I am a parent who has two children attending Portola Middle School in El Cerrito. Portola has received some bad press recently, and I would like to offer that the experience of our children has been nothing short of fantastic! The teachers they have had are excellent, caring, confident in their subject matter, and communicative. There is a very nice group of kids there, from nice families in the community.

There is a lot of misinformation out there about Portola, some of it being spread by parents of children who do not even attend the school. Please, if you want to know about Portola, contact our wonderful and active PTA, or stop by to meet our principal or vice principal. Talk to families who send their children there, who believe in the power of community schools, and who would love to speak to you to share the other side of the story! Portola Family

Re: El Cerrito High School
I know your question was about El Cerrito High but I also wanted to chime in about Portola because you mentioned some negative experiences. I hope some of the issues you are having in 8th grade get addressed ASAP.

All my child's 7th grade teachers at Portola seem to be organized and on top of things and there haven't been any subs so far. A few teachers passed out a syllabus with the work that will be expected throughout the year. One teacher assigned homework on the first day. My son says they all seem good. One of his teachers strongly encourages the kids to turn in homework done at home on a computer. They also have computers/printers in the library that students can use to do papers.

He asked to change one of his electives and it was done quickly and efficiently on the 2nd day of school. I can't comment on class size because I haven't followed him in to view the classes. He would prefer that I hang back and let him figure things out for himself and I am trying to respect that.

I am loving the weekly phone updates from the principal to let us know what is happening at the school.

I've read recent newspaper articles about the violence at Portola middle school. We live in Kensington and Portola will be the middle school that my children will attend if we stay in the public school system. I am wondering how Portola parents and students feel about the current incident? I would really like to hear if current parents/students are happy with and feel safe at this school and if not, are there any other local middle school options that others can recommend. Concerned parent

But this recent incident was pretty upsetting (mostly for me -- she is sad about her band teacher, but it doesn't seem to have affected her comfort at the school). It's the first time I've felt worried about the school and the safety issues there. I have been volunteering on the ''parent patrol'' there in the mornings, and I will say there are some pretty badly behaved kids, and I think there is inadequate supervision. One problem is that the campus is really hard to supervise well, the physical layout (multi-level, open on all sides) is tough to monitor. There are not enough site supervisors and from what I can tell, the ones who are there aren't particularly effective. There is also much less parent participation than at Madera (and Kensington, I assume). I am not at all convinced that what happened on May 18th couldn't happen again, any time.

I think what needs to happen is that the kids need to move to a better campus, there needs to be more parent patrolling and more (better) site supervision. And the school needs to take a harder line in enforcing its rules. I don't know if or when any of this will happen. The school is what we make of it, really, and I do believe that if more kids from involved families went there, it could be dramatically improved. But we need a critical mass of participants, and I don't know that we'll have it next year because of all the problems with the site and the budget and the bad publicity. Personally I'd like the kids to move into the portables at ECHS to enable a more easily supervised site, and perhaps benefit from the on-site police presence there.

If I had an incoming sixth grader I am not sure what I'd do. It's a tough call. But I think if your kid has a solid peer group at their elementary school, and those kids will go with him/her to Portola, it will probably be fine. Ambivalent Portola Parent

My son will be starting Portola Middle School this fall. I've made the decision to send him there, but I guess I'm wondering if anyone has words of advice to help us when he starts there. He's in GATE & Band, & I think he'll opt out of PE (unless someone wants to talk me out of that). Thanks for any advice you have! Susan

Has anyone heard anything about the new principal and vice principal at Portola Middle School in El Cerrito? I hear there is going to be a big change. curious parent

Also, the incoming Portola PTA President spoke at our elementary PTA meeting. She visited all 7 of the elementary ''feeder'' school PTA's last year. I was impressed with her! She is a middle school teacher in Albany and chose to send her child to the local school in the community where she lives. She seems very enthusiastic about supporting the school. I know she is actively recruiting for board members and other volunteers so if you have an interest, please go to the first Portola PTA meeting and sign up for something. I'm sure she would welcome help from everyone.

I've had a chance to listen to and talk with both of these administrators, and they seem highly intelligent, very approachable, energetic, realistic, and determined to make Portola a safer and better educational environment for all kids. I'm especially pleased that Ms. Van Hook wants to make the classwork more challenging in both advanced and regular classes, to raise teacher expectations of student performance, to improve teacher-parent communication and parent involvement, and to bring in more resources. Mr. Burnham is already trying to upgrade the school's website. They are both committed to making Portola a flagship school for the district. We're keeping our fingers crossed that they'll succeed. Dr. Harter has made a commitment to keep this team in place for at least 4 years so the teachers will have a stable administration to work under and with. nancy

Our 5th grader is going to Portola Middle School in the Fall. I have heard from many parents that if kids are in the advanced classes, and take band and other electives etc., the school experience can be a good one. But what is the experience like for kids who are *not* in the advanced classes? Our daughter is struggling academically, and her current 5th grade teacher does not believe she should be in the advanced classes. My understanding was that you could ''opt'' in to the advanced classes, and that as long as you performing at grade level (even at the low end), and did your work etc., that was not a problem. If she does end up in ''regular/basic'' classes, what will that be like? Should we be looking elsewhere, or just ignore the teacher's advance and go ahead and sign up for advanced classes anyway? --Worried mom

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