This is Re: PSC security at the school. I'm writing to share some feedback about an interaction I…read morehad with the security staff at de Toledo High School - West Hills, front parking, on Super Bowl Sunday around 4:45 p.m. I felt the yelling I received was unnecessary and extremely rude, and it seemed that the individuals (hispanic security man & a woman) involved were unsure about the proper parking procedure, which made a stressful situation even more difficult for me. I wanted to bring this to your attention so you're aware of the incident, and so that future interactions can be more respectful to visitors at de Toledo High School. Thank you

If you want your child to make lifelong friendships, get an insanely interesting, challenging, fun…read moreand special education- send them to de Toledo. I have a daughter who graduated two years ago and attends Northwesten and a current senior. They both loved their time at de Toledo. They felt the teachers truly got to know them as students and as individuals. They were part of the theatre programs, the baseball team, mock trial, speech and debate and so much more. They traveled to Israel, Budapest and went on March of the Living. The experiences students get at de Toledo truly prepares them for the next part of their lives. My daughter was beyond prepared for college and went in as a confident, secure individual. Further the community is one we will be part of long after both our kids graduate. Go spend a day on campus and you will not want to leave.

Wow, I am blown away by the number of negative comments about this school. I will say, however,…read morethat I was apprehensive enrolling my second child to Hale for 7th grade because of all the craziness that went on, but honestly, that is a reflection of the parents who send their kids there, and I am a firm believer that education starts at home. There are way too many misinformed families blowing things out of proportion all on the account and hear-say of your children. How about the triplets from hell? How is that the school's fault? According to my girlfriends, administration did the best they can, yet it was a pushy mother that insisted they can do no harm. Did I mention it's a public school? Bad things will happen at any public school, and if you're a good parent, you'd teach your child to stay away from those kinds of students, and those forms of peer-pressure. Both of my children did not do STEAM or the new VAPA Academy, but they were in a few accelerated or honors classes, and they're fine. Encourage your child to be around good kids, volunteer, and show up for your kids' activities, and you'll realize that Hale really is the gem of the Valley. The teachers work hard at Hale, but they're up against really disrespectful kids who do not belong there to begin with who are most likely lottery acceptance students who take their seat at Hale for granted. Administration has their hands tied when it comes to discipline, and there's only so much they can do. Their due-process gives students several chances to get it right, but the lack of parenting only puts a magnifying glass over the bad apples. Don't even start with me and tell me that parenting is hard. YES IT'S HARD, BUT IT'S A COMMITMENT. Electives - electives is where it's at at Hale. The orchestra program under Mr. Cruz is something else. My daughter (the younger of my two children) did 3 years of orchestra with Mr. Cruz. It also did not surprise me that Mr. Cruz was awarded the 2024 Southern California Music Educator of the year. Mr. Cruz is known for being strict. He has high expectations, and his groups sound miles better than many of the LAUSD high schools and neighboring district school bands at LVUSD. I love how he says he's not about winning first place or gold, but in the end all of his band and orchestra classes win something. He focuses on teaching the kids to be a good student first, and a good musician second. My daughter's friend did choir with Mr. Cruz last year and said it was the most amazing singing experience she's ever had. They both laugh about how Mr. Cruz has no choir teaching experience, but he's a wonderful choir teacher. If you want to round off your middle school academic experience with something rigorous and artsy, your child needs to be in one of Mr. Cruz's classes. Nobody in my family is musical or artsy (we're a sports family), and I applaud Mr. Cruz for creating a musician in my family. And although my daughter is no longer pursuing music, Mr. Cruz's stories still get mentioned in the car or at the dinner table every now and then. A few more positives about Hale: TWO LUNCHES. That was a straight up game changer. My daughter felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders when she saw how empty it is outside during lunch. Ms. Moran, the Restorative Justice teacher is GREAT! Compared to other middle schools who do not even dare give out detentions and consequences, Ms. Moran really lays it down. Advice for parents: Be a community. Fight for what is right. Educate your child about the negative influences on campus and teach them to stay away from adversaries. Be involved. If your child has a dance show, an orchestra concert, or VAPA night, go to it! If your child has a robotics competition, go to them! It's not difficult, it's your kid, support them. -SR

I went here from 2004 - 2006 and I was bullied quite a bit…read more The fact that I came to look at this page and see reviews of people talking about their kids getting bullied even to this day breaks my heart. I see that it hasn't gotten any better. I had some good times too and all, some of my teachers were really cool, but still.

I can't rave enough about this school. We found it through my sister-in-law, who already had her…read moredaughter here, and enrolling our son in their preschool has truly been one of the best decisions we've made. We came from a school across the valley, and the change has been completely life-changing for our family. 3 years later He is now in kindergarten with and just thriving! Mrs. Lopez and Mrs.Sanchez are truly a dream team..they have this beautiful balance of warmth, patience, structure, and genuine love for the kids that is hard to put into words. The academic curriculum is incredible, our son is learning so much in kindergarten. He literally can't wait to get to class every morning And he's not usually that kid, which speaks volumes to me about how amazing this school is and how safe and happy he feels here. They offers so many clubs/enrichment opportunities, and fun events that there's always something exciting happening. This community is truly something special, the teachers are genuinely nurturing, and the staff goes above and beyond in every way. & Now that my daughter is in the preschool we're having the same experience. At just two years old it's never easy to leave your child anywhere but Mrs. Martha and her team create such a warm, comforting environment that she settled in beautifully. We are so grateful to be part of this school. Truly a 10/10 experience

As a parent, choosing the right school for your children is one of the biggest decisions you make,…read moreand West Valley Christian School has truly been a great choice for our family. Both of my children attend the school, and I have seen firsthand how much they are growing academically, socially, and personally. There is a real focus on academics here, and both of my children are rapidly excelling, which gives me a lot of confidence in the education they are receiving. What also stands out is the sense of community. The school consistently puts on great events and activities that make the children excited to be involved and help families feel connected. It does not feel like just a school, it feels like a place where staff genuinely want the children to succeed. The staff have always been friendly, approachable, and willing to listen, which matters a lot as a parent. You can tell they care not only about education but also about the well-being of each child. A special shoutout to Ms. Tania and Ms. Lopez, who I truly feel care deeply about my daughters' development and happiness. Their attention, kindness, and genuine care have made a real difference in our experience. For parents looking for a school with strong academics, caring staff, and a supportive environment, our experience has been very positive.

It is cool and fun and Mrs. Denne is my favorite teacher…read more I made so many good friends there.

If you're reading this and were in the 5th grade graduating class of 2003 in this school, you…read morereally owe me an apology for how you treated me in the 4th and 5th grade. A lot of you were horrible to me, not physically thankfully. I got a lot of verbal racism and got threatened by another student at least once. For the 'crime' of my ethnicity and being a little 'weird'. I forgive you of course, you were kids too and your racist sentiments probably were just echoing your parents. You probably didn't know any better. I just hope that if you have kids now, that you teach them to be kind to their peers and not ostracize them for being 'weird' or an ethnicity that gets singled out on the news or whatever. The staff was old and very 'kids will be kids' and did not care, or my bullies would lie and twist the truth to pin it on me. I still liked my teachers, though. I'm pretty sure none of them are still working here so I can't say how the school is now.

Great school! I am a student here and the staff are really funny and nice. Our principal Mrs. Cao…read moreGarcia is kind and helpful and, also the event at our school is really fun and I enjoy it a lot. The teacher is so nice to their students. I am going to 5th grade this year and I wish that I can go back to kindergarten because how good the school is. Also, the kid at our school is super nice.

Best Elementary School. Wonderful teachers! Principal and office staff are so kind and care so much…read morefor each and every child. A great balance of education and fun extra curricular activities.

This is the best school in the world Good teacher…read more Good office work Thank you very much

This school was pretty good, I went here til 2022, the teachers were so fun, however, there was an…read moreaid worker who wasn't necessarily nice to the kids, but she was just doing her job. And for the most of 5th grade I was alone. But besides that, I like it there, better than my current school I go to right now

worst school ever! Administrators lie about everything.of course parents would not believe their…read morekids and only believe the counselors.the counselors make stuff up especially the magnet organizer mrs park.Mrs park makes stuff up about your kids doing stuff that never happened.Always favors the boys and mistreats the girls.I feel like the principal mrs hamilton only cares about herself because when there was a rumor about christopher columbus getting shot up she stayed home and didn't notify the parents about anything.She only cares about herself and her reputation.

This school removed my previous review but one thing about life is that you do not get to run from…read morethe truth. This school is absolutely awful. Mrs. Hamilton & Mrs. Dimas are the principal and vice principal of this school. They are extremely self serving with no real regard of community or accountability. Dimas in particular is responsible for saying several derogatory remarks about children that are viewed as problematic. Children here smoke in the bathrooms during all hours of the day, sometimes in class as well. Children ditching walk in packs during class hours and disturb other active classrooms. There is not nearly enough supervision so most of the ppl that work here are always pulled from their actual jobs whether it be a school counselor, school social workers, etc to fill in the supervision gaps this school has. Which in turn makes working for this school, extremely stressful due to the poor work environment & the lack of time you have to actually work on things that are your actual assignment. Through multiple conversations with Staff, it is safe to say that staff feels undervalued, unappreciated, and disrespected. Kids constantly are assaulting staff members as well whether it be verbally or physically and face little to no repercussions due to the administrators decisions in how the deal with them. Administration only seems to care about what the optics are to their bosses and how many kids they can get at the school regardless of the serious security issues the school has & parental concerns. Parents are kept on a need to know basis at all times & concerns are usually neglected by administrators. Regardless of any "security" plans they come up with, it is largely disorganized and most of time extremely difficult to follow up with due to the lack of staff and resources this particular school has. This school only has one campus aide and either fired or forced the other 4 to quit due to petty problems that were exacerbated by administration. The school recently tried to hire another campus aide after firing the second to last one they had but, that aide refused to go because of how badly it is at Columbus middle school opting to take a pay cut in hours to stay at their current location. Do not send your kids here. Anywhere else is safer and better equipped to have your child.

Both my teenage sons attended public elementary school, then went to Topanga Mountain School, then…read moretransitioned successfully back into public high school at El Camino. TMS provided a nurturing haven during the middle school years which has made my kids more resilient, better citizens of the world, and confident advocates for themselves and for others. Here are some of the experiences my boys had: - going on at least three one-week camping trips each year - learning to cook for themselves and to shop for their camping group on a budget - taking elective classes in pottery, archery, swimming, fencing, and aerial silks - composing and performing original songs during the music trimester - practicing public speaking in a variety of formats, from in-class debates to presentations to full-length plays - sitting in "council" and honoring the feelings and values of their classmates, even whey disagreed with them - burning off energy by playing soccer, basketball, and "mushroom tag" after lunch each day - exploring DTLA via public transportation - evaluating what constitutes a reliable source in traditional media and on social media - gaining an appreciation for nature through weekly hikes - feeling they had an actual relationship with their teachers (with whom they continue to stay in contact) - mastering the five-paragraph academic essay - working in small groups at a pace that was appropriate to their skill level, especially in math - graduating with a strong sense of self Sending my sons to TMS is one of the best investments I have made in their education and their personal growth. The only caveat I would offer is that, due to its small size and flexible curriculum, TMS tends to have more last-minute changes than a traditional school. There is no such thing as a "typical" week at TMS; the teachers may adjust the day's schedule if an issue arises and they feel the kids need to process events in the news or resolve interpersonal conflicts which impact the entire group. I f this to be a virtue, but if you are expecting rigid consistency, it's best to look to a more traditional school.

TMS has been a gift to our son and our family! Middle school can be difficult and distressing for…read moremany kids, but every morning my son wakes up excited to go to school. I've talked to other parents, and the sentiment is the same: kids love TMS! TMS is a mixture of appropriately challenging academics (with some room for individualization because the school is small), social-emotional development, the arts, and outdoor education. The school goes on four trips a year, and I love how the curriculum is integrated into the trips. For example, last year, they read a book that took place at a Japanese internment camp during WWII, and then they visited the actual camp during one of their trips. Also, there is a focus on making the learning applicable to the "real world." For some of the trips, kids are divided into groups, given a food budget, and work together to plan their meals and buy food. There is also a great community feeling amongst the parents at TMS. There is also a culture of kindness and acceptance at TMS. All-in-all, I am confident that my son will emerge from his middle school experience self-confident, ready for high school, and equipped to make the world a better place!

Amazing school this is my favorite school ive been too the teachers are nice when needed and the…read morekids are awesome I had many friends there growing up Im even sending my kids there the principle is even more nice she's a very close friend and I love how they always figure things out in case something goes wrong they would and will always fix it. Send your kid here I highly recommend this school for your kids.

Horrible school, please don't bring your kids here…read more I went to this school all 3 years, and it has to be one of the worse experiences of my life. The staff are very careless and rude. They have a strong bias against people who were not the "average" student. A specific teacher tried to fail me multiple times as well. When confronted, she would say that it was purely unintentional, even though it happened on every single report card I was given. This school is also very dangerous and the administrators do nothing to change that. At my time here, certain kids brought weapons to school and I heard about how they threatened people with it. Kids also smoked in the bathrooms all the time and when staff saw it, they would ignore it completely as if it's normal. I was also bullied multiple times at this school all 3 years in front of teachers and they did nothing to stop it because they believed that I could solve the issues myself. I was threatened, stalked, etc. They cannot control kids that are obviously hurting other kids and believe that it is conditioning the kids to the world. They stole my things, spread rumors about me, and would harass me. When their teachers would see this happening, they would brush it off and would say that I am the problem instead. Overall, please go to any other school if you can. The kids here will treat you horribly if you are even slightly different. I felt as if 3 years of my life were wasted and I gained nothing from going here.