A detailed list of some excellent Bay Area private schools to enroll your elementary student in

It is no secret that figuring out which of the many Bay Area private schools to enroll your little one in is a tedious and stressful process. There are so many different options and information about them on the school’s website can sometimes be confusing. 

However, the work is definitely worth the reward as your child will be in an excellent position to succeed academically. Fortunately, Think Academy has done research on which private schools in the Bay Area separate themselves from the rest of the pack. In this article, we will provide you with a list of some of the best Bay Area private schools with an emphasis on the kindergarten through grade 5 program. 

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Bay Area Schools & Parents Discussion 

1. The Nueva School (Niche Ranking: #1 in California)

The Nueva School is an excellent private academic institution that is located in Hillsborough, CA right next to the Crystal Springs Golf Course. The school recently received near perfect scores in categories such as academics, teachers, clubs, and others. Nueva’s only glaring weak spot is in sports where it received a “C+” grade. In addition, the school has a very low student to teacher ratio at 4:1. 

According to the polls, 100% of the students feel safe while on campus. On top of that, 82% of students are happy and have fun while at school. Furthermore, 95% of students and parents believe that the teachers at Nueva care about the children and give engaging lessons. Pair these statistics with an “A” diversity rating and you have yourself a high quality school as a whole. The one fairly negative poll was that only 41% of students and parents feel that the school is academically and athletically competitive. 

As for the geographical area around the school, despite Hillsborough receiving an “A” grade overall. The city received a below average grade in the cost of living category. Because of this, only parents with an above average income can afford to rent or buy property in Hillsborough. 

More information on The Nueva School

2. The Quarry Lane School (Niche ranking: #4 in California)

Coming in at a close second on this list is The Quarry Lane School located in Dublin, CA. In some ways, Quarry Lane is superior to Nueva. It all just comes down to personal preference of certain categories and the liking of each surrounding area. 

Just like Nueva, Quarry Lane scored extremely high in the categories of academics, teachers, clubs, and diversity. Where Quarry Lane differs from Nueva is that it also received a fairly good grade in sports! Another category where the two schools are different is the student to parent ratio as Quarry Lane’s is a little higher at 7:1. 

In terms of the polling, 98% of students feel safe on campus while 92% of students feel happy while at school. In addition, about 90% of parents and students feel that the teachers give engaging lessons and care about the children. 

As for location, Dublin’s score is very similar to Hillsborough. It received a very high rating overall but the cost of living remains fairly expensive. 

More information on The Quarry Lane School

3. Head-Royce School (Niche ranking: #3 in California) 

Finishing third on this list of best Bay Area private schools is Head-Royce School located in Oakland, CA. Head-Royce and Quarry Lane both received identical scores in categories of academics, teachers, clubs, diversity, and sports. Head-Royce and Quarry Lane even have the same student to teacher ratio of 7:1!

However, here is where the two schools somewhat differ. When looking at the polls, 83% of students feel happy and also safe while on campus. Furthermore, surprisingly 100% of parents and students who were polled believe that the teachers give engaging lessons and care about the children. 

In terms of location, although Oakland received the lowest score of the cities so far. The densely populated East Bay town still earned itself a “B+” grade. The two categories where Oakland fell short was cost of living and housing quality. 

More information on Head-Royce School 

4. The Harker School (Niche ranking: #2 in California)

The Harker School is next on this list of best Bay Area private schools for students in grades K-5. Harker is located in San Jose, arguably the heart of Silicon Valley! Similar to Nueva, Harker also excels in academics, teachers, and clubs while struggling in sports. In addition, Harker has a solid but not excellent grade in diversity. Harker’s student to teacher ratio is also slightly worse than the others at 10:1 but still well below the national average of nearly 20:1. 

What really hurts Harker’s overall ranking in comparison to the previous three schools are the student and parent polls. According to these polls, 81% of students feel safe on campus while less than two thirds of students are happy at school. Moreover, about 70% of students and parents feel that the teachers give engaging lessons and care about the students. However, Harker scored exceptionally high in competitiveness as 96% of parents and students believe that the institution is academically competitive. 

As for the West San Jose area around Harker, it scored almost identical to the others. While the overall grade of the surrounding area is positive, it is also very expensive. 

More information on The Harker School

5. Bentley School (Niche Ranking: #5 in California)

The final institution on this list of best Bay Area private schools is Bentley School located in Lafayette, CA. Bentley School earned excellent marks in the categories of academics, teachers, clubs, and diversity while also receiving an above average score in sports. In addition, the student to teacher ratio at Bentley is slightly less than Quarry Lane and Head-Royce at 6:1. 

However, just like Harker, Bentley was also penalized in the overall rankings due to the student and parent polls. For example, 75% of students feel safe while on campus and only 58% of students feel happy at school. Furthermore, less than two thirds of students and parents believe that Bemtley is academically competitive. Despite this, the school’s polls in regards to the teachers were for the most part positive. Around 88% of parents and students believe that teachers give engaging lessons and care about the children. 

Location wise, Lafayette received an “A+” overall score. However, just like all of the other schools on this list. The cost of living is well above the state’s average. 

More information on Bentley School

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