Peninsula School, Ltd

920 Peninsula Way

Menlo Park, CA 94025

32 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on November 13, 2024

We switched our two elementary children to Peninsula School a little over a year ago, and we're so happy we made the move. Peninsula is a truly special place. Its incredible outdoor space, where nature itself serves as a classroom, allows children to explore, play, and learn in a unique environment. We were also drawn to the school’s progressive education philosophy - which encourages students to become active, engaged participants in society, fostering independent thinking and a sense of responsibility - and the school lives up to this commitment.The strong focus on SEL helps kids develop emotional intelligence and build meaningful relationships. The parent community is warm and welcoming, creating a sense of belonging for all families. But what truly makes Peninsula exceptional is its teachers. They are passionate, dedicated, and nurture a love of learning in every child. It’s a place where kids thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, preparing them to make a positive impact on the world.
Submitted by parent on November 01, 2024

Our family's journey at Peninsula School began after a difficult TK experience elsewhere, and we couldn't be more grateful. The progressive education model here actually works - both our children (2nd grade and preschool) are thriving academically and emotionally. Teachers provide regular, meaningful updates about student progress, and their deep understanding of each child is evident. The school's emphasis on inclusivity and growth mindset has helped our son discover his love for reading, math, and science, while our daughter is developing confidence, independence and leadership skills. The strong community aspect creates a supportive environment for both students and parents. If you're looking for a school that values both academic excellence and emotional growth, Peninsula School delivers.
Submitted by parent on October 27, 2024

I couldn’t agree more with the saying “it takes a village to raise a child.” This village can be so difficult to find in our society. Our family has truly found our village at Peninsula School.I fell in love with Peninsula School the first time I stepped foot on campus and met Rasha, one of Peninsula’s talented, kindergarten / first grade teachers. Peninsula School’s mission – which focuses on developing the whole child, building educational experiences encouraging curiosity, democracy and choice, and social justice – deeply connected with me, alongside the magical, oak tree-filled campus with rope swings and treehouses, where kids get to play, grow, and learn every day. Now, two years later, our child loves Peninsula school so much that he often doesn’t want to leave when we pick him up from aftercare. As a second grader he is growing and thriving – from building friendships, to developing empathy, to learning about the world, to collaborating on art projects with classmates, to being challenged at math and now experiencing the joy of independently reading long chapter books.Every teacher at Peninsula is incredibly loving and thoughtful about every child. They connect with your child and develop steps that can challenge them. (Our child’s second grade teachers are creating differentiated lessons for him and a group of kids who are ahead in math.) They get to know your kiddos' distinct personalities, and the teachers, specialists and staff allow them to be themselves and grow into who they are. Our child has a slow to warm personality and his teachers helped him gain the confidence and emotional skills to participate in school performances both in kindergarten and first grade. His favorite parts of school are afternoon activities, when he gets to choose how he’ll spend his time from among options including art, PE, and woodshop.Not only has our child formed deep friendships at Peninsula, but wonderfully we have too with the parent and caregiver community. At Peninsula School, our family has found the community we have been looking for, one where we feel a sense of belonging and joy.
Submitted by parent on October 24, 2024

This is our daughter’s fourth year at Peninsula School. When searching for the right school, we spoke with a current parent who is also a teacher at a local high school. She mentioned that she made the decision to send her own children to Peninsula after noting the unique characteristics that mark the Peninsula kids that come through her classroom: They are avid learners, self confident and at ease interacting with teachers. The pedagogy at Peninsula fosters intrinsic motivation---teaching kids to love to learn, not just to ace tests. The natural environment of the campus feels like an oasis of calm, a place where kids can be kids. We love that the school has an annual camping trip and an excellent arts program. The community at the school is very special. Students (and parents!) build lifelong friendships and often hang out on campus long after the end of the day. At Peninsula, we see our daughter being supported to grow as a whole person and thriving in an engaged, caring community.
Submitted by parent on October 06, 2024

There is limited communication about students’ daily activities at the school. From our observations, it seems like the teachers don’t take the time to truly get to know the students. Feedback during parent-teacher conferences often feels based on just a short period leading up to the meeting rather than a comprehensive understanding. Additionally, there appears to be favoritism among students, with some preferred students engaging in inappropriate behavior that isn’t adequately addressed. The quality of aftercare varies significantly—there have been several instances where children were left largely unsupervised while staff were engaged in personal conversation unrelated to school matters.
Submitted by parent on October 04, 2024

We generally worry about our son and want to make sure that he can make friends. Before coming to Peninsula, he didn't have too many, but the teacher support at Peninsula really boosted his confidence and brought out his sunny personality. He's such an excited little boy, and enjoys coming to school now! Teachers Meghan, Seph, and Rasha are treasures. We love working with them on the development of our child.
Submitted by parent on October 04, 2024

After several years in our local public school we decided we wanted a smaller classroom that is more personalized. In the first few months our daughter is happier and more confident than at her previous school. The community, academics, and empowerment that is instilled in this school community is amazing.
Submitted by parent on September 17, 2024

When we began exploring schools for our son, private education wasn’t something we had in mind. My wife and I both attended public schools, so the idea of enrolling our child in a private school, especially one as unconventional as Peninsula School, felt unfamiliar. I was particularly skeptical about whether a private education was necessary, especially at a place where kids were encouraged to walk around barefoot, climb trees, and didn’t have regular homework.We also visited other schools, including private institutions that proudly showcased their STEM courses and robotics labs. While these were impressive, they didn’t align with what we felt was most important for our son at this stage. Our priority has always been to foster his social and emotional development, nurture his curiosity, and instill a joy for learning. We believe this foundation will be crucial in helping him handle future academic pressures. Right now, I’m not trying to prepare him to be an engineer or a programmer; I want him to learn how to learn and to enjoy the process, so he can pursue any path, including those that don’t even exist yet.We wanted to delay the onset of academic pressure for as long as possible and give him the freedom to grow and learn at his own pace, without the stress of tests and rigid academic milestones. Essentially, we wanted to give him the chance to be a child—to explore, play, and discover the world naturally and joyfully.Our son has truly flourished at Peninsula. He’s become a kind, funny, confident, and curious child who navigates different friend groups with ease. His kindergarten and first-grade teacher have been instrumental in nurturing his curiosity and building his confidence, especially in encouraging his creativity and love of woodworking and crafts. He can still be shy and prefers to observe before jumping into new activities, but these traits are respected here rather than seen as something to be fixed.One of the most noticeable things about Peninsula kids is their confidence and independence, especially when interacting with children from other schools. They seem to love physical activities, particularly climbing, and they approach challenges with a sense of adventure and resilience. This confidence and love for activity is something we’ve seen reflected in our son as well.
Submitted by parent on September 08, 2024

My two daughters have been in the Peninsula School for 5 years, and they love their school. Every morning they are exited to go to school, and oftentimes look forward to school during various breaks. Peninsula School is a community filled with loving, caring, authentic and hard-working teachers, staff and fellow parents. The school uses a progressive approach and places social emotional development at the foundation of its curriculum. They respect kids as capable individuals. There are so many fun traditions such as camping, kids rock concerts, spring fair and craft fair, all of which make Peninsula a very special place. The campus is surrounded by nature with a forest feeling that we truly love
Submitted by parent on September 02, 2024

All five of my children attended Peninsula School, Nursery through 8th grade, and while no school is perfect, it was a perfect choice for them and our family. We enrolled them at a time when we were learning that our neighbor's kids were overwhelmed with strict schedules and oodles of homework (in early elementary!) and at our core knew that we didn't want that for them. We wanted them in school, socialized and learning obviously, but not so bogged down with the pressures of performance that they missed out on just being kids and having a childhood. And as two FT working parents, we cherished our family time, and did not wish to spend it focused on completing school projects, homework, and test prep. The ratios of teachers to students at Peninsula, the physical space and camp-like environment, the mixed grade and unique pathways that are available for each child's learning and socio-emotional style, and the ability to pursue the joy in learning (vs. grades, high-stakes testing, and homework in early grades) were all what spoke to us, and the school did not disappoint. We were folded into a community that felt warm, authentic, and kind. Each of my children are unique, and each of their experiences were unique at Peninsula School, but the common theme was that they all loved going to school, they never got burnt out on "doing school", and they all transitioned to large public high schools and on to college without a hitch.
Submitted by parent on August 31, 2024

Peninsula School has been a wonderful experience for our family. The teachers are truly exceptional, providing a warm and nurturing environment where our son feels safe and loved. He's been attending Peninsula for five years now, and we've seen him flourish academically and socially. He loves going to school every day, eager to learn, play with his friends, and be a part of the vibrant community. We're so grateful to have found a school where our son feels right at home and is inspired to reach his full potential.
Submitted by parent on August 30, 2024

Peninsula school is a wonderful place for children to play, grow and learn. Our son is currently in his fourth year at Peninsula and his development has been extraordinary, especially as it relates to confidence and social skills.The school emphasizes holistic development, focusing heavily on autonomy, decision making and social interactions with other children and adults to bolster self-confidence and the willingness to take risks and embrace challenges. Freedom and responsibility are part of the core values of Peninsula which means lots of free time and choice. It also means that kids can climb trees and play with other children in a manner that allows for far more freedom than you’ve likely seen anywhere else! The campus is an oak forest in Menlo Park and the kids spend much of their time outdoors. We have watched our son go from being apprehensive about climbing on anything to scaling trees and structures all around campus all the time.Learning of the basics happens in a low-pressure environment with no homework and no grades. Also, no screens. So Peninsula is a bit of an outlier in Silicon Valley - a wonderful kind of place that allows children to play and interact with each other and the world in a low stress setting.The result is that graduates tend to be very well-rounded and mature and balanced as people.
Submitted by parent on August 20, 2024

I feel so grateful I was able to send my daughter to Peninsula school as a first grader after a just-fine kindergarten year at our (highly regarded, award-winning) local public school. My daughter met all the expectations of her kindergarten program at our local public school but I was concerned about her social experience there. A random event reminded me of Peninsula school (which I had learned about when she was in preschool at our local co-op) and it instantly clicked as the solution to the riddle I’d been noodling over all fall (of her kinder year). Peninsula school was even better than I realized. Her 1st and 2nd grade teacher brought structure and organization to the academic program as well as tons of heart and fun activities. They did like 7 awesome field trips in 1 school year. The teacher and her husband wrote an original screenplay which the children all acted in (including memorizing lines). There was a massive writers workshop celebration where the kids got to present their original writing. They did a massive donation drive. Etc etc etc My daughter’s favorite part of Peninsula school is activities period. She loves the offerings (woodshop, weaving, science, clay, art, music & more) and being able to choose which one she does. She also appreciates the opportunity to make and sustain friendships outside of her class through activities.Her other favorite part are some of the wonderful traditions including the December craft fair, rock concert, spring fair. The big school events emphasize peninsula values (play, maker-ness, community, eco-awareness, FUN and more). My favorite parts are all the loving, open, clear, supportive grownups my daughter gets to interact with throughout the day. Also the respect shown to the children. And especially the community is one of the most positive and impactful aspects of Peninsula school. I hadn’t realized how much I would appreciate being part of a school community grounded in the same values of seeing and appreciating the essence of children in a relaxed, nurturing but academically comprehensive environment.
Submitted by parent on August 06, 2024

Peninsula is a progressive K-8 private school housed on the grounds of a historic building. Their teachers focus on a combination of exploratory and social-emotional learning while still hitting key academics such as math (there's still worksheets), science (hands on and project based), and history (reports and collaboration). They allow students to have afternoon "choice" activities to instill a greater sense of agency, and provide access to claymaking, woodworking, and weaving as art options. From 4th-8th, music eschews typical school band for rock band, which is both more fun but also allows kids to learn the collaborative nature of being in a tight group. As a special needs family, they have listened to our specific concerns and addressed them all with a focus on equitable access.
Submitted by parent on August 02, 2024

Peninsula School is a gem for children who are self-driven, inquisitive, and seek the freedom, voice, and choice to pursue their passions. When my son joined Peninsula in fourth grade, we noticed a revitalized enthusiasm for learning. Within months, he became more engaged in his schoolwork and extracurricular activities. He felt empowered to explore his interests in music, reading, engineering, and science with renewed energy.Peninsula is an excellent choice for parents who prioritize their child's social-emotional development. This focus is deeply embedded in the school’s culture, where students are encouraged to become socially aware and take responsibility for their decisions. Through team projects, my son has learned to problem-solve, advocate for himself, and navigate peer relationships effectively. The school's environment promotes an open mind, appreciation for diversity, and a strong sense of community and loyalty.School traditions are a cherished aspect of the educational experience. My son especially enjoys the annual rock concert, the end of year go kart race, and the camping trips. He eagerly anticipates returning for the next school year. We deeply appreciate the joy that Peninsula brings to our child.
Submitted by parent on July 30, 2024

When we first set out to look for school, our primary consideration was community. We wanted to find a place that felt like a warm embrace, where our children would be exposed to different cultures and ways of life, where they’d become good citizens of the world rather than good test-takers. During our tour, we were in awe of the majestic trees and charming buildings. I was struck by the pedagogy and the earnestness of the teachers and staff, but most of all, I was struck by the pace. Stepping onto campus feels like an intentional oasis in an increasingly busy world with too much traffic, too many screens, and not enough time for genuine connection. We felt instantly that this was a place we belonged, where our children would feel seen, and be allowed to grow into their best selves. Now many years later, I know this to be true as I’ve seen my children form bonds with teachers and staff, forge friendships with other families, and as we have shared caregiver conferences with educators who deeply know and care for our students. During the wintertime, there is an area of campus that forms a rather large puddle that lasts through spring. "Lake Peninsula," as its called, takes on a life of its own. If we're lucky, it becomes home to new life. Recently, our family has been riveted by a mama duck and ducklings that have inhabited LakePeninsula. Every day my kids come home to report on their whereabouts and safety. It was devastating when one of the ducklings was taken by a hawk; an important lesson in nature and the cycle of life. What strikes me is that we wouldn’t have this experience anywhere else.
Submitted by parent on July 29, 2024

As an alumna (pre-school through 8th grade) and now nursery school parent at Peninsula, I can say Peninsula is truly a unique educational experience. Peninsula’s program and committed and caring staff nurture the whole child and provide a progressive education academic program with a focus on social and emotional learning with a special sauce of nearly 100 years of traditions and rich experiential learning in a one-of-a-kind campus. For me, Peninsula helped me become a passionate life-long learner who excelled academically, while staying true to who I am and maintaining a deep sense of what I care about and what drives me. For my son, his first years at Peninsula have been incredible to see him thrive and grow, taught and cared for by an incredible staff of teachers, specialists and staff who adore him for his unique personality and both support and challenge him in just the way he needs. I can’t recommend Peninsula highly enough!
Submitted by parent on July 21, 2024

My daughter has attended Peninsula School since the world was emerging from an extended period of online learning, due to COVID. While we were all still masking, she was welcomed into a world of love, imagination, exploration, creativity and learning.She has thrived at Peninsula -- strengthening her reading, writing, math, science and Social and Emotional skills. Her amazing teachers have always met her where she is and have supported her on her journey to ensure she is learning at the right level and able to express her individuality and specific interests.As a family, we have specifically enjoyed volunteering for, and participating in, activities and events that Peninsula offers. The Spring Fair, Craft Fair and many other child-centered events serve as a platform for the students to express themselves, explore different areas of interest and to volunteer as an active member of their community.We have also appreciated the level of availability that her teachers have provided when we were interested in discussing our child's progress or daily life.Peninsula has been a great fit for our child and family and is surely worth considering for your family if you are interested in a learning environment that balances academics, social/emotional learning, community engagement and room to explore with safe risk-taking!
Submitted by parent on July 13, 2024

My 3 children have been at Peninsula School since pre-school and have thrived there. My oldest is now in high school and her transition was very smooth. Peninsula offers a unique progressive education experience with the child at the center. Social emotional learning is a great strength that is buttressed by the close interactions that the kids have with all the staff throughout their years of seeing the same specialists and staff both at school and on camping trips. The curriculum is also uniquely integrated where for example humanities units includes artistic projects. The community is engaged and super supportive, my kids have made friends that they will keep for life at Peninsula.The campus is unique and magical. The compacted dirt surrounded by majestic oak trees with tree swings and tree houses are what I dream my school would have looked like. The place is full of fun and quirky traditions like edging the big building, a victorian mansion built in the 1880s add to more new ones like the annual rock concert, spring fair, craft fair, go-kart races... Once you know it exists it's hard to imagine your kids having a better childhood anywhere else.
Submitted by parent on July 12, 2024

We found out about Peninsula School from a neighbor. We were moving back to the Bay Area after 4 years on the East Coast, and were feeling very nervous about finding a school and a community that would help our daughter and son thrive in a new environment. We narrowed down our choices to Peninsula and a few other schools, and after spending a day shadowing on Peninsula’s beautiful 6 acre campus, we were sold. The child-centered holistic approach to learning, the incredible teachers and staff, and the variety of activities throughout the school year from camping to rock concert to woodshop to basketball to choose your own learning adventure through a “Choice” are not extras at Peninsula - they form the core of the thoughtful program built and refined over its 100 year history.After graduating from Peninsula, my daughter enrolled in the rigorous IB diploma program at Sequoia, and my son discovered his love of music and math, thanks to his teachers' encouragement. More than academics, I am proud of the critical thinkers and fiercely independent global citizens my children have become with a clear moral compass guided by empathy, social justice and curiosity.When you join Peninsula, you’re not just joining a school. You’re joining a lifelong community of friends who care deeply about progressive education and upholding its principles every day. And while you’re expected to lean into help create the magic as part of an engaged community, you get back so much more - authentic friendships, joyful gatherings and and a delightful oasis in the midst of the hubbub of Silicon Valley.