Affordable Private Schools
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Affordable Private Schools
June 2010
Break it down for me BPN members, I need to know the most
affordable K-4 programs in the East Bay that are still good
quality.
What are some good East bay K-4 schools that are affordable
(under $15k per year)?
We are considering the Catholic schools but am put off by
the questions on the applications regarding Catholic faith
and milestones as we do not belong to a catholic church.
Will they accept children of atheists?
AA
I am very happy with GISSV Berkeley Campus.
This is a German immersion
school, however don't be scared if you don't speak german yourself. We have
families in every grade that fit that profile. The curriculum is well rounded
and their K approach is play based which will give your child a nice adjustment
time to get to know the language and teachers. My older son will be going to
3rd grade after the summer break and my second child will start K.
Now to the affordability of the program, this school is subsidized by the
german government which makes it very affordable for the kind of education
they are able to give.
Here is the link to their website:
http://gissv.org
click the Berkeley Campus tab on the side
Best of luck
GISSV mom
We are very happy with the Berkeley Campus (located in
Kensington) of the German International School of Silicon
Valley (www.gissv.org). The teachers are wonderful, classes
are small (not more than 20 kids) and the goal of everyone
is to make every single child succeed. For 15k$/year you
even get the after school care until 6pm (sorry, to lazy to
dig out a bill to figure out regular tuition, probably
around 11k$).
Happy GISSV mom
The best deal in K-5 education is the public schools.
Despite the negative press, Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro
all have some excellent elementary schools. My daughter has
been at Kaiser Elementary
in Oakland since Kindergarten (now going into
5th.) I have been at least as happy with her school
experience and my friends paying for private school. Plus
daily lessons in diversity, tolerance and mutli-cultural
living that are hard to come by in the private setting
Good luck.
A Happy Public School Mom
I was in your shoes three years ago when I wanted to find
an affordable, quality private school other than a
catholic school. Some of the prices for the private
schools in the east bay are outrageous and yet the
education isn't distinctively better. After an extensive
search, I found Archway School. The tuition is more than
a catholic school, but remains less than most private
schools. We are so happy with the education and it has
proved to be the best value in the east bay as it offers
small class sizes, a strong community, and hand on
learning taught by incredible teachers. Archway is located
on two campuses: k-4 in Oakland, #547-4747 or 5-8 in
Berkeley, #849-4747. Good luck!
Budget Happy Archway Parent
Really, the best deal in private non-secular education in
the East Bay is Crestmont School K-5 in the Richmond hills.
Don't let the address turn you off, it is on Arlington Ave.
and basically in the same neighborhood as many other private
schools in El Cerrito area, but about one half the price of
the comparable schools (family montessori, windrush,
prospect, tehiyah) .
Crestmont is a co-op school and that is why it is so
affordable but it is very different than co-op preschools.
The staff of experienced teachers are credentialed and very
dedicated and creative. Classroom participation is NOT
required and but you get tuition remission if you do
participate, so that is another way to bring tuition down.
The education provided by Crestmont is creative and honors
the whole child. It is a very special community and worth
looking into. They still have limited openings for this
year. crestmontschool.org
Good luck, Carol (parent at school)
Having just done the school search myself I can tell you
that the Catholic schools are probably the only private
schools below 15K a year. You do not need to be Catholic or
even religious, assuming they have space for you. Priority
goes to parish members. Catholic schools are subsidized by
the church, so that's why they are less expensive. But the
reason the church subsidizes the schools is because of the
religious aspects of the schools, so just be aware of that.
Most local private schools have info on their website about
tuition and fees, so that would be a good place to start.
One school in Berkeley that I can recommend is
Walden Center
and School, a K-6. It is a teacher co-operative, and parents
provide a lot of the maintenance and office staffing, so
it's more affordable. My nephew, now in high school,
attended Walden K-6 and he was very well prepared academically
and also enjoyed going to school every day. We are starting
there in the fall. It's a very sweet community, with an arts
focus. You might want to check it out.
a Mom
It's worth looking into Mills College Children's School,
which has always been on the lower side of the tuition
range. Most people know about their preschool, but not their
elementary program... Small size, stellar staff, great
facilities.
MCCS parent
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