East Bay private schools offer many choices. With the help of EBISA, the East Bay Independent Schools Association, we have assembled this guide to visitations, tours, and other prospective family events at our area's independent (AKA private) schools. For up-to-the-minute changes, check the embedded calendar here from ebisa.org or with the schools in question. Happy visiting!
{Our 2017-18 guide sponsors}
East Bay Independent Elementary & Middle Schools (sponsored listings):
The Academy (Elmwood in Berkeley)
The Academy upholds its 48-year legacy of academic rigor in a nurturing and inclusive environment. With a maximum class size of 15, expert teachers engage students in deep and meaningful learning. Offers Art, Music, French, Latin, and STEM. {See 510families spotlight on The Academy}
Grades: K through 8th grade
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Aurora School (Oakland)
Aurora is a progressive, multi-graded school offering students of different ages opportunities to work side-by-side to step up both academically and socially. Aurora nurtures heart-smart and head-smart leaders.
Grades: K through 5th grade
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The Berkeley Rose Waldorf School
The Berkeley Rose Waldorf School offers an inspiring, stimulating and supportive environment based on academic programs centered around Waldorf education, preparing children for our challenging world by enabling students to fully develop their capacities in a safe and warm environment.
Grades: Nursery school through 5th grade
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The Berkeley School
At The Berkeley School, students actively learn what it means to be a member of their school, their local community, and the world. Filtered through the lens of civic engagement, students’ academic experience is intertwined with their social and emotional development.
Grades: Preschool through 8th grade
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Berkwood Hedge School (Berkeley)
Berkwood Hedge partners with families to create a strong foundation upon which children build an understanding of themselves, their community, and the world. Students engage in a Thematic Project-Based Learning program that promotes critical thinking, collaboration, and solving real-world problems.
Grades: K through 5th grade
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Black Pine Circle School (West Berkeley)
For 45 years, Black Pine Circle's award-winning elementary and middle school has created lifelong learners through a Socratic inquiry-based education that emphasizes both academics and the arts. BPC inspires and nurtures curiosity, community, inquiry, and voice in its students. {See 510families spotlight on Black Pine Circle}
Grades: K through 8th grade
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Crestmont School (Richmond)
Crestmont School is the Bay Area’s only cooperative K-8 elementary school. Created to encourage curiosity, critical thinking, community spirit and academic excellence for children of all backgrounds, Crestmont’s essence is children’s enthusiasm for learning, curiosity about life, and kindness for others.
Grades: K through 8th grade
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Contra Costa Jewish Day School (Lafayette)
Through algebra, art, critical thinking, composition, and technology, Contra Costa Jewish Day School (CCJDS) students forge an identity rooted in traditions of intellectual integrity, devotion to others, and innovation. Small class sizes enable community to flourish.
Grades: K through 8th grade
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The Crowden School (North Berkeley)
At the Crowden School, music changes everything. Grades four through eight receive a distinguished academic education with chamber music at its core. The joy of playing music allows students to discover themselves through creativity, curiosity, and collaboration—and be transformed. {See 510families spotlight on Crowden}
Grades: 4th through 8th grade
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East Bay German International School (Emeryville)
EBGIS is a German immersion school offering pre-K through 8 programs. Integrated curriculum combines bilingual instruction with project-based learning and a cross-cultural experience. They offer exceptional academics, a diverse international perspective, and a vibrant community of students, parents, and teachers.
Grades: Pre-K through 8th grade
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East Bay Waldorf School (El Sobrante)
EBWS prepares children for the future with its vibrant and well-rounded education that blends the unconventional and the traditional while reconnecting children with the world. Beautifully situated on 12 acres in the hills serving families from the East Bay and beyond.
Grades: Parent-child and Preschool through 8th grade
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Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley (Southwest Berkeley)
Founded in 1977, Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley (EB) is the educational model that blends the best of French and American curricula. EB students flourish within a diverse community supported by an exceptional staff. [See 510families Spotlight on Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley]
Grades: Preschool through 8th grade
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Escuela Bilingüe Internacional (Rockridge in Oakland & Emeryville)
Escuela Bilingüe Internacional (EBI) is a Spanish-English bilingual school authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB). The IB's transdisciplinary curriculum focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. [See 510families Spotlight on Escuela Bilingüe Internacional]
Grades: Preschool through 8th grade
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Golestan Elementary (Kensington / El Cerrito)
Golestan’s dual immersion program integrates the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum with hands-on experiential learning. Students are immersed in their secondary language: Arabic, Hebrew, or Persian. Campus feels like a home with a farm, kitchen, and maker’s lab. {See 510families spotlight on Golestan}
Grades: Preschool through 5th grade
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Montessori Family School (Berkeley & El Cerrito)
Montessori Family School provides an authentic Montessori learning experience with a challenging curriculum that supports hands-on learning, self-expression, and reflective self-evaluation.
Grades: Age 3 through K in Berkeley and Bridge-K through 8th grade
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Orinda Academy (Orinda)
For 35 years, Orinda Academy has been embracing differences, fulfilling potential, and inspiring success. Small class sizes and college prep curriculum were designed to celebrate the uniqueness of every student and their learning style.
Grades: 8th through 12th grade
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Park Day School (Temescal in Oakland)
Park is a progressive K-8th co-ed school located in Oakland. Classes, lessons, and experiences emphasize creativity, exploration, and discovery. Students learn to take risks, think critically, collaborate, and understand their own ability to make positive change in the world.
Grades: K through 8th grade
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Pear Tree Community School (East Oakland)
Pear Tree is a social justice-informed Montessori elementary school with mixed age classrooms. Students use projects to engage in design theory, to pose and solve problems interacting with hands-on materials to deepen critical thinking, literacy, and high level math skills.
Grades: Bridge-K through 4th grade
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Prospect Sierra (El Cerrito)
Exceptional teachers help students connect academic experiences with ideals like ethics and empathy. The result is deeper intellectual engagement, greater self-knowledge, and compassionate relationships. Prospect Sierra students emerge with the courage to be great people, not just great students. {See 510families spotlight on Prospect Sierra}
Grades: K through 8th grade
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Redwood Day School (Oakland)
The Redwood Day program is designed to keep every child engaged and growing. Academically, that means a world-class curriculum with a focus on the individual. Socially and emotionally, that means helping students with the tools to respectfully navigate our world.
Grades: K through 8th grade
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The Renaissance International School (Oakland/Piedmont)
The Renaissance International School (TRIS) provides a high-quality Montessori and multilingual education for students age two through middle school. TRIS students grow to be leaders, explorers and responsible citizens with a curriculum designed for discovery rather than just learning.
Grades: Age 2 through 9th grade
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The Saklan School (Moraga)
Since 1954, Saklan has made educating the whole child a priority. At every grade level students are exposed to an integrated program of Art, Music, Spanish, Science/STEM, Performing Arts and Physical Education.
Grades: Pre-K through 8th grade
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The Seven Hills School (Walnut Creek)
A Seven Hills education is based on the whole child philosophy, attending to the entirety of the student experience. From a Reggio-inspired Preschool to an adventurous elementary and rigorous middle school, students are on a journey of curiosity and exploration.
Grades: Pre-K through 8th grade
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Shu Ren International School (Berkeley)
Shu Ren International School encourages students to ask questions and inspires them to challenge themselves—all in both Mandarin and English! Because it’s never too early to start preparing kids to thrive in our global community.
Grades: Preschool through 8th grade
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St. Paul's Episcopal School (Oakland)
St. Paul's is an independent K-8 day school steps from Lake Merritt where students become fearless learners, work on annual service projects connected to their curriculum, and achieve better, deeper learning by interacting with a diverse peer group and faculty.
Grades: K through 8th grade
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St. Theresa School (Oakland)
St.Theresa School is nestled in the Oakland Hills with some of the highest test schools in the Diocese of Oakland. Curriculum highlights include Spanish, Music, PE, Service Learning and a Multimedia Classroom to educate the whole child: mind, body, and spirit.
Grades: K through 8th grade
Website >
Walden Center & School (Berkeley)
Agency + Peace + Arts + Academics = Walden. Walden students engage everyday to think critically, problem-solve creatively, resolve conflicts peacefully, and build relationships honestly. Walden students know who they are, how they learn, and what matters.
Grades: K through 6th grade
Website >
Calendar of private school events
Thanks again to EBISA for wrangling this information to share with families and to our sponsors.
Apologies in advance for any events we listed but were moved, canceled, rained out, or otherwise not what you were expecting. We suggest you always double-check with the school in question. Often RSVP is required or strongly recommended. If your school wants to be added to our guide, please contact Carol AT 510families.com.
Is “the Principled Academy,” San Leandro, not a member of EBISA?