Shu Ren International School

2125 Jefferson Avenue

Berkeley, CA 94703

11 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK, K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on November 14, 2023

Our kid has been going to Shu Ren for a few years and she loves it. The teachers are caring, the kids are great, and our daughter comes home every day with a big smile on her face. Plus it's cool to see that she now able to understand and speak Mandarin.
Submitted by parent on April 03, 2023

My son has been at Shu Ren since Pre-K 4. The education has deteriorated under new leadership since private equity bought the school. I highly discourage parents to choose Shu Ren if they do not speak Mandarin at home with their children. The school is still a safe place and celebrates Chinese culture. These are the best parts of the school. My son has always received marks of “meeting” or “exceeding” expectations on all report cards and prepress reports. Despite this, he was one of two 4th grade students to be forced to study Mandarin with 3rd graders this year. The school gave an exam to determine this placement with no warning about the high stakes character of the test. According to his teacher, my son is advanced in oral expression and comprehension. He is not as advanced at writing which is why he was held back. I spoke to the administrator in charge of mandarin curriculum about all of this. I explained that I was concerned my son would not be challenged in the oral aspects of the language and asked how we could support him with additional tutors and instruction. I also made it clear that my son’s confidence was impacted by being held back and that it was a strong preference he stay with his cohort. I explained how Mandarin instruction drove the decision to attend the school and how it was disappointing that they never informed us about his writing struggle on report cards. The administrator’s response was unprofessional and insulting. She never tried to understand my concern or perspective. She just kept repeating that 3rd graders and the other 4th graders spoke more mandarin at home and not to worry, my son was in fact learning a 4th grade curriculum with the third graders. It was simply a case of the other 4th graders being advanced and they would be learning a 5th grade curriculum. Shu Ren creates its own curriculum for Mandarin and can assign any grade level to whatever they choose, so this explanation was disingenuous. Please make sure your child speaks Mandarin at home. My son was in the school for 5 years and one day he was magically behind and being kept back without any warning. My valid concerns were met indignantly and disrespectfully. My son will not be returning to Shu Ren next year. If Mandarin instruction is your primary motivator in choosing Shu Ren and you don’t speak the language at home, I strongly urge you to choose another school.
Submitted by parent on September 07, 2020

This is the first year in seven years our kids won't be going to Shu Ren, having recently graduated. We started there (ages ago!) in kinder and 1st grade, respectively.Being at Shu Ren has been one of the most transformational and memorable events in our lives. Neither my wife nor I are Chinese, but we wanted the children to have a strong foundation in a foreign language and thought Chinese was a good one for them to be well versed in. Well, after years of being an involved parent there, I can say that we're glad about the decision we made. We also got much more from Shu Ren than we expected. We came for the Chinese but stayed for the IB. The International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Shu Ren has been so amazing that i can't begin to state its praises. We never thought such a well rounded education was possible in the elementary years, and IB and Shu Ren have exceeded our expectations.On top of the amazing education, the staff and parents have made Shu Ren all that much more special. From Jie and Tony--the founders--to Rebecca, the current head of school, to the parents, everyone is special and wonderful. We've made life-long friends through the school and parent community and are so lucky to have had the school as a part of our lives.Every once in a while you have to make a decision you're not sure about--whether it's worth it or whether it'll pay dividends. Sending our kids to Shu Ren was not such a decision. Sending our kids to Shu Ren was an investment, and one that's paid us back (and hopefully will reward society) multi-fold. We couldn't have made a better decision.
Submitted by parent on December 06, 2017

My child has been at Shu Ren for over 6 years and she loves it. She enjoys going to school. She is never "bored". With well over a dozen or more field trips and classroom workshops per school year, there is always something exciting going on at school.
Submitted by parent on January 11, 2014

We have been so pleased with the teachers, administration and IB curriculum. We are a non-Chinese speaking family and weren t sure how to measure progress. Much to our delight, my son passed a Mandarin fluency exam at age 4 thanks to his tremendous learning experiences from Shu Ren. The IB curriculum has made the boys very curious and they can constantly link ideas and concepts because of this global style of learning. The teachers are warm, compassionate and knowledgeable and have helped my sons become more confident. Initially they would never speak out in class and are now able to raise their hands and feel comfortable speaking in front of the class. I love how the teachers teach the kids the skills necessary to solve problems rather than solving problems for them. I remember seeing my son struggle with a puzzle and instead of stepping in to solve in, they helped give him tips so he could solve it himself. We are so fortunate that the social, emotional, language and interdisciplinary subject skills the boys are learning at Shu Ren have given them such a strong foundation that will provide them with so many options in the years to come.
Submitted by parent on January 04, 2014

On the preschool front, Shu Ren is lacking. Look beyond the glossy Mandarin-immersion and inquiry-based promises and remember what a child needs for preschool: safety, socialization and love of learning. The small class sizes that the older reviews talk about no longer holds for the preschool program. There has been high teacher turn over in the last year, including the departure of the preschool director. The preschool parents are talking among themselves and many have concerns with safety, TA quality, and a traditional chinese education in place of progressive learning. Administration has failed to communicate significant changes to both the pre-K and elementary programs. Bottom line, the kids are not as happy this year and that is the most telling.
Submitted by parent on December 28, 2013

My children have thrived at Shu Ren, both in the Pre-K program and now in elementary school.The Pre-K is a warm, nurturing, engaging environment in which children are constantly exposed to hands-on projects, art, music, and simply amazing, dedicated teachers. And the dedication to language immersion is truly impressive. The same philosophy and atmosphere continues in the elementary school, where students engage in inquiry-based learning through thematic units of inquiry. The children are fully engaged with the subjects they are learning in a very personal and experiential way, so that they are genuinely excited about and invested in their work. The classes are academically very challenging but the small size allows each child to truly work at their own pace. The IB curriculum is also developed in a way that focuses on developing the whole child, including emotional and social development as well as non-academic skills, such as personal management and time management, which are truly invaluable. To top it off, the parent community is fabulous, kind, and very supportive. We couldn't be happier with the school.
Submitted by parent on December 28, 2013

Shu Ren is a wonderful school. We have been so happy with the preschool. The preschool teacher is just amazing and has an amazing talent at understanding the needs of every child- whether they are shy or outgoing . The assistants are also kind and caring to the Children and our child's needs are always met . It is amazing how well our child's command of Mandarin is doing in just a short time. In addition we love that Shu Ren is now an accredited IB school. This curriculum allows the students to learn Mandarin at an even deeper level. I highly recommend Shu Ren for preschool and even the elementary school!
Submitted by parent on November 07, 2013

The school has good teachers and a strong group of upper school parents who know what they want. However, there's been high staff turnover. The owner of the school and the administration notify the parents of changes to staffing and issues at the last minute, if at all. There is a often a lapse in communication where nonsense gets sent out in emails and the real info is left out. We don't know who the assistants are in our daughter's prek4 class. They've been changing for the two months. The other reviewers mention small classes. That's not true for the lower grades. Our daughter's class has more than 22 kids and they plan to fill it until it reaches 24.
Submitted by parent on September 21, 2011

We have 2 kids at Shu Ren. Our kids were adopted from Taiwan and China so it is very important to us that our kids learn Mandarin fluently and early. It is equally important to us that they be in a caring environment where they will be happy and develop a passion for learning. Shu Ren has been ideal on both counts. The kids have been there for 3 years and are thriving. They are learning, growing and love going to school. The leadership and teachers at the school are passionate and outstanding. We have come to greatly appreciate the emphasis on becoming an IB school although initially this was not a key criterion for us when looking at schools. This school has served our children wonderfully and I highly recommend it to parents that wish to have their kids learn Mandarin fluently and develop a passion for learning in a warm, creative environment.
Submitted by parent on May 04, 2011

We have been at Shu Ren for over two years and have been extremely happy, with the teachers, the curriculum, and the overall environment. My son is reading and writing in Mandarin and advancing well in English too. I'm consistently impressed with the work he brings home and the topics that they study, from the rainforest to the human body to story-telling and the imagination (just to name a few of the major topics they have studied this year.) They also have a wonderful music program and the classrooms are filled with art. The head of school has a clear vision for the school and is dedicated to realizing it. We feel very lucky to have found Shu Ren.