Testimonials

What parents & students have to say

Reflections from a graduating senior:

“What I really enjoy about this school is the sense of community that you get just from interacting with the students here as well as the teachers. They really act as mentors and help you prepare for life ahead while also being your friend. I’ve made connections here with everyone that I really haven’t been able to make anywhere else.

We do a lot of trips and other activities to create this sense of community and one of the best memories I remember from these kinds of trips was when we went camping and every night, we would gather around a campfire and talk about whatever we wanted without judgments. Being able to be completely honest in ourselves with one another without being judged in any way really made us close as a community. It’s something I really appreciate because at my previous school there were thousands of students. The sense of community is so special and unique to this school. I’m glad I got to attend here and I feel really prepared for college and anything ahead in my life. I’m thankful for Living Wisdom.” -DL, grade 12

From the mother of a 9th grade daughter:

"We were looking for a high school where the highest goal for a child would not simply be what society dictates, where they were not stressfully focusing 100% on academics in a competitive race (as I am afraid our Palo Alto public schools have become), or getting lost in the crowd and conforming. Rather, we want our daughter to be thinking for herself and pursuing what makes her happy and what she really wants to achieve, not what she is told to achieve by the culture.

My daughter (a straight-A student through Palo Alto public middle school), started freshman year at Palo Alto High School (“Paly”) but was saddened by the impersonal environment and superficial social interactions. She wanted something with more of a soul. The first week at LWHS, children went on a camping trip and my daughter returned having made good friends with several wonderful young women – the whole female side of the class, and even some boys. She was able to choose her classes to a greater extent than at Paly, including an extra honors math class and also a service-learning class/experience, which is a big focus of LWHS. Incidentally, projects are varied and often unexpected – for example, the class learned how to build rich soil for trees and a garden that they had created.

These are people on a mission to help teenagers understand themselves and to understand how to build their own happiness. These adults are full of love and light. I feel very good that during the school day my daughter has more adults than just me truly caring about her, ready to help and support her (and even drive her home in the rain!)."
-OG, parent

From the mother of a 10th grade daughter:

"My daughter was very unhappy at Gunn High School her freshman year. We were so happy to learn about Living Wisdom High School, which provided the class selection and opportunity to work at her own pace. At Gunn, she struggled with math due to both instruction style and the pace of the classes there. At LWHS she is doing very, very well, feels confident and has energy to focus on the subjects she loves, knowing she is succeeding in math now. She is diving deeply into literature and I've never seen her this excited about school. She is looking forward to philosophy, Latin and many other classes. She simply loves to learn now and has conversations with me about what she is learning - something she never did before.

Emotionally, she is relaxed, happy, engaged and has close relationships with her classmates. Her relationship with her family has changed because of her emotional wellness - all because of the teachings and instructional style at LWHS. I highly endorse LWHS. It has allowed my daughter to grow scholastically, socially and emotionally in a way she never would have at any of the public schools in our area."
-PL, parent

Student & Alumni Testimonials

“I think LWHS is the right school for anyone who likes getting to know the people in their community on a deeper level, wants supportive and passionate teachers, and wants to experience holistic health benefits in school.”
-A.I., grade 11

“As a 2016 graduate of a Living Wisdom High School, I am eternally grateful for the gifts and opportunities I received. I was given the support and freedom to pursue my interests, travel the world, and truly engage with my learning. The small class sizes created a safe space to dive deep into everything and ended up being a second family for me. My teachers were the best role models I could have asked for and supported me not only academically but in my own personal growth and goals. Living with high ideals and with love and dedication to their students, the teachers are the gold in the Living Wisdom School system. I am excited that LWHS will now be opening in Palo Alto, and I sincerely recommend it as a transformative and joy-filled experience that will set an incredible foundation for the rest of life.”

-S.P., alumna

“LWHS is a very supportive school. No matter your past and differences, there is a welcoming embrace for everyone. What you want to do, your physical and mental health, and life in general is encouraged to be expressed and developed. Learning isn’t bounded by a grade, but rather opened to fully understanding and application. Maturity is encouraged and everyone is supported at all times. LWHS is a great opportunity for everyone. Even one year could open your eyes.”
-I.H., 12th grade

"I am a senior now at U.C. Davis, graduating with honors this June in Genetics and minoring in French… I certainly attribute my love of learning and confidence in myself towards my foundation in Living Wisdom. I was also taught that, as people, we really do have the autonomy to choose our own happiness, and I try to remind myself of this every day."
- H.S., alumna

“LWHS helps with time management and allows greater freedom than most schools, with a rigorous, stimulating curriculum.”

-E.L., 9th grade

From the mother of a 9th grade daughter:

My daughter is a 9th grader at LWHS. She attended La Entrada Middle School in Menlo Park prior to joining LWHS. While La Entrada is a great school with wonderful programs and teachers, we could see how she was struggling there. She has always been a good student, independent, hardworking and diligent, but the amount of information she was expected to learn in a very short time, with constant tests and deadlines and “no time to breathe,” as she put it, was creating a permanent state of anxiety. She was having problems sleeping, always felt like she was behind, and doing homework until 11 pm-12 am most days! She was getting mostly “A’s” but with the pressure she was under and health implications, we were alarmed. Thus, we set out to explore other public and private schools in the area to find a more balanced approach where our child would strive academically, emotionally, and socially and wouldn’t be under constant stress and anxiety.

We visited many schools over the year, looking for the right environment for Simone, and that is how we came across LWHS. From the first meeting with principle Kabir and the teachers I could tell it was a special place. Kids were treated with such caring and thoughtfulness! Each student was allowed to have their own set of classes and timing to accomplish their work in.

After her shadow day at LWHS, my daughter said that LWHS was her first choice to go to. She shadowed at a few schools prior to that and after visiting all the schools on our list and carefully considering all the options, Simone remained strongly in favor of going to LWHS. We, as her parents, were a little worried that this is such a new school and such an alternative approach to education, but at the same time we knew that the standard approach wasn’t working for our child.

Now, our daughter has been at LWHS for over 3 months and we are extremely happy with the choice she made! She has a challenging curriculum and does homework most days, but her state of mind is 100% different from how she felt a year ago. She is still getting all A’s in her classes, AND she is happy, relaxed, and interested! The only way I can explain it is that not having the overwhelming competition, deadlines and run-run-run attitude that she had in her middle school, allowed her to relax and do her best. Community service trips and oversea trips that LWHS offers have also enriched her life and understanding of her surrounding world even more. I can’t wait to see what the rest of her time at LWHS will bring and I am very grateful for the amazing work this school and teachers are doing to support and prepare our kids for the future. Thank you!

From the parents of a 10th grade son:

Our son developed extreme anxiety at his previous high school, and we were apprehensive about him. So, when we heard about LWHS from our neighbor, we set up an informational meeting with our son. We met with the principal, Mr. Kabir, who is not just an able and experienced teacher, but also a wise human being with a huge heart! Our son immediately developed a close rapport and high regard for him. Within minutes into the meeting, we knew we arrived at the right place. Here we are, two months later, our son wakes up with a spring in his step and comes back, happily chatting away about the happenings of the day! Since he is happy, calm and relaxed and trusts himself, learning has become an easy and natural process.

The teachers there are very sincere and dedicated and provide excellent guidance to help him do his best. In short, LWHS is not merely helping our son learn academically, but it is helping make him a complete, happy and wholesome human being.

From the mother of a 9th grade daughter:

From the parent of an 11th grade son:

I want to share a success that may also have value to others. Like so many of today’s Silicon Valley teens, my son was overly stressed and anxious about his schoolwork and grades. After suffering with this in his first two years of high school, this year we found him a new school, Living Wisdom High School, in Palo Alto. The difference has been night and day. LWHS helps each student achieve their highest academic potential through individualized attention and responsiveness. Here are what I feel are some of the school’s most effective features:

Personalized, holistic approach to education Individual attention given by highly qualified, caring teachers

Small classes

Special adventures: travel, nature challenges, team-building and service projects

Daily yoga and other personal development practices

All levels of courses, including college prep, honors and AP Dual credits, for students who elect to earn Foothill Community College credit while earning high school credits at the same time.

From the parent of an 11th grade son:

Now, in his second year at Living Wisdom, my son has really come into his own in his education and in how he self-advocates in what he is learning. He has found not only a learning environment that fits his learning style, but a caring and supportive group of teachers. And, as a person who likes to learn and collaborate in small groups, my son gets to participate in plenty of weekly team structured activities both at school and outside of school.

Living Wisdom has provided a safe space for my son to develop socially and emotionally and to practice problem solving skills. A valuable piece of Living Wisdom’s environment is creating a space where students’ voices are respected and allowed to contribute to the decisions made in the classroom and in their learning.

On the whole, Living Wisdom encompasses what my son was looking for in a school, a nice balance of independent and collaborative learning, a small and supportive school environment, class exercises that build social and emotional skills, and a curriculum that incorporates service work and travel.

From the mother of a 10th grade son:

Thank you so much for having T. at LWHS! The difference between the old T. and the newly evolving T. is astonishing! He initiates conversations quite a bit more than before and he is certainly more engaging (even willing to look straight into camera while having photos taken with his mom!). There are so many things that I especially appreciate about LWHS:

It has such loving and nurturing teachers and staff, with focus on heart-mind development

Kabir is an amazing school director who is tuned-into each student and understand their individual needs

LWHS helps cultivate each growing adolescent as a loving & whole being (rather than just a student with only scores and college goals ahead)

Students start each day with either yoga postures or Tai Chi, and are motivated and encourage to do what they love

I am forever grateful to have found this school for my growing adolescent. Thank you!

From a guest teacher/parent who came to observe and experience our school:

I just want to take this moment to say thank you so much for allowing me to visit your beautiful school.

For many, many, many years, I have had a dream of a special learning space. In this dream of schooling, I “see” academics integrated with spiritual awakening and service-learning for the students.
I have to say that being in your classroom was one of a very FEW times that I have actually felt like I'm living in that dream! I loved that you took a constructivist approach in starting with what they are interested in and then tying it in that beautiful quote about untying the knot. I like how in the discussion you weaved your own personal story, lowering the boundary between teacher and student. I liked that you both asked the students to share and also called on the quiet students — and that you took the time to follow up with one privately afterwards.

After that discussion with you, it was great to see the students begin their academic studies, following their Personalized Learning Plans. How focused they were, with a strong sense of autonomy and buy-in!
I'm immensely grateful that I came to visit Living Wisdom High School. Thank you!