Need to know where to send the little ones? Here’s the favorites from our readers.
Best Bay Area University/College
University of California, Berkeley
View this post on Instagram
The history, the rigorous academics, the annual Cal-Stanford game — there are so many things to love about this standout school.
Runner Up
University of California Santa Cruz
View this post on Instagram
Best Preschool
Marin: Marin Horizon, Mill Valley
Though the school runs from the toddler years through eighth grade, many students begin at the beginning to fully experience the immersive indoor-outdoor program with STEM and SEL built in from the start.
Bay Area: The Little School, San Francisco
Runners Up
Marin: Belvedere Hawthorne Nursery Schools, Belvedere
Bay Area: Cow Hollow School, San Francisco
View this post on Instagram
Best Private School
Marin: Mount Tamalpais School, Mill Valley
Tucked into the Almonte neighborhood, this school turns out students versed in Latin and comfortable with advanced technologies.
Bay Area: College Preparatory School, Oakland
Runners Up
Marin: Marin Catholic
View this post on Instagram
Bay Area: Lick Wilmerding
Best Public School
Marin: Hidden Valley
San Anselmo’s Sleepy Hollow neighborhood boasts a Marin favorite: this elementary school where academic rigor is balanced with social-emotional well-being.
Bay Area: Lowell High School, San Francisco
Runners Up
Marin: Bacich Anthony Elementary School
Bay Area: Redwood High School
Best Tutor
Marin: Headlands Preparatory School, Sausalito
A full-time high school, Headlands Prep is wellknown for its separate, open-to-all tutoring and test-prep programs that offer the same support and skill development as their full-time education program.
Runner Up
Marin: Bridge the Gap, Sausalito
View this post on Instagram
Best Art Instruction
Marin: Studio4Art, San Rafael and Novato
Boredom busters, pottery painting, art camp and birthday parties are just a few of the hands-on imagination expanding programs available in person or virtually from this favorite with young children.
Runner Up
Marin: Marin School of the Arts
View this post on Instagram
Visit our Best of the County winners page for more.
Christina Mueller is a long-time Bay Area food writer. She hails from the East Coast and has spent way too much time in South America and Europe. She discovered her talent as a wordsmith in college and her love of all things epicurean in grad school. She has written for Condé Nast Contract Publishing, Sunset, and the Marin Independent Journal, among others. She volunteers with California State Parks and at her child’s school, and supports the Marin Audubon Society, PEN America, and Planned Parenthood. When she is not drinking wine by a fire, she is known to spend time with her extended family.s the Assistant Editor at Marin Magazine and a graduate of Elon University where she studied Professional Writing and Fine Art. Born and raised in San Francisco/Marin, she loves traveling just as much as coming home to the Bay Area. She has curated a sophisticated palate for food, travel and culture and uses her travels as an outlet to develop her photography portfolio and hone her writing craft.
