We live in Portola Middle school district. We have two school aged children. The older one is now in a private elementary school, and the other one is entering a kindergarten in the next school year. We are considering sending both of them to a public elementary school in next school year. However, that means, in a few years, our oldest one will go to Portola Middle school.

We've heard quite mixed opinions about Portola Middle school. Some say it is good, but I have also known many other families who decided to send their children to private middle schools instead, or move to other towns with better (in their mind) school districts.

Why do some say Portola Middle school is good, and the other say not so good? Why do many say neighboring middle schools in Albany, Berkeley, or Piedmond are better??? Exactly what is better; teachers, facilities, etc??? How did you determine the school of your choice is good?

It would be the best if we can send our kids to a local public school, all the way to highschool. However, we do care very much about education. If we find that Portola School is not so good, we would consider moving, but ideally we would love to stay at where we are.

I would love to know more about Portola Middle school, good and bad. We trully appreciate your honest opinions about the school. I did check the archive, but the reviews were from a few years ago. I would like more recent opinions. Thank you.

mom who wants to learn more about Portola

There is a good principal, opportunities to enroll in advanced classes, and a great many parents who truly care about education. Involved parents support the music program, plan school dances and fall festivals, participate in the fundraisers, and work hard to improve the school.

Portola is one of the few schools that still offers a shop class and the students really like it. The visual and performing arts programs are very strong and the 8th graders have a chance to go to Washington DC.

The physical plant is depressing. The district has chosen a site for a brand new middle school but it won't be completed until 2011 at the earliest. If you want a pretty school, you may want to move to Albany (less diverse and overcrowded) or Berkeley. According to the Berkeley parents I have talked with, the Berkeley middle schools have strong academics, are very diverse, and have some wonderful programs.

As with any middle school, there are some rough kids and a few teachers who are dull and uninspiring. Most of the teachers are top notch and truly care about the kids.

Some parents opt for a PE waiver because their kids are already participating in team sports, swimming, or take fencing classes. This allows them to avoid the locker room antics that you probably remember from your own middle school years. It also gives your kid an opportunity to take a second elective.

Kids who are focused and academically oriented (and who have parents to advocate for them), will do just fine. Kids who are looking for trouble, will find it. Whether you think Portola is a good school or a bad school really depends on your perspective. That's my honest opinion. I hope that helps.

I chose to send my daughter there because they do have advanced core classes (which tend to separate the trouble makers from the serious students) and they have an excellent band program. Also, a number of my daughter's friends were going so I knew she'd have a great peer group to hang out with.

Overall, I've been very pleased with our experiences there. My daughter has been well challenged (and she was in the GATE program at Madera, so I worried a bit about this) and there are many smart kids there who come from caring, well-educated families. There are definitely some kids with issues but my daughter doesn't hang out with them so it hasn't really been a problem. She's taken drafting, woodshop, and band, and those electives have been wonderful for her. She's now in one of Portola's jazz bands (along with being in the advanced symphonic band) and she loves it. For kids who like to play music, there really isn't a better place to be, public or private. (Well, ok, maybe Crowden.) I've been pleasantly surprised by how good and engaged some of the teachers are.

Yes, the test scores suck overall, but if you look at the breakdown you'll see there's a small group of kids who are doing very well. My kid is among them. This year we saw a strong influx of kids coming from both Madera and Kensington and that makes me happy. I do wish the building wasn't so gross but that will (hopefully) be fixed in the future.

I was so worried about sending my daughter to Portola, but now I'm very glad I did. She is absolutely thriving there, her confidence is sky-high, and I can't imagine her doing any better at a private school. One caveat, though -- if your kid tends towards behavior problems or doesn't have a supportive peer group, I'm not sure whether Portola would work as well.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your decision. Good parents *do* send their kids to Portola, in spite of what you may have heard :-)

Anyway, I hope this helps you in your decision. Happy Portola Mom

My child is approaching middle school, we live in El Cerrito, and I am curious about our only public middle school option - Portola. The reviews posted on school review sites are not great, and I am wondering if there is anyone who can give me a current (as of 2007) review of the school. I also understand there are landslide issues involving the area on which the school is built, and I am concerned about sending my child to a school with possible ''slide issues''. I can't imagine they can quickly rebuild the school elsewhere, so I am wondering if the school will go into portables in a safe site -- can they really have kids enrolled at that site if it is not safe? Thanks for any info. Soon-to-be Middle School Mom

While it's true that Portola has been identified as being on a slide area, the slide is an ancient one that hasn't moved in over 100 years. The WCCUSD board will be deciding where the new campus will be built soon. The state won't permit them to build where the school is currently located but there are several alternate locations under consideration, some in El Cerrito and others outside of El Cerrito.

Many of our friends children attend Portola and seem to do just fine. There are higher level academically challenging classes and lower level classes for students who are stuggling. The music program is a feeder for those going on to ECHS and has been internationally recognized. There are many electives including art, drafting/woodshop, drama, and every year Portola students make a good showing in Bay Area science fairs. Quite a few Portola students are on the EC Swim team and the pool is just below the campus.

The school population is under 600 students, smaller than Albany Middle and King Middle School (both have nearly 1,000 students). I have gone to parent information nights and was impressed with the Principal and Vice-Principal. There is a safety committee comprised of parents and they seem to be working well with the Principal to make sure the students are adequately supervised so incidents are kept to a minimum.

The test scores are below average but I'm pretty fed up with standardized testing these days and am more interested in solid teaching so I'm not too worried about it. If you can put up with an aging facility and your kid is pretty self-directed, I think you will do fine. EC Public school mom

As you read in earlier posts, the music program is outstanding and provides a great social group for the kids who join one of the many bands. They have a beginning band too, so don't worry if your child didn't play an instrument in elementary school, they can start at Portola. My daughter went to public school in El Cerrito from K on and is accostomed to a very diverse student body (racially, economically, academically, and physical abilities) and that profile is certainly true of Portola too. This provides an education in and of itself. Portola students reflect the California of today and the US of our kids' future. Learning to thrive in this environment will serve them for the rest of their lives.

I hope this snapshot of our experience helps you make a good decision for your child. Proud Portola Parent

Hopefully by the time my kids reach middle school they will be in new facilities, as that is the only concern I have with Portola currently.

Your best bet is to attend the open house in the spring and talk to parents whose children are there and/or have gone there. I've heard a lot of parents talk about how they're not sending their kids there, and their only experience is through what they've heard second hand. Parent of two Portola-bound children

We're interested in hearing about parents' recent experiences with the academics, safety, and social aspects of Portola Middle School. Especially interested in hearing from parents whose kids have been in the advanced/honors classes, especially math. Parent of future Portola student?

We have checked the archives, but there is little current feedback on El Cerrito schools (particularly, how the middle schools and El Cerrito High are functioning, but we are also wondering about any good elementary schools there as well). We are attracted to El Cerrito because of the neighborhoods and the houses with back yards (!), but shy away from buying there because of the schools. Any feedback regarding academics, quality of teachers, extracurricular programs, peer relationshiops and so on will be greatly appreciated! Nervous First Time Home Buyer with Three Kids

Many of the kids at Portola are below grade level academically. Portola has advanced placement classes in all core subjects which is necessary given the number of kids that are behind. My daughter's AP classes are generally good and there is a fair amount of homework. I suggest that you talk to parents of kids that actually attend the public schools to get their views. The only parents that I have talked to that are very negative about the El Cerrito public schools are parents who have never had their kids in public school. El Cerrito's a great little town, too. El Cerritan