Chinese School of San Diego

This is a great school to learn Mandarin and Cantonese for students of all ages. Classes take place every Saturday from 8:30am — 12pm. The first half hour is an assembly where you learn about the Chinese culture, including important holidays and special events that come up. After that, the students break off into their individual study groups. Each level has beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes. And each class focuses on reading, writing, and speaking.
Throughout the year they have cooking classes as well as music classes where you learn to sing songs in Chinese. These are just a few ways they help you improve your language skills, by providing a well-​rounded learning environment. The school year goes from September to May, approximately 9 months. The price is reasonable at about $ 15 a Saturday session. And that’s for over 3 hours!!! The classes are small as well, about 2 — 5 students per teacher. And the teacher speaks Chinese the whole session, with limited English, which helps in your listening skills. You can also practice your Chinese with other students, teachers, etc, because there are over 100 students at the school! Most of the teachers who teach, also teach at the local colleges or high schools, so they are professional.
I have been studying Mandarin at the school for years, and my language skills have improved to where I am fluent. Learning Chinese is tough and it takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and a supportive and comfortable environment. The process is long term, and that is what I like best about the Chinese School of San Diego. It provides a long term learning environment at a reasonable price. Everyone is there to learn Chinese! And so the saying goes, «There is power in numbers!»
If you want to learn Chinese, or brush up on your speaking skills, this is the school to attend!

If you’re interested in learning Chinese (Cantonese and/​or Mandarin), look no further. This language school is the premier Chinese school in San Diego, having been around, I believe, since the early twentieth century (when it was under a different name). The current principal, Sally Wong, took over the school in the 1980s and properly re-​named it Chinese School of San Diego. She is very well-​known and highly respected in the Chinese community and also runs a Chinese Service Center which helps Chinese immigrants settle-​in upon arriving in San Diego.
The semester runs September through May, and class meets once a week on Saturday’s from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon. Tuition is only $ 500 for the entire year! I’ve been attending for several years and would recommend this school without hesitation for those interested in learning about Chinese language, culture, and history.
Classes offered include Cantonese and Mandarin for all ages in beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. What I especially like about this school is that every week from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. the entire school meets inside an auditorium for «culture time» where you learn about Chinese festivals, traditions, customs, music, and of the important people who had an impact on shaping China like the First Emperor, Lao Tzu, and Confucius. The classes are very enriching and will expand your mind, enabling you to experince what Chinese culture’s all about.
Pluses: small class sizes
outstanding instructors
learn about Chinese language AND culture
15-​min break with free snacks
accredited by the WASC
Minuses: no individual classrooms
lack of organization at times
A final note is that the campus is close to Convoy, the Asia-​town of San Diego, so after class you can cruise around Convoy for the perfect Chinese/​Asian cuisine, boba tea shop, colorful supermarket, or hot Asian guy:)