The Nueva School

6565 Skyline Boulevard

Hillsborough, CA 94010

32 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on October 30, 2020

The Nueva School is absolutely excellent. Great campus, excellent team of teachers, very responsive leadership team. We couldn't be happier and can't imagine been in any other school after experience what The Nueva school bring to the table. The school is just exceptional.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2020

Exceptional learning environment. The teachers are so passionate and the kids are so excited to learn
Submitted by parent on May 12, 2020

Nueva is amazing because they are organized, nurturing, supportive and encouraging! They are there for you, whatever your child's learning needs are. Once you are part of the community, they share resources and find ways to support your child.
Submitted by parent on May 25, 2019

Could not find a better school for my daughter. It's not for everyone and some of the overbearing parents, overly sensitive kids are a little annoying, but in terms of giving highly-motivated kids open space to pursue their passions - there is no school even remotely close.
Submitted by student on February 08, 2019

I'm a senior at Nueva, graduating this spring. The education I've received has been stellar. Truly outstanding. I've forged long-lasting relationships with my instructors and they've given me applicable information readily available for utilization down the road. Nueva's wide array of interscholastic activities have been delightful, from the road trips for athletics to coding robots. My experience, though, was significantly hampered by an incessantly overzealous (in a bad way) and out-of-touch administration. From unnecessary all-school meetings to high turnover rate, the administration left an irreversible stain on what should've been a five-star experience.
Submitted by student on January 30, 2019

My experience at this school has been amazing. The teachers are great, the community is fantastic, and the campus is stunning. There's a lot of freedom at the school and everyone is extremely welcoming. Although the tuition is on the pricy side, it is worth it as your child will have a very educational experience.
Submitted by parent on December 27, 2017

My child is finishing middle school this year and will be at the high school in the fall. He loved his three years and did no complain about getting on a bus early every morning and coming home late every day. There are high expectations for kind behavior and it seems that the kids have internalized this behavior. There is a lot of homework but it is doable and most of it is interesting. My child has been very happy and that says a lot about Nueva (especially for middle school).
Submitted by parent on December 10, 2017

Our son is an 11th grade student at the high school, and have been at Nueva since grade 6. We moved him to Nueva from his previous (K-8) school, because his teachers at the previous school were discouraging him from classroom participation because "not all the children want to go into so much depth into each topic". To be fair I did not expect his science teacher to be able to discuss photosynthesis in detail at the molecular level, or discuss why the plants use a less energetic wavelength as the source of light. However, my child was starting to get disengaged, and feel that his intense curiosity and love of learning were "strange" and that he was "quirky" or "different". At Nueva the teachers were delighted with him, and he has grown up into a wonderful engaged, kind and considerate child. I could ask for no more.
Submitted by parent on June 07, 2017

Awesome educational experience if you can tolerate the stupidity of the administration. It'll be interesting to see how quickly they start losing teachers over the nonsense they put them through. It's telling that a number of board members are NOT sending their children to the high school. We've only been there one year (9th grade). Will have to see how the next few years go.
Submitted by student on March 08, 2017

Amaazing school, teachers, work, acivities, and more!
Submitted by student on March 04, 2017

I graduated from Nueva School several years ago and found it to be an incredible academic institution full of creative, bright students and wonderful, caring teachers. Since, I've been to several universities and none have matched the care that Nueva provided.
Submitted by parent on March 27, 2016

Great school with fantastic students. Admission is very selective so the peer group is incredible. The school is basically a private version of North Hollywood's Highly Gifted Magnet School, which has an IQ cutoff of 145 (despite what the official cutoff is), plus a strong emphasis on socio-emotional development tailored toward the needs of gifted kids. Classes move at a very fast and high level and no student is ever bored. Teachers are very dedicated.
Submitted by other on December 16, 2015

Best. School. Ever. Every school mission statement is basically the same-- "fosters a love of learning..." and it's really easy to throw around buzzwords like "learn by doing" and "child centered" and "project-based learning." Most of the time, this is aspirational at best, abject bullshit at worst. The thing is, Nueva actually does all of the things other schools say they do. It's a miracle of innovative curriculum design and brilliant teaching. The homework is never rote, inter-disciplinary study is the norm, and my kids are learning a ton, happily. The school knows precisely how to engage and challenge young minds. I have never met a family unhappy at Nueva. Yes, a lot of the parents have way too much money. I could write for hours about that, but the bottom line is no place is perfect, and everyone at Nueva is nice even the ridiculously, unfathomably disgustingly rich. I wish every child could get this kind of education.
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2015

This is a very hard school for middle-class families to attend (there are no lower class families and few middle-class.) The overwhelming majority of families at Nueva are upper upper UPPER class. We are talking multi-million dollar annual donations by many families. And the school bows down to these families so they carry all the power in the school. Students across the board are not well-behaved or respectful. Many are bright, few are truly gifted, but all love to taut their pedigree. Please be aware of this when applying or committing to this school. There is major fundraising going on right now for campus expansions and the school needs the deep pockets (ie, SUPER deep pockets - if you have a couple or even tens of thousands to throw around, that won't cut it) to fund these projects. So the mega-wealthy of Silicon Valley have suddenly found their average-abilitied children have a space in this supposedly-gifted school. Don't be fooled. Most are at the school so that they can tell their friends that their kids go there. End of story.
Submitted by parent on November 18, 2014

"Hippy Dippy" accurately describes the school's vibe - kids address their teachers by first name, kids talk ALL the time during class, free choice all the time... But do not be fooled, Nueva is incredibly intense academically - Not in the worksheet kind of way, but in the content that is introduced, discussed and the end-product that is implicitly expected from students. The concepts taught are far beyond what is covered in traditional textbooks (no textbooks at Nueva) - across all subjects. It's hard to explain but if you get the chance, take a look at some of their homework - it's not rote, it's very, very thoughtful. Not having straightforward read-the-text-answer-questions homework has taken some getting used to by my public-school kids. But it's not for everyone. If you are shy and find comfort in a highly-defined and structure learning environments (or a parent who also desires this), then Nueva may not be a good fit.
Submitted by parent on November 17, 2014

Perspective parents what you really should know about any school is how the employees feel about it. That is why you should review glassdoor.com first. 6 our of seven of Nueva School speak to the chaos and micromanagement of the administration. I think one practical thing you should know is at the HIGH SCHOOL written into their contract with the city Your licensed high-school cannot drive or park anywhere near or on campus. That is correct they have a socially engineered "utopia" of mass transportation (required) by students. This should factor in to choosing your school. Additionally, the school seems hyper-focused on engineering and lofty tech ideas-- and they tout a myopic vision what they call "constructivist program" which is ill defined but vaguely means a lot of "experiential" learning. as one other reviewer who gave this school poor marks as well calls it the "hippy-dippy" approach. I would have to agree. This school as another former employee put it is "elitist and delusional" I would agree. This school is high on theory and low on pragmatics. It is a perfect IVORY TOWER. If that is how you wish to invest your money in your child's future. Best of luck to you.
Submitted by parent on March 18, 2014

I am a single male parent of 2 boys applying for 9th and 7th grade this year.This school is amazing. We did the whole admission process. My boys really love this school. The ilab is the hightlight of the school. It seems like everyone here function at a higher level and pace. Most private and public school are using common core. Common core is not a complete education.Student at the school are very helpful. Nueva does education right. I believe Nueva high school is looking for smart athletes that are creative have passion and compassion, have a entrepreneurial sense, and strong leader and ambitious quality. Not afraid to speak your mind and can inspire the class. We are in the waiting pool and hopefully there is space for my boys. Thank you For giving us a chance and considering us.
Submitted by parent on October 06, 2013

This is an update to my review of July 2011. I happened to be looking at middle schools and thought I'd check in. It's been several years now (although I have been in touch with current parents) and thought some time-based perspective could be useful to prospects. First, I must say I'm disappointed to see a slew of 1-star grouching and 5-star fluff reviews. Perhaps it makes posters feel better about their decisions, but it's not helping prospects. (BTW, if you are trying to counter allegations of snobbery and arrogance, don't dismiss all criticisms as sour grapes and prattle on about competitiveness and exclusivity. Sheesh.) Anyhow, after Neuva, we were lucky to have our child attend a great public school. So, is Neuva worth it? For us, public school worked out better. To be sure, we missed the open, creative, sometimes nutty vibe (muddy feet are just fine by us!), but it just wasn't worth the cost. My summary: if money is no object, then you simply have to decide if the open ("hippy dippy" as a friend calls it) approach works for you and your child. Otherwise, it's a big hill to "yes". As one older private school parent said to me: I should have just saved up for college.
Submitted by other on January 18, 2013

The lower school and the classrooms of the middle school that are not in the new building all smell very strongly of mold. The carpets are stained. The preschool room also stinks of hamster. The K class: half the kids were barefoot in the muddy sandbox outside (frequent) and the rest were doing non challenging busywork inside. I asked the teacher what they do for advanced kids who read and she said they do read with them but also expect them to help the others learn the basics. In the middle school English class kids were sitting in the dark writing on computers. I asked why and was told that the dark room "helps the muse." A fifth grade group of kids spoke to us and kept waving their hands as if swatting flies. It turned out that is their way of saying they agree with the other speaker. Odd. Students told me they like some teachers and that others were lousy. I have met a few kids who attended Nueva who were lacking in social grace which is strange given the emphasis on "social emotional learning." I sent my child to summer camp there and was unimpressed. Stanford EPGY was a better fit. Admissions focus on IQ test rather than the whole child and miss the best.
Submitted by parent on November 25, 2012

Here is the real issue at this school - you child may get in based on IQ & a play date, but your family is forever on parade based on income and $ contributions to the school. Tuition is high, we get financial aid, and I feel like every time I turn around we are expected to contribute more. All of us want the best for our children - but I am starting to worry about what mine is being taught about money and power.