Al-Arqam Islamic School

If you are anything besides "Arab" Just know they will treat your kids differently. From staff to students. They charge thousands of dollars monthly and require donations almost every two weeks for different things but when situations like bullying or students being in cliques and excluding others and being mean are brought up THEY FALL ON DEAF EARS. They do not care especially if you are afghan, pakistani, punjabi, or indian. From staff to students the culture and nurturing environment IS NOT THERE. Do not send your kids here. My children would complain DAY IN and DAY OUT about bullying. It was brought to the teachers and the other children's parents. Did ANYTHING change? No it hasnt. Removed my kids and i KNOW there are other parents who have to deal with this still. For the mental health of you child. Dont send them here unless your arab. Its very obvious how they feel they are superior.
Feb 28th, 2023

Mickey mouse dr seuss cat in the hat
Feb 14th, 2023

It's kind of a home for many of our children, where they learn their everything what they need for here and hereafter
Oct 25th, 2022

8 years ago, I was looking for a Islamic school that could provide good education but also adheres to religious teachings. Back then, I was in Bay Area and the only option for Garnada. I didn't go there because the school was k-8. One of my friend recommended me to check Al-Arqam, we visited the school and found it "okie". From then (8 yrs ago) to now, the school has drastically improved. There could be opportunities for improvement and this is where the parents play an important role. I've seen many parents signing up for volunteer work - this not only helps the school but also help parents be part of the community. The principal is very empathetic person. She does not only listen to you but also try to understand a parents perspective to find a solution. If there are limited options, she is always open to parents recommendations/solutions - and if abides by the school policies, she is willing to try your suggestion. The school in general has a nice environment. Yes, there are rules and for stubborn students, it will be challenging specially if they are not used to following rules. However, for my kids, they are excited to come to school from last 8 years. There might be a few pieces missing, but by far, the administration and teachers are very accommodating to provide a nurturing environment.
Oct 24th, 2022

I moved from the bay area 5 years ago and moved my kids from Granada Islamic school to Arqam Islamic school when they were 2nd and 4th grade and my youngest started TK in Arqam last year and KG this year.I have few friends who didn't continue in Arqam and I have many  friends are continuing in Arqam. My oldest left Arqam after 6th grade unfortunately and it is a decision I really regret. Academically I have no issue with Arqam at all, I think my kids level is great compared to public schools, when my son moved to public from Arqam he was actually ahead, when he moved from Granada Islamic school to Arqam at 4th grade he was behind and challenged and needed some time to catch up.My daughter at 2nd grade was studying remarkable science and social studies compared to what we were used to for this grade level.Arqam might be harder as it has 3 extra subjects, Arabic, Quran and Islamic studies with all the tests and homeworks so they don't treat them as extra curriculums or extra activities but regular subjects to care for as they should.The culture in Arqam is kids are muslims, memorizing Quran, caring for some values, having their mistakes and issues but it is very very minor compared to what was there in public and certainly not as common.Arqam is not having angels as many parents were assuming!! Some of the kids are stubborn, rebelling, coming from nonreligious muslim families or just learned something bad from a friend or TV and they are not best kids but at the end they have the core values the same plus the school is pushing to enforce islamic values but even the school might have some flows doing that but they are doing that with the best intension. In Arqam it is like a community, you can easily connect with the teachers, you are connected with the other parents, you can volunteer in school and see your kids' environment. In public school you cannot know other parents, you can communicate with teachers but not as in Arqam, you can volunteer in elementary maybe but not middle and high where all the trouble is.Graduates from Arqam go to great schools and UCs as Arqam push hard and students don't have distractions as in public schools plus the culture in Arqam is all of families pushing their kids hard to go to good universities so you don't have any students planning to quit after highschool.Pros are:- Islamic environment and values, muslim classmates with much higher chances to find good muslim friends than in a public school.- kids get good islamic foundation that can last them the life time, information, fiqh, seerah, aqeedah, tafseer, ahadith, duaas, and so on.- They learn Quran and tajweed, they learn how to read from Quran.- They are separated by gender in middle and highschool. Boys and girls are in different classes, and also girls get their privacy in PE and practice PE in a private gym where they can take their hijabs off.- There are different activities and enrichments in different grades of school.- They pray zuhr daily in school in masjid jamaa.- They do AP and IB classes.Cons are:-They don't have as many resources as public schools so if you need special class or special assistance for your kid they won't have that.-Some teachers are great, some are not as great.-There are extra subjects compared to public so kids might be complaining specially if they started in public school with less load then moved to Islamic school.- you need to pay tuition which is 2/3 or half what you pay in another regular private school, they don't make money out of it as it is actually barely enough or less for their running cost of salaries, supplies and all might be needed to run a school.At the end school is a package that has pros and cons and depending on your priorities you may choose the package you think is the best for you and your kids. If you don't put your kids in Islamic school so homeschool them but never public school as you will regret it too late, your kids 1st priority in life is to be strong muslims with strong Islamic values and comfortably reading the Quran and practicing fully, they need to be strong enough to raise "muslim" kids, if you put the Islamic values as less priority while raising your kids you are to be asked on the day of judgement.
Oct 23rd, 2022