Presidio Knolls School

We’re so thankful our son got off the waitlist! He is now in his 2^nd year of preschool at PKS, and has grown so much during his time there. I cannot say enough about the dedication of school staff. The teachers have worked lovingly and attentively with our son (and us!) to get him to where he is today. The staff truly prioritize the school-​family partnership, and are always working with families to provide helpful behavioral strategies and ensure expectations for kids are consistent between home and school. Another strength of the school is the welcoming and caring community of families. Families help one another out and hang out together outside of school! Relationships extend beyond the classroom walls, and we are so happy for the friendships that we have formed as a result of being part of PKS. We would highly recommend this school to families looking for a strong Mandarin-​immersion program, devoted staff, and active and close-​knit school community.

I have two kids at Presidio Knolls and we are delighted with the school. We don’t speak Mandarin at home so I was a little apprehensive about the idea of Mandarin immersion and was focussing my search on Spanish immersion. But after two years at school my oldest son (4 and a half) is very fluent he proudly boasted recently that he spoke only Mandarin all day at school. My younger son is learning fast and after one year is catching up with his older brother. I have started taking Mandarin classes and now my sons regularly correct my pronunciation I suppose that’s a sign the school is doing a good job! Each day we receive an email update from the teachers giving an outline of the day in class, listing new vocabulary, quotes from the students and photos. The daily email is in English with Chinese too this is a fantastic way of seeing what your kids are learning and we use it to discuss their day at school at dinner time. Our experience at Presidio Knolls has been excellent the teachers are wonderful, very dedicated hard working and caring. The after school programs are very varied kids can take the usual types of classes such as soccer and gymnastics but if you want to explore some interesting alternatives there are classes in Chinese calligraphy and Lion Dancing. The parent community is also very active and welcoming from day one there were events organized to help families get to know each other and we have made many new friends through school. Thankfully we have no regrets about our choice of school and hope to see our boys gain complete fluency in Mandarin and guide us around Chinatown or maybe China some day.

Our son has attended PKS since 2011 — three years in preschool, one year in kindergarten and now he is entering the first grade. He loves the school, his teachers, his classmates, and even many of the parents of his classmates. The entire PKS community provides a loving and safe environment that acts as his fuel for learning. It is so comforting to see how happy he is at this wonderful school.
Our daughter has attended PKS since 2014 — she has really thrived in this unique learning environment where she can develop her Mandarin language skills and, more importantly, develop social emotional skills that are the foundation for future learning. It is great to see how happy she is at PKS!

I am the parent of a preschooler. We couldn’t be happier with the first year and eagerly await the start of the new school year. Our child flourished throughout last year, making many new friends and growing by leaps and bounds both emotionally and intellectually.
The teachers blew us away with their level of care and attention. I was frankly somewhat skeptical of the possible level of detail in a preschool but the 8:1 student to teacher ratio really provides a nurturing environment. At our first parent: teacher conference we were presented with literally an 8 page checklist that gave us insight to a level of detail that included above age level marks for jumping off of two feet but below age level for one foot! This is a somewhat trivial example but the point is that the teachers pay so much attention to the children that you feel very comfortable that your kids spend most of their weekday waking hours at the school.
We are very excited that we have found a long term educational option for our family as we plan to keep our child at PKS through 8^th grade (thereby preserving a little bit of our sanity by limiting the number of times we have to go through application processes).
If you are interested in progressive, bilingual education for your child with an energetic community around a school, you should consider PKS.

Our preschooler really flourished at PKS. The teachers are wonderful and warm. They really do care about the kids, and it shows! The student-​teacher ratio is fabulous so there’s always an adult there when needed, or simply just to do a project with. The teachers really follow the Reggio-​Emilia approach, which is really very different than traditional Chinese/​Taiwanese methods of teaching. However they do it quite well, in Mandarin, I may add, which I attribute to their dedication as well as the time the school also puts into teacher development. It really is a treasure of a school because I don’t know any other place that could pull that off. The teachers work really hard putting together a presentation for the families at the end of the year, highlighting the kids work. There are many late nights preparing this, as we have seen. They really view each child as special and give them the attention that they need. The teachers put a lot of thought into the parent-​teacher conferences, and give good detailed feedback. The English level of the teachers is good, so you shouldn’t have a problem communicating with them. The preschool director and the head of school are also quite excellent and professional.
The most wonderful thing about the school is the parent community. The parents are very involved in many aspects of the school. The administration embraces this very warmly. The board of the school is mainly parents also. Parents are active in the school, but this doesn’t necessarily mean a huge time commitment, unless that is something you are interested in. It’s really a warm and wonderful place, and I highly recommend this school.

My son loves the school. He is so excited in the morning he is rushing me out the door. He is upset when there is a holiday because he can’t go to school. He has learned so much more than just academics. The problem solving skills has been the best. My son applies those skills daily.
My son was reading below grade level when we arrived and after 4 months, he has completely caught up.
The staff and fellow parents are welcoming and helpful creating true community.

I can’t add much that hasn’t already been said by the other reviewers. I just wanted to reiterate that PKS is an incredible place that has some truly amazing and caring teachers. My kids have developed some much, both emotionally and intellectually. Each of the positive reviews are fairly representative of most of the other experiences. I could not recommend it more.

I have two kids at PKS, and they are both thriving. My daughter is in the kindergarten class, and my son is in the Maple classroom for 3 year olds. Neither of them had any Mandarin experience prior to entering the school, but that didn’t phase them in the least. My daughter has easily made friends and learned Mandarin already. We moved to San Francisco earlier this year from Seattle, and my daughter used to say that she wanted to move back. Now, she says that she wants to be in San Francisco during the school year so she can go to PKS and then spend her summers back in Seattle.
While my daughter had no problems adjusting to the new school, my son had a bit of a rough patch entering preschool for the first time. Even before he started preschool, I was worried about how he would adjust since he tends to be very clingy to me. We enrolled him in a week of camp at PKS before school to help him adjust, and sure enough, he cried and was unhappy about it. However, Simona, the director of the preschool, was AMAZING in helping him to adjust and become comfortable with preschool. She was his anchor and stayed with him every morning until he wasn’t upset anymore. She also sent us photos and called us so we wouldn’t worry about him. By the end of the week, he was happy to go to camp, and when school started, there were no tears at all! I refer to Simona as «the kid whisperer» now.
My husband and I chose PKS because it was a perfect combination of language immersion with a progressive educational philosophy. Neither of us are of Chinese descent nor do we speak Mandarin ourselves, but we both value Mandarin as a language for our kids to learn because of its difficulty and its growing importance in the world. When we were living in Seattle, we couldn’t find a Mandarin immersion school that also had a progressive foundation, so we felt like we had won the lottery when we came upon PKS.
We chose PKS also because we were very impressed with the director of the school, Alfonso Orsini. He comes with an incredible amount of experience, energy, and dedication that is rare in this world. Whenever I see him at school, he is always very hands-​on with the students. He helps in the classroom, plays with the kids before school starts, and even helps with lunchtime duties on occasion.
We’re really happy with the teachers as well. In my son’s preschool classroom, the 3 teachers are so loving, nurturing, patient, and animated. My son gives all his teachers hugs when he leaves, and he’s always so happy to see them the next day.
In my daughter’s kindergarten classroom, the teachers are great as well. We have one American male teacher and one female teacher from China. They make a great team, and they do a great job of teaching my daughter in Mandarin while making sure that she doesn’t get frustrated. I love how they’re teaching the kids more than just academics. There is a focus on independence, intrinsic motivation, and being a part of healthy and vibrant community of people.

We were not originally seeking an immersion program for our son’s Kindergarten, but we checked out PKS at the suggestion of a friend. I’m so glad we did!
PKS is great in a number of ways, but the three that stand out to us are the parent involvement, the administration, and (of course) the Mandarin program.
While PKS has hit its stride and has all of the amenities you’d expect from a private school in SF, it still has a «startup» feel in many good ways. Parents regularly take on projects that they think would make the school a better place for everyone. There are so many incredible ways to be involved (parent-​hosted lunches for the kids, volunteering to help with technology, fundraising, etc.) that it’s often hard to decide which ones to take part in.
The staff of PKS is excellent. Alfonso is more involved in the day to day goings on than any Head of School that I’ve met. He reads stories to the kids, plays with them in the courtyard, and accompanies them on field trips. One time we expressed a minor concern to Alfonso about our son. Alfonso took the time to meet with us and assure us that everything was going well. A few weeks later, Alfonso emailed us with a story of what he had observed our son doing that day, highlighting the progress he had made in the area we had been concerned about. We were very impressed that he not only took our concerns to heart, but observed and followed up. Alfonso also shares his vast knowledge of child development with the PKS families. We’ve learned a lot about how children learn, how to help with transitions, and what we can do to better support them from Alfonso. Similarly, the emails from the teachers have helped us feel involved in what’s going on in the classroom.
We were excited, but apprehensive, about our son learning Mandarin. Nobody in our family speaks Mandarin, and we had this vision of our son coming home every day saying «I have no idea what anybody was saying.» Luckily, that’s not how it works. The classes are balanced with kids who speak Mandarin and kids who don’t. The teachers have experience working closely with the kids who are new to the language. While it’s still early in the school year, our son is definitely picking up more than even he realizes. He’s proud that he’s learning something that even his parents don’t know and loves pointing out Chinese writing to us around town.
For many (including us), finding a school in San Francisco is a frustrating and infuriating process. I’m extremely grateful that we found PKS. It’s a true gem.

Our children have been at PKS for a little over a year now. Our older son was part of the inaugural kindergarten class and is now in first grade. Our younger son started in the preschool at age 3 ½. Neither had any exposure to Mandarin before they began attending PKS.
We have been thrilled with the school, and our children have thrived. They have very different personalities and different strengths and challenges, but the school, its ethos, and its staff and teachers have all contributed to help each of them blossom. Our older son is sociable and flexible, but a bit cautious and reluctant to try new things if he’s not sure he’ll be good at them (which turns out to be most things). PKS offers a supportive environment that encourages children to try and experiment and make mistakes — all of which has helped him grow so much more confident, able, and curious. He went from not knowing any Mandarin to being a very enthusiastic speaker, writer, and reader of Chinese. Moreover, he’s matured so much in the PKS environment that it is really heartening to see.
Our younger son is a less flexible character by nature, and he tended to get defiant at his old, more traditionally structured preschool. At PKS, though, he has really bloomed. The teachers are so well trained and are able to give each child individual attention, and they work with parents on anything your child is working on — all in a very loving, nurturing environment. He is a different kid now, and it’s amazing.
Both kids LOVE speaking Mandarin, and I also feel confident that they’re learning English, math, science, and all the usual skills at a level at or higher what they would have done at a non-​immersion school. The elementary English teacher, Maggie, is a real pro, and all of the kids in my older son’s class are reading at (or in some cases way above) grade level. The head of school, Alfonso Orsini, and the preschool director, Simona Chongo, are experienced, compassionate, and amazing at dealing with any issues that arise.
I cannot say enough about the PKS community of parents, staff, and teachers. Although it’s a private school, it has nothing in the way of an elitist, materialistic, or stuffy vibe. There are many two-​parent working families. Lots of people seem to work in technology, scientific research, medicine, nonprofits, and education. We love the urban location and the fact that the campus doesn’t end at the gate — the elementary students get out and about all over San Francisco in their units of inquiry, and I feel that it is making them confident, capable, and creative future citizens who will, most importantly, value the common good. I can’t recommend the school highly enough. Check it out!

When moving to San Francisco from Shanghai, we looked for a school that would give our daughter continued exposure to mandarin, but in a less traditional setting. We ve found that at PKS. She and her class mates are exploring different subjects, and mandarin is just the tool of communication.
Being from Europe it was important for us to have an international outlook and multicultural environment. In our daughter s class at PKS there are families from Chile, the UK, Russia, Taiwan, China and the US, as well as us from Sweden. Her Chinese speaking teachers are from China, the US and Ireland. We think this adds to her perspective of the world.
So, what about her reading and writing in English if she goes to a mandarin immersion school? Even as parents who is not a native English speaker, we needn t have worried. So far she and the kids in her class are beyond the national reading level standards, they are given tools to compose stories and help in writing their own; we re happy with the English curriculum.
The campus has great outdoor space. It s in a sunny part of the city, so they spend PE and breaks outside. It’s still new and open to parents’ initiatives in forming a great school for the kids.

It’s been three years since I first reviewed PKS, and our son is about to enter first grade and our daughter her final year of preschool. There’s one more week left of summer and they cannot wait for school to start, literally: «Can’t we just start this week??»
I continue to love the nurturing, child-​centered and project-​based Reggio approach for the young kids, which has transitioned spectacularly to an inquiry-​based academic curriculum at the elementary level. As different as my kids are, both are thriving. The faculty is phenomenal. The parent community is diverse, engaged and down-​to-​earth. Love this school.

It was with no small amount of trepidation that we enrolled our five year old daughter at PKS for their inaugural kindergarten class. In the previous months, Ron, Jeremy and, of course, Wendy had filled us with their commitment, vision and passion for the future elementary school. That vision was one of combining a Mandarin Chinese language immersion program with a progressive inquiry based teaching methodology. She would not be sitting at a row of tables memorizing her words and characters. Their vision allayed our fears: that the school would be too small to succeed; that the class would be a grand experiment doomed to failure and our child would languish; that in a couple of years when they inevitably closed we would be searching again for another school.
Not only was the school able to live up to that mission, it went well beyond our expectations due to the commitment of: a remarkably accessible head of school who earnestly listened to our concerns, a fantastic staff of teachers (three Chinese instructors, one English, one art, one music and one P.E.) who were nurturing, caring and responsive to each child’s learning needs, and to a community of parents who would volunteer time, energy and resources to the program. We would get weekly newsletter updates, some written rather hilariously by Teacher Matthew, that helped us see the progress of our child and helped us appreciate the school more.
The year was not entirely without its bumps and trials. Our child attended a Montessori preschool which was mostly populated by female classmates. So, she struggled with early socialization with her male peers, but through the guidance of her teachers and the head of school she was able to navigate through these difficulties. There have been other personal challenges, but we want to say again that the alertness and patience of the teaching staff, and Alfonso have made this one of the best choices we have made in our life.
I can’t imagine our little girl getting as much care and support elsewhere in helping her develop as a young student and person.
And, she is learning Chinese as well!

Our whole family loves PKS, it has been an incredible experience for child and parents. My daughter just finished her first year of preschool. We chose PKS because of its Mandarin immersion element and proximity to our house, but we love it now because of so much more (great community, parental involvement and enthusiasm in the school, great teachers and leadership).
Our daughter spoke only Mandarin when she started, and it is truly impressive how much the teachers communicate with the children in Mandarin, even for the non-​Mandarin speakers. We were a bit concerned at first about our child not developing English skills, but she picks things up on the playground, and has improved in both languages such that she can interpret for the Mandarin nanny when they go out. Don’t be worried if your kid has had no prior exposure to Mandarin, I think the majority of the kids are in that category, and they do just fine.
The community feels authentic and natural. We feel very comfortable with other parents, and can relate to them well. We were a bit hesitant about the private school privileged environment being too isolating for our kid, but we found that there was a range of family backgrounds, mostly seems like two working parents, very down to earth. Everyone seems to be really invested in the success of the school and our kids, and there is a genuine excitement about building a great school and community. The Head of School (Orsini) is at the entrance every morning I drop off my kid.
The campus is spacious and beautiful, which is rare in a dense urban environment. We’re excited about the expansion. I was not familiar with the «progressive» Reggio Emilia inspired program, but it seems to work really well for the preschool age. I’m curious to see what it looks like for the elementary school.
Overall we are super happy with PKS, and are planning to send all our kids there.

It’s been a couple of years since I wrote my last review, we’re still here, still happy, and in fact we’re staying for Kindergarten. My daughter has really blossomed at this school. While by temperament she is «slow to warm», at Presidio Knolls, with the wonderful, caring teachers and good friends that she has made there she has become quite confident and outgoing. She shows a curiosity about the world and how things work that is extremely exciting for me as that is how she will have to live her life. And she just loves the place.
Her Mandarin has continued to grow and grow. We took a vacation in China this Spring break (I hadn’t really been there before) and she was able to translate for us and help talk to people on our behalf. I remember one time we were taking a rowboat ride through the Xi Xi wetlands and trying to figure out what caused these circular holes in the river banks. She asked out boatman in Chinese, had a short conversation, then informed us that they were made by river crabs and that they were their «homes». That was pretty cool! She surprised me the other day at dimsum in Chinatown too, where she pointed to one chinese character on the bill and read it, then another one, and when I asked her what they meant she told me that this is where the big plates get stamped and this was where the small plates get stamped. Since we speak English at home (and I don’t speak any Chinese), she is getting this all from PKS.
I’d recommend the school to anyone looking for an inquiry based approach to education (vs a more «traditional» approach) and an international perspective.

Our son’s first year of preschool is over, and it has been great!
As much as I wanted to be (and resigned myself to being) a «Tiger Dad», it has been quite clear for some time that our son is not that kind of boy. So it was with some trepidation that we enrolled him in a «progressive» «Reggio Emilia» program that was just getting off the ground.
He grew up speaking Mandarin Chinese at home, and now his skills in Chinese (from school) and English (from all his new friends) are more than we could have hoped for. He is extremely happy going to school, and is always happy to see his friends outside of school. Every day at home when he is playing, he is always incorporating all the new things he has been learning at school.
The staff is excellent, and the teachers are extremely caring. The teachers especially are very accommodating with schedule change-​ups and such to accommodate busy parent schedules.

This is a really amazing school. Each of the 4 teachers in our 3 year-​old son’s classroom possess an astounding level of energy and enthusiasm for working in groups and one-​on-​one with the children, teaching, and most importanty, establishing a relationship with them. There is such a strong culture at this school of social learning — kids learning how to interact kindly and pro-​socially with one another.
I also really like the principal. A very friendly, experienced educator, who always seems to be present, and to take an interest in each child. I see him playing with them outside, and I know he also has a presence in the classroom at times. He always seems to have time for the crowds of kids that gather round him.
They do all of this in Mandarin, which seems to me not so much the subject they are teaching, but the medium through which it happens. The result is that my son now speaks Mandarin. After only one year there. It’s getting to the point where maybe 40% of what he says around the house, after one year, is in Mandarin. And although my wife speaks Mandarin, she didn’t really feel comfortable enough with it to speak with him before he went to school there. He only heard Mandarin with his grandmother before he started PKS. Now that he speaks it so much at school, and is coming home and speaking it to, she is starting to speak it with him, too, and it’s really cool to watch that ripple effect.
I really couldn’t be happier with this place and the people there. Thanks!

PKS has been one of the most rewarding communities that we have been involved with in academics. Our son joined when he was 3.5, now in his second year. Very strong administration, facility, parent network, and interesting & engaged children.
The teachers have amazing insights to our child — some that are surprising to us as parents. This tacit knowledge is only gained through careful observation, engagement with children, and good documentation & follow-​up. It has been a hands on + creative learning environment. The Chinese community was very welcoming to our family as we do not speak Chinese at home — this cut across culture and language both. Our son is better off for having this unique opportunity.

My boss’s daughter goes here and from time to time I pick her up. She never wants to leave.
Its an armed compound with a ten foot tall iron fence and a guard out front, but its lovely inside and looks like a high end European designer got a blank check to flesh out the details.
If you’re new to town and worried about public schools. This place will be your salvation.

It’s been over two years since I wrote my little review of PKS, and it’s about time to update.
My daughter graduated from the school in 2010, and is now in 1^st grade in a Mandarin immersion elementary school (public). She is truly thriving with a real love of learning, a strong toolbox of social skills, and a proficiency in Mandarin that awes me. I give much of the credit for all this to the teachers and staff of PKS.
My son, who is 3 years old, started PKS this past August, and so far, so good. The school has expanded greatly, nearly doubling in size. The community is very involved and invested in the success of the school, especially with the new expansion all the way up to 8^th grade underway. The newer teachers are passionate, sweet, and completely committed to creating a safe, fun, engaging environment for the kids. My family feels really lucky to be a part of this wonderful school.