Mentoring Academy - Berkeley, California

Fumi Okiji

Mentoring Academy is a really wonderful learning environment that takes individualized learning very seriously. Relationships between staff and students set the foundation for a collaborative journey driven as much by the student. My son is thriving there. He is gone from a student who questioned and doubted his capabilities to being a so well-equipped to take on any learning challenge that is thrown at him. Highly recommend. Do check out one of the frequent information sessions and/or visit the school to see for yourself, if you are considering Mentoring Academy for your child.

Lori Furman

My son is beginning his fourth year at Mentoring Academy this Fall and I couldn't be more thrilled with his experience. Since preschool, he's been enrolled in small, progressive, independent schools. Those programs have emphasized important developmental social/emotional topics, but usually at the detriment of academics. With Mentoring, you don't have to choose. My son follows the "twice exceptional" or 2E profile...he struggles with anxiety and executive functioning but is academically gifted. His small class sizes (3-6 students to one "mentor") enable a safe environment for learning and the teachers have the bandwidth to tailor the work to provide enough stretch or scaffolding. Sophomore year my son needed a bit more challenge with English. Hi teacher assigned him reading by Foucault (!!) with an report for extra credit. He loved every minute of it. He is supported, challenged and most of all SEEN at Mentoring Academy. We are so grateful for the individualized attention he has received. Our son is thriving...
Oh, and one more thing...they have an excellent college counselor who can dedicate ample one-on-one with your child to work on school selections, applications, essay, etc. Try that with a senior class of 400 kids!
#giftwithpurchase

Reece Halpern

Mentoring Academy was definitely an important factor in the transformation that resulted in our son graduating from high school and receiving a generous merit scholarship to a great university.

Prior to entering Mentoring Academy our son was enrolled in a “good" public school. However, he found the public school instructors and curriculum uninspiring and this lead to a significant "failure to thrive." Our son’s unhappiness with school resulted in him totally abandoning his previous joy of learning and we became concerned he would never graduate from high school. We began desperately searching for an alternative that would reignite our son’s academic potential and passion.

We met John Muster during a school tour for prospective students. After John spoke with our son for less than 20 minutes our son turned to us and said ”I could go to school here.” It would be disingenuous to say our son loved Mentoring Academy all the time, but I can honestly say that the individual attention and high quality of instruction reignited our son’s academic passion to the point that when he graduated he was transformed into someone we are confident will thrive in college and beyond. The transformation was miraculous and Mentoring Academy played a very important role in that journey.

Larry van Eckhardt

2019 Edit: Unfortunately, this school lost several of it's instructors in 2017 and 2018 and I can no longer recommend it as an alternative place of education. It got so bad that we transferred our son to another school, even though it was his senior year. Look long and close if you're considering this school. End of 2019 edit.
Mentoring Academy has been a blessing for my son. He's a young man who is very bright but learns differently than most. Because he is 'outside of the box', the traditional method used by most schools (especially public) caused him to fall behind. Fortunately my wife, after an exhaustive search, found The Mentoring Academy. From the Headmaster, John Muster, to all of the Mentors (they are not just teachers), this High School has allowed my son to learn in a way that suits his unique needs. Most importantly, the low ratio of 'mentors' to students helps to insure each student gets the individualized attention they require. I would recommend this school to any parent who has a student struggling to learn via a traditional approach. It may not be for everyone but it is certainly worth exploring (try a 'shadow day' for your child and have them help you decide). As an amazing added bonus, the school takes a yearly field trip (the last two years trips have been to Costa Rica and Poland), which provides a unique opportunity to learn from a more worldly perspective outside of the classroom.

Steve Hawk

Our daughter was struggling and getting lost at our local, big public high school and we made the switch to Mentoring Academy after sophomore year. They were able to turn things around and get the more individualized instruction and attention necessary to get back on track. Our daughter is now a freshman in college that likely would not have been possible without the support of Mentoring. Thank you for creating such a caring and thoughtful environment to challenge and inspire young minds.

Stacia Biltekoff

My child has been at MA for a year now and I can truly say that it has been a godsend. John Muster and the mentors care so much about every child's social emotional and educational growth. Other schools try to mold the child to for the school and here they mold themselves to fit your child. We feel so lucky to have found this wonderful school!