We absolutely love Christian Academy! My daughter is in the TK class, and it's honestly been such a great experience for our whole family. First off, Miss Ines in the front office is the best--always so friendly, welcoming, and super helpful with anything we need. She really sets a positive tone right when you walk in. We've been so lucky with all the amazing teachers here. Miss Minh was so attentive, kind, and caring--she really made my daughter feel comfortable. Miss Sherry is the sweetest and so patient with the kids. Miss Veronica Ms. Vivian are always smiling and goes above and beyond--they even tie my daughter's hair, which I think is the cutest thing. My daughter literally lights up when she sees her teachers every day, which says everything. And Miss Edith is incredible--so experienced and truly amazing at what she does. She helped my daughter start spelling and recognizing letters at just 4 years old! We also really appreciate Mr. Bo, the new director, who's brought in some great new programs. The weekly martial arts class on campus is such a big win for us--my daughter loves it and has learned so many moves already. It's been awesome for her confidence and coordination. The school itself has so much to offer too--new play areas, a fun pretend playroom, a small garden for the kids to get hands-on experience learning about plants and nature. Best part, they provide lunch and snacks (huge plus!). The kids get a nice mix of learning and fun with arts & crafts, science, math, and reading built into their day. And the winter performances are so special. Overall, we're just really happy here. It's a caring, fun, and supportive environment, and I'd definitely recommend Christian Academy to any family looking for a great school for their little ones! read more

We started at this preschool about six months ago, and it's been a wonderful experience--my son loves going to school every day. The school is well-organized and structured while still keeping learning fun, and they've been very supportive with potty training and accommodating younger children. The play area is spacious, most of the school has been newly renovated, and every teacher and staff member we've met has been warm and welcoming. We couldn't be happier with our choice! read more

I've been so impressed with the positive changes since the new management. My favorite upgrade has been the use of the Brightwheel app. The principal Mr. Bo and the teachers regularly send updates and photos throughout the day. It always bring a smile to my face while I'm at work to see photos of my son laughing and playing. Another new change is the implementation of the optional add-on curriculum. We enrolled my son in the violin and martial arts classes. He really enjoyed both. Just recently the school had a Chinese NY celebration and my son's martial arts class had the opportunity to showcase what they had learned. The standard curriculum is already great; the add-on classes add additional options for parents who want their kids to have more experiences. read more

My son who is now a seventh grader went to this school for the years(pre school, pre K and Kindergarten). The plus side for this school is they teach ahead of each grade level. Your children will come out ahead. My daughter is currently in kindergarten and it's the same educational quality. We stayed for kindergarten since Ms. Lisa is a great teacher. I would recommend this school to anyone in search of the current grade levels mentioned above. They now include potty training now which we didn't have before. Schedule a tour today! read more

Our older son attended a couple years ago and still enjoys coming to visit to pick up his little brother who attends now. The teachers are all so great and helpful! Facilities have been recently updated in the classrooms. Very clean and organized with plenty of arts and crafts and building sets. The restrooms for the little ones are very easily accessible for the kids especially when they are still learning to use it independently! They provide snacks (fruits/crackers/etc) as well as warm lunches. From entering Ms Ines is always so sweet , and Ms Emma as well. Ms Leticia very warm and friendly, Ms Vivian always so welcoming and loving to the kids, Ms Edith rest of the teachers have been so kind and compassionate to our kids throughout the years. And they have the best Christmas performances ! ( it's so cute to watch them sing in different languages - mandarin and Spanish) Fall festival was very cute for the kids too! Treats and games I highly recommend this for such thorough, attentive, compassionate, faithful care! read more

Love Ark and all the wonderful staff and teachers! My son graduated from Ark last school year, and he was more than prepared for Kindergarten when he started public school this year. He had already practiced and learned at Ark most of the reading, writing, and math they are learning in public school Kindergarten. The teachers do a really good job and have experience that really shows. As a teacher myself, I can recognize quality when I see it. And I love how the teachers at Ark balance high expectations with a nurturing and fun learning environment. read more

Both of my children attend, and it gives me complete peace of mind every day. I really appreciate that they don't use TV at the preschool/Pre‑K level, keep the entire school clean, serve nutritious meals, and teach advanced materials that truly help the children grow. Ms. Vivian and Ms. Ada are incredibly experienced and take excellent care of my children with so much patience and attention. Vice Principal Ms. Emma is always available for both the children and the parents. Principal Mr. Bo and all the other teachers also play a core role in creating the best learning environment. I toured and tried other preschools in the neighborhood, and ARK truly excels in so many ways--its spacious environment, overall cleanliness, and experienced long‑term teachers. Again, just peace of mind. read more

We've been going here since April and our son (3.5 years old) absolutely loves it! He even wakes up on Saturdays saying he wants to go to school So far, our experience has been really good. Both Miss Vivian and Miss Leticia are wonderful ,super patient, loving, and really helped our son adjust in the beginning. They even helped us with potty training, which went surprisingly smoothly! You can tell they truly care about the kids. Sometimes when my son doesn't listen, I'll ask the teachers for help, and they always talk to him in such a kind and effective way. Miss Anna is also great --she's very creative and encourages the kids to do art work. Almost every day my son brings home something new he made, and he's always so proud of it. A couple of small things to note: 1. The school has a higher percentage of Chinese families (probably because of the area), which is fine, but as parents we love for our son to have more exposure to kids from different backgrounds too. 2. The snacks could be a little healthier ,I've seen colorful cereals and simple cookies a few times. It would be nice if the school could offer better/ different snack options. Other than that, we're super happy. The teachers are caring, my son is thriving in all areas, and most importantly, he loves going to school every single day! read more

It's a very good place. My two-year-old boy is loved by the teachers. The place is safe and clean.We love it.

I am so grateful I found Ark because both my kids love(d) Ark. My older child started when he was 4 years old (he's now almost 6) and my daughter at 3 years old last year. Ark has a very organized way of structured daily activities balanced with snack and play time. Furthermore, they are thoughtful about moving kids up to the next room/grade level to facilitate smooth transitions. The teachers and staff are always kind, welcoming, nurturing and super knowledgeable! Another plus is I love that the majority of teachers and staff have all been there for a long time, which, to me, always speaks volumes about a business and how it treats its staff and employees. The staff and teachers communicate with each other as well as to parents effectively. The school is kept extremely clean and the hot lunches are healthy and delicious and saves our family the headache of having to pack a hot lunch for our kids that will sustain its temperature by lunch time. Ark also teaches more advanced material so when kids graduate from Ark, they excel anywhere they go, public or private. The skills, education, creativity, kindness, and manners that Ark cultivates is unparalleled. The school also offers daily Chinese class to TK/K students at a slightly additional cost. Under new management this year, Mr Bo also implemented a new variety of after school classes such as martial arts, violin, languages, etc. which offers more learning opportunities for the children. We will also be trying out their new summer school program this summer. Ark is hands down the best and I would highly recommend! read more

Big shoutout to Mr. Bo and the team! Ethan just finished up preschool here and is officially ready for 1st grade. They really helped him get prepared for the next step, and he's grown so much during his time at the school. read more

We're incredibly grateful to have found this school for our child. Under the new leadership of Principal Bo Ma, the school feels more communicative, caring, and student-centered than ever. We recently had a discussion with the principal regarding school lunches, and he was extremely understanding. Rather than being rigid, he truly listened to our concerns and worked with us to find a solution that supports our child. That level of empathy and flexibility is rare -- and deeply appreciated. Ms. Vivian, Ms. Edith, and Ms. Emma are all warm, responsible, and genuinely invested in the kids. You can feel their love and professionalism in the way they interact with both students and parents. One of the things we love most is the school's app -- they update it daily with photos of the kids' activities and moments. Seeing our child's huge smile and laughter at school has become one of the best parts of our lives. It gives us peace of mind knowing that he's happy, engaged, and well cared for. If you're a parent looking for a private school where the staff listens, the leadership supports, and the classrooms are full of laughter, this school is truly worth considering. We've felt heard and supported every step of the way. Thank you to the whole team -- wishing your school continued growth and success! read more

My older child attended for two years and loved it, and now my younger one just started a few days ago. The school is always clean, safe, and welcoming. It's now under new management, but most of the wonderful teachers are still there, which makes it feel familiar and reassuring. My little one's new teacher, Ms. Leticia, is so patient, kind, and caring -- she's made the first few days go so smoothly. We're very happy to be part of the ARK family again! read more

Two of my sons have had attended Ark. Under the new management, I can tell the kids have a lot more fun activities and events. The staffs, teachers, and principal are all very caring and attentive to the kids. I would highly recommend this school to anyone! read more

My son is in this school 1.5 years and will be continue for kindergarten, with new management team , newly remodel work classroom and new outdoor playground really nice, so much fun and so much activities everyday for kids , definitely recommend this school .Office staff and teachers are very friendly read more

We have sent all three of our children to Ark Christian Academy, and we couldn't be happier. After years of being part of this community, we can truly say the teachers are the heart of this school. Their patience is unmatched, and the variety of class activities keeps the kids excited to go every single day. Seeing our kids thrive and genuinely love their school has been the greatest gift. If you want a place where your children are truly cared for, this is it! read more

My child has been coming here for a few months, and we absolutely love it! The place is always clean and organized. Ms. Sherry is such a sweet and patient teacher, and the front desk staff are super friendly and professional. It really feels like a warm, welcoming home where kids can learn and have fun at the same time. Highly recommend this place to any family looking for a caring and supportive environment! read more

This place focuses on what's important for that age- academics, discipline, morality(hence the Christian aspect), nutrition. The food is freshly prepared everyday and much better than the processed overly sweet packaged stuff they serve in the local public schools. We decided to keep our kindergarden here for his kindergarden year instead of moving over to public. I can't address others complains other than we haven't had a single problem with this place. We love love love this preschool. Have the appropriate expectations, and you should be very very happy. read more

Wow grat service last time I came wonderful people to get along with clean church prayers to the pastor and the people who work here

We originally had both our daughter and son registered (preschool and kindergarten, respectively), but decided to withdraw because of our experience with the school staff. It gave us great concern about how they deal with children and also their own arrogance. The main issues stemmed from the situation with our son. At the time leading up to registration, he was in another preschool program. Ark said a spot was open in August for him, but they pushed really hard to get him in before June. Their rationale was that it'd allow for my son to skip their assessment exam, which he'd need to take if we waited until August. This was because, in their words, they are an academically advanced school, and they wanted to make sure he was ready for their 1st grade curriculum (in kindergarten). We wanted our son to stay in his current preschool and finish out the summer. He's a shy kid, and it took him a while to warm up to teachers and friends there, so we thought it'd be good to let him enjoy his last couple of months there, especially since he was "graduating" from the official Pre-K program there in late June. When we told the staff that, they really didn't seem to understand why. I then asked the staff member what would be on their exam. My reason for asking was to make sure that, generally speaking, the topics would be something that my son could pass muster on. The staff member interpreted it as if I was trying to get questions ahead of time so I could "prep" my son. Ridiculous. She eventually relented, and based on what she said (e.g., basic counting, letters, words, reading, etc.), I had no doubt my son would've been able to pass the exam, so we maintained that we wanted to wait until August to start him at Ark. She then asked what pre-school he currently goes to, and when we told her, she literally scoffed, then laughed, and then said, "don't they just play all day?" (The school is actually one of the most respected preschool programs in the area, but her comment just illustrates Ark's arrogance.) If the offensiveness ended there, it'd still be enough to raise big flags about this school. It didn't, though. When I mentioned that my son was a bit shy, the staff member was taken aback, as if it was something horrible. She quickly changed topics, but I returned to it, and asked her if there was an issue with his being shy. She fumbled for words, but eventually said it's fine, they just need to pair him up with the right teacher because not all of their teachers are well suited to handle shy kids. That's crazy. How can you hire teachers that aren't capable of dealing with shy children. I have to imagine a huge percentage of kids have jitters around strangers/new people. Anyway, we had reservations already prior to our interaction with this staff member, given the school's reputation for being an academic factory (vs. letting kids be kids). However, I'm glad this all happened now before our kids were enrolled. I definitely would not recommend Ark. read more

Their staff (especially the front officer) SO MEAN!! Not friendly at all. They are over rated, over price. My daughter used to go there, thank God I found a better one for her. I won't recomman for this school at all!!!! They need to improve a lot of their friendliness!! read more

Putting my daughter in this school is definitely a wrong decision. The school management or owner (Ms Lily) doesn't seem to care much about their students. The school isn't willing to work with parents if there are issues because there is such a long waiting list to get in so the school doesn't care if anyone leaves, and if you don't follow their rules then you are out. For example, other parents and I had complained numerous times about the classroom being uncomfortably hot and stuffy. Their response to each one of us is the same. "We have already set the temperature to 75 degree. We cannot lower the temperature because other parents complain about the room being too cold and their children might get sick". There's no way the room can be too cold. The room is always hot and every time when I go in I can see all the kids and teachers are sweating. There are also other times that teachers would tell me how unhappy they are working there because the staffs are rude to them. I feel like management is running this place like a business trying to maximize profit instead of a school that nurtures children. Also, this school is definitely not for kids that are active. There's very little outside activities time compare to other schools, probably only 30-45 minutes a day. I feel so bad for putting my daughter in hell. read more

My son attended three years school at Ark! I'm super happy with the school very much! Always clean environment, covered playground area, teachers are so friendly (all of the teachers seem to memorize all the 200+ students in the whole school!! Seriously some teachers welcomed and greeted every students by names!! !) My son has several food allergies. Every classroom has a list of whole school students who have allergy. I felt at eased and know my child would be safe. Lastly, the most important thing is academic. I compare my child to friends' kids. Many do not learn as advanced as Ark does. My child did not seem to get overwhelm from learning too much or too hard. I believe Ark has a special way to teach them. And I am really happy the school offered Chinese class daily for one hour! My son learned how to write and speak so well! Too bad Ark does not have elementary school level. I wish my kids could stay there until... Middle school or High school! read more

Our five year old started kindergarten at a well regarded elementary school in the Arcadia Unified School District now. We were curious how he would fare with his peers, based on how well he did at his preschool Ark Christian. It appears that Ark prepared him very well. Our son was more known for his charm and playfulness than his academics at Ark. At his elementary school, his reading and math skills are above grade level, and he surprised us at the early parent conference by demonstrating what he has learned. Some of this is due to the quality of his current school, but much credit goes to Ark for preparing him past his grade level. We are again very pleased to have our son attend a strong, rigorous, but fun school at Ark. Now, if only I can find a good affordable Chinese school for him, so he can continue what he learned at Ark... read more

The yelp only have choice one to five stars. If I can choose, I want give minus five stars! I learned one thing from this school. This is America, DO NOT trust teacher or school! One day the teacher told me my son have to leave . Because they received complaints from other parents. My son was told me many times other students hit him or pushed. I asked why you not tell teacher? He said: NO TATTLETALE! (Ok, I'm not an America. Really don't know what's mean No tattletale. I learned this word from my son. No! From Ark! Thank you.) The teacher told them: good listeners can tattletale, bad listeners can not tattletale!!! So my son is a bad listener, have to follow the rules. That's the reason I never complained any kids. But at the Christmas show. When they finished dancing, I saw a boy's mother grab my son and give him a warning, she told my 5 Year's son: do not touch her son, otherwise her son's old brother will coming to hit my son. And teacher just watching.... I asked my boy: why she doing this? He said because all students always laughing he is the smallest one in the class. They always sing the song: we are the biggest one, you are the smallest one, hahaha. So he was pushed her son! Of course, when I ask teacher. They said they don't know. My son was only 2 lb when he was born. Of course he is small. But why school allow them do this? PARENTS!PLEASE PROTECT YOUR CHILD.I thought this is christian school so they should be love every kids. BUT ACTUALLY NOT! read more

They do superficial work and run the school as a business, evade taxes in the name of the church school, not to mention the hight tuition and the charge a lot of book fee, low quality performance clothing and student photos......If you don't notify one month in advance even the deposit is not refundable when your kid leave school. Some teachers are very nice but not the in-charge in the office. read more

School is very clean. Most teachers are friendly. Not variety of demographics attend this school. Mainly same ethnicity. When safety issues occurred, for example, parents driving carelessly or too fast in the parking lot, the school does not address this issue immediately towards the reckless drivers instead discreetly post a note hoping "those" parents would see it and realize themselves! Why would they? If they knew this is a school premise, they would not be driving fast to begin with, risking on hitting other people's children or parked cars. Some of the rules in the school are not implemented equally across all families, especially those who violate the rules. It makes it not a very safe environment for other families who abide by the rules. When a family just traveled overseas, they're not supposed to return or enter school premise immediately or at least do a covid test to make sure they are not sick. But we have seen parents who just returned without a quarantine period and access school campus, no distancing was done to protect other healthy kids. read more

My son Dominick has been going to Ark for over a year and I cannot praise both the teachers and front office ladies enough! The teachers are patient and make learning exciting for the kids.. My son tells me about his day at school and his favorite room teachers (classes rotate based on subjects). He loves his computer and bible classes! Yes, this is an academic school but they balance their academic standards with creative free play and teachers/ staff who role model Christian values. Most importantly, this school feels like FAMILY.. The teachers and staff know the name of your child and treat your child with compassion, love, respect, and kindness. They always go out of their way to answer any questions that you may have and show genuine interest in the well-being of their kids. My son has grown into an even more confident, caring, and creative child with the help of teachers and all the wonderful ladies here. I have a one year old daughter and can't wait for her to attend Ark as well! Thank you Ark!! We love you! read more

I'm so grateful that my child has a memorable experience attending Ark Christian Academy. She attended from day care all throughout Kindergarten. Each classroom is unique to the teachers' personalities. My child had a home room for every age she attended there. The teacher to student ratio is really good and no classrooms were overcrowded. All the teachers there are really wonderful and we have become such good friends! I really liked that it was academically structured, with ample amount of play time too. At age 4, my child was learning about the Ecosystem and Dinosaurs in the Cretaceous period and how she wants to be a Paleontologist when she grows up.They also offer a Mandarin Chinese program for an hour every day. My child is immersed in speaking Chinese at school and home. Every year, there is a holiday performance from all the classes there - performances in both English and Chinese; and this year, we also attended the Kindergarten Graduation. Their Kindergarten graduation was exceptionally well done!! The teachers and staff put all their time and effort and it paid off! There were two graduating classes this year and for each class - the teachers choreographed an intricate dance routine and the kids did a wonderful job! I liked that when the kids walked across to receive their diplomas, the teachers asked them "What do you want to be when you grow up?" The answers ranged from doctors to engineers to scientists and the most common was Teacher. This shows me how enormous of an impact these teachers have on our kids. At the end of the ceremony, they even provided each child a boxed lunch from JJ bakery (which included a box of sandwiches, juice box and a cake/flan). Also, on a side note, on my child's last day of school; She brought home a Social Studies, Science and Writing Journal - each with their own observations and notes. The teachers at Ark are truly exceptional! I want to thank Miss Vy, Miss Wendy (from Room 2), Miss Shirley, Miss Nora, Miss Carol, Miss Lisa and Miss Wendy (from K2) - and the front staff with Miss Johanna and Ms. Ines and Mrs. Grace and Mrs. Lily, and the parking director - I never got his name, but he does a great job directing traffic during pick-up hours... It's great that there is someone there to handle this! :) Ark Christian Academy is a wonderful school and starting foundation for all children. I am so thankful that my child and I can share this experience with all the teachers and staff here. I know my child is beyond prepared for starting 1st grade in the fall. Thanks times a million! :) We miss you all! read more

We have 2 pre-school kids at Ark for 3 months now. It took them about two months to adapt to this new school environment, and we love to see they enjoy the school life so far. Our 4-year old daughter loves her 'homework' everyday, and we're very surprise to find out that she can pray the Lord's prayer in just under two months. Not to mention all the Chinese songs and poems she learned from her Chinese school, and capable of writing her own Chinese name too. We also love the school is firm on their Christian belief, you can tell by how their Halloween policy, which has our 100% support!!! We can tell our kids are happy here, and we're glad to see how it turns out. Our concern is on the traffic arrangement, it could get dangerous with all the cars at pickup hours, especially for single parent with two kids. Also one of the staff always show bad face and not responding to kids greeting, which shows a very bad example to the young generation as our kids always ask why this 'teacher' does not respond to them while we as parents are teaching our kinds about manner and being respectful to teachers with greetings! Finally, we hope the school is not too focus on academy that they forget the kids are kids, and they do need lots of play time as part of their learning process. read more

ARK Christian Academy - Appreciate the school's Halloween policy! Just want the school to know that you have our full support on this policy! - Preschools Near Me - San Gabriel, California

Like many parents, we were sold on the appearance of this school - it offered many attractive features my husband and I liked- everything is new, covered playground, and warm cooked meals. We really thought it was the best preschool around the area but the old saying is true...'Don't judge a book by its cover'. I have been sending my child here for almost 2 years now and I have had enough with them. My child is a normal active and very talkative toddler but this school has almost ZERO TOLERANCE for any little misbehavior. Little toddlers are expected to be perfect angels and act like robots. If you stand out of line, you get in trouble. If you drop a pencil, you get in trouble. If you touch your own shoes, you get in trouble. Give me a break! After talking to other parents at the school, I found out that I wasn't the only one with the same complaints. Here are my observations of this school: TEACHERS/STAFF They have high turnover in teachers. My child completed 2 school years but had 4 teachers and 4-5 teacher assistants during this time. The teachers are really a hit or miss but majority of the teachers are very young, fresh out of school or have no education, which equates to VERY LITTLE EXPERIENCE with children! They don't know how to work with or talk to young children. There is also a lot of drama btwn the teachers and teacher assistants as well (seriously, this is like high school drama..again, young imamture teachers). I've seen new kids enter the school and cry for the first few weeks...the teachers do not comfort them and completely ignores the crying kids. So much for nuturing! I felt really bad for these poor new kids. It's hard enough to adapt in a new environment and not feel wanted or cared for. The office lady is very rude and always has a smirk on her face. There is another office lady that I see walking around. One time, I showed up early to pick up my child and I caught her yelling at a kid. When she saw me, her voice immediately changed. I can't imagine how these kids are being treated and talked to when no one is looking. There are two owners - the older one is over-the-top old school Asian strict and the younger one is too soft and nice. The younger one is very incompetent and ineffective in the way she handles situations. She has a hard time reprimanding her staff and always seems lost and confused. These are two extreme leaders and not very consistent with their expectations of their staff. Another flaw is the fact that the owners are only there for 1-2 hours in the morning and 1-2 hours in the afternoon so they don't see a lot of things that goes wrong in their school or maybe they could care less. CLASSROOMS They have small classroom sizes with VERY LITTLE TOYS and books for the kids to play with. They have 1 or 2 boxes of connector blocks that I see the kids play every morning! Especially the youngest class, I was mortified with the poor condition torn up very limited books. Seriously, these toddlers needs more hands-on toys/activities to develop their motor skills, creativity, and imagination. No dolls, no cars, no puzzles, no musical instruments, no pretend play, nothing! With nothing to do, I would see children running around screaming and getting into trouble. ACADEMICS I understand that this is a Christian school and they do have some bible influence but my child came home one day singing, "Jesus die for me!!" I never taught my child the word 'die' or 'death' so I was shocked at the lyrics. I don't think it's appropriate for a 3 year old. I honestly don't think they have very good academics as some yelpers had said. Compare to other schools they have very boring 'black & white' materials. The only colors you see on any paper are your child's coloring. They teach one letter or number a week. And they do not teach words that begins with the letter 'A' or phonics. They don't offer fun colorful learning materials like matching or connect-the-dots, sequencing, nothing like you see from those fat educational books for age approriate materials. It's very disappointing and I feel it inhibits my child from excelling academically. Academic-wise, it's not very challenging and constructive. CLEANLINESS When my child started this school, he kept getting sick for a good 10 months. It was very frustrating for us. Also, on a hot summer day, my child wore shorts to school and came home with a rash on his thigh. He must have gotten it from sitting on the dirty carpets. Btw, the classrooms have a disgusting musty smell so it tells you how often they clean it. TUITION HIKES Expect tuition to go up in increments of $20-$30 every 6 months to a year. You really have to look beyond this attractive facility. These people only care about collecting your money and could care less about the development of your child(ren). They really have a lot to improve on if they want to stay in busines read more

Depends on what you value as a parent, this school may or may not be a good fit for your child. Academically "accelerated" program means the curriculum may not be age appropriate; but if you want your kids to learn materials a year in advance, then this is for you. For young children, building strong socio-emotional fundamentals may be more important, but this school is weaker in this aspect. read more

My two boys attended ARK Christian Academy (Preschool and Kindergarten) and this review is based on my experience over the two years. I toured eight preschools in the Arcadia area before deciding on ARK. All the good preschools have waiting lists, ARK being no different. I was lucky, I was able to get my boys enrolled in 8 months, it usually takes a year or longer. The waiting list is mainly for the Preschool as their Kindergarten competes with public schools. However, ARK's Kindergarten enrollment does fill up as many parents elect to have their child continue through Preschool. This is a testament to ARK since most kids would be attending Arcadia or Temple City Kindergarten for free. ARK is a year round school (+) with great school hours (7am-6pm). Like many year round schools, the vacation policy (-) is restrictive but has less vacation days (+) than public schools. The school is located on Rosemead Blvd (-) which is a busy street. The drop off and pick up is well organized with their custom driveway and parking attendant directing traffic. However, some parents often make an illegal left turn into the driveway, which can be hazardous, especially with oncoming traffic. The school is clean, including the bathrooms, in-house kitchen (+) and playground. It has a two gate (security card needed) security system (+). The school has a large playground (+) in the middle of the preschool classrooms. The playground has cover for shade (+) where many schools do not. Kindergarten has a small playground (-) with no playset, but the Kinders are allowed to use the preschool playground occasionally. I am OK with this as the small playground forces the children to socialize/interact more as apposed to just playing around. All classes have the max allowed student to teacher ratio, with two teachers in each class. The owners are active (+) at the school and are there most days. They also have a great office staff, always very helpful and attentive (+). In my opinion, the tuition is reasonable compared to other schools. It includes, morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack. The morning snacks are often fresh fruit (+) and the lunch is mostly prepared in-house. The menu is typical with a Asian twist, they often will have meat/vegetables with rice, and sometimes soup. The books for Kindergarten are the second highest cost (-), with other minor fees during the term. Try to purchase them from other parents or go online, it will reduce your cost. Preschoolers have a home room and are rotated (+) to other classrooms based on subject matter and schedule. I like this format as it builds confidence, independence, awareness of subject matter, and provides a more social learning experience. Kindergarten does not rotate students, they have one room and stay there all day. There is homework (+) everyday except Friday. Preschool has a kindergarten curriculum and Kindergarten has a 1st grade curriculum. ARK offers a Chinese (Pinyin) class (+) elective in the afternoon for an additional fee. This was one of the main reasons I wanted my boys to attend ARK, I wanted them to learn Chinese. The teachers (+) are very caring and attentive. Teachers, staff, and the owners were very responsive to any issue I had. Besides having great teachers, most students are very bright and have a great awareness of the world, this rubs off on the less advanced students. The overall parental involvement is very good, this adds to a great learning environment and a great family feel to the school. One negative is the teacher turnover, there were about 4-5 teachers that left when my kids attended. I gave ARK a 4 star rating because I had a couple of issues with one teacher (it was resolved) and she is no longer there. Not a big deal but it should have never happened from the start. Secondly, one of the locker doors came off and hit my boy on the head or somewhere. He was fine but locker doors should not be falling off. The school eventually put extra hardware on the doors as a precaution. I feel very confident ARK prepared my boys well. I would recommend ARK to any parent thinking about enrolling their child in Preschool or Kindergarten. I wish they offered an after school program for grade school. I would like to add that I thought I posted this review 8 months ago, only to realize it never went live. My kids are now in public school and most of the 1st semester material they are learning is a repeat but with a bit more depth. They have less homework than ARK but the English/Writing is more advanced. read more

this school is probably the best academic preschool /KG you can find in the SG valley children are well disciplined, the lunch is awesome, I took my daughter out of Baldwin stocker kindergarten for this since at the public school lunch quality is awful and the education here is much better the waiting list is long so i recommend every parent be on waiting list first read more

My son loves it. When my son was 2 to 3 and half, I sent him to another pre-school in Rosemead and he constantly complained about being bored over there. Maybe it's because my son is a little advanced in mental development so Ark's heavy academy curriculum just fit him. My son makes a lot of friends there and learned numbers, letters, science etc. there. The most important thing to me is he loves it. I also like Ark. I like it because I don't have to bring home candy for all different occasions like Halloween, birthday, and Easter etc. I hate schools that allow and encourage candy, I hate bringing home with buckets of buckets candy. At Ark, I don't have this problem since they simply don't allow it and I love that. I also like it because not everyday lunch is junk food. The previous school we went to they only served typical American junk food (chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, burger etc.). At Ark, at lease sometimes they do have noodles soup and rice. I also like the fact that Ark is much secured, clean, and organized. I read other ratings, especially those low ratings regarding zero tolerance and no love. We do not experience that kind of things. However, I do agree that Asian-run-school may have lower tolerance of very active kids. If your kids needs a lot of attention and outdoor activities to exhaust them, then maybe this place is not a good choice. But if your kids like my kid, need heavy academy activities and knowledge to satisfy their absorbing brains, this school can be a good fit. read more

When my son turned 4 years old last year, I decided to move him to another school because I was not happy with the school he was attending in Rosemead. Based on Yelp reviews, his old school was awesome but nobody mentioned the steep cost of tuition. I was paying ~$700 for 2 days a week. Also, there are parents who believe that children will learn as they play. Yes, but considering that my son was gluing paper watermelon seeds on paper watermelons week after week. It was time for a change. I was a bit put off by the poor reviews for Ark Christian but decided to give them a chance. It has been 9 months and I cannot express how disappointed I am to not have started my kid here when he was 2 years old. I just told a friend that even though my son will be going to one of the best schools in Arcadia, I am afraid that he will not advance as quickly as he has been at Ark Christian. Here is a breakdown of what I have experienced. OFFICE STAFF AND TEACHERS --staff are always courteous and approachable --everyone knows my kid by his first name --my kid came home upset one day and the office staff went above and beyond to investigate and alleviate the problem CURRICULUM There are a few set activities daily but also different major topics from day to day which includes heath and nutrition, bible study, science, dramatic play, social studies, and computer. Just to clarify what other reviewers have mentioned, they DO NOT push the kids academically. Kids at this age are naturally curious and they absorb information like sponges. In fact, I would call out "it's science class today!" to get my kid to wake up. MEALS and SNACKS --2 snacks and lunch are served daily. my child is extremely happy with the daily menu BUILDING SAFETY AND CLEANLINESS --the parking lot is one of the worst I've ever seen, especially during peak drop-off and pick-up times. however, there is a gate to prevent your child from wondering off into the lot after you've drop him off. --during recess, all classroom and office staff are visible throughout the playground read more

I am very torn about doing this review because I don't want to be overly negative because there are some great teachers and good things about it. First off, If I were to write this review 3 years ago, I would've given this 5 stars which is when my oldest daughter attended the school. Kids learned a lot and classes were well organized and structured. Now in present day, my son has graduated K from Ark and things have really changed. The school is run by different staff now, and the office staff just isn't as understanding anymore. The office calls parents for silly things to come and pick up their kids for things like getting their clothes wet or for having a slight cough (no fever), and I hear similar complaints from other parents. The Christmas performances also used to be something that we looked forward to, but they've cut it down to half of what it was. My son (although I know he's a little bit rowdy) was kicked out of Chinese class after taking it for 2 years, and then 1 month before graduating, they said he can't continue because he disrupts class?? Are you kidding me? 1 more month left and they can't just let him finish? Anyway, this seems to have to be more about how the school is run because I love the teachers! There are very great teachers at this school: Miss Shirley is wonderful with the little kids, Miss Lisa & Miss Wendy are a great team and have a wonderful K class. Miss Anne is also another caring and wonderful teacher. Classes are still good but sometimes a little more strict than other schools. If your kids need a more "open" type of learning, then this school won't be for you. If they can fix the school and go back to the way things were, they could be a much better school. Ask any other parents who have had kids attend in the past and present and you'll hear the same that the school has gone down in quality. read more

I just wanted to do a quick update. My son started kindergarten this Fall at Longden Elementary. Both he and another one of his classmates who also attended Ark before are doing very well. Both my wife and the other parent feel our kids actually learned more at Ark academically than they probably will in kindergarten. I also want to mention something else. Temple City requires every child that speaks more than 1 language at home to take a test before they start kindergarten. Although English is my dominant language, both my wife and I force ourselves to speak Mandarin at home just so our kids can have a foundation in Chinese. I was a little worried that would effect my son's performance. As it turned out, he actually got the highest possible overall rating on the test, which was "Advanced" proficiency. Again, I give credit to Ark for doing a great job. If you want your kids to really learn something and be academically prepared, I highly recommend this pre-school. read more

Excellent school! Both my boys went to Ark. They are excellent learners and acquired study skills which prepared them for public school at Arcadia School District. I am very pleased with the education we received at Ark. read more