"Great academics, truly stretches your child's ability without stressing them out. My preschooler learned more than I could hope for and she loved going to school everyday. The administration are great but there is room for improvement in communicating."
- Catalina C., parent of a Kindergartner
"our children have been going to Champion for over 5 years, and have had a great experience. the school has a high standard for academic excellence (many of the kids are studying materials several grades above their age group), and the teachers spend time with kids to help customize curriculum to their needs, as well as lots of 1:1 time. the founders of the school are very thoughtful and caring, and have modeled the principles for the school based on the needs and successes of their own children. we are very happy with our experience at Champion and would highly recommend the school to other parents."
- Dave M., Parent of a 5th grader and a 7th grader
"My kid has been in Cupertino public schools for most of his schooling, and we needed a school that can challenge him to get even better and round him out academically. We went through all the usual private schools including Champion school for admission. We have previous experience with Challenger and Stratford. We decided to give Champion a try as my kid liked what they had to offer. At the beginning i was skeptical about the delivery of all the things they had in their curriculum, which i thought were mere check list to attract kids to their school.It has been 5 months since my son started the school. I am pleasantly surprised at their passion to educate kids. I have to say they know what each kid needs to get better as an individual. They have delivered on every item they said they will work with my kid and were pretty honest about sports is not one of their strength upfront. Be it debate or synopsys or programming, my kid loves all the variety of exposure he gets in one place."
- Arul I, Parent of a 7th grader and a 9th grader
"Champion School has always been the second home for our kids, they literally grew there from toddlers and we are very grateful for that. Eleven years ago, we were looking for a good pre-school for our 2.5 year old kid. We visited at least 10 different schools before we zeroed in on Champion. Champion School provides high academics in a very friendly environment with a positive disciplinary method. In addition to academics, Champion School also provides excellent debate coaching, robotics classes, Java and Logo programming and public speaking. The principal, Ms. Muna is very supportive and even kept tabs on our kids' education progress during our temporary relocation. She was encouraging my child who was in a different country and even sent her wishes for our child's achievements. You will never see a debate coach like Mr. Sandeep. He knows how to pick the brains of the students to bring out critical thinking. Mr.Sandeep is always there for each debate tournament, the first one to come in and the last one to leave during an all-day 12-14 hour tournaments. All the credit of my elder one's debate wins goes to Mr. Sandeep & Ms. Muna. My little one who is in 4th grade now says Mr. Sandeep is the best debate coach in the world . We are proud that we made the right decision to pick Champion and if we have to do all over again, we will do the same thing without a second thought!"
-Kathi S., parent of a 4th grader and a 8th grader
Our kids have been going to Champion School for over 2 years now, and we have seen an immense growth in their academic skills (despite the fact that homework that they get is very minimal). Kids enjoy being at school so much that they eagerly look for for any vacation to get over.
The teachers devote a lot of time effort in preparing kids for competitions. Teachers know most of the kids in school by name, and it is a very close-knit setup. Kids can advance at their own pace, and are exposed to a very customized study plan. Kids get lot of opportunities throughout the year to participate in plays, science fairs and talent shows. Overall, I don't see any pressure on the kids despite the fact that they are academically at least 2 years ahead of public school kids of the same age.
Would recommend Champion School to anyone wanting to provide a very strong foundation for their kids.
- Manish A., Parent of a 1st grader and a 3rd grader
Champion School is one of a kind. My daughter is currently in Kindergarten and has been in this school for three years since she was three years of age. This school prides in its academic excellence but our main motivation at enrolling her then was that we felt the staff was very caring and compassionate which was very important for us at that age. My daughter has never complained about the school and she loves the school and the teachers very much. She enjoys learning here and look forward to going to school everyday.
This school is run by a great couple, whose teaching mechanism is excellent. They pay very close attention to kids and give lot of 1 on 1 attention to any kids who need it. The kids are also provided with treats for reading or participating in any kind of activity during this time. Which is very encouraging for the kids and they start to enjoy this time.
The fact I like the most is that after I pick up my daughter from the school I don't have to make her work on her homework. That is what I would expect at this young age. They also teach by accessing each individual kid's caliber, if your kid is capable of learning more they will help them with it.
They have debates, chess club and my daughter enjoys the PE classes which includes soccer and other sports. They also do performance and recently I got to see a wonderful and heartwarming performance by kindergarteners, a musical show based on 'Annie'. This school was recommended by one of the families who send both their kids here and have been very pleased with the school. I truly believe that this school is worth a shot if you are considering a private school.
- Prafulla A, Parent
We have two kids going to Champion school for two years now. Ansh started in Kindergarten and is now in 2nd grade while Khushi started in Preschool and is now in Kindergarten. Below is a list of things that we love about the school.
1) Principle and teachers: We have seen all teachers love the kids and look out for the best in all kids. Studies, being independent, sports, drama, music you name it the teachers know the kids, their likes and dislikes and really encourage kids. Each classroom that our kids have been to has had primary teacher(s) and then different teachers for 1:1 time with students and special topics such as history or PE. Our kids love their teachers. Principle at the school knows every kid personally and takes kids growth very seriously. She is constantly among the kids working with them. Having her overseeing everything makes the school awesome.
2). Curriculum: School has super curriculum very advanced for kids ages. Our kindergartener is doing multiplications and cursive writing. She has already been part of several music performances as well. Our 2nd graders loves history and science. His math includes fractions and variable equations. Despite this kids do not feel overwhelmed. When our son was learning divisions in 1st grade I asked him if he could do it. His answer was "Well I am not very good at it yet, but we just started learning, in two weeks I will be good" !! Both kids also love having 45 minutes for PE each day where they learn soccer and basketball.
3). 1:1 attention: This is unique to Champion. The school offers each kid 1:1 attention often even after school hours at no extra cost. Our son has had ton of 1:1 time for math and science while our daughter has had large number of 1:1s for reading. The approach of the school is to say if the kid is ahead of others they should get 1:1 attention to keep moving ahead and if kid is behind they should get 1:1s to help them catchup.
4). Homework and parent involvement: Even our 2nd grader only gets 1 page of history homework per week. That leaves him lot of time at home to do all sorts of fun extra activities proposed by school such as book reading contest for pizza party, essay writing, speech and debate contest, and musical drama practice.
Overall we are very satisfied with Champion and highly recommend the school. We have and continue to recommend the school to many parents.
- Snehal T., Parent of a 3rd grader and a 5th grader
Every parent has to constantly assess whether a school works for their kids & them. For us, so far pros clearly outweigh the cons & hence both our kids have been going to Champion for several years now
Things that work well
* Our children are happy & well-adjusted socially - this is the biggest factor for most parents
* Our children are years ahead in academics compared to both public & private school peers, without either the kids or us (parents) feeling any pressure. In this day & age of falling US education standards & education budget cuts, this is a big plus for working parents. This is the core strength of the school & this is a unanimous opinion among all parents even the detractors
* Staff is caring and involved - being a small school most staff know all the kids esp. the principal who knows the personal progress of each kid
* They offer PE 5 days/wk and put up good quality musical programs twice a year, in spite of being a small school
* We are satisfied with the extracurricular activities offered (art, chess, basketball, etc). This is mainly because we personally prefer to doing many activities externally so we can be involved and allow kids to move ahead beyond what most schools teach them
Things that can be improved - majority can be boiled down to improving "overall communication"
* Customer service - we have seen this improve steadily over last 3 years but they need to continue working on this as this is one of the biggest complaint from fellow parents
o We haven't faced any accounting issues for 1.5yr now.
o The response time to majority emails has been less than 48hrs
o Personally we have never had any problem having access to discuss any matter w/ the principal's office
* Handling nonacademic related issues - there is perception among several parents that while the teachers are effectively able to teach academics, they are not able to handle matters related to occasional discipline/behavioral issues with the same efficacy. If this is not the case, then the school needs to do a better job communicating their method/philosophy. If it is the case then it can be addressed by appropriate training
* Attitude - the school is upfront on what aspects are their strengths and what are not. However, this message comes across with a certain degree of nonchalance. This is also apparent when any parents brings up any issue. Rather than being a good "listener" they tend to get defensive & highlight school strengths
* Perception - overall the school has shown good improvement in the areas that are not their core competencies. But the perception still lingers among some parents. The school needs to find creative ways to communicate this (besides the school staff just saying it)
* Unlike most other schools (public or private), the school doesn't effectively leverage the willing & satisfied parents to be their advocates. This could allow them to address several issues stated above to a certain extent
* In order to grow/scale at a faster pace, the school needs to do more to attract & retain students, upgrade to bigger campus etc. For us this will be a big incentive to continuing our kids beyond elementary grades
- Namrata V., Parent of a Kindergartner, 4th grader and a 5th grader
"We are extremely proud of our daughter who has been a Champion School student from the beginning. Champion continues to provide her with many platforms, opportunities and extraordinary amount of support and coaching to excel in academics as well as other areas, such as performance arts and debate. We are happy to be a part of Champion community and hats off to all the dedicated teachers and staff who make these amazing results possible. The academics consist of a unique schedule for every child. My daughter has even come home and told me that there is no one person that is in every class with her. This shows the level of care given to every child that goes to this school. Furthermore, the academics are very high. My daughter is currently in 8th grade and is taking Precalculus, which is usually taken in 11th grade. The best part is, there is barely any pressure. She comes home with twenty math problems a day. My daughter's favorite part of school is debate. Debate is done in a fashion that emphasizes contribution and real-life application. My daughter is learning how to think critically as well as learning about the world around her. Needless to say, Champion is the school to go to if you're looking for a happy, safe, and caring learning environment."
- Shyam P., Parent of a 8th grader
“This school is like a mini-Harker. A lot of attention is given to Math and Science education, without compromising other subjects. Middle schoolers learn Java programming and Spanish/Chinese as part of the curriculum. The best thing about this school is that they have an excellent debate program where the school has won several championships. All this is part of the curriculum and not an afterschool program. My child thrives on challenges offered in this school and has blossomed into a more confident person!!!”
- Parent at GreatSchools.org
I enrolled my child at this school (starting from pre-school level), straight out of day care, because I wanted to take advantage of its un-paralleled academic focus to help my December-born child possibly skip a grade sometime soon. (Yes, I want my child to be on the younger side of the class / grade, not one of the older ones. I believe no other schools would give her the 1:1 attention to even give her a chance at it. Champion School actually has an "accelerated" academic schedule, especially in math, which I would rely and depend on.) I also promptly re-enrolled her for school year 2015-2016, because I do like the teachers. I can also see that she is learning, loves to learn, and loves the teachers.
I can see the teachers are good, simply in the work sheets I get back every week. The academic standards are high (for good), and I know the teachers are putting in the time for my child (and other children). Thus, I will stay with the school and seek means to help it improve, including volunteering my time, brain power, and network. But yeah, only if the administrators know how to best prioritize emails (include educating parents on how to write most effective emails, etc.) and can have ideas on how best to leverage parents besides just the Ambassador (Referral) Program.
- Shaohong Z., Parent of a Preschooler and a 3rd grader
“Our son started Champion school in 6th grade and is currently enrolled in the 8th grade. We were looking for a school with nurturing and supportive environment as well as great academic curriculum. The Champion school has turned out to be exactly what we're looking for in the middle school. The school offers advanced academic curriculum in Math, English, Science and Computer Programming, etc. subjects as well as excellent extra curricular activities such as Speech and Debate and various national Math tournaments. Our son ended up finishing Algebra II by the end of 7th grade. What amazed me about Champion school was the hard work put up by the teachers and school principle to bring out the hidden skills in the students. Our son loved the Speech and Debate program offered by the school and he excelled in the Speech and Debate program by constant encouragement of coaches and also won few trophies at various Speech and Debate competitions held by National Speech and Debate Association. Our son benefited tremendously from the support of school and teachers, teachers offering 1:1s on the regular basis after school to help our son. The 1:1 with teachers are offered at no extra cost. The unique style of teaching, small class size, the advanced curriculum with the minimum daily homework stands Champion school apart from many other schools in bay area. We are very glad that we chose Champion as the middle school for our son and we highly recommend it to anyone looking for school with well-rounded education and great academics.”
- Parent at GreatSchools.org
Our son started Champion school in 6th grade and is currently enrolled in the 8th grade. We were looking for a school with nurturing and supportive environment as well as great academic curriculum. The Champion school has turned out to be exactly what we're looking for in the middle school. The school offers advanced academic curriculum in Math, English, Science and Computer Programming, etc. subjects as well as excellent extra curricular activities such as Speech and Debate and various national Math tournaments. Our son ended up finishing Algebra II by the end of 7th grade. What amazed me about Champion school was the hard work put up by the teachers and school principle to bring out the hidden skills in the students. Our son loved the Speech and Debate program offered by the school and he excelled in the Speech and Debate program by constant encouragement of coaches and also won few trophies at various Speech and Debate competitions held by National Speech and Debate Association. Our son benefited tremendously from the support of school and teachers, teachers offering 1:1s on the regular basis after school to help our son. The 1:1 with teachers are offered at no extra cost. The unique style of teaching, small class size, the advanced curriculum with the minimum daily homework stands Champion school apart from many other schools in bay area. We are very glad that we chose Champion as the middle school for our son and we highly recommend it to anyone looking for school with well-rounded education and great academics.
- Parent at GreatSchools.org
408-973--8696 | admin@championschool.org
admin@championschool.org 408-973-8696