GOOGLE_PLUS

YELP

This is an amazing school. My daughter attended here for 9 years (Kinder-8th) and will be leaving at the end of this school year to go to HS. Every teacher has been exceptional  - I mean, really going above and beyond in the way that they teach, as well as the personal attention that they give to students to make sure that they grasp all of the concepts.  The teachers and the administration really get to know each child and children feel really cared for and valued - there is no "falling through the cracks" at Old Orchard School (OOS). The year 2020 has been extremely challenging for schooling, but OOS rose to the occasion. When they had to start teaching remotely for the rest of the school year (3 months), they did a quick pivot and instituted all of their teaching online. This means they did actual instruction - teachers on Zoom leading class for 6 class periods/day, followed by office hours in case the students needed extra help (that they could not get in person).  Compared to many other schools, this is phenomenal.  My daughter (and our family) has had such a great experience at this school in many ways- academically & socially - that she is now fully prepared for HS. We are not worried that the HS transition will be hard for her because of the stellar academic foundation she has received.  We will surely miss this school and I highly recommend it to anyone.

I have 2 kids at OOS- an 8th grader and a 6th grader, we have been with the school for 8 years now. I cannot say enough good things about the school, the staff, the program and how the school is run. The academics at OOS are top notch. The extra curriculum and enrichment programs are plentiful and fun. Btw, I am writing this review in May, 2020 - we are in lock down, self isolating and all schools in CA are closed. OOS is in session. Our staff and teachers took 1 week in the middle of March to prepare and setup online school. And so starting on March 23rd our 2 kids "go" to all the classes via Zoom. The schedule is modified, the classes are shorter, but, there is instruction time with the teacher present, there are tests, homework, projects, PE (yes, every day for 30 min), enrichment classes (my kids take art), etc. The school  goes from 9am-2pm, study hall from 2pm-3pm. The kids are on track to finish their respective grades as they were on June 11. That's the level of commitment the staff and teachers have at our school. I highly recommend OOS to anyone looking for a private school.

Our teachers are doing such an incredible job with our distance learning program. The transition to Distance Learning was incredible fast and is providing the most complete program I have heard about.

My two kids are engaged, in real online classes from 9am until 3pm.  There are real quizzes, real tests, art, student council, guidance groups and EVEN PE.

It is probably the best distance learning program in the nation, if not the world.  How lucky are we?  Thanks Old Orchard School.

Not only did I teach art and kindergarten at Old Orchard School for 10 years, I attended as a student from grade 2 through grade 7.

This school has never lost it's charm, it's community, it's amazing spirit of celebrating each child for who they are as an individual person.

Old Orchard made me who I am today.. it's a true gem.

- photos do not represent the student body. It's quite diverse but the pictures do not reflect that (Which were removed after this review went up)

Old Orchard is a wonderful and special place where the whole child is the focus and the teachers and administration provide the support children (and families) need to grow and learn.

I had the pleasure of exploring Old Orchard recently.  From my first phone call, I was met with a kind and supportive attitude. They took the time to understand what my family was looking for in a school and the needs of my son.  Besides offering excellent academics, the middle school is part of the amazing Campbell community center which offers so much.  

My son spent two days shadowing and made friends quickly.  The teachers challenged him academically and provided a calm and nurturing environment.  

Although we ultimately decided to go to a school that offered an even smaller class size better suited to my son's needs, it was a difficult decision because of the warmth we felt from Old Orchard. I know my son would have thrived there as well.  

I recommend Old Orchard to any family who seeks to place their child in a great school that build a foundation for success.

We have been a part of Old Orchard School's family for 4 years now. Our kids are in K2 and third grade this year. We only have positive comments to say about the school. The teachers are fantastic (very dedicated, loving and enthusiastic) and every one of them sparkles! All classes are relatively small, especially the lower grades. The students have a lot of personal attention. They know everyone on campus even across different grades and consider school as their second home. Our son knew all our daughter's classmates and teachers even before attending through participation in multiple family activities and field trips. He was anxious to join the school when he was old enough. Both our kids love to go to school every day. Every year is unique, amazing and memorable!

OOS has a very supportive environment nurturing a love of learning. At OOS, math is taught in depth; writing and reading is learned very fast and early. Spanish is introduced in the very beginning in K2 and taught daily throughout the years. The school has a good balance between technology and hands-on experience: they start working on IPads in K2, but still have enough opportunities to improve penmanship, and begin cursive writing in the third grade. The curriculum is challenging, but executed in a very entertaining way. The kids have a lot of involvement. They have personal "free choice time" during the day, which is important for personal development. OOS focuses on public speaking and character development. It is perfect for our kids. They both were super shy. When my daughter came to K2, she couldn't say "Hi" without hiding behind me. I can't recognize her now performing on stage and speaking freely in front of her class.

Kids may participate in after school programs, a very friendly environment to know each other better across the classes and participate in art, chess playing, cooking and robotics.

OOS has an established volunteering organization with parents coming to read a book, organize field trips or camping trips and arrange special events.

Community is often thrown around as a buzzword. I'm used to hearing it about anything relating to children. So when I first joined Old Orchard School and one thing they endorsed was a sense of community it was a given, who doesn't advertise that? After a year at Old Orchard School I have to admit, "community" really does describe the relationship between teachers, parents and students. My child is recognized not only by his teacher and peers, but also by the administration and all the parents in his current classroom. In return, I also know all the parents and their children in my child's class. We all are invested not only in our own child but we are invested in the entire class as well. It's nice to know that you can reach out to others when you need it.

Another important component of any school is the academics. When looking for a school we didn't want our child to receive an education that would focus solely on competition and straight A's. We actually wanted something balanced and I strongly feel that Old Orchard provides that balance. They have a strong math program and a strong reading/writing program (my child is in 2nd grade). Yet, there is an excellent music and drama curriculum that encourages their acting skills by putting on plays throughout the year. The art program is quite impressive and explores their creative side. PE is a fun blast and Spanish class is a challenge worth the time. Overall, the curriculum is well though out and we feel our child is learning in a very supportive environment.

The administrative staff if stellar! They are incredibly responsive with any questions. One of my favorite things is that they are very approachable and on campus (often I just stop by the office to say "hi").  I really appreciate how they take care of school matters.

Overall, my child loves this school. Sometimes he has an off day but I am so happy that for every one bad day he seems to have 30-40 great days!  I can't recommend this school enough, we love it and it's a perfect fit for our family. 

Side note: Old Orchard School rents the space from the church, it is not religiously affiliated to the church next to it. Some people mistakenly think they offer religious studies, but they are two separate entities. If you have any specific questions please feel free to PM me.

The definition of a "renaissance woman or man" is "a person with many talents or areas of knowledge." In my opinion, the best way to describe Old Orchard is, "is a private-school that cultivates renaissance-kids."

The culture among the children is excellent. If you tour and hear them say they are a tight-knit community, these are not just empty words; it's a reality. Having experienced other local private schools, I can proudly say Old Orchard excels above others. The children here are just nicer and more well behaved and respectful of each other.

Ethnic and cultural diversity was an important dynamic for us. In my child's class alone there is Black, Hispanic, Asian, White, and mixed, with mixed being the majority and the remaining evenly populated. And they all seem to be color blind; it's awesome. At another local private school, I noticed a divide as early as 1st grade... There are also monthly, Project Cornerstone "Asset Building Champions Program" presentations by parent volunteers and members that help further reinforce the strong sense of community and respect for others. I think it's programs like this that make it this way.

The academics are an excellent mix of core subjects, as well as history, sociology, and the arts including writing, acting, and graphic arts (painting, etc.). From my child's testing, they are equal to or above other top private schools in the area. If you only care about math and raising your child to be a calculator, it's probably not the school for you. If you want to raise a renaissance-child with reinforced knowledge in many areas, this is the place to be. They do have and use iPads, utilize school email, submit some assignments online, but also use pencils and paintbrushes. It's a good mix.

The parents I've come to know at Old Orchard include doctors, business owners, executives, directors, teachers and more. We're all very busy; however, there is excellent volunteer participation among parents. 

There is a non-profit service league run by an amazing group of elected parents. The result is many special events beyond anything I've seen from other schools, especially of this size. It's run efficiently, and all the members meld very well. It's probably run better than most Silicon Valley start-ups...

Coming from another private school where a field-trip seemed like a massive hurdle, at Old Orchard, there are more field trips than I can count. It's awesome and speaks to how well organized the teachers and staff are, and you feel that your tuition is spent wisely. 

Concerns some people may have, and we did too, at first.

The facilities aren't new. Have you been to Harvard, Oxford, Duke, etc.? Those aren't new either, but the education is excellent... While they do not have a gym, they do have a huge recreation room and utilize a large athletic field and facilities right across the street. They have a volleyball and basketball team, as well as compete in multi-school track and field events. So, there's plenty of athletics for us. Again, more than other schools of this size.

The building is connected to a church. Yes, they rent facilities from the church. However, there is no affiliation or religious influence from the church. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen anyone at the church who's part of the church....

Small class sizes. Some classes are smaller than others. However, we welcome small class sizes. If your child getting more attention and more academic reinforcement due to a smaller class is a problem, perhaps you should be sending your child to public school.

We're really happy we found Old Orchard!

My children are in the Lower School here and are thriving. It has always felt to me like a big family where the students, teachers, administrators and parents know each other well and can communicate easily. The families are friendly and unpretentious and supportive of the other children at the school. 

Teachers here have a long track record of staying. They get to know the kids (and any siblings) well. I heard one faculty member saying once, "we try to get to know everyone on a first name basis, and we ask ourselves, 'do we know the grandparents' name? The dog's name?'"

My kids have small class sizes (one class per grade), and at first I wondered about this. Would they have enough options for friendships? It hasn't been a problem, and in fact has made for a sort of sibling-like relationship between the kids and their classmates, where they see each other through the roller coasters of childhood and becoming adolescents, and ultimately hang in there with each other because they know each other so well. 

The Project Cornerstone program is shared with each class, where parent readers read a monthly book addressing a social issue and create a lesson plan around it so the entire Lower School has the same language about how to treat others (how to share, not bully, how to stand up for someone, respecting diversity, being empathetic, etc). The parent league is very motivated to provide more enrichment experiences (field trips, great assemblies) for the children. 

Starting from the youngest grades, kids get Spanish lessons all or most days. The art teachers are fantastic. Thank goodness there's a tech program and they're showed how to submit some homework via iPad. The music and drama program has saved me from having to sign kids up for drama outside of school. There are aides for each grade even with low class size so that the teachers can have the time and support they need to teach creative and interesting hands-on lessons. My kids *love* learning here. As they get older the homework does become "more", but so far it's been manageable and they're working above grade level. 

I could rattle on, but that's where I'll leave you. We are super happy here.