OUSD Middle School Feedback
Our family is starting to look at Middle schools in Oakland for our almost-11 y/o fifth grader. We are considering Edna Brewer, Claremont, and Montera. We would love to hear any experiences of the schools, their strengths and challenges. Our kid is academically very strong and motivated, and finishes work quickly--so we are seeking a rigorous/creative academic environment to keep him engaged. He has a robust personality but is also a sensitive soul so he definitely would benefit from a setting where there is reasonably good leadership re: social/emotional learning. We are wondering about academics, social-emotional learning, creativity/innovation, the effects of school size on overall experience/classroom experience? etc. Any thoughts/experiences you can share?
Parent Replies
My experience is with Claremont and it's mostly positive. The only negative is something you'll find at all Oakland public middle schools and that is how many kids are performing below grade level (which means that teachers are having to teach to a huge spectrum of learners). This is our fifth year at Claremont and even in that time it's changed considerably. Overall, Claremont has a very talented teaching staff; both my kids have had rockstar science teachers in all grades. We've had occasional duds in the other subjects but it seems those teachers don't stick around. My current 8th grader has all good-to-great teachers this year. Claremont is small overall, but I don't think the class sizes are ever maxed out (I know they are at Edna Brewer for instance; my friend teaches there and says her classes are almost always 36 or whatever the legal maximum is). Sports are now a thing at Claremont, which wasn't always the case. My eighth grader is taking algebra AND 8th grade math. She was in music for two years, now taking art and loving it. It's hard to compare three schools that are probably very similar to one another when I only have direct experience with one, but I think what sets Claremont apart from the other schools you mentioned is its very approachable size. I believe my kids are "known" there by teachers and administrators (good principal and asst principal by the way). My kids have been happy there (one is at Tech now and his best friends are his Claremont friends). I have a heartfelt fondness for Claremont that I didn't expect to have five years ago!
It is good to hear your experience. We were recently on tour at Brewer and although concerned about size, we were impressed by the "families" that divide the grades and make the school feel smaller and more approachable (also each grade in its own building). AND the class sizes did seem very big (32 max apparently)--we assumed it would be so for all the schools but good to learn what your experience has been w smaller class size at C. Glad to hear the warmth and connection you are feeling there, and also teacher quality. Thanks for your reply. :)
My daughter is a sixth grader at Edna Brewer and, so far, it has been a very goof placement. Her classwork and homework are challenging, and I spend several hours a week supporting her on this (your child may not need that level of support, though). School staff are very involved and responsive to parents concerns/questions. My daughter is also in orchestra and Brewer's music program is a big asset to the school. Brewer is my neighborhood middle school, so I didn't stress too much about my daughter being accepted. I know several of her fifth grade classmates who live out of the Brewer area who got in, one through the appeals process. But others didn't. I strongly recommend visiting your first 3 choices to get a feel for the climate and "vibe" of the school.
Thank you for your feedback. Great to hear classwork is challenging at Brewer and that staff is available and supportive (that was my sense too). :)