Redwood Day School

Unfortunately, I would absolutely NOT recommend Redwood Day School, especially not for Black or BIPOC families. My child was among 4 Black families that left mid-year this school year, 3 of whom left because of academic concerns. Specifically, it came to light that a large percentage of our child's 2nd grade cohort were reading below grade level at the beginning of the school year, predominantly BIPOC students. Through conversations with other families it also became apparent that majority of our grade had been supplementing either with additional parent academic practice and many with paid tutors. Additionally, when it was highlighted that our children hadn't been taught the entire 1st grade Math & Focus textbook, which led to only 3 of 18 students passing the pre-assessment. When we addressed this discrepancy and concern with the head of school, his response was, "Sometimes we don't get through the whole textbook. I don't understand why we are spending so much time talking about a photocopied math test." As for his response on the reading issues, he said "it is normal to have a wide range until about 4th grade." Our family, and many others were not willing to wait until 4th grade to hope and see if our kid would be "caught up" by then. 

While all of this was incredibly disappointing, especially since part of why we chose Redwood Day School was for it's "academic rigor," what was the most disappointing about all of this was the gaslighting by the administration. They continued to downplay the very real academic concerns that numerous families had and only began to address any requested changes after so many families withdrew mid-year. In addition, instead of taking any responsibility and looking at the first grade teachers (one of whom has several complaints from parents about her particular traumatizing method of shaming students for mistakes), they instead attempted to throw one of their few incredible Black teachers under the bus by saying that she had shared inaccurate data. The irony is that there were multiple sources of data that were showing the same exact academic issues.

As any parent desires, we simply wanted our kid to be educated in a safe and loving environment, Redwood Day is not that place. The reality is that our kid is thriving at their public school. All have found better instruction and a greater sense of belonging from students, teachers, and the entire school community. I would recommend looking at Park Day if you are looking for a private school alternative. Otherwise, save your money and send your kid to public school. Invest your time and money there.

*Moderator's note: this response has been lightly edited to align with BPN's negative review policy: https://www.berkeleyparentsnetwork.org/faq/neg

I just read the very negative experience of a family who left Redwood Day, and wanted to share our very positive experience, because I think a lot of us have had excellent experiences at Redwood Day. I have sent two children to Redwood Day, one who is still there and one who has already graduated. Our current student is very happy, well-supported, ahead of grade level for reading and math, and thriving socially.  Our child who already graduated was incredibly well-prepared for high school, was admitted to his first choice high school, and really had an excellent experience all the way from K-8.  We have loved the outdoor education programs, the beautiful campus, and the full arc of the K-8 program that balances social-emotional learning with academic learning.  With our older child, we watched his friends progress through the program from K-8, and watched them land at the end of 8th grade with very strong academic skills and confidence as people and learners.     

As a black parent of a black boy I’ve had a great experience at RDS. I was nervous about independent schools in general and was afraid that he would be the only black child and not have a sense of identity but it’s been the opposite. He’s having a great experience and there are other black children in his class. He’s excited to learn and when compared to his OUSD friends and some of the issues they’re facing- bullying, large class sizes, academics- this reaffirmed that I made the right decision for my son. No school is perfect and I try my best to be visible and volunteer whenever the opportunity presents itself. My community is reflective our family unit so we have ample opportunity to experience culture outside of the community and it provides balance. I toured the other schools and St. Paul’s was a contender but I chose the school that would be the right fit for my son. Good luck in your search and be sure to tour the schools and speak to the families. 

YES! Absolutely. Redwood Day is probably one of the best independent schools in Oakland. As a mixed-race family who has been at Redwood Day for over a decade, I highly recommend the school for a number of reasons; 

1. Strong social emotional program that is consistent and clear across the grades - our kids know who they are, how to be great ally's, self advocate, deal with conflict maturely and fairly.   
2. Incredible academic programming that is almost constantly being reviewed and enhanced - just review where Redwood Day kids graduate to and how prepared they are academically to enter and thrive in high school and beyond.
3. Strong commitment to DEIB, not just with the students, faculty and staff. This extends to programs with parents and guardians - it was an essential part of the school's fiber and strategic priority 
4. Absolutely amazing community 
5. Impressive clubs, music, drama activities - if you kid is interested in something, there is a space for it at Redwood Day

If you have a chance to be part of the magic that is Redwood Day - I would say YES! 

I'm the parent of a current Redwood Day 2nd grader, and we have been very happy with the school. Our child has had amazing teachers who go the extra mile to challenge them in ways specific to their needs. They are thriving academically without any outside tutoring or other support.

Many of us in 2nd are highly satisfied with the school and looking forward to many more happy years at RDS.

Absolutely! Redwood Day School has exceeded expectations for our family. We started in Kindergarten and I've been incredibly impressed with the curriculum around identity and inclusion. The administration, her classmates and frankly, all the other grades are incredibly diverse. However, what I think is more important is that RDS teaches children how to be proud of their identity AND how to move through a diverse community, both through a lens of respect, curiosity and kindness. As a BIPOC family, we know intimately that our future schools and workplaces aren't going to be perfect. They're going to be hard in so many ways. What RDS teaches kids is how to live in the real world, in positive ways, that both respects/serves the kids themselves and also contributes to the overall community. We originally looked towards independent schools for academic rigor and we have not been disappointed. What has been an absolute gift (and a real surprise) is the school culture. It's the sort of thing that doesn't show up in ratings. It's a soft skills thing that is hard to measure, hard to 'market', hard to describe-- but is what absolutely distinguishes the school from other private schools. Would HIGHLY recommend, everyday we are so thankful our child gets to attend RDS!

We have a BIPOC child in the 2nd grade cohort who is thriving academically and socially. They have strong, secure attachments with the teachers and is ahead on reading and at grade level in math. We do not use paid tutors or supplement with parent academic practice (unless you count reading books together). They also have a large community, including counselors, an older "buddy," after-school programs, friends in other grades etc. Teachers and staff value diversity and inclusion, which seems typical for people who go into childhood education in the bay area, but I think you feel this more at Redwood Day because it is a very organized and well-run - the curriculum incorporates themes related to diversity and inclusion coordinated across many subjects/teachers, parents make presentations for a variety of cultural and religious holidays, and children learn about intersectionality, tolerance, and equity in age-appropriate ways. Redwood Day also routinely reviews its curriculum and approach to stay current on best practices and is constantly improving and updating its programs (like adding after-school enrichment or giving an option to use a phone app to streamline pick-up drop-off). You'll get a very high quality experience with a lot of experiences that unfortunately aren't available in public schools - raising chickens, playing in a rock band, making things in a design lab, etc. You'll also get highly attuned teachers and people who put in a ton of effort into everything they do. We've been overall really happy with out experience - our kid loves school and loves learning. It is diverse enough that no one stands out and having friends of all backgrounds feels normal. It also feels reassuring to know we don't have to worry about school and that they are watched over and cared for.

As a parent, I understand having anxieties about your child's achievement and how easily those anxieties can be whipped up. I did look at the 'assessment test' that a couple people were concerned about earlier in the year - it was a very short worksheet and didn't look like a formal assessment. Given that there are much longer assignments and examples of schoolwork to look at, I didn't give much weight to it. I think at this age, my bigger concerns for long-term success are more related to the process of learning, my child's relationship to school, and social-emotional development. That said, I actually feel like Redwood Day is geared towards academic preparation and is more rigorous than some other private schools. However, this rigor is implemented with patience and care. So, for example, even though homework is introduced early and gradually ramped up each year, teachers run an after-school "homework club" where kids often complete most (or all) of it, and lower school kids are given as much time as they need to complete tests and assignments (including time to catch-up on "ran out of time" work). A learning specialist also helps teachers come up with accommodations for neurodiversity.

Overall, we've been very happy with our choice of Redwood Day and would highly recommend it for BIPOCC families!