Cinnabar Charter School

Our son is starting 7th grade after attending for the past two years. He loves going to school which is music to our ears. Due to the project based approach in the science and technology subjects, there is little to no homework. Students and families have less stress, yet the kids are still learning the most important things: how to think critically, work in groups, solve problems and interact with their peers and teachers in a respectful and kind manner.

I think the info on this school is a bit dated. We are new this year to Cinnabar, but so far, we are very impressed with the quality of the academics and teaching staff. Ms. Kern is new to the school this year, and while I haven't had a lot of interactions with her, my impressions are that she is very level-headed and carefully considers all elements before making any conclusions. In my book, that's a trait of a great leader. Saying all this, though, I know it's not for everyone. The school is small. Thus, one problem with one kid can affect the entire group (like family). For kids dealing with issues, the school seems to take a very accepting approach (that is great if it's your kid, but if you expect perfect kids, look somewhere else). I summarized it recently like this: It's not perfect--it's *real*. So many schools chase an ideal, which has led to disappointment (my experience), but this school seems to accept the beautiful along with the reality, and it works. I also appreciate (GREATLY) that this school does not nickel-&-dime you to death and wildly appreciates contributions in any form (time or money), but all without the typical guilt trip offered by so many public schools.

Horrible. The administration is oppressive and the handful of quality teachers are locked into the policies of "common core standards." Art, physical education, music, and computer literacy are advertised as backbones of the curriculum but in reality they hold no value to the current principal. What does hold value is the annual STAR test, which could help to remove the stigma of the school's "program improvement" classification. And as our children were driven to achieve high test scores, they were bullied on the playground with no repercussions for their aggresors. There is almost no parent participation and the PTA has dwindled to faculty and members of the board of trustees. In fact the last three PTA presidents transferred their children to other schools.

Cinnabar Elementary School was Petaluma's first elementary school, founded in 1859. It celebrated its 150 year anniversary in 2010 with a large festival.