Being a parent of adolescent children, I’m finally coming to grips with the notion

that my boys are growing up. I wish there was a way to slow it down. However, with

coming to this realization, it is also becoming evident to me that choosing a middle

school for them should involve careful evaluation. For any parent going through

the same experience as me, if you are in Alamo, than there are a plethora of good

choices.

As a realtor who specializes in Alamo properties, I often come into contact with

people who are looking to list their home and move closer to their kids and

grandkids who are living outside the bay area. With this transition, more-often-
than-not the topic of raising kids in Alamo comes up, as does the quality of the

town’s schools.

In this conversation, Stone Valley Middle School (SVMS) is always mentioned

favorably. SVMS is a public school with 656 students in grades 6-8. It is a National

Blue Ribbon award-winning school located just east of Interstate 680 on Stone

Valley Road.

The school mandates a single teacher for every 24 students, which is fantastic for

a multitude of reasons. With the low teacher/student ration; your child will have

one “Core Teacher” with whom they will spend the majority of their school time –

approximately half their day – and who’ll become very familiar with your child and

with you as well. This type of interaction and relationship is vital to the learning

experience especially for grades 6-8.

The staff, as I understand it, is highly dedicated and professional by demeanor, but

extremely lighthearted and welcoming to every parent who contacts them. The

campus was built in 1950 and has the charm of an older building, but it is also very

clean considering pre-teens populate the building.

The overall consensus about SVMS is that it is a wonderful place for your child to

spend their adolescent years. It is safe, nurturing, and that important, personal

relationship with your child’s teacher is the icing on the cake.