Marin Preparatory School

Our daughter started in TK at Marin Prep in 2012 and we’ve been thrilled with her progress. Simply put, she is thriving at this school. Class sizes are small and all classrooms have a lead teacher and an assistant teacher. This allows students to get focused attention. She is learning English and Spanish and we are amazed at the level of Spanish she has picked up in her three years at Marin Prep.
The school uses the project based learning approach which is clearly working for our daughter and her peers. The innovative teaching methods are amazing. Teachers focus on the interests of the children and capitalize on them to motivate their learning. For example, most of the kids in my daughter’s classroom have become very interested in the Magic Tree House book series so the teacher created a book club focused on that to motivate reading. And the parents took initiative to build a tree house that is now permanently installed in their classroom, which is the perfect quiet nook for reading time.
To quote one of my daughter’s school projects, «My animal symbol is a butterfly because I changed from a shy girl to a confident girl.» I credit Marin Prep 100% with her metamorphosis.

Our son is thriving in K at Marin Prep. It is one of the very few options in private schools that focuses on language. No, it’s not immersion, but my son is speaking and understanding more in 3 months at MPS than he did over 3 years in immersion preschool. If you buy into the notion that there is a definite ‘window’ for learning languages you need to check it out.
Even if you aren’t interested in language, think of the language part as a plus to what is a fantastic school even before you layer the language in: small class sizes, 2 fantastic teachers to a class, lots of after-​school clubs (theater, music, engineering, etc.), adorable facility, etc.

This review has been long overdue. Simply put, our daughter loves Marin Prep. We have been at Marin Prep for 5 years and are very happy with the school, teachers and the parent community. Her spanish language development has been phenomenal and she is thriving in the loving learning environment of the school.

What they call «Spanish infusion» is more like English with lots of Spanish classes. But this won’t get your kid accepted into the hip dual-​immersion programs at SFUSD. There’s not enough time to develop a second language in this context. But you’d get middle class families only, which is in itself an education. Diversity is something you won’t be getting here.

Last September, we enrolled our son at Marin Prep and have never looked back. We have been extremely happy with the school and our family is excited to be part of an energized, dedicated and supportive community.
One of the priorities for us right now, in terms of our child’s school experience, is his teacher, their connection to each other, and the level of engagement in his classroom experience. Had we waved a magic wand and wished for the best-​case scenario in terms of the above, we couldn’t have hoped for a better situation.
Our son’s teacher brings to her role a well-​balanced mix of enthusiasm, care, humor, intelligence, creativity, poise and the boundless energy required of someone in her position. She is genuinely understanding of and invested in each individual child’s development and success. (In addition to our own direct experience, we’ve also come to know from the other parents in our class the unique, creative ways she has made personal connections with each of her students.) Only someone who loves what they do, takes great pride in their work, and someone essentially «born for the role,» could commit to their position at this level. Under her guidance, in the past five months, our son has grown significantly in his academics as well as in his social and emotional development. And, from what we’ve witnessed and heard from other parents our experience is consistent throughout the school — across classes, grades and with other teachers. The amazing, talented and dedicated faculty at Marin Prep is one aspect that makes the school so outstanding.
In terms of Marin Prep as a whole, the advantages of being part of a still intimate but growing community are numerous. All faculty and staff greeted our son by his first name within the first couple weeks of school and, because there are multiple opportunities for all grades to interact throughout the day — via recess, lunch, the after school program, etc. — our son knows the names of all the other kids, and vice-​versa.
The school community extends beyond the students, teachers and administration to include a very active and supportive group of parents and families. Most are involved in a group or activity to support the growth and development of the school — committees, classroom activities, field trips, special events, etc. — all with the goal of creating a wonderful and engaging experience for the children.
Finally, the space itself possesses the charm of what feels like a 21^st Century version of an old-​fashioned school house. The school’s sun-​streamed, spacious rooms create an atmosphere that feels instantly upbeat, welcoming and safe. These are qualities our son picked up on instantly at the first Open House we attended — he didn’t skip a beat when we walked in the door and didn’t want to leave when it was time to go – and qualities we did not experience, at least not anywhere near the level we found at Marin Prep, at any of the other schools to which we applied.
Marin Prep has turned out to be an outstanding experience for our son, and we look forward to many more wonderful years at this dynamic school.

Our son joined Marin Prep in Sept 2011. We have been amazed at his growth and development in such a short time. We were enthusiastic about the Spanish Infusion program the school embraces and looked at several schools offering Spanish language or immersion programs but this was the best fit for us all as a family. We never expected it to flow as broadly and naturally as it does across all aspects of daily school life and as much as it does into our life outside of school. The teachers; both native Spanish speakers and those with Spanish as a second language are all fluent and have such a passion for what they do it is a joy to walk in the door each morning and be greeted by genuine smiles and so much enthusiasm for the day ahead. There is no nagging at our house in the morning, all I have to say is — we have to go or we’ll be late for school — and he has his shoes on and bag in hand at the door. He even likes to get there early, for a quick run outside in the playground at the school or to just hang out in the assembly area with children from all classes and age ranges.
The older children actively play with younger and vice-​a-​versa, something we didn’t expect but another benefit of getting into a school community while it is still growing. Our son has gained a great deal of confidence and a sense of self worth from such a simple thing as the older kids treating them as equals.
We enjoy it as well and are getting to know a broad mix of children and parents from different age ranges I probably wouldn’t normally in a larger school environment. It’s a great heads up and help getting to talk to the parents in the playground of children who are ahead of your own and makes for a larger and in a way more stimulating school community, when parents and children actively mix across the various age ranges.
Academically, we are constantly surprised by what they have achieved in such a short time and how much they have covered and delved into social, environmental and cultural awareness at the same time. The teachers set a high standard for acceptance, behavior and making good choices in all classrooms. This is importance to us and being mirrored and implemented across the school makes it a great environment generally for both the children and the faculty.
Personally we are more than happy — our kids are the luckiest right now. Getting in while the community is small and intimate, is great for their social development, they will be the ‘big’ kids of the future school community. The class sizes are small and for our son, it ticks all the boxes. He is getting to know all the kids, across all the classes and the adult faces of the parents. This is like the big family he’s always dreamed of but we’ve never had due to our travel and living away from family so long. The parents are active participants and manage the school committees, fundraising and after school sports teams hand-​in-​hand with the school. There are many and varied ways to contribute to the school as a parent, have a say and be involved. We feel so fortunate to be a part of it all.

We have two children at Marin Prep and have found many things to rave about. The first thing that distinguishes Marin Prep from other private schools is the Spanish Program. They have an innovative Spanish curriculum called «Spanish Infusion». Everything is taught first and foremost in English followed by Spanish. When my younger daughter in the pre-​K program learned her letters she learned them in English first, then in Spanish. Everyday verbal exchange is conducted in both English and Spanish with a focus on Spanish, English is sometimes used in this situation for clarity and/​or safety. Some of the faculty and staff are native speakers and for others Spanish is their second language. New vocabulary, phrases and basic conversation skills are taught every week starting with the youngest class on the first day. Slightly less intense than an immersion program, which this is not, Spanish is reinforced into all aspects of school life. The goal is to have the children fluent by the time they graduate from 8^th grade.
Both of our children have had extraordinary experiences thus far. Each were reading and writing within their first three months and the elder was doing fractions and algebra by the end of kindergarten. That said, the smaller (13) class size affords the teacher and assistant teacher the opportunity to challenge an individual student’s strengths as well as focus on areas where there is room to improve. We have had some outstanding teachers who inspire our daughters to reach for the stars and outfit them with the skills for a successful journey.
The greater school community has been very hands-​on. Parents have taken the lead setting up after school sports teams and activity clubs from participation in the various SF sports leagues to more specialized offerings like cooking and tae-​kwon-​do. We have enjoyed getting to know the other families through special events, class trips, school projects etc.
We have found everyone to be welcoming and enthusiastic and most importantly, our girls love going to school every day. We are thrilled to be part of this exciting new San Francisco school.