Trabuco Elementary is such a special little school! Tucked away in the peaceful canyon, it has the…read moremost amazing farm and garden where kids get to learn by doing--it's such a great way for them to connect with nature. The small class sizes are a huge plus because the teachers really get to know each child and give them so much individual attention. They also focus on social-emotional learning, which has been incredible for helping my kids build confidence and learn how to handle challenges. The community here is so close-knit--it feels like a big family--and the teachers are just phenomenal. If you're looking for a school where your kids will thrive, this is it!

This school is amazing! Small class sizes, excellent teaching staff, amenities galore! On-site farm…read morewhere students are able to visit during recess. Students participate weekly in outdoor assignments on the farm following next generation science standards and STEM. Brand new STEM lab-green screen, go-pros, microscopes-everything! Highest test scores in SVUSD. 87th percentile in English and 74th percentile in mathematics. The school has an active PTA which promotes tons of community activities. Hosts Trabuco Field Study program which students from all over Orange County visit to learn grade level curriculum hands-on. ALL Trabuco students participate in every field study program while they are enrolled. Many students end up being extremely high achieving in later academic life-honors, AP, and IB when they hit middle and high-school. Over 100 year old school with an amazing record of success.

I have to admit I'm biased having two SMCHS graduates and a sophomore at the school as well as…read moresitting on the Board. That being said, I believe it's the best school in OC and one of the best in the country--as its top 40 National Ranking confirms. The academics are second to none, especially the International Baccalaureate program. It more than prepares the students for college and offers some of the best counseling. The arts program is also superior. The theater program won the top prize for high school musicals and have also had several best actor and actress awards. The orchestra and choir are also top-notch winning their share of awards as well. The sports program is well known and established as one of the best as well. Not only do they win CIF titles in football, basketball and baseball, but also in soccer, water polo, golf, etc. The school makes an effort to be excellent at every level. It doesn't just focus on one area and forget about all others. Instead it makes every effort to provide 100% support behind every endeavor.

They offered my family member an athletic scholarship. We communicated with them for 4-5 months…read moreback & forth, completed applications & picked up the uniforms only to be told that the scholarship was revoked days before school started. We already unenrolled him from his previous school & no one has given a valid explanation of why this occurred. This school is a mess administratively. I think God is protecting him from this school & I thank Him for that, but I'm posting this so others can be cautious about how they operate.

My son has been going to school here for about 4 months now and he absolutely loves it…read more He actually goes to bed early on his own when he knows he has school the next day and wakes up super excited for class with Mrs. Wilson. The first week at this school, my almost 4 year old would cry when I picked him up because he didn't want to go home yet. He'd say, " I just want to stay and learn more!" The teachers are as loving as can be and I am surprised by the things he tells me when he comes home. They are easy to talk to -- and they always keep me in the loop on what's going on with him in class. Just love love love this school! I only wish we had learned about St. John's when he was younger! Such a wonderful school

We have three kids at St. John's and could not be happier with the school. Yes, every school has…read moreits challenges, but overall, it is a nurturing environment where everyone is treated equally. It has a strong community, and feels like one big family! It is academically challenging and the teachers are extremely passionate about making sure your kids thrive and do well! We highly recommend the school!

Look elsewhere. There's a reason the tuition is one of the lowest in the area, and it reflects!…read more Catholic schools are meant to be not only places of academic excellence but also environments where faith, compassion, and moral integrity are prioritized. Regrettably, under Mr. Tolzda's leadership, these core values seem to take a backseat.

If I could leave zero stars I would. I was charged 250 for a play that never happened. They said…read moreCovid. A govt created virus/lie. No refund. I had all 3 of my kids go there and 5 nieces and nephews. Go public. Serra does not conduct themselves to the standard they require.

Our family has a long history with this school, which makes this review especially difficult to…read morewrite. While there are dedicated teachers, our recent experience exposed deep problems in how serious student concerns are handled. Following a bullying incident, the school's response was slow, procedural, and fragmented. A safety plan was eventually produced, but it relied heavily on the student to manage unsafe situations and lacked clear staff accountability. Even more troubling, the plan was finalized without including all custodial parents in the process. Instead of focusing on corrective action and supervision, the school increasingly framed homeschooling or withdrawal as the "only viable path," which felt more like avoidance than resolution. Parents entrust schools with their children's well‑being. When concerns are raised, families should be met with transparency, collaboration, and urgency. Sadly, that was not our experience.

Our family is so grateful for this school. For the last four years they have really enriched our…read morechildren and helped grow their faith alongside their education. I highly recommend this school if you're looking for a great Christian based education and wonderful environment for your schooling.

I am nanny to two children that attend this school and I can honestly say I really like this place!…read more It is nestled at the base of a dead-end street residential street next to a great sports park & playground. The demographic is made up of predominantly white, upper middle class children from the surrounding suburbs and the parents seem to really take pride in getting involved in the classroom and extra-curricular events. The Principal is incredibly energetic and seems to know every kid by name which makes them all feel so important and actually makes them WANT to go to school! Although its not the biggest school, there are acres of fields for the children to play on and plenty of playground equipment. My 10yo loves that there is an actual working football league organized by the principal where the different grades play against each other each day - something i'd never heard of in other schools and in my own education! That's how much the principal cares. They have "spirit days" seemingly every other Friday where they have a DJ at lunch and wear their school pride out loud and proud. Its so cute to see the kids excited about school and I know its credit to the caring teachers and principal! This school was different than our previous elementary in Lake Forest because they focused more on in-classroom learning instead of physical homework sent home. Both kids still have spelling homework/tests every week, the usual math homework and 20 minutes of reading but not nearly the volume that we've had at other schools. However, they are still excelling and I credit this to the teachers and the classwork that is required of them to build understanding - which I think is a definite plus! The teachers & staff care and are very good at what they do! My only gripe is the way the pick-up/drop-off situation works. The school is at the base of a dead end street and so cars that come in have to loop around and tend to pack up 100s of yards. If you intend to walk your child to class, you must parallel park along the residential street because the parking lot of the school is only open to staff. There is a grassy area that the kids gather on to be picked up so I definitely find it more timely to park and walk over to the lawn and pick them up but I could see how this would be annoying for someone with young children already in the car. In that case, most would rather wait through the line. I would try to get there at around 2:30PM if you plan on waiting through the long line of cars to pick up your kids at the grassy area without getting out of your car. Its a little hard to explain - I'll try to add photos for better illustration. All in all, a great school! I just wish it wasn't so crazy to pick up or drop off your kids!

I saw the most amazing thing this morning as I dropped off my niece at this school for the first…read moretime. 6 children, along with an aid flocked to meet my niece at our arrival with smiles, hand holding and hugs. I've never seen such an all inclusive school. I attended Christian Schools growing up and couldn't believe the love that these kids showed. Come to find out the greeting to my niece was not a special occasion this was an every day event. The kids chose to come every day and show love. This school has it figured out from the top to the bottom and could only pray and wish this was every school system!

St. Michael's was the most important crossroads of my personal religious and higher educational…read morelife. Being educated at Catholic schools the majority of my life until I got to St. Michael's, my 2 years there confirmed the importance of my faith in my life and the integrism of that faith with my education and my every day life. St. Michael's is run by Norbertines, a French order that is nearly 1000 years old. The Abbey that runs this school was founded by five Hungarian priests that fled communist persecution. St. Michael's was, at the time that I attended, and at present, an all-boys boarding school. For those of us who lived within 2 hours - we were "5-day" boarders. We would go home for the weekend. It's really hard to talk about everything that St. Michael's means to me in a Yelp review, but let me summarize it in three brief points: 1. A world-class education. We were in class, with time for recreation and study, from 9am to 9pm. The teachers I had loved us and the subjects. 2. An integrated Catholic life. The chapel was always open to us and no matter how "pious" each individual boy was (or wasn't) we were all in the chapel every night to sing Compline. It was always the right way to end the day. Mass in Latin with proper Gregorian chant. I wasn't ever able to go back to "normal" Mass again. 3. Friendships that have lasted me, at this count, 14 years. Boarding school means spending more time with these people than with your own family. Endless late night conversations, countless study sessions, and chores. Thank you, St. Michael's, for changing my life.