Schools in Maxwell Park?
We are considering moving to Maxwell Park. We have two young kids and plan to send them to public elementary schools. Please share your experience with elementary schools in Maxwell Park! I am new to all of this and would love to hear your thoughts/advice before buying in that neighborhood. THANK YOU!
Apr 8, 2019
Parent Replies
Maxwell Park is one of my favorite Oakland neighborhoods! I don’t know about the public school in the area but have heard really wonderful things about two charters in that area; Melrose Leadership and Urban Montessori, worth checking out!
I believe the assigned public elementary school is Laurel, which I don't know much about. Redwood Heights is nearby and has higher test scores, but you can't count on getting in through the lottery. Sequoia Elementary is a little bit farther and is well regarded. Within the Maxwell Park neighborhood, there are two elementary school campuses. One used to be Maxwell Park Elementary and is now Melrose Leadership Academy, which is a public, OUSD Spanish immersion TK-8. It does not have high test scores, but it is loved by the families who attend. It is slated to expand to the former Sherman Elementary campus, just down the hill, which currently houses Urban Montessori Charter School. Melrose Leadership Academy is not the assigned neighborhood school, so you won't get priority in admissions. And the district seems to have a habit of closing and moving schools on a whim, so there are no guarantees. It seems like everyone manages to find a public option they are happy with in the end.
To correct the previous poster, Melrose Leadership Academy is not a charter school. It’s a public school.