Athenian High School - Reviews?

Hi - Looking for more current reviews of Athenian High School. We are considering for our child next year and wondering if it's too far a commute (we live in south Berkeley), how intense the academics are (is it a pressure cooker?), and what the social life life is like (especially for a kid coming in at HS - not having been there for middle school).  Curious to here any/all thoughts on the school. Thanks!

Parent Replies

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RE:

My child started Athenian as a sophomore and absolutely loves it. He chose to board, but there is a bus that picks kids up at the Rockridge Bart. He enjoys the academics and doesn't find it overly stressful. He says the teachers are amazing. 

RE:

Can't say enough good things about Athenian, it has been an incredible experience for our kid. The quality and depth of the teaching has been remarkably strong across the board. There are high expectations for sure, but it has not been a pressure cooker by any means. There is certainly some competitiveness and college stress that creeps in, but it seems more peer driven. The school really goes out of its way to not pit the kids against each other and encourage them all to find their own niche, which we appreciate. The commute has been fine for us- I think it all depends on how far away from the bus stop at Rockridge BART you are. Your kid will get to know other kids from all over the greater East Bay at the school, which is awesome but can pose some logistical challenges when they want to get together outside of school hours. For us, the logistical stuff has been an easy tradeoff: our kid has been exposed to a surprisingly diverse range of kids/families/communities/cultures via the school, and although it's a longer commute they get to go to school each day at what feels like a small liberal arts college surrounded by nature. Athenian is a unique school for sure and wouldn't be a match for every kid or family, but for those that are drawn to it, there's nothing else quite like it.

RE:

I agree with the other two posters, so I won’t repeat what they said. I’ll just add that I wouldn’t worry about joining the school in 9th grade. The class size doubles from middle school and the school does a fantastic job of community building right from the start. 

My kid went for 7 years and the commute did take a toll on him after awhile. He’s 22 and still complains about it. Things got infinitely better when he got his license. On the flip side, he was very well prepared for college, which he attributed to Athenian. 

Last thing, we are not wealthy but a lot of families there are. I don’t think my particular kid was ready for that. Everybody is very nice and he had a tight friend group, but when he got to college he said it was a relief to have “normal” friends. He felt the difference right away. 

Overall, 2 thumbs up. The academic experience is unparalleled. Your kid will do things they never thought they would.