Private elementary school for quirky kid

My daughter is in her second year at Golestan (El Cerrito) and loves it. The classes are a combination of grades (K/1, etc) with two teachers each and the kids get a lot of individual attention. In my experience the classes are very accommodating of different levels of maturity and academic readiness. The school is amazing in so many ways. It is very focused on the outdoors (and in fact has been operating in-person this school year thanks to a robust safety policy and mostly-outdoor classrooms), has an on-site chef who feeds the kids delicious, wholesome lunch and snacks daily, and has PE, gardening and art as well as reading, math, etc. Golestan is an outgrowth of a Farsi-immersion preschool and the primary school kids have been learning Farsi, Hebrew and (until this year) Arabic. We have no background in any of these languages but are impressed with our daughter's absorption of the vocabulary. Also, the environment is incredibly loving and supportive with an active (and increasingly very local) parent community. Please message me if you would like to discuss. Good luck!

You might want to look at Crestmont School. The teachers are good with many types of learners and work hard to be engaging. The class sizes are also small which helps a lot. They also really value each child's individual perspective and have a learning specialist on staff. It is in the Richmond hills, but a quick trip on the Arlington.

You might want consider whether sensory/language processing issues, anxiety, or ADHD might be at play. That is how my daughter was at that age and learning differences have emerged since then. She is highly intelligent, sensitive, and always trying to be "good," which masked her symptoms for a long time.

We have a quirky 11 year old who is now at Crestmont School after a harrowing experience at a few other schools that didn't know how to work with kids like ours.  It is great that you are already noticing that your child is a little outside the "norm" - we went to a private school for K that sold us on all their special programs, their beautiful campus and their ability to differentiate learning and meet each child where they are at. But the reality was that they were a hyper academic school where quirky, energetic, spirited and creative kids needed to conform to their model. Knowing at the outset that your child is going to do it their own way is going to save you a lot of heartache later!  :).  We've been happy at Crestmont School because it is a very intimate learning environment and the classes are so small that each teacher really can get to know your child and what makes them tick.  It is a co-op which I thought I would hate because I don't have time to volunteer a lot, but in fact, I love it.  The community is so welcoming and you get full transparency with what is going on at the school at all times.  The head of school is a deeply intuitive, creative person with a very reassuring and calm presence.   I have met so many quirky kids at Crestmont - because of the low key vibe of the school, coupled with the small classes, kids have more space to grow, experiment and move at their own pace.  Definitely worth checking out!  Good luck!

You could try Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley.  We've been really happy, our youngest is in 2nd grade now.  The kids get a lot of one on one and small group time and there is a lot of emphasis on play and pre-literacy in Kindergarten.  For us it felt like the academics kicked in when our kids were ready and on a foundation of confidence with good motor, social, pre-literacy, and spacial/early math that was fun and age appropriate (building, sorting, etc.) EB is in Berkeley, and our commute from El Cerrito over the years has been fine.  

Check out The Berkeley School. Small classes with 2 teachers each, some single and some mixed grade classes (K is single). A lot of kindness, compassion and intention here. Differences of learning styles is recognized. Good positive community. 

I recommend Walden Center & School in central Berkeley. The small size, caring and creative teachers, and focus on creativity, play and art make it place where quirky children thrive. My daughter finished sixth grade this past spring and the teachers always met her and her peers wherever they were academically, emotionally, and socially. My son, currently in third grade at Walden, is very different from his charismatic, stubborn older sister, but I see the teachers giving him the same space they gave her to grow and thrive in the way that works best for him. 

My daughter is in her third year at Crestmont School in the Richmond Hills and the way you describe her son as a play based person who marches to the beat of his own drum would certainly apply to my daughter as well. She has thrived at Crestmont, able to become a well rounded person and a leader and co-creator among her friends. She is friends with kids of all ages, from Kindergarten up to middle school. There is a lot of outdoor space as well where the kids get to create, run around and play... and as another Crestmont parent mentioned, with class sizes in the 10-14 range and with teachers who are so dedicated to their jobs, there is a lot of individual attention given to each kid to help them to thrive.