Spotlight: Orion School in Redwood City

You know what they say, “Write about what you know.” That means the school I am featuring this week is Orion Alternative School, the K-5 elementary school that my children attended back in the day. While the location has changed since we were there, from a bucolic setting above Fernside to 815 Allerton Street in downtown Redwood City, what attracted me to the school was not its location, but the small environment with heavy parent participation. In fact, I was one of the “hall monitors” years ago, setting guidelines for parents in the classroom, monitoring hours, cajoling more out of every family—all for the betterment of our teachers and our children. Overworked, underpaid, and generally underappreciated, teachers are the cornerstone of any school, and in an environment where parents help to take the load off, even in the smallest of ways, it has shown to improve the mindset of teachers, free them up to spend more time with our children, and work with families in a more cooperative way to educate their children. In addition, by our participation in the school and in the classroom, we are showing our children than we value education, not to mention we are more aware of what our children are learning and are better equipped to assist them when necessary.

School Profile
190 students/9 teachers 21:1
Expenditure Per Student $8,517
Discretionary Dollars per pupil High Spending
Instructional Computers 31
Community Educational Climate HIGH
Technology Measure HIGH

While Orion is a magnet school and pulls from all over the district, below are several current listings in the vicinity of the school:

1104 Whipple #2 (condo) 2/1, 1104 sf, $449,950

55 Claremont #204 (condo) 2/2, 1350 sf, $569,000

736 Whipple Avenue 2/1, 970 sf, $599,000

796 Arguello (condo) 2/1.5, 1026 sf, $579,900

1122 Brewster (townhouse) 2/2.5, 1550 sf, $620,000