Which Neighborhood for South Asian/Indian Family?

Parent Q&A

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  •  Hi,

    We’re a South Asian American family looking to move to the East Bay. We’re looking for a school district with great schools (well-rounded education with high academic rigor) and some south Asian population. We’re moving from a town in the Midwest with very little diversity where no one else in our kids class looks like them. We’d love for them to go to a school where there are at least a few (2-3) kids in their class who look like them. We’ve heard good things about Piedmont, Albany and Lamorinda school districts but not sure if there is much south Asian presence there. We know that some towns in the South Bay (Cupertino, Palo Alto etc) and the Tri-Valley area (Fremont, Pleasanton etc) have a very large south Asian community but we prefer the Berkeley-Lamorinda area as a place to live. Would be very helpful to hear from parents living in Berkeley, Albany, Piedmont, Lamorinda about south Asian presence in their kids schools.

    We live in Berkeley and we're only at the preschool stage so I can't speak about school district but I assume there will be some correlation. Our preschool, which is pretty large, has quite a few South Asian families as well as a lot of families with kids who are half South Asian/half white (our 4-year-old is half South Asian/half white). Also just from looking at the older kids in our neighborhood and at the park, I am pretty confident your kid would have other South Asian kids in class. 

    Hi, Piedmont has a diverse community. As a Piedmont resident I vouch it is a gem. I would highly encourage you to consider it as a potential. Small town feel where the kids feel safe walking to school, rec activities and riding their bikes around. As a south asian family, we have not felt left out neither do we feel the crush of a monolithic South Asian community as in the South Bay. I feel families in the south bay get comfortable living in their community cocoon and lose the opportunity to integrate and benefit from living in this wonderful country and community. 

    Are you considering only public schools or are private schools an option? There are wonderful private schools in the East Bay area, some bi and tri lingual.  Good luck in your relocation!

    My daughter started at Albany HS last year.  We are a Black and Latina family.  I was pleasantly surprised about the diversity of Albany HS, as I knew it to have a reputation of mostly Asian and White.  However, Asian is quite diverse at this school, including many South Asian.  When we met with the school counselor for a school tour, she was quite aware of and happy with the diversity, and it felt comfortable in the hallways.  My daughter is quite sensitive to socio-emotional atmosphere, and she is very happy with the comfort and frienships at the school.  Her friend set is quite diverse.  It seems to me that the students don't separate by ethnic group. However, there are affinity clubs if students are interested:  South Asian Student Union, East Asian Culture Club, Nepali Student Association, Mongol Club, Himalayan Culture Club, Tibetan Student Union, AAPI, Asian Student Union (Our goal for this club is to create a strong and close knit Asian American community for AHS while educating, fighting for rights, spreading awareness and helping others understand the many different Asian Cultures.).  I don't know, but my guess is that if you are interested in talking with another South Asian parent, if you call the counseling dept of Albany HS, they may be able to connect you with someone.  Staff at the school, as well as the town in general is very friendly and safe on many different levels.

    As a south Asian parent, berkeley school district would fit your desire for other south Asian students, and the school district itself is quite well run. Other things to consider would be your commute distance - Berkeley and Albany are closer to SF than lamorinda, though Albany has no BART stops while berkeley has many. Overall I don’t think the lamorinda school district or piedmont are very diverse - at least historically they have not been. Good luck in your hunt. 

    We are a South Asian family living in Berkeley and I have seen very few South Asian kids in the Berkeley public schools. In my kids' classes, they are the only South Asian kid and there aren't many more in the overall school. 
    We are relatively new to Berkeley, so my experience in limited. There is a lot of diversity in Berkeley but it doesn't seem like there are many South Asian families in Berkeley with school-age kids. I have been told that there is higher South Asian population in Albany.

    not a huge presence of south asian (were filipino) in private school in general-- but the advantage of that is that you would most likely qualify for financial aid. My kids went to EBI- escuela bilingue and now my son is at bentley where they were all offered a great financial aid package. They were never made to feel out of place and I am sad that this is my daughters last year at EBI and weve been at the school going 14 years now. Happy to discuss with you if youre interested in finding out more --im not sure if private school is something youre interested in and can demystify the process if you want more information  :) 

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  • We are an Indian family with a 9 year old who is 2E with ADHD and ASD (high functioning). We are looking to potentially move to San Ramon or Pleasanton. Two specific questions:

    1/ How do these districts compare in terms of supporting special ed needs within the school but also through placements in private/NPS schools?

    2/We are looking for a closer knit Indian community thats open to welcoming new people coming into the community with young kids.

    thanks for perspectives!

    Why not Dublin? Dublin has a huge Indian population and great SPED programs, especially on the east side of Dublin. 

  • We are family of 3, currently living in fremont. My son is 5 year old. I want to know which other place in bay area is good to raise Indian family. We do not have big friend circle but I am hoping that once we move to new place we should be able to make new friends. Pleasanton is definately  on top of my mind. Please, provide review of plesanton to raise a family.

    If being around a large Indian community is important to you, I heard outside of Fremont, the Ruby Hill neighborhood in Pleasanton has a large Indian population (neighborhood Diwali parties, etc.). When we were house hunting last year, I think it was clear that San Ramon also has a large Indian population and lots of new Indian restaurants and stores popping up. Sunnyvale and Santa Clara too, if you're looking in the South Bay too. I'm Indian American and grew up in Fremont and now have a young child myself. We're actually moving to Castro Valley because we're seeking a little more diversity in the community.  

    Hi, I’m indian (from india), husband is white - we have a 2 year old and live in Berkeley. I don’t know about what you mean by raising an Indian family but we like it here in Berkeley! Although not a lot old great Indian restaurants, viks and udipi and marigold are pretty ok. 

    South Bay has a big Desi community:  Cupertino, Sunnyvale, San Jose etc.

    I am a first time Mom, still pregnant. But I can answer as a second generation Indian-American woman who has lived in the East Bay since I was 11. 

    It *really* depends on what you're looking for. I had the world's best mother, rest in peace, & one of the many  things I am grateful for is that she was both very Indian and religious *and* "all-in" about becoming Indian-*American*. She went out of her way to make friends with Americans from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and pursued hobbies that exposed her & us to a diverse group of people. In those days it was less optional because there weren't that many other Desi families, but still, I was always amazed at how insulated & isolated so many Aunties and Uncles managed to be from other Americans, and how shocked they were that we had so many "other" friends.  Now it's *really* possible, common, and probably tempting to have  all Indian friends --- and I would humbly request you to consider *not* pursuing that kind of life. If you strike a balance between having lots of Indian friends and a lot of other friends, your kid will get the best of both worlds. And not just a lot of white and other Asian friends. Please try to meet more groups. 

    That said, it is nice to have some Desi friends nearby. This NYT map gives you a pretty good idea of where we all live.

    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/08/21/us/asians-census-us.html

    As you can see, the whole South and East Bay has a fair amount, but the greatest density is in the South East Bay ( Fremont, Union City, Newark area) and "Tri-Valley" area: ( Dublin, Pleasanton, San Ramon, Danville, Walnut Creek) . Personally I know most young families that live in Dublin, mostly first generation oarents. For a kid upto teen years, it seems like a great place to grow up -- plenty of parking, family oriented store, Indian stores, parks, playgrounds, good schools. Once your kid is a teenager and wants to get out and do stuff on their own, they may *profoundly* resent how hard it is to get around without a car....and how boring and suburban it is.  I grew up in the  Concord area, almost every Desi kid I grew up with fled to Berkeley/Oakland/West Contra Costa when we grew up, and we all still live here, even with kids and smaller houses.  So at least try to live a short bus ride away from a BART station---not just for now, though less driving is always great, but for when your kid is a teenager. Like a lot of second generation parents, I think  Oakland/Alameda/Berkeley/WCC is a great place to raise an Indian family. Lots of cultural resources, art, shops, restaurants, musical events -- and diversity. 

    If you're not religious, probably the easiest way to keep your kid engaged with Indian culture (and meet others) is through music, and  the centers of gravity are the South Bay ( Milpitas through Sunnyvale) and Berkeley ( and also San Rafael, where the Ali Akbar school of music is). If you are religious and Hindu, Iskcon Silicon Valley is the most engaging temple I know for Indian-American youth and a good place to meet other families. Many of the congregants live in Dublin, some in Pleasanton. I have heard from Muslim friends that the Islamic Cultural center on Madison street in Oakland has a lot of great programming too, and it's very beautiful. If you're Sikh, there's a Gurdwara in El Sobrante. 

    Good luck!

    Dublin has a great Indian community 

    Hi, Moraga has great schools and has a fairly large Indian population. We’ve had Indian friends move to San Ramon.

Archived Q&A and Reviews


Asian Indian family moving from Boston - Silicon Valley?

Aug 2011

My husband and I are thinking of moving to SF (silicon valley) next year or so. We have two kids (5 and 3) and need to find good schools and a family friendly area. We are an Asian Indian family and are professionals. We would love to find an area with moderate number of Asian Indians. We have no idea about SF and would love to get some feedback as to where to start looking for a place to live. We are thinking of renting now and later buy a place. So, we would really appreciate experiences from other first time movers. What do you think of the place ? We really love the weather in SF and the diversity it has to offer. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you. Ann_2_SF


I have a couple of wonderful friends from India who live in Redwood City and work on the Peninsula. He's in software, recently left a big co to start his own company, and she's a researcher. They have a baby girl and seem happy where they are, where housing is a little more affordable than some other parts of the Bay. I'd be happy to try to put you in touch with them if you'd like, feel free to email me. Emily


There is a large Indian American population in many areas of Silicon Valley - Sunnyvale and Mt. View in particular. Also, in the outer East Bay in Fremont and environs. Most other areas of the bay area have diversity, however.

Two things about SF, in particular: first, there is a lottery to get into public schools, so you could wind up at a school across the city (45+ mins.) from where you live or work. It is a notoriously challenging system. Second, make sure you actually really like the weather in SF. You may already know this, but it is chilly and foggy during most of the summer. good luck


SF is a different place than SV than East Bay. So where are you moving to? Asian Indians are well represented most anywhere you go - really most areas are somewhat racially blind as there is such diversity or unevenness in ratios versus 'norms.' Some communities you will find only one or two 'white' kids in public classrooms full of asians and indians. Other areas may have more latinos, whites, or blacks, but most people are accepting of whatever diversity they find themselves within. Do you want a walking neighborhood for dinner and transport? or a suburban area with a community pool and library branch? Museums and cultural fairs? It varies greatly! We love it here in San Jose