Advice about Alameda Middle Schools & High Schools
Parent Q&A
Have you fully explored the middle and high school options on the main island of Alameda? The west end schools may have some of what you are looking for in terms of diversity of both religion and ethnicity. It also has some really good schools. And it is a nice combination of suburban and urban. As another poster said, it may be helpful to figure out priorities.
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Considering a move to Alameda
April 2011
We're considering a move to Alameda and one of our big considerations is (public) schools. There are many BPN posts touting the quality of the Alameda schools and Alameda as a family-friendly environment, but the reviews and specific mentions all focus on elementary schools with few but any mentions of the older kids. My kids are still in pre-school, so that's a long ways off, but I really want to move to a place where we can potentially stay K-12 (i.e., I don't want the situation of some of my Oakland friends with great elementary schools and then end up having to move or spring for private school when the kids are older). So, any thoughts of experiences with middle or high school in Alameda would be really appreciated --on a quest
We live in Alameda and my kids go to Alameda High and Lincoln Middle school. They are both great schools. The high school has excellent teachers and a good AP program. It has a mix of students, with a lot of high achievers. Lots of kids get into great colleges and universities. They have high number of National Merit scholars. They also have a lot of clubs and sports to do, with a good Booster parent program. They don't have a lot of money, but our local Parcel tax just passed, so that was a good sign that there are some people here that support the schools. It is a little smaller than most high schools with 1800 students. Lincoln middle school has mostly great teachers, with a few that are not so great. It has about 1000 students, but most are good students. Overall, it is a well run school and a lot of PTA support. They also have a few sports teams that are funded by the parents. We are very happy with our experience at these schools. angie
I don't yet have first-hand experience (older child is in 2nd grade) but we recently moved to Alameda in large part for that reason of solid schools all the way through. If you're not yet familiar with greatschools.net, check it out -- you can get a lot of information on schools at all levels. My daughter is at one of the east end elementary schools and my impression is that a large majority of kids move on to Lincoln Middle and then Alameda High. The middle and high schools don't score quite as high as Albany or some of the more affluent towns east of the tunnel, but they score better than most neighboring districts. And all the stuff you've read about good schools, family friendly, and quality of life is true. We've been here about a year and feel like we've won the lottery. Very happy Alamedan
I would suggest looking into Academy of Alameda. It’s a charter school so you don’t need to move. My daughter is a 6th grader and I think it’s a good environment. It’s not a utopia but it’ll probably have more of what you’re looking for in a middle school.
My kids both go/went to Alameda HS. My good friend's kid went to Oakland Tech. My impression is that there is much less fighting here. My son got a lot of bullying in elementary school, but not since then. I was quite satisfied with how the school handled it when he was bullied (multiple occasions over the years, but addressed well each time). My friends kid was bullied at her OUSD middle school to the point that they pulled her out and she's not going back to OUSD. AHS has its flaws, but overall I think it's a pretty positive culture - my elderly parents used to have lunch on Park St when the kids were out for lunch and often commented at how polite and well-behaved they were (for a pack of teenagers, of course). I hear good things about Encinal too, and about the autism programs. I'm certainly not saying there's no bullying, and if it happens to your kid the rates don't matter, but I think Alameda usually does a pretty good job.