My stepson has attended Russell Bede since 2nd grade (four years now) and I can't say enough about it.The small size (18 students max) and the location (in a renovated Victorian home) provide a warm and nurturing environment that has allowed him to grow and blossom into a confident, outgoing and popular child despite a long list of learning difficulties. The teachers are unfailing patient. The administration works hard to provide all the advantages of a larger school with all the plusses of a small one. And the parent community provides the rest to ensure a great academic and social experience for the kids. During his time at Russell Bede, my stepson has transformed from a 1st grader who cried regularly in the classroom and had difficulty making friends into one who loves to learn and loves to hang out with his school buddies. It's been wonderful to watch.‎

When my daughter Maria started Russell Bede as a second grader she couldn't read or write more than a few words and was very weak in math. Russell Bede's small class size, patient teachers, and structured learning environment gave Maria the direction and time she needed to learn. She developed self confidence and a very positive attitued about school. She made some long lasting friends and loved ALL her teachers. In addition to the core classes, she love the P.E, drama, art, lunch-time stories read aloud by the teachers and the field trips. Russell Bede provided a very effective learning environment and squeezed in plenty of time for socializing and fun. Maria still has a learning difference, but she understands it and knows how to handle it. She is now a very orgainized 6th grader in the public school, reading at close to grade level, writing much better, and enjoying all the usual 6th grade activities.‎

My learning-disabled son struggled in first grade in a Palo Alto elementary school, and their only suggestion was to hold him back. Within weeks of transferring to Russell Bede, he was much happier and keeping up academically. Russell Bede has 6 students in each of three classes. The teachers and principal are highly skilled and dedicated, have decades of experience, and are incredibly nice. I hate to think how my son would have fared the last four years in a public school.‎