Orinda Intermediate School

Posted: May 29, 2025

This is a fantastic middle school. My child has had a wonderful first year and I couldn’t be happier as a parent. Amazing extra curriculars, tons of sports, great advanced math classes. We’ve loved the first year experience. The principal of 13 years is moving on and the new one coming in- is local and has been given high regards. Very excited. Don’t hesitate to send your kids to the orinda schools so far we are 2/3! Haven’t hit miramonte yet.

Posted: May 29, 2025

Posted: May 29, 2025

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Posted: May 23, 2023

There is a lack of on going education about bully at this school for 2 years.

Posted: May 23, 2023

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Posted: August 22, 2022

This overall very clean no trash on the floor once i gradated I won the lottery because they give free and the electives are the best you have ever seen
the restrooms are the cleanest of them all.

Posted: August 22, 2022

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Posted: April 22, 2022

Would NOT recommend school, horrible classes and teachers.

Posted: April 22, 2022

Posted: January 14, 2020

I don’t really know. I don’t know.

Posted: January 14, 2020

This was ok and the education level was good. Could improve.

Posted: January 14, 2020

No homework. There is barely even school work.

Posted: January 14, 2020

Pretty good. Help out sometimes, but don’t always challenge us.

Posted: January 14, 2020

Ehh. Sorry, but not really. Kids just do whatever.

Posted: January 14, 2020

“Get a real watch”. This is what our AP principal said to us about Apple watches when she was wearing one HERSELF!

Posted: August 20, 2019

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Posted: August 20, 2019

Overall our experience has been excellent (we have a 7th grader).

Posted: November 16, 2018

My sister's teacher's were awfull but mine were good.

Posted: November 16, 2018

I was bullied alot and the school didn't do anythng to stop it. The kids and parents a snobby and have no personality.

Posted: November 16, 2018

They don't know how to control the kids and they hire awful teachers who are either cruel or don't challenge the kids.

Posted: November 16, 2018

They neglectd my ADD plans and whenever we met with them they never kept promises.

Posted: November 16, 2018

I was bullied for years and EFO schools don't know how to help it.

Posted: November 16, 2018

This school is indescribably awfull. We left berkley expecting phenominal schooling and great success. Howeve this school does not deserve it's praise and I give it -2 stars.

Posted: November 16, 2018

They don't give any homework. They don't challenge students and leave us with nothing to do. In high school when we are bombarded with homework the kids won't be prepeared.

Posted: July 24, 2018

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Posted: July 24, 2018

Glorietta is a terrific school with great teachers, administration and parent network. It was rated a California Distinguished School in 2018. I feel my children are getting a private school education at a public school. The after school program for working parents is amazing as are all the extra curriculum that is sponsored by the PTA (computer, spanish, PE, library, healthy lunches, art and music, etc...)

Posted: July 24, 2018

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Posted: April 16, 2018

If I could pay to go private I would have left!

Posted: April 16, 2018

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Posted: April 16, 2018

Posted: April 16, 2018

The principal needs to go, he does not have best interest if student at heart

Posted: April 16, 2018

They did everything possible to deny services and avoid diagnosis. Most families go to private schools because they give up

Posted: April 16, 2018

Only on the surface. Kids who are bullied receive no support and do not feel they can get assistance

Posted: September 6, 2017

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Posted: September 6, 2017

Posted: September 6, 2017

We first moved to Orinda thinking it has great schools - at least that's what people say. School test scores were good; what this website and others fail to tell you is how unprepared your child will be compared to other children in the Bay Area.

After we moved down to Silicon Valley (due to my job), I realized my kids were
inadequate compared to the students here (Sunnyvale).

At OIS, they rarely got any homework - maybe 15mins a day, if that. All the parents were pushing their kids into sports, hoping that their child will become a sports super star - how rare is that?

Anyway, my kids were behind in math, science and english. I had to get them private tutors for a whole year so that they can catch up to the other kids in their grades. Urgh!!! Sunnyvale kids were above any other kids I have seen in Orinda - writing computer code in Java and C, making apps, typing instead of pecking (they taught them how to type in elementary), doing advance science, doing advance math, list goes on... Even the math text books were another level - the math curriculum at OIS is a joke (and my kid was in the accelerated math program). Most kids were doing the "Art of Problem Solving" books.

Why people think Orinda has good schools - academically it's so far behind other schools in the Bay Area. People don't realize how competitively people are pushing their children in other neighborhoods.

If you want your kid to be a sports star (or have dreams of your child becoming a pro-athlete) and don't really care about academics - send them to Orinda.

Posted: September 6, 2017

Posted: August 21, 2015

My special needs daughter had all her needs met here. There was a great peer mentoring program where other students helped the special ed students. My daughter developed great friends through this program. Teachers were very helpful and committed. We moved into the district at the 5th grade level and we were glad we did. No bullying here as in our prior district.

Posted: August 21, 2015

Posted: August 21, 2015

Posted: August 21, 2015

The programs such as others first and peer mentoring encourage students to be good citizens

Posted: October 8, 2014

I have two sons that attended Orinda Intermediate School(OIS) The school does well for the most part working with children and the teachers are great. That said, I learned early on that the Admin pretty much blows, Most kids have grown up together and are very clicky, if your child has had any issues in the past they will be multiplied here. They say they don't accept bullying but it's the norm in Orinda, If you complain about anything and rather than fixing the problem your child may receive a days suspension or detention (my son fought back after being picked on by the same group of kids), sports are a great solution and there are some clubs. Principal was friendly with wax lips and it seems that most of the problem with the school comes from the wealthy elite that are guaranteed to be his star pupils and receive kudo's at advancement ceremonies.. The school has major communication problems with Miramonte High School for when it is time to move forward. My advice is Boost, Boost, Boost and boost some more!

Posted: September 4, 2014

I went to this school... Our parents moved from Sunnyvale thinking that going to a school in a small neighborhood would be great. What they didn't realize is how small this neighborhood is. Some of these kids in this school went to preschool together. Let me rephrase that - they have known each other since preschool. How can someone that just moved in, fit in? They are two groups of people - the ones that fit in because they have lived here all their lives and the ones that don't fit in because they didn't grow up here. I never got to fit in - maybe because I was Asian with an Asian name (hey I have asked many times for my parents to give me an American name!!!). If you are Asian and are thinking of sending your Asian American teen age daughter, please do not send them here. I had such a dreadful time trying to fit in. I tried everything - coloring my hair, having an English "nick name" - "Sharon" instead of Shan, trying various clubs - nothing helped. Nothing. I am not saying they are racist. They are not. Just that if you didn't grow up here, you are not part of them. You will never be. Never. No matter how much you try. Never...

Posted: January 5, 2013

I think many in Orinda have their rose tinted glasses on. OIS is plagued by a mix of great, good and teachers who should NOT be teaching any longer. It's been a mixed bag for us. My child's core teachers have been excellent, however, his math and science teachers have not been. We are currently having to tutor him in math because there have been so many subs. We are now trying to get our 2nd child in private school because we don't want him to experience the same mediocre teaching, large class sizes and a cycle schedule that is not conducive to flexibility and electives. Lastly, OIS only teaches two languages: French and Spanish. Where is the Mandarin and Latin? Due to scheduling our son did not get any electives in 6th grade and missed out on having a language and art. Very sad when literally $350,000+ of parent funds go to extra curricular activities. The one thing I am impressed with is the principal, Michael Randall. He truly cares and works hard to find solutions when you approach him. However, bad teachers are still protected by the teachers union. See the movie, "Waiting for Superman" on that subject.