Courtyard Private School in Sacramento, California

“My daughter is in her sixth year at Courtyard. My son also attends hte school. The current principal has united the school community after a difficult few years with the previous school administration. The class to class cooperation and interaction is unmatched. The before and after school care is a big help for working families. More school-initiated continuing professional development for teachers would be helpful. Overall, a very satisfied parent. Courtyard has provided a safe, supportive community for my children, for which I am grateful.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My daughter spent 7th and 8th grade at Courtyard and has gone on to excell at high school. Now co-captain of the debate team, she honed her public speaking skills at Courtyard. After her first month at Courtyard she said to me, 'Mom, our math teacher really likes to teach.' It was amazing to her to find teachers who enjoyed teaching. Courtyard prepared her for academic excellence in high school school and, most importantly, nutured her self-confidence.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Our son has had an amazing experience at Courtyard School. Our school community is more than I could have ever imagined. The academics are solid and thoughtful, the staff is warm and talented, and the new administration (2008) in focused and strong. Courtyard is a place where a young person can explore and grow. It has been an amazing 4+ years. We are thrilled.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I am a grandparent of a Courtyard student. She is so engaged, 'focused,' (her word) and comfortable in this most wonderful school. The emphasis is entirely on each child, and the before-school and after-school care programs are overseen and conducted by engaged and charming students. My praise goes out to the principal, Mr. Jonathan, who has a fine program. My grandchild started in Transitional Kindergarten and is entering 1st grade in September. I love The Courtyard School family for my grandchild!”
This review was posted by a other.

“The sense of community and academic engagement brought us back from public school. The breadth of the kindergarten and 1st grade academic offerings was far superior to that of the public school we tried, with extensive math, reading, writing, science, Spanish and art each week. The emphasis at Courtyard seems to be on teaching kids to become independent thinkers and to engage them and encourage them to pursue learning as its own end, rather than as a means to a test result. Our child loved kindergarten. He begged to go to school with a 103 fever because he was so excited about the work they were doing in class. I didn't let him :-) Facilities, though not beautiful, serve their intended purpose of creating a real community for the kids. Positive adult interaction on the playground was so much better than at public school. Full and engaging days.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My son is a 6th grader and has been at Courtyard since Kindergarten. It has been a wonderful school experience for him. The teachers and curriculum have kept him engaged. Our local public school is one of the best in the area but I sent my son to Courtyard because of the before and after school program, the quality of the teachers, and the small class size. I have not been disappointed. I highly recommend this school.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Courtyard is a great school. The teachers are excellent. We are a 'working parent' family and value the extended day program and vacation programs. Courtyard is a great community for the kids and the whole family!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“In addition to the strong academic program and nurturing environment, Courtyard is an excellent school for working families. Kids love the before and after school programs; our daughter frequently doesn't want to leave when we arrive to pick her up at the end of the day. Winter camp is provided at no additional cost for most of the Christmas holiday period, and last years' summer program was excellent and educational. There is a strong sense of community at Courtyard, and the kids thrive in an environment where they feel respected and safe, and they all know and look out for one another. We have great parents who are actively involved, which makes a huge difference.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“We toured private, charter and public schools when making the choice of schools for our child 4 years ago. We chose Courtyard because of the small size, family-like atmosphere, location, excellent before- and after-school programs, and availability of arts, music, theater and language that were not available at the public schools in our neighborhood. We have been happy with our choice. His teachers have been flexible in keeping our child challenged when he was ready to move beyond the curriculum. Courtyard is going through some changes currently, with a new principal and board leadership, but I see this as a positive point. Our new principal has had much experience as a leader in private schools and will bring a fresh perspective and energy.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I am a middle school student at courtyard and i have been at courtyard since kindergarten and i dont know one kid in middle school who actually likes courtyard. i dont like the teachers they dont reach the education leval we need. Mr. waters was the best principal since we got a new one Ms.lane i find our school has gone down with students.”
This review was posted by a student.

“Courtyard has been a great school for my daughter. She's been there for 4 years and has had outstanding teachers that have been very attentive to her style of learning. My daughter loves school! She feels safe and secure with her classmates and because it's a small school, the whole staff knows her. We are very pleased that she is receiving a solid education that includes instruction in visual and performing arts, music and physical education. We have many choices in schools, and Courtyard is the best place for our child.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I love the fact that Courtyard is located Downtown and closed to work. Teachers and parents are focused, not only on providing a great academic experience, but also having a school that teaches independence and the love of learning. My son really enjoys his classes (science, Spanish, reading, performing arts, health, and P.E.), the clubs (cooking, martial arts, computer lab, and many more), and summer camp and all the field trips that are offered at Courtyard. It is wonderful to know that my son is getting the best education, and at the same time having fun and enjoying his day while I'm at work. We have been at Courtyard for the past three years and every year has been a great one. I truly enjoy the communication with the teachers and their willingness to help my child. I highly recommend Courtyard for all of the above reasons and more.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“We transferred to Courtyard from a high performing public Sacramento elementary school two years ago. At Courtyard our children have received an excellent education. At the other school, all children were tested for GATE, but once accepted into the 'GATE program' there were no special activities or differentiated education opportunities. Courtyard is small enough to provide individualized attention to each student. This, combined with a superior after-school program, which includes sports, dance and music lessons, has made us very happy we made the move to Courtyard.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“When searching for a school for my son I looked at almost all the private and many of the public schools in my area. I chose Courtyard for several reasons: proximity to work and home (it's the best school near the Capitol), quality of before and after school care, and size (it's small enough that you can know everyone). But the things that have made me want to stay are the quality of the teachers, the dedication of the parents, and the helpfulness of the older kids who attend the school. It is amazing to see kids of all ages play together because they like each other! I don't remember this from my childhood. Yes, the school is going through changes, but the good news is the Board's finally including ALL parents in the plan to make the school much better down the road. I'm happy with my choice!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I moved my child to Courtyard School several years ago when the teacher in the former school proved inefficient. What a difference. The teachers at Courtyard are exceptional and I ve been pleased with every one. The school is going through many changes at present, but all for the better. Parent involvement is phenomenal and the other families are terrific. And there is so much more to do than fund raising! Whatever talent or skill one may have, this school provides the opportunity for parents to be creative all for the benefit of our children. The before and after school programs provided by Courtyard are wonderful for the students. These programs are such a relief for a working parent, such as myself, to know that my child is always safe, productive, and having fun from 6:30 am to 6:00 pm. Perfect for an educational environment and perfect for our family.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“We toured nine different elementary schools (public and private) are very glad we chose Courtyard for our daughter. She is receiving an excellent academic education in a very nurturing and safe environment. The kindergarten and first grade teachers are both excellent and we have heard many positive things about the other teachers. Our daughter loves learning and fully enjoys the after school program (by far the strongest program we saw). We fully enjoy Courtyard's strong sense of community with involved parents and teachers. Most importantly, the kids enjoy learning (rather than being stressed out by testing). My wife and I are both working parents and appreciate the strong after school program and the lunch program that are included with the tuition. We are very happy we chose Courtyard for our daughter!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Our daughter has been a Courtyard student for three years. The school provides a positive atmosphere that promotes academic excellence, acceptance of others, and creativity. We greatly appreciate the extras that are so often missing in our public schools: foreign language, performing arts, music, physical education, and before and after school care. The school facilities are also a bonus. Courtyard has a library, computer lab, gym, and a gated campus. We are happy with our decision to send our daughter to Courtyard and feel we are getting a quality education at a fair price. I would highly recommend Courtyard to other families.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Courtyard has been a nurturing, positive learning environment for our son. The excellent staff to student ratio allows for flexible, individualized learning and a classroom management style that emphasizes individual responsibility. As working parents, we appreciate not having excessive amounts of homework. Instead, our goal for first grade is to spend that time fostering an appreciation for reading. Tuition includes before and aftercare as well as Winter and Spring Camps, all of which offer fun, safe and enriching activities supervised by the excellent Extended Day Leaders. We are fortunate to be part of this amazing community of staff and families.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Our daughter has been a courtyard student for two years begining with Kindergarten. Her kindergarten year was so filled with social and academic growth fostered by an outstanding teacher. Her kindergarten year was so good that we assumed her fisrt grade year could never be as wondeful. We were wrong. Her first grade year is even better! Strong academics, great citizenship and social skills, safe friendly learning environment, and an outstanding faculty have made Courtyard the perfect choice for our family.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“We are very happy with the staff, admin, and families here! Lots of neat new changes including lots of new curriculum. Middle School has cool electives now- even robotics. Caring staff. Family feel to the campus. Our daughter loves it. Great families. Priveledged does not have to mean snobby!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My 2 children just finished their first year+ at Courtyard after transferring from another private school in Sac. We found Courtyard to be a breath of fresh air compared to their prior school. They were offered a well rounded education in a friendly environment. The teachers/prinicipal were open and took the time to address the few concerns that came up during the first year in an fast and professional manner. The other students and parents were fantastic and made the transition very easy. Courtyard has been a great choice for our family! I you want a top notch education and athletics, Courtyard is a good choice.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Past year nightmare. Given the money, we expected/deserved much more for our children. New administration inexperienced, unprofessional. Math unacceptable, our class behind grade level. Art class disappointing. Great classes 'offered' but often taught by unqualified. Poor basic class management, especially middleschool. Bad behavior from a few students tolerated, when entire class disrupted punishment is mass, reactive, often inappropriate. Favoritism from teachers/staff hard for students. Students' privacy not respected. No support for untrained teachers. Some grading seems arbitrary. Behavior standards for students and teachers not as high as at public school. Sports focus on competition, not child-experience. Schoolboard unwilling/unable to improve school. Sad, concepts are there, as are some wonderful teachers.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I have to say I am disappointed with the recent decisions the school leadership is making about the teaching staff. Additionally, they are losing some of their best teachers (the educational anchors of the school, I might add) this year and next. I hope they can find quality educators to replace them, but the history of that doesn't seem promising. I am unsure whether to send my child there next year or not. Though the after-school programs are great, and I love the homework clubs, I am not convinced the education provided is worth the expense.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My son attended Courtyard from 3rd through 6th grades, and it was a wonderful experience. I highly recommend the school for K-5. Middle School at Courtyard begins in grade 6, and I can't recommend it at that point, simply because the school is too small and doesn't have the facilities or the resources that middle school kids need. The school is building up to that, but it's going to take a few years. The science curriculum is substandard. However, for grades K-5, I can't say enough good things about this school and its teachers.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“No better environment! Academic excellence, culture, community service = balanced approach. Dedicated and caring staff.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Courtyard has a very dedicated staff and lots of perks -- before and after school care, meals and snacks, arts program, Spanish, field trips, small campus. There is a lot of opportunity for parental involvement -- actually, it's mandatory. The site itself is secured behind a gate, at 24th and B downtown, an easy location to get to but not to find parking during high congestion times. Because it's a private school there is not a tremenous amount of diversity. Also, because it's small, the children do not get exposure to a broad friendship circle. The new principal and the Board of Directors (it's a 501(c)3 non-profit organization) are in the process of assessing Courtyard's strengths and weaknesses so that the school can be improved.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My daughter is in this fantastic school. The curriculum is top-notch; the before-and-after programs are superb for working parents and the kids. Parent participation is required, but that's a plus in my book as I have gotten to know the parents well. My experience is with only the K-2 grades, but those teachers are outstanding. The tuition (which covers care before and after school) is on the high side, but that's to be expected -- given the service you get. They just moved this year to a new facility, different from the address in this Yahoo page, but you can get all the updated info at http://www.courtyard.org for the new address (not far from the old). My wife and I highly recommend this school.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The school has been wonderful for my daughter. She has gotten the extra attention from staff that has made the difference. Kindergarten through 3rd grade has been exceptional. I was a bit taken aback by the volume of homework at the younger ages, but my daughter and most all of her classmates have met the challenge. My mother in law and her friends are all public school teachers and they are blown away at the amount and level of the work asked of these kids. It really seems that Courtyard is teaching our children at the highest rate they can consume the subject matter. What is interesting though is the retention of the material. My kid is really the smartest kid in her neighborhood peer group and that is directly related to her attendance at Courtyard.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Courtyard is a small, family oriented school with an amazing amount of attention given to each student. After school programs are included with tuition, as are breakfast and lunch. Field trips are an important part of the school. In higher grades, the class size gets very small - somtimes around 10 kids per class. Standardized test scores are very high - often over 90% average.”
This review was posted by a parent.