Aurora School 40 Dulwich Road, Oakland, CA 94618

"I've been an Aurora parent for 7 years. Consistent through the years has been the level of care and attention my family has received. Their aftercare program is fun and well staffed, so that my kids actually love to stay after and play. The school is small enough that all of the staff know and understand my children well, and are able to encourage them individually to grow as strong, caring, capable, independent thinkers. I'm so proud of the people they are becoming with the guidance they've received at Aurora. Just as important is the warm and supportive community of families and staff that we feel lucky to be a part of. Aurora is a nurturing environment committed to growing thoughtful and confident learners ready to tackle any challenge."

"Our kids actually want to go to school - whats up with that? We have to convince them to stay home when they are not feeling well. Let me tell you that's pretty different from my childhood experience of elementary school. Aurora school has a wonderfully positive and encouraging approach to education. A well-rounded curriculum nurtures heart, body and mind. My kids can mediate a peer conflict with skill and compassion one day, and then teach me three different ways to work out a math problem the next day. I'm impressed. The educational approach is holistic as well as being academically rigorous. The children understand the inter-relatedness of of different fields of knowledge. Writing, history, science, and many other subjects are woven together in ways that capture the imagination. This fosters a deep appreciation of the multi-faceted world that we live in. And this all before they are even 10 years old! I wish that I had this kind of school experience when I was a kid. The staff is top notch, and truly bring out the best in each student. My very first impression of the school was that the children feel loved, as well as challenged. Top marks to director Abbie Koss and her vital crew of educators. They are making the world a better place, one amazing child at a time."

"Our family has been part of the Aurora community since my oldest daughter entered Kindergarten 6 years ago (and our younger daughter is now there as a 2nd grader). We *love* this school!! The staff are universally amazing -- intentional, caring, philosophically aligned (i.e. strong believers in progressive education), passionate about education. The parent community is wonderful as well -- welcoming, full of support for all different kinds of families, loving towards their kids and each other. Classes are small, there is an amazing array of “specialist” classes (art, music, yoga, woodshop, Spanish, P.E., library, computers), and the mixed grade classroom structure is simply magic! (K/1 is combined, as are 2nd/3rd grade, and 4th/5th grade) The younger kids learn from and look up to the older kids, and the older kids get lots of opportunities to practice being kind teachers and leaders. Finally, Aurora has been teaching a strong socio-emotional curriculum since its inception in 1988 -- they are experts at this, and I am always impressed by how much more emotionally aware my kids are as a result of this (they teach actual “tools” to help kids deal with feelings and conflicts with friends -- something I wish more grownups would use!!). Aurora is not exactly geographically close to us, but it has been an incredibly wonderful experience for our family -- totally worth the commute!"

"Our children have thrived at Aurora. Each is quite different from the other and each considers it "their" school and not simply the school their parents have chosen for them. Individualized education at its progressive best!"

"We have been at Aurora for 6 wonderful years, with 2 more to go. Aurora has been the perfect fit for our family, and our children. The staff is encouraging and support, always. The students are encouraged to be independent thinkers, to challenge, as well as to be kind and inclusive. Both of our children love to learn, are voracious readers, and hate to miss a day of school. It's a small setting, with a lot of individual care & attention."