Take Me To School

 I don’t know about you, but my wife and I were both blessed to be raised in small towns where we grew up going to school with childhood friends; where class size was never an issue; where teachers took a personal interest; where we learned about art and music as well as reading writing and arithmetic, where even the bus driver knew your name.  You say it’s just not like that anymore?  You say your child is in a classroom with 30 or more other students and they seem more connected to electronics than to each other?  That’s just not right and your child deserves better.

Welcome to 36714 Peterson Road and the Pine Ridge School District.  Pine Ridge School is our  local school and it is just across the four lanes from our house.  Pine Ridge School was the first school in the area, started in the late 1800’s; and it continues to serve the Pine Ridge/Shaver Lake area well to this day.  This TK through 8th grade school has just under 100 students and boasts of a student to teacher ratio of less than 13:1.  Yes, thirteen students per classroom - at the most!  Typical classroom size for the younger students is less than 10.  Depending on current demographics, it is common for two grades to be combined into one classroom in any given year; like Mrs. Osterberg’s second/third grade class.  At Pine Ridge students learn, just like at home, how to build relationships with children of different ages because the student body is so small, they all get to know each other.

As you might imagine, this also gives the teachers, teachers who are part of the same community, the opportunity to tailor the education experience to each student, making it both fun and rewarding.  It is no surprise that in statewide ranking, Pine Ridge School consistently ranks in the top 20% of all California schools.  In addition to 100% credentialed teachers and an outstanding core curriculum, Pine Ridge students enjoy their choice of skiing/snowboarding at China Peak or Bowling in Fresno on Fridays during the winter months, and each year the graduating class goes on a special trip to New York and Washington DC as a capstone to their educational experience.  Throughout the year all the eighth grade students participate in a variety of fundraisers including working The Lions Club Crab Fest at the Shaver Lake Community Center and cutting and selling Christmas trees at Cressman’s General Store to raise the funds for the trip.

No doubt about it, Pine Ridge School does an exceptional job of preparing our children for the future with love, compassion and a strong sense of family.  Come see for yourself, you will not believe school can be this awesome.