is always out, talking to students, helping teachers, like a real principal should." Regarding the prayer room: In his public elementary school, my son was allowed to pray in the principal's office, sometime joined by some friends. Now, he prays in a small room that is open to students of all religions with his classmates, and that works just as well. Overall, I do recommend this school!
—Submitted by a parent

Magnolia should be a shining beacon in the charter school movement. Sadly this is not the case. After 2 somewhat bumpy but understandable start up years the move to this new campus has exponentially exacerbated the short comings of the administration. There is a noticeable slant in the hiring of teachers that is not based on their teaching qualifications. For the first years this was not an issue as the school was small. Now it is apparent that teaching qualification to often takes a back seat. The administration is unorganized and refuses to take action on poor teachers. That is what charter schools are about having great teachers who have the freedom to teach in new and innovative ways. There is a core of teachers at the school who take this to heart and are superb. They are being drown out however by others with no discernible action from the front office or the foundation. You must perform your due diligence to make sure it is better than your alternatives. I think that right now if you are in the Santa Clara area it is not and I am actively exploring and debating my options. If my child did not have good friends at the school we would be out already.
—Submitted by a parent

I am so grateful that my son attends Magnolia. Its all about results for me and we are seeing results at Magnolia. We live near the school, and my son enjoys riding his bike to campus. Although he was inattentive in 5th grade he cares about earning high grades now. He is lacking in English Language Arts skills, and so he has an extra period of booster English! I am so glad! Thank goodness for this extra help! My son has the choice of staying or leaving when he reaches his high school years. Iin the meantime, I am so thankful that Magnolia has guided him through the middle school years.
—Submitted by a parent

Every school has their ups and downs.After reading all negative comments it is so clear that it is not possible to make everyone happy. MSA-Santa Clara is very new school with different curriculum, FREE afterschool programs. It has dedicated teachers, who really care about children's future.What Magnolia needs it is time and support
—Submitted by a parent

My son is in his second year here. It has great academics a safe and family style environment. There are some areas that are not perfect, i.e. it is housed in a elementary school, so there are no changing rooms or Gym. They use restrooms to change in, and there were some scheduling issues but they were all resolved. My son is doing great in this school, very little problems with bullying unlike traditional public schools. I would highly recommend this school if you are interested in a safe highly academic school.
—Submitted by a parent

I am beyond frustrated with this school. These people have no idea what they are doing. 3 of the best teachers are no longer there. And when I say I best, I mean have experience and are great with the kids. They need all new administration. Period. They had a meeting to air problems out and sent it on the day of the meeting. The truth always comes to light and so will the problems at Magnolia.
—Submitted by a parent

Why is there a prayer room on a public school campus? Some students are allowed to use this room and go to class late. Who is this prayer room for? My kids are doing well here. The teachers are very good and they like their classmates who come from a wide range of cultures. The administration seems to be trying to correct a lot of the shortfalls of this year, but I am concerned about their choices in leading a school for the public. All the administrators we have seen are Turkish and often are speaking in their native language. Not very transparent.
—Submitted by a parent

I love Magnolia, and it is much better compared to my old school. Our school has an iPad lab and technology is integrated into every subject, including art!
—Submitted by a student

This school is great for some, not so for others. This is my experience so far in my first year of high school here, after staying at this school since 7th grade. Educationally, this school offers great math and technology courses, but so far offers only one science class, biology, and AP biology is the only AP course available, which I am taking now. The Language Arts that I learned throughout my 3 years here is very little. However, tutoring is available at this school after school to everyone, though I have never attended a tutoring session. Also, it should be noted that there were no electives in high school, due to disorganization. Also, we seem to have schedule changes every week for the first at the beginning of each year, and has been that way for 3 years now. As for our facility, it is far below standard. We are housed in an elementary school, we have only a few trashcans outside so we see a buildup of trash outside, and random people come into our school because it is completely open. Our changing rooms are the bathrooms, are so bad that i could not imagine anything worse. Coming to this school is ONLY recommended if the only thing you care about is the education offered
—Submitted by a student

We do not tolerate bullying? No chance. I've been bullied for being short and in the minority along with some of my friends. Classmates, who claim that they would stand up for victims of bullying, are the bullies. The teachers have a very poor way of disciplining students and most are extremely inexperienced in teaching. The school does not offer honors classes or any sense of organization. it's the fifth time i've had my schedule changed. Some teachers are being switched around causing even more schedule changes. The teachers are not great either. My lazy seventh grade english teacher at a different school challenged me more than my ninth grade one does now. Magnolia does not have the space nor facilities to satisfy the needs of the students. I have not met one classmate who doesn't dislike this school.
—Submitted by a student