Ecole Bilingue De Berkeley

Our daughter started at EB in kindergarten, wish we would have started in their preschool program which looks excellent and is a sort of separated from the "big kids." She's in 4th grade now and we have been very happy at EB. The community of parents, teachers and administrators are really wonderful. The school works tirelessly to be the best school out there. Their curriculum is a combination of French, like it would be in France, and American. The kids adapt well to this and they truly become citizens of the world, as their motto promises. I'm writing now especially to say how quickly and unbelievably well the school adapted to online learning when it had to shut down in March 2020, due to the Covid 19 crisis. Other schools took weeks to figure it out. We shut down on a Friday and by Monday, everyone was logging in and had a plan for the day and weeks to come. It's a very impressive place with a wonderful group of committed people.

EB is an absolutely wonderful school. Teachers are top notch, responsive, creative, on top of current methods but intentional, and constantly working on interesting projects that will teach and use skills as well as engage the kids. They're fun and flexible, accommodating different learning styles while maintaining control over the class, which is so important for kids to concentrate and learn. Support staff are amazing, and the Administration is responsive, well-organized, friendly, deeply engaged with the school, and absolutely dedicated to excellence. The curriculum balances French and English so as to provide really solid learning in both, and meeting both French and American standards. Art, music, science, computer programming, and sports are included in the curriculum and used as language learning activities (in the lower grades, at least, many of these are conducted entirely in French). There are loads of extracurriculars available: art, music, soccer, judo, gardening, languages, science and math clubs, cooking- fencing during camps! And also great morning and afternoon childcare coverage for a really reasonable rate.

Fantastic school. Both of my kids have had an amazing time. Incredibly talented and high quality teachers. Excellent, nurturing environment. Great community of caring and diverse parents. My children move between French and English seamlessly and have developed an enriching set of friends. A fantastic school.