based on 16 reviews
Challenger
19950 McKean Road
San Jose, CA
95120
(408) 927-5771
By: parent
Date: February, 2007
Our daughter is in Pre-K at Almaden and will be starting K in fall 07. We could not be more pleased. We compared Williams and Graystone (via class visits, tours, research, etc) before making this decision. We are pleased that the majority of students are of color and that the level of graduate education amongst parents is very high. These were two key variables that factored into our decision. If your child is focused, likes structure and you expect them to excel academically, then this school is for you.
By: parent
Date: June, 2006
the academics are good,with a well rounded art,music and sports program available year round.parent involvement depends on the individual teachers.
By: parent
Date: June, 2006
This is definitely a great school! They really take care of the academics and in my opinion that's most critical part for any child during this development stage. I will sincerely recommend this school.
By: parent
Date: April, 2006
Both of my children have been going to Challenger since they were 3 years old. They love it. They are in first grade now and the academic load is really noticable for my child that works slowly. However, for my faster worker, the homework is no problem. I really love that they focus on academics and don't waste time with any political or social programs. They do, however, instill a sense of patriotism and kindness to others through songs and reading material. They also study art, computers, music and afterschool programs. The atmosphere at school is friendly, but strict. Every day when I drop them off, they are greeted by name with a hug from a teacher. They are not allowed to talk while eating lunch. Lots of drills with fun music. They always come home happy--but exhausted.
By: parent
Date: March, 2006
The best thing about the school is that my kids have learned a lot in reading, writing, singing. My kids like the school, and they enjoy the learning. I don't think I have enough chance to meet other parents.
By: parent
Date: March, 2006
very happy about the Challenger school program, both my kids attend the Harwood campus and I am planning in keeping them there until 8th grade.
By: parent
Date: February, 2006
This is my daughter's second year at Challenger. She started there when she was 3. The program is pretty academic. Last year she was working on learning her letter sounds this year she is learning to add and subtract small numbers and to blend sounds into words. The quality of the teachers seems uneven to me. That is last year her teachers were great, this year not so much. This may be because there was a large enrollement for her age group. I wish the program were more creative or flexible, but I don't think she feels pressured or anything. She has plenty of time to play with her friends and enjoys school and what she learns. Singing and music are a big part of the teaching process. The kids learn songs that teach them about dinosaurs, volcanos, presidents, etc. I hope they do more with rhythm next year.
By: parent
Date: February, 2006
Lack of diversity and extreme emphasis on competition as early as age 3 make this school unworthy of its' high costs.
By: parent
Date: February, 2006
Exemplary curricula and leadership. Glad we moved our 4 year old is enrolled.
By: parent
Date: December, 2005
Academics are very strong, My child started in PS and is in Kindergarten. Academics on par with schools in Los Altos and Cupertino (based on anecdotal discussion with parents in those school districts). My child enjoys her time at Challenger and she is being exposed to a lot and learning so much. In addition to strong academics, in PS and Kinder, kids do spend time daily with music (singing) and art (related to what they are learning). I cannot speak to issues with middle school that were stated. They do have a new principal this year so I hope any issues are fixed. I'd have to agree that the school is not very diverse, (my daughter has not noticed she is a minority here). But families are the same in that they value an education that focuses on providing a solid academic foundation.
By: parent
Date: September, 2005
I would highly recommend this school for anyone with preschool and elementary aged kids. My kids started here and the teachers have this 'gift' of opening up the kids minds and make learning fun. The atmosphere is happy and the kids really love it here.
By: parent
Date: July, 2005
I would not recommend for you to send your child to this school. I have sent my child to Challenger at two other locations. I was not pleased with this school. Some of the teachers are not very friendly or professional. They arent willing to work with your child. It's always about homework and competing for the best scores putting too much pressure on the child. If your child falls behind then that is too bad. There is no help in sight. You are on your own. As for the principle, I was not impressed with the him either. You pay Challenger so that you end up doing the homework/projects for your child. Why? The homework they provide is so unrealistic thus the name Challenger. Also, the grading is biased. Your money will not be well spent here.
By: parent
Date: July, 2005
This is the worst school I have ever seen with worst management.The management is very arrogant. Teachers either lacked the teaching experience or remained abscent for many days during school year. The substitutes were so bad that they would just come and sit in the class and do nothing. There is too much favoritism in every aspect of school life. It is very demoralising to the young mind of your kids if he/she is competitive by nature. We felt that we wasted our hard-earned money and on top of it were treated badly.
By: parent
Date: April, 2005
Great for academics. Not much for social, emotional,or extracurricular activites. Not very diverse.
By: parent
Date: March, 2005
This school is one of the worst amongst the challenger schools. It has very few students in middle school, and has constant changes in school teachers. There is also a lot of boosterism, with certain parents unduly influencing their children through constantly working with teachers and biasing them in their evaluation of kids. I would not recommend any parent to send their kid to a school where teachers do not fairly evaluate a student, and are influenced by parents. This bias is obvious and very open, and other students see this behavior and get very de-motivated.
