Synapse School

3375 EDISON WAY

Menlo Park, CA 94025

34 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on December 14, 2024

Synapse has some positive attributes that originally attracted us to the school. There are some staff that genuinely care and are passionate about teaching children, and they have an interesting "changemaker" curriculum framework. We had high hopes for when we joined this community, but several years in we regret our choice. The school is chaotic and the administration and teachers seem constantly overwhelmed. They school is severely understaffed: they recently brought back a former teacher to help part-time, but this teacher's lack of flexibility and compassion was precisely the reason why one family left the school. Not all classes have an assistant teacher, so there is a single teacher for 18+ students. Despite marketing itself as a place for all children to succeed, the school caters to the mean and provides very few resources and support for gifted students or anyone outside a basic standard. It's difficult to communicate with the teachers and leadership, and when they do communicate, the messages are inconsistent or even contradictory. We have observed many instances of the school refusing to engage in constructive approaches with children and families when there are challenges. While they talk about SEL as a key focus area, the school culture lacks compassion and many of the Synapse staff we have interacted with do not actually exercise SEL they profess. Several families we know have already left the school, and several families plan to leave as soon as they cobble through this year.
Submitted by parent on May 28, 2024

This is a review for Synapse’s TK program. My son has been in Teacher Mickey & Teacher Natasha’s class for a year this year. My son’s TK experience has been truly above and beyond what we wanted for early childhood education. All the great activities that foster joyful learning, all the field trips, events that bring the community together have been so beautifully thought out and planned, we had no idea this kind of education was even possible for little kids. We were grateful each day when we sent my son to school, because we trusted that he would be well taken care of and have a good time. It meant a lot to us as parents. The teachers cared so much about students’ happiness, well-being, and materials they were learning. They truly, genuinely cared, and all the parents of TK students could feel it. Throughout the year, we were constantly impressed by the teachers’ willingness to go above and beyond. These teachers are not ordinary teachers who rely on easier field trips or simpler projects. They take kids to the most interesting and enriching places on their field trips, places such as ice skating rinks, beaches, ponds where you can catch tadpoles, senior centers, pumpkin patches, cactus garden, etc. Their creativity and willingness to get messy were also truly inspiring. The TK class built an awe-inspiring life-size whale shark together and had so much fun celebrating Holi. The TK class cooked great lunches and sold them to parents as well. The teachers went an extra mile, even though it meant so much more work for themselves, because they have a genuine passion for sprinkling curiosity and exploration in their students. We also deeply appreciated how they created so many opportunities to recognize diverse cultures and bring families together for events like Diwali and Lunar New Year. They were extra careful to include all of the countries’ traditions, which gave my son a sense of belonging and harbored a pride in his heritage. We are immensely grateful and feel incredibly honored that my son had such thoughtful, dedicated, and innovative teachers like them. Knowing he was in their care gave us immense peace of mind. And this review is not just about TK teachers at Synapse. Everyone we met at Synapse has been genuinely nice and down to earth. All the teachers, staff, students and parents formed such a warm, wonderful community.
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2024

We are absolutely thrilled with Synapse. The caliber of the teachers is outstanding; they often understand the children even better than the parents do. The curriculum is meticulously designed to emphasize depth, collaboration, and creative thinking with a strong focus on social-emotional learning (SEL) and project-based activities. Our daughter has undergone a remarkable transformation in just one year, thanks to the exceptional program at Synapse. The management team is always accessible, approachable, and receptive to feedback. The Head of School, Jim is an amazing leader and the kids love spending time with him on school grounds and excursions. Additionally, the community here is incredibly tight-knit and supportive.
Submitted by parent on December 21, 2023

One of the standout features of Synapse is its commitment to fostering a holistic learning environment. The faculty and staff go above and beyond to create a space where students not only thrive academically but also develop critical life skills. If you are seeking a school that emphasizes creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration this is the place. The school's innovative approach to education encourages students to explore and discover their passions, creating a foundation for lifelong learning.The dedication of the teachers at Synapse is evident in every aspect of the curriculum. They have a genuine passion for nurturing the individual potential of each student. The small class sizes allow for personalized attention, fostering a supportive and engaging learning environment. The faculty's commitment to cultivating a love for learning is truly inspiring.I have two high schoolers who attended Synapse for middle school, and some recent excerpts from their teachers provide the evidence that our goal for our kids was met..."You are a thoughtful collaborator, often taking the lead in small group activities", "I very much appreciate your enthusiasm and willingness to ask questions", "You regularly contribute your insights, questions, and respond to the comments of the other students. "Your willingness to ask questions benefits everyone and has helped established the environment. ", "You help keep the interest level high and the class engaged. "It is obvious that you come to each class meeting prepared to engage in the work."
Submitted by parent on November 10, 2023

We are delighted with our experience at Synapse for our young child. Our elder son, previously enrolled in different schools, found a thriving environment at Synapse, exceeding our expectations.Here are the key aspects that set Synapse apart:- Nurturing Change Makers: Synapse cultivates critical thinking, creativity, and proactive decision-making skills. Our son has truly flourished in this environment, showcasing his creativity and finding a place where he can thrive.- Dedicated and Experienced Teachers: The teachers at Synapse are exceptional—experienced, well-trained, and deeply caring. Their commitment extends beyond the classroom, with instances of voluntary participation in kids' activities outside school hours, such as joining baseball games to cheer them on.- Real-world Integration: Synapse's curriculum is dynamic, integrating real-time issues and contemporary themes, providing a holistic and relevant educational experience.- Social and Emotional Learning (SEL): SEL is seamlessly integrated into every aspect of the school, fostering emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills.- Equal Opportunities: Synapse ensures equal opportunities for all students. Our experience at a recent portfolio day showcased each child's leadership skills, allowing them to present their work confidently.- Well-Designed Facilities: While not flashy, Synapse's campus is thoughtfully designed for various purposes. Every space is utilized effectively, providing ample room for children to thrive.Our son, once an introvert, has undergone a remarkable transformation, making friends across different classrooms and grades. Synapse has truly been a catalyst for positive change in his social development.In conclusion, Synapse has surpassed our expectations, offering a nurturing, innovative, and inclusive learning environment. We look forward to enrolling our younger son in the TK program next year.
Submitted by parent on November 03, 2023

Synapse is a special place that will challenge and support your child. They are dedicated to academics and extracurricular activities but also know how to have fun, which nurtures a healthy learning environment. Synapse has been constantly evolving, and the leadership is doing a great job of staying in touch with the latest research and considering trends, while at the same time not following them blindly. My daughter says, "There is never a boring moment!" and the school has really done a great job of instilling a love of learning.
Submitted by parent on October 24, 2023

We wanted our young children to learn how to love learning. Mission accomplished.Synapse has taught our children how to cultivate their unique passions, not just fill out worksheets. When presented with the open-ended challenge to write a historical fiction story set in an ancient Mayan village, our 7-year old daughter excitedly wrote a 130-page book. In his free time at home, my son built a 3D model of an ancient Egyptian math game that he still remembered from a school project months ago. I love how Synapse prioritizes teamwork, creativity, collaboration, and empathy instead of rote memorization, dull repetition, or pointless routines. Our children have learned to be true builders, wonderers, and optimists.Best of all, our children love school and can't wait to go every day. They have even asked us to delay family vacations so they won't have to miss a single hour. They understand that learning is a privilege and a joy. For this I'm forever grateful.
Submitted by parent on September 28, 2023

Synapse exceeded our expectations. We've toured many schools in the area. Before this, our daughter was at a private school in another state, and when we moved to the Bay Area, she joined a top public school. But Synapse is different and stands out. Our daughter has a strong personality and is always vocal about her thoughts. At Synapse, she feels both valued and understood – something she didn’t always experience at her previous schools. She's a bright kid but often felt bored in school before. At Synapse, that changed. Whenever we ask her about her favorite part of school, she always says 'Math'. Big thanks to Synapse and their dedicated math lead who ensures not just deep understanding of the concepts but makes math fun for kids. But it is not just about academics. Synapse has created a vibrant ecosystem for kids – a place where they can grow, learn, and have fun all at once. Starting from elementary school, children can attend various clubs during recess, such as the Karaoke Club, Arts, and the Makers Club. Their gardening program is a favorite among kids, and the sports facilities are just top-notch. The school building has an open design, and kids can visit other classrooms during recess. When you visit Synapse, the first thing you'll notice is the happiness of the children.The parent community at Synapse is strong and engaged. There is a dedicated specialist for community activities and almost always an event happening... movie night, art classes, playdates... Synapse also excels in its engagement with parents; communications are frequent and clear. Jim, the school principal, and the entire leadership team are very approachable and always available.We're so pleased that we chose Synapse and that they welcomed us into their community. It feels like the perfect place for our child.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2023

Synapse is a cutting edge learning environment for the whole family. Why:1) Everything Synapse does is thoughtful. There are no accidents. The School continuously reflects on its approaches, is open to feedback and adapts as needed.2) Academics are scientific. They have crafted best in class goals, learning plans, and curriculum that are grounded in data, research, and science.3) Children are equals and respected. You feel the difference whenStaff and Faculty interact with the children. Imagine the confidence this builds in young minds.4) Genuine community. The experience is for the whole family, not just the students. We all learning together. There are many ways to engage from learning sessions for parents, to social events to volunteer opps.5) Synapse is the example for SEL. A hope for our children is that they leave Synapse with confidence, resilience, and a clear sense of self and this feels on track.Only draw back is there is no organic nature on campus.
Submitted by parent on September 25, 2023

We are a family with three children enrolled at Synapse School (in Kindergarten, 2nd grade, and 5th grade), and our longstanding connection with the school has allowed us to observe a remarkable aspect that sets Synapse apart from other educational institutions: the exceptional kindness that permeates the entire community. Whether it's the dedicated teachers, supportive staff, engaged parents, or the students themselves, kindness and supportiveness are hallmarks of the Synapse experience. Our children's happiness at Synapse is palpable, as they look forward to each school day without a single complaint. Synapse's approach to education aligns with a progressive philosophy, emphasizing mastery-based learning over performance-based evaluation. This philosophy encourages a genuine love for learning, as each student's progress is celebrated on their unique learning journey. Jim Eagen has been instrumental in fostering this inclusive and caring community. His genuine concern for the well-being and growth of every member of the community is readily apparent and greatly appreciated.
Submitted by parent on September 25, 2023

Synapse has been a transformative experience not only for our children but our whole family because of their SEL program. The SEL program is unlike any other school's since it's integrated throughout the curriculum and the whole community - even we, as parents, take Parent SEL classes. The teachers are amazing - knowledgeable, kind and have built strong relationships with the kids. Even as graduates, they miss their Synapse curriculum and their teachers! I love the nine Synapse Learning Outcomes so our kids not only learn the subjects but also things like the importance of Iteration, how to take Risks to avoid perfectionism or understand Perspective where they learn to share theirs but also can listen to others and understand their impact. I can see how learning these skills with SEL has empowered them to be confident speakers, lifelong, enthusiastic learners, and thoughtful, reflective, empathetic people. I'm impressed with how prepared they were for high school - not only with thriving academically but also as independent thinkers with a strong sense of self. As a parent, you want your kids to be cared for and for them to grow to become good, intelligent, confident people - Synapse has been that partner for us.
Submitted by other on September 28, 2021

I attended Synapse from 2nd grade all the way up until 8th grade. There are some really great things about the school like the teachers, minimal standardized testing, minimal homework, leadership opportunities, and overall culture but the cons far outway the pros. I also recognize that students (and their parents) want different things out of a school and that just because I didn't like Synapse, that doesn't mean that it won't be a good fit for your student. The biggest problem with the school is its "project-based learning." The majority of projects didn't actually help us learn anything and just served as busywork. For example, in our seventh-grade humanities class, we had to create and perform a musical about a landmark supreme course case. We had to write a script accurately summarizing the debates in our assigned supreme court case, cover a song and write lyrics relevant to the case, as well as design props and costumes for our live performance. This took over two months, was fun for very few students, and didn't teach us anything. This is just one example of the terrible projects we were forced to complete that thought us absolutely nothing. One of the other problems is the horrible math curriculum. They claim that after attending Synapse for 7th and 8th grade you have learned the core concepts of algebra 1, but that is definitely not true. I had to take algebra one on khan academy because we spent most of math class making topographical maps and parabolic cookers without learning any of the underlying concepts. I truly can not think of one thing that I learned in 7 years of Synapse math that was useful or I didn't have to re-learn because they thought it so poorly. The CS curriculum is a joke. For the first two years of CS, we learned different coding languages before settling on Snap, a rip-off of scratch that isn't useful in any way. After four years of CS at Synapse, I have no knowledge of any CS language that will actually be useful. There are also no grades. While some people like this, I personally don't think this is a good reason for a few reasons. The first reason is that students will have grades in high school and need to understand how to study for tests, and how to get good grades in general. This also makes students unmotivated to do put effort into assignments and focus in class.In my opinion, Synapse is more of an expensive daycare than an actual school where students learn and are prepared for high school.
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2021

We attended Synapse School for five years and experienced both the lower school and the middle school, and without question, would recommend this school. My kid received a solid academic education and they incorporated EQ (emotional intelligence) into their daily life long past when they attended Synapse. The EQ curriculum is woven into every lesson and when my child went to high school, we saw the full program bloom into action when they used EQ to navigate and problem solve in academic and social situations. My child didn't have issues coming up to speed with the rigor of public high school and we have been told, and our child has been told, that they are the type of student teachers want in their class. My child is at ease when talking with teachers and collaborating with other students. They participate and fully engage in the subjects. We attribute many of their coping skills like optimism, self-advocacy, and critical thinking to the foundation that Synapse provided and that has been so necessary for navigating this past year due to Covid. The teachers are excellent people and educators, and my child was more than prepared academically for high school. In addition, having great adults around your child in middle school was key as they become more independent and look for other sources of advice. We also found the teachers' creativity and kindness as upsides to our kid's experience at Synapse and that really made the projects and content come alive.
Submitted by parent on October 20, 2020

Took us two years and came to realize this school is great at marketing and advertising but not about "walking the talk". They know all the buzz words to attract the wealthy elite of Silicon Valley into believing that what they hear is actually true. "Innovation", "change makers", "cutting edged", it's more or less a gimmick with no substance. We signed up for SEL for the most part, the school tour was amazing but in reality, the SEL is the biggest joke. Kids share how they feel in the morning but with no follow up. Conflicts among kids happen all the time and again, the SEL lead just dismissed the case or gave you a lip service. They have some good teachers but most are very cold and inexperienced. When you go to a private school, you want something that you can't get from a public school but Synapse failed to offer anything other than smaller class size.
Submitted by parent on August 14, 2018

I have four kids and they have all attended Synapse School. We love the EQ program (it's real!) and the integration of EQ into every lesson. I love that EQ gives parents, teachers, and kids a common language of empathy and thoughtfulness for communicating about all sorts of subjects.The teachers at Synapse are exceptional and the "secret sauce" in the school's overall success. They are hardworking, creative, and have EQ in spades. The teachers create a brand new curriculum every trimester, and the whole school has an overall theme and a Changemaker, whose core messages and lessons are also intertwined with all the classroom experiences. The school also creates a Personal Education Plan for each child which sets goals, tracks progress, and creates a wonderful narrative record of your child's learning. I love the true project-based learning methods used where kids start their lessons with a question and learn through experimenting and projects to find the answers.The Middle School solidifies intrinsic motivation, executive function, self-advocacy, and critical thinking which are all skills that my children have used a ton in high school. Having wonderful and solid adults in the Middle School that kids can talk to as they cruise through early adolescence is very comforting to me as a parent. The social environment is developmentally appropriate and there are really nice friendships between boys and girls.My kids want to go to school every day at Synapse. My children who have graduated are doing very well in high school, academically strong and socially and emotionally healthy. I have been very happy with our experience.
Submitted by parent on October 06, 2017

Synapse is a wonderful school--my daughter loves going there every day and is thrilled with her experience.
Submitted by parent on July 14, 2017

Our 2nd year at Synapse is over and we're off to summer. I've decided to reflect, and post here, because 3 years ago when we were looking for schools I would have appreciated it. Synapse has many strengths. The staff is passionate. They work hard and give it their all. There's an excellent energy. The curriculum is creative, and I'm inspired by it. Other 5 star posts detail more positive aspects, but omit areas of concern. Primary concerns I describe in the learning differences and leadership sections. Other concerns seem minor in comparison. Many teachers are very inexperienced. The facilities aren't great. These we did know coming in. As I get to this point, I'm unsure if we'd re-enroll. But, that was decided in January and we're paid in full for a year. This fall we'll see how synapse goes, and take a closer look at our public schools and other private options to decide for next year. I hope this review helps others have a more complete picture and a starting point for questions to have in mind when evaluating schools.
Submitted by other on May 11, 2017

Synapse is no longer a school for gifted children. It is still widely misunderstood as a constructivist school for gifted children. It should make it clear to parents and other schools that it no longer is. In reality, Synapse prefers kids with an IQ of 120 over 135+ because those with an IQ of 120 or lower are easier to manage. It started out with an honorable mission to help the gifted ones who think and learn differently. Unfortunately, for economic reasons, it decided to expand the market to include gifted and non-gifted. Parents of non-gifted children start to voice that the gifted children are the problematic ones with issues (of course, that's why there should be a school for gifted children.) On top of that, some teachers and administrators are tense and very robotic in their handling of children. Many things seem rushed and rigid. It's not quite right to have people believe that this is a school for the gifted, while in fact Synapse admits so many kids who are not assessed as gifted. Furthermore, some children are quite hyperactive and impolite - destroying other kids' projects.
Submitted by parent on April 08, 2017

We were attracted by EQ, academic diversification, but the staff do not practice the EQ they preach, and diversification is lacking. They've lowered goals of helping students with potential to instead attracting children of the most successful at silicon valley companies. The last few years have paid off for the school in this regard, but at a cost. Social dynamics have become strained. Young children showing potential to be significant change makers aren't accommodated, there isn't diversification, the school relies on requesting families to provide tutors. Two families were recently pushed out, reporting little warning and harsh treatment. The school did not comment - just sent children home with confused messaging.
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2016

Our daughter is thrilled to be at school. She thrives with the integrated curriculum. Each year, the school has a change maker and they build curriculum around it. This year, Benjamin Franklin is the change maker. In English, this ties to journalism and writing. In science and math - innovation and problem solving. In social studies, they focus on aspects of American history. Each level develops this theme in an age appropriate way. Moreover, our daughter knows how to self-advocate. She knows how to RESPECTFULLY make her needs known as part of the 6 seconds SEL integration. Academics- her reading and writing continue to progress and her math is ahead of our friends at other schools. She LOVES math and the teachers individualize math learning so that all kids are met at their level.