Chabot or MLA for kinder?

Longtime Chabot family here... Chabot is a great school, but it will not offer you anything comparable to a bilingual education for your child. They used to have PTA-funded Spanish class in some grades and an optional Spanish language program before school. But that bit the dust during covid (huge loss, in my opinion). Chabot also lost some absolutely stellar teachers during Covid, sadly.

If you at all have an option for a full bilingual education, I don't think there's any aspect of Chabot that can compare with that. It's a totally solid school academically, and your kid will come out having met or exceeded the state standards. But I think the reason people treat it like winning the lottery is because they are comparing it to other public neighborhood schools, not to schools with specialized programs like MLA or EBI.

My two cents - go for the bilingual education!

Hello! As someone from outside the catchment area who DID get into Chabot - yes, it very much felt like we won the lottery! HIGHLY RECOMMEND. My eldest is now in middle school and my youngest is in 1st grade at Chabot. Here is why I love it:

Extremely good teachers, some of whom are award winners! We have only had one teacher who was not a good fit for our eldest, who is a more shy, reserved child. But that SAME teacher is a perfect fit for our younger, more boisterous child. While you can't request a teacher by name, they do an excellent job of listening and trying to pair your student to the right teacher if you have any specific requests or needs. 

Extra support: My youngest has ADHD, and needs extra help with managing his emotions and his impulse control. The counselor at the school is a great listener, and has been excellent at working with us to create management plans with the teacher and yard staff. I know from other parents with neuro-divergent kids at Chabot that this school does a MUCH better job at providing assistance than other schools. Yes, all public schools are required by law to "help" kids with special needs. Not all schools actually do it with any kind of enthusiasm. Chabot DOES support kids, proactively. Onsite speech therapist, social-emotional counselor, therapist, nurse, etc. 

Inclusion: Principal Jessica Cannon really tries to listen and include ALL people at Chabot. Even when she makes mistakes, she does an excellent job at apologizing, acknowledging her mistake, and trying to do better. Over the course of this month, she is having small group breakfasts with different affinity groups, many of whom have limited English skills and so might not feel able to participate in PTA meetings, etc. I respect that she's putting in the extra effort to make sure that she hears and addresses their needs. The school also has a VERY strong stance on LGBTQ inclusion and anti-bullying. One of the kids in our K class was gender non-binary, and the staff supported their pronouns, expression, and bathroom needs.  

Community: I keep hearing about other schools with parent cliques, and I haven't seen it here. There is a real dedication to pitching in and helping. We make sure that the gala and other events are free or reduced price for those who want to participate. The parents also fundraise a "helping hands" fund for community members who are in financial distress. When my husband lost his job, that fund helped us pay some bills. Now that he has a job again, we gave back, but there was NO expectation that we had to do so. The community really takes care of each other! 

Extras: The PTA puts a LOT of work into the school, especially in fundraising. That means that we have a dedicated music teacher, art teacher, and science lab assist. Many schools don't get that! 

Cons: The after school program does not cover the entire population of the school, and they have been inconsistent with their programming. They seem to be doing better lately, but I understand that they had a hard time hiring post-pandemic. Also, we used to have a dedicated Spanish teacher, and I'm sad that we lost that program. 

Hope that helps!