BASIS Independent Silicon Valley

I've been with BASIS for 3 years, and here is my opinion: The curriculum is far more advanced or intensive than any other school I have seen or known. The teachers try their best to help out struggling students, and their specialization in their subjects allows them to easily ease any confusing areas. Especially recently, BASIS has started getting rid of some lower quality teachers and replacing them with higher qualities ones, something which just about all students can support. The only problems I really have with BASIS are non-curriculum/teaching based, i.e. the building... those are minor anyways. But we really only come to BASIS only for the curriculum. Note: There are so many people at BASIS who complain about “stress,” which I fail to see a reason to. The main source of homework problems is not that there is too much, but rather people just don’t do it until right before they sleep. As far as I know, the majority of people who complain about homework just stay up till 1 browsing Snapchat or watching TV. If people choose to put no effort into their work, they can leave. Everyone else is perfectly fine with that. But it gives them no justification to complain about homework loads. -Salty Minty

Here are some things you need to be aware of before coming to this school. The food that they serve is inadequate and little is distributed. Also, it is hard to get from class to class due to the high number of students in the rather cramped facility. Furthermore, at this school recess does not exist and the only free period is lunch, where you must eat outside or at the cafeteria. I recommend eating at the cafeteria on the third floor because downstairs space is very limited and you are forced to eat on quite dirty tables. However, there are still some upsides to this school. The curriculum is quite challenging but not impossible, giving you an edge if you plan to switch out of this school and back to public school. The teachers generally teach the curriculum well but unfortunately with quite a load of homework. Finally, the facility, like I mentioned earlier, isn't really the greatest. "You will never know who I am"

The school overall gave me a great experience. The pros are the teachers and the first year material. Most teachers spend a lot of effort on their subject and teach in a very interesting manner. Because students are very stressed every day with the amount of information the teachers need to add some "flavor" to their subjects (aka jokes, activities, etc). Con: The school

Writing as a parent... BASIS is a college for school age kids. It teaches them taking responsibility for everything they do or don't do, and also requires they take responsibility. At a younger age these are the traits that don't come easily, therefore, adjustment is brutally painful for someone coming from a more relaxed school. Academics are strong and a few years ahead of the public schools in the area. Already in 5th grade, and beyond, students learn Biology, Chemistry, and Physics as separate science subjects - not as a general Sciences class. This leads to much depth. On the other hand, the teaching is too bookish and lacks experiential component. In middle school, there are hardly any labs in these science classes, and way too much memorization. This approach does not inspire but rather kills budding interest and curiosity a student might develop. Labs require physical, material infrastructure, which is costly and require maintenance. My impression is that this may be the reason the school administration is reluctant to integrate labs in the curriculum. They could take a cue from an after-school program in Silicon Valley called Rock-It Science, that teaches Physics and Chemistry by doing. PE is not compulsory after 6th grade, but an elective. Somehow, as such, it is perceived by students as "not cool"; therefore, most don't sign up. Playing the ball game of four squares in a small school yard on the artificial grass is not quite the same as playing basketball, or whatever other game, in a spacious gym twice a weeks. Shame... Clubs: some clubs are a ruse to preselect a few very advanced students to compete against other schools in this or that subject/domain (e.g., Math Club). Although, the actual goal should be developing the interest, inspiring students. Clubs are for a fee. Thus, students pay to have a chance to be included in a school team that later competes at the county, state, and national levels, reaping accolades for the school. This does not seem right, although it's very clever indeed. On a bright side, the school offers opportunities to do music: orchestra and, separately, jazz music band. There are public recitals and performances, prepared and run by very good, dedicated music teachers. As a parent, I keep asking myself whether this school is the best way to invest $25k+ in my child's education. So far, my answer to this question has been "yes, BASIS Independent Silicon Valley is the best option available around." Yet, I constantly reevaluate all options while I wait for the school administration to adjust and accommodate my and other parents' gripes and feedback. The School regularly asks parents to give their feedback by way of answering a third party questionnaire. I am yet to see that my suggestions are considered.

As a former student of this school, I would not recommend. When I first joined BASIS, we were taught in a hotel for a month because the building had failed an earthquake proof examination. Constantly moving around was hard enough but inside a hotel was proven to be even more challenging. One getting into the school finally, It was cramped. With 8 grades cramped into a office building, people were constantly pushing and moving slowly. Good teachers were rare. I once had a Spanish teacher who taught us absolutely nothing. As a result, my spanish grade suffers to this day. We also had no recess, making it hard to focus. There was no ventillations and hardly any windows despite the outside look. Only the outside has windows. The campus was attempting to look very high-tec, but ended up failing miserably. The food line was so long, that I once missed the entire lunch waiting. My english teacher also had a prejudice against me because I liked to make people laugh. Any ties you ever had with friends would be cut off by a wave of homework. I think that 3 and a half hours worth of homework is a bit to much for a 5th grader. Overall, the design and structure of how BISV runs has many holes and errors