Odyssey School

Our daughter, who is now on 11th grade at a private high school, was a student at Odyssey throughout all. middle school years. She benefitted enormously from how much she learned and how much more resilient she became. She has fond memories of Odyssey and continues to participate in school activities such as open house days. We chose Odyssey for a few reasons: 1) social emotional support and learning, 2) expeditionary learning, 3) strong academics, 4) small size. Odyssey is completely different to and better than other middle schools in our area. The small size allows the teachers to know the students very well. They know their strengths and areas for improvement, and they understand the emotional part of a middle school child. The school provides outstanding support in a safe and caring way that allowed her to grow through this potentially challenging time, a child becoming a teenager. The expeditionary learning is absolutely unique. Our daughter had virtually no experience with hiking and camping. In the beginning, she thought she would not be able to make it. In her last expedition, though, her class beat the school altitude record on Mt. Whitney, 11,000 ft. On that expedition, after a long day hiking, she texted me and said: 'I am completely exhausted, but I am persevering'. That's the resilience that the school helped build. The expeditions also came in handy when the world went into lockdown for COVID. Odyssey put together a robust plan to reopen, and it was in the very first wave of schools approved to do so in our area. The school put up large tents to function as classrooms, and incorporated hikes that were coupled with science and social studies classes. Being outdoors was safe, and healthy, and avoided the challenging Zoom virtual classes. How good is that? Finally, academics. I'll cite math as an example. Although she was not in the advanced math class, when she entered high school she was able to move up to the 10th grade classes as she had all the 9th grade requirements completed at Odyssey. In summary, if she had younger siblings they would definitely be going to Odyssey. It was the best thing we did for our daughter's education. I cannot recommend the school enough.

Both our boys graduated from Odyssey School in San Mateo (at different intervals) and the experience was great both times. Growing up through large public K-12 and then college, the academic bar in our families was always set high. Given Odyssey's size, I was initially a bit uncertain when we started the middle school search. However, a trusted friend and her husband (both Ph. Ds) had their son enrolled and were impressed by the Odyssey teachers so we decided to enroll. Once at school, the individual attention the boys received in those smaller classes really helped them grow in their own ways - so I'm a fan of small schools now. Success at Odyssey was there from the start, and when they graduated they both made it into their preferred local private high school. While the academics were a focus of ours as parents, it was their expeditionary journeys-ascending Mt. Whitney or Mt. Fuji, or those unforgettable trips to Japan and the Channel Islands-that really shaped them. Now, years later I can see how that sense of independence and personal accomplishment has led the boys to start making their own choices with a sense of possibility and confidence.

We are just about to have our second child graduate from Odyssey and we are so grateful to have found this school. Our kids (a boy and a girl) are very different but both benefited from the school's personal approach, focussed on the needs of each individual. The teachers really know the students and so are able to support and challenge each as needed. The expeditions are particularly special, providing a unique set of challenges for middle school kids that had a profound impact on my kids by building independence and confidence in themselves. Each of our kids now has life-long friends from their time at Odyssey.

Our daughter spent the best years of her K-12 life at Odyssey School in San Mateo thanks to the uniquely supportive and caring school community, the excellent and devoted teachers (her math teacher, now Head of School, was incomparably good), and the unmatched expeditionary learning program. Odyssey challenged and nurtured her, encouraged her to develop new perspectives, and provided the most collaborative, inclusive, and social-hierarchy-free middle school environment I've ever observed. In addition to her core curriculum, which included 3 years of Japanese language and a unique slate of electives (cooking science, cartooning, extra art, mountain biking), she learned to camp, snow hike, snorkel and kayak, practice yoga, and even a little about stage combat in anticipation of a trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. We are so grateful to Odyssey for providing her with such a stimulating, joyful, and healthy school environment during those (often difficult) years of early adolescence.

Odyssey School in San Mateo has been an incredible experience for my son. The school truly focuses on each student, providing differentiated learning environments to maximize development. This includes offering advanced mathematics for students who are highly motivated. There are a few reasons for this. Some students are highly advanced and need this level of stimulation, while others feel a sense of accomplishment by stretching themselves and going further than they thought possible. Either way, it places them in a great position in high school as it's one less thing they have to worry about as they navigate new challenges in that environment. Of course, this is not possible without exceptional teachers - they never cease to amaze me with how smart and caring they are. As an example of this, they were one of the few schools that stayed open during the pandemic, moving classes outdoors (on their beautiful campus) so that students could learn and not suffer from Zoom fatigue. I am grateful for the positive impact that Odyssey has had on my son's education and would highly recommend it to other families looking for a school with accelerated academics. I encourage you to visit the school and learn more at www.odyssey-school.org to see for yourself what makes Odyssey so special.

I really love Odyssey. The teachers are all very supportive and make sure that you get the most out of your middle school years. They go on many expeditions that help build all sorts of skills, while building us up physically. This school is also smaller and has more hands on than average. Compared to other school Odyssey is more supportive and student based!

Odyssey is the best kept secret in the Bay Area. The head of school is an expert in middle school learning and development. The teachers are dedicated, and the learning accelerated and interesting. At first, the school’s size is certainly different and is perhaps its greatest asset for middle schoolers to learn and grow within a tight-knit supportive community. My son who is advanced academically and driven to learn and take on new challenges couldn't be happier and he is grateful to be an Odyssean!