As our 4 years of high school come to an end, my heart is heavy with both joy and sadness! Geffen…read moreAcademy at UCLA has been home for my son the last 4 years. As he goes off to college, I have no doubt that the knowledge, curiosity, persistence and leadership he has finessed during his time here, will not only push him to higher heights but will be the tools that he will continue to use to change his world & those he encounters for better. The Head of School leads with wisdom, compassion, empathy, purpose and strength which trickles down to the entire administration. The school has been very instrumental not only in my son's academic journey but in his overall life, tremendously shaping him into the fantastic man he has become. The school truly cares about the students mental health. Although we have completed our academic journey, Geffen Academy will always be the fabric we wear daily. We will forever be a part of this amazing top notch school & community. Once a bruin always a bruin! GO BRUINS

I do not recommend this school if your child has a diagnosis and needs accommodations. Their…read morelearning specialist department is grossly mismanaged.

It is one of the best schools you can let your child go to. In the midst of the chaos that is…read morepublic education, Fusion offers one-to-one teaching.

Thank you Fusion Academy L.A. for enabling our daughter to catch up and finish her grade after our…read morerelocation. Excellent Head of school, Jaime Porras, and excellent team of teachers (1 to 1 with each student).

I am making another review, I am so glad I graudated here a month ago. So now I feel safer to…read moreexplain more in detail. At this school, the school cares more about their image than what they actually do. They have little ''events'' but they mostly put it on their instagram even when there's a cellphone ban. They do attendance challenges where if you show up consistently for a couple days you could get a 10$ Starbucks gift card. It's stupid, I know. They never clean the inside of the classroom building, they treated the cellphone ban as more important than students vaping, since they knew students smoke and smoke at that school but they dont do a single thing to stop it!! There was a burnt tampon found in the toilet - (no one knows why they were burning the tip of a tampon) someone reported it to the duke, and no consequences were given. The only people who actually care (In my opinion) are those at the wellbeing center. They let you come in and they welcome you even if they're going everyday, they actually care about mental health. Teachers like Ms. Ishii, Ms. Mitchell and Ms. Monge will put you on your last brain cells since their work is so hard, they will expect much out of you and I would warn against them unless you like teachers who are old school, would make you cry once or twice or close to crashing out, hesitating on respect for students, and having a spirit which made school less enjoyable due to their dark/ mean demeanors. The lunch is a dissapointmemt, instead of it being like an al you can eat buffet, they just throw food into being heat up and it's never handmade / cooked. Sometimes the cafeteria food is moldy or rotting, and it's open food where flies are flying around it. The theatre program was amazing, and we will sure miss Ronnie Sperling as our diretctor as he had decided to leave us after this year. As well since in Highschool a lot of students want to go to college, Uni doesn't really mention college to you until Junior year (Teacher wise), but I would recommend the college center since they just started that as we became seniors and It can be really helpful towards those who want the best academics. The dress code policy is stupid, Ms. Tucker Jones has a nasty attitude, I dont know if its because were both black and she's jealous I carry myself better than her, or she feels that she had to keep things in lock idk she just pissed me off. Also everyone booed the principal at graduation (Claudia Middleton) Anyways, If you end up bringing your child here it up to you. Goodluck, and be prepared to offer extreme emotional support, and money especially for senior year. But out of all the negative, here are some positive things I liked about this school. I mentioned being a black teen girl, we have a BSAP Counselor- Ms. Johnson. She took us to field trips for hocus, to go see a movie about being black, and watching a black play nutcracker. She also offers scholarship opportunities. I like this schools after school program educare, they offer a lot of snacks after school, tutoring and homework held ! :) Mr. Sabbagh had an excellent music progrgam- and if you wanna sing the national anthem for graduation go to him and try out even if you think youre not good enough do it try your best!!! As I said earlier the theatre program was good, so is the sports selection even tho this school is broke. And now, thats it. thank you so much for reading even though this was very long, I am finally done with this school. Peace out! -June, class of 2026

Great amenities try the stream on a sunny day. History of…read morehigh academics sports and educational innovation .The Collins/Katz YMCA is a big bonus

Thumbs up for ASTEME! We enrolled our child here for the summer camps and it was an excellent…read moreexperience from start to finish. With 3 different camps under way, we were amazed at how well they met the needs of our young camper. Every week dove deep into a specific topic, detailing a wide variety of hands-on activities that kept our chlid engaged, curious, and excited to learn. The entire process--from registration to drop-off--was easy and stress-free. The staff were patient, and truly dedicated to fostering a love of learning. I was impressed also at the safety measures and attentive to details of the organization, this must be from years of experience. The best part is also having to run into friends by surprise in the same camp during the same week. We will keep Asteme in our enrichment corridor for camps, holiday day-camps, and regular enrichment courses during the year. Thank you!

Incredible experience with this school and programs. The…read moreteachers are attentive, creative, patient, and supportive. The school founder, Allan has created a community in which students, parents and teachers support each other. Special recognition to Hogan, Angel, and Jordan for the extended commitment to educating children. It's wonderful to be able to send our children to school, knowing that they will be safe, inspired to learn and thrive. My only complaint is that I didn't discover them earlier! My children's complaints are that their school year is not longer! (They followed the private school calendar, which is shorter than the LAUSD calendar). The school and the teachers are true gems.

Well, let me take you all back 35 years ago or so when I attended Emerson Jr. High School from 1987…read moreto 1990 when I graduated. There were never any racist teachers here when I attended. We had the best Principals and vice Principals. Alan Shear was a good and tough principal that kept our school in line. I do not know now whom is running or supervising the school now. I see they changed their name. Campus still look the same from the photos I have seen. Yes, fights broke out when I was going to school too. But they were not happening everyday. Many kids are bussed here to Emerson that do not live close in the area. So, the school in not in a bad area. I loved all my teachers that helped me graduate too.

This historic campus has beautiful wooden floors on the main building classrooms. There are caring…read moreteachers and staff, both old and new to the school and they all work very hard to make it a comfortable and cheerful environment. The Counseling staff members awesome often taking on duties beyond their own. Students are offered a variety of academies from sports, leadership and Stem or Arts. With the inclusion of music in the coming year this is an outstanding place to send your students to thrive in all subjects and the arts.

Inside the Spectrum Program: What They Don't Want You to Know…read more To the parents of New Roads School, I'm writing this because no one else will. Not the smiling admissions staff. Not the polished emails. Not the teachers who know something's wrong but look the other way. This isn't easy to say--but it needs to be said. Because what's happening in the Spectrum program is not care. It's not support. It's quiet, systematic harm dressed up as help. And it broke me in ways I'm still trying to undo. In middle school, I was diagnosed with autism. When I got into New Roads, I was placed in Spectrum. My family was told it was a safe space--a nurturing environment tailored for students like me. I believed them. I wanted to believe them. But not long after I started, I was re-evaluated. Turns out, I wasn't autistic after all. But that didn't matter. By then, I was already locked in--trapped under Elisa Schultz's watch. Once you're in, Spectrum doesn't let go. You don't "exit" the program--you disappear into it. It wraps itself around your life and convinces you that you need it, even when all it's doing is making you smaller. At first, I tried to play along. I was named grade-level ambassador. I met with new families. I made speeches. I wanted to believe I was helping build something good. But eventually, I did what Elisa can't stand--I told the truth. I started asking questions. I stood up for students who felt powerless. I spoke too loudly, too clearly. So they got rid of me. I was replaced quietly, like I'd become an inconvenience. But the worst moment came later--when a classmate I cared about came to me in tears. Elisa had called her a disgusting, sexist name--something that would get anyone else fired. We made the decision to speak out. And the moment we started talking, five staff members closed in on us. Not figuratively. They surrounded us. Physically. Like security guards. They told her it never happened. Over and over, until her hands were shaking and she started questioning her own memory. I stood there watching someone I admired unravel in real time. And I knew: this wasn't a "program." This was something darker. During COVID, I had a bad allergy flare-up. I stepped out of class to blow my nose in the hallway because I didn't want to disturb anyone. The Tesla classroom was right next to the bathroom. I wasn't sneaking off. I wasn't doing anything wrong. Elisa exploded. She screamed at me in front of everyone. Berated me for not blowing my nose in front of the class. As if I had broken some sacred, unspoken rule. I was embarrassed. I was sick. I was trying to handle my body and my space with some dignity--and she crushed that in one moment. No kindness. No understanding. Just public shame. What kind of "support program" does that? Spectrum charges over $13,000 a year on top of tuition. That money doesn't go toward student wellbeing. It goes toward building a system that punishes independence and feeds on fear. They don't care if you were misdiagnosed. They don't care if it's hurting you. They care about keeping your family's money. And your silence. There are others like me. I've spoken to six students--at least--who had stories like mine. Some gave me permission to speak. Most are too scared. That should tell you everything. Parents, you're being sold a lie. And it's packaged beautifully--with buzzwords, learning plans, and emotional jargon. But behind the curtain is something toxic. Something I wouldn't wish on anyone. Ask the questions they don't want you to ask. And when they try to talk around it, listen to what they're avoiding. This program nearly broke me. I'm writing this because I refuse to let it keep breaking people in silence. - A former Spectrum student who refuses to stay quiet

Our two high schoolers are thriving at New Roads. The teachers are excellent and caring, the class…read moresizes are small, and most importantly, they are learning not only academics but how to work toward a better world.

Small Charter school (middle & high) in West Los Angeles…read more School population of about 825 students in grades 6 - 12 with small class sizes that average 30 students per classroom. My son just started and so far, he loves the school. (will update later!)

My son just finished 8th grade here so I wanted to share our experience for other parents trying to…read moredecide on a middle school. The good stuff first: he got lucky and had Ms. Plasencia who is amazing: caring, dedicated, and actually invested in the kids. The campus is small too, which I really appreciated compared to some of the huge public schools around here with 1000+ kids. It just felt safer and more manageable. My son also made great friends and we liked the other parents we met along the way. But there were some real issues that made us decide not to stay. Biggest one: the school uses an app called Infinite Campus so parents can track grades throughout the year. I checked it every week like a hawk. My son is a straight-A honors student who had a 98% in one class ALL YEAR and then a week before grades were due, the teacher suddenly updated two months of missing grades and it dropped him to a 74%, completely out of nowhere. I emailed the teacher and the principal, and basically got told teachers are "encouraged" to update grades every two weeks but apparently that doesn't actually happen. So what's the point of the tracking app if a teacher can just sit on grades for two months and then spring it on you right before the year ends? My son's final report card ended up with all As and this one C. Also, the math situation was rough. He started the year with one teacher who basically gave up on the class. She sat in the back of the room and stopped engaging with the kids at all. She left mid-year and got replaced by someone more invested but honestly not great at teaching the material either. So basically a wasted year of math. And then there's the bathroom situation. Some 8th grade boys vandalized a bathroom, so the school's solution was to lock ALL the boys' bathrooms, all day, every day. If a boy needed to go, he had to track down someone in the front office to walk him there and let him in. Before school, during class, lunch, whenever. And when the office was busy, boys just had to wait. This actually led to a kid wetting himself in the hallway because he couldn't hold it anymore. That's just not okay for a middle school to let happen. Overall, we got lucky with one great teacher, but between the grade tracking that doesn't actually prevent last minute grade surprises, the teacher turnover, and the bathroom policy, we decided to switch schools. Just wanted other parents to know what we dealt with so you know what you're signing up for.

Saint Sebastian School is a wonderful school for all of students. First, all of teachers are nice,…read morepassionate and professional. They always give kids a warm hug when they need it. Second, the team of the school is the best. A younger and responsible principal, the helping front desk, the best teacher and other nice staff. My daughters like to study here and really enjoy the day of school. So I sincerely recommend this school for everyone. Let's join the great community.

My daughter has been attending for three years and we love the school and the staff. My daughter…read moreloves her friends. The small community is a plus.

Great Middle School....I attended this school and now my son goes here. Great after school programs…read morefor kids also to keep they mind busy. My son is a program where they are training to run the L.A. Marathon. And he's loving every moment of it. Also, this is the place where I layed eyes on a gorgoues young lady who is now my gorgeous wife. So this place is where magic can happen!

Huge waste of taxpayer money:…read more The idiots in charge removed approx 5 massive 40+ year old ficus trees that shaded the entire neighborhood and replaced them with smaller baby trees. Really? When the trees were first being torn out we assumed they were doing it to make way for new instructional buildings. Nope. This boondoggle "spend our cash down" project just put in tinier trees. Can't justify that waste of public funds any way you look at it. Neighborhood is no cleaner and now, a lot less shady without those ficus trees. And students are no better off than before the project.

Southern California Montessori School is truly a hidden gem, and we feel incredibly fortunate to be…read morepart of it. Under the wise and compassionate leadership of Ann Abellera and her exceptional teaching team, the school fosters a deep love of learning that radiates through everything they do. Ann brings a calm, thoughtful presence to the school, and her decades of Montessori experience are evident in the respectful, child-centered environment she and her staff have created. Rather than traditional classrooms, there is one beautiful, open learning space that allows children to move freely and engage deeply with their work. The materials are thoughtfully chosen, and the environment is designed to spark curiosity, independence, and joy in learning. I've noticed the pride my kid takes in his discoveries - it's so rewarding for a parent! Beyond academics, the school nurtures kindness, responsibility, and confidence. It's clear that every child is seen, respected, and encouraged to grow at their own pace. The outdoor space is also a huge plus--a well-maintained and cheerful playground that gives the kids a chance to run around and play. Southern California Montessori is more than a school--it's a community rooted in trust, care, and joyful learning. We can't recommend it highly enough.

27 years ago, I had the pleasure of going here as a pre-schooler! 27 years later I came back to…read morevisit with my life long friend that I met here! Wow I was brought back to relive some great memories. Most of the staff are still the same people who took good care of me! The staff even remembered an item I brought for show & tell. Talk about paying attention to details! Seeing all the kids in such a good flow, cleaning up after themselves and listening to all the instructions was so beautiful to see. If you're looking for a pre-school, look no further. The caring staff, strategic system that works to develop foundational skills & dedication to providing a nurturing, tailored space for kids is what makes this pre-school amazing!