As a parent whose daughter has attended preschool through 8th grade we are beyond grateful to Mr…read more Gay & the entire staff. HCS provides a Christ centered curriculum, small class sizes and an amazing athletes program. The school is like family and we highly recommend you take a tour! Love truly makes all the difference here.

It is strongly not recommended to go to the middle school department of this school. It is…read morecompletely open and dirty. The management is very chaotic. The admissions department replies very slowly and sometimes even does not reply, and there is a lack of communication with the front desk. The lunch was sent wrongly, and allergic food was sent to the students. Fortunately, the students found it in time. The school allows mobile phones to be brought, and many children secretly watch in class. There is bullying in the school against a Japanese boy.

This school isn't that great for TK special education the teacher here Ms. G lacks communication…read moreand the teacher has you download 4 different apps that she barely uses to stay connected in regards to your student. Another thing about the school is that for picture day or career day or anything that has to do about dressing up or pictures day if you like to be informed last minute, this is your school.

We love this school. Learn all about it from the principal here…read more https://parkbench.com/blog/beth-ewing-interview-rancho-santa-margarita

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.

My daughter has been going to this school for six years now and we love it! Wonderful teachers…read more(especially her group of sixth-grade middle school teachers this year!) and the project-based learning model is perfect for her. Highly recommend.

Community Roots Academy has a been an amazing experience for my children. From the magical…read morekindergarten classes to the middle school community, every year has been great! The admin is really involved and you see them around campus with the students daily! Middle school offers sports and orchestra which both my kids have thoroughly enjoyed!

Just another money grabbing racket, borderline devoid of any ethical thought process, that values…read moretheir own bottom line over that of regular families. Unfortunately, this seems to be the norm in 2023. I will never give this school a single dollar of my money, or support it in any single way as a result. They get taxes to fund them, but over zealous planners just see opportunity to get their hands on hard cash and are too greedy to consider the needs and effects this has on families. Attended the "Boo Blast" and the most shocking thing about this is that fact that it's $10 per activity, at least for the better ones, so that's $20 if you have 2 kids, or $30 if you have 3. And what might you get for these VERY overinflated prizes you might wonder? 3-4 mins on a climbing wall. Or 3 mins walking school rooms set up like a ghost house. What makes it completely obnoxious is the fact that young children often want their parents to walk through with them, and that ladies and gentlemen, costs another $20 on top. Forget protesting this, they genuinely couldn't care less. Within 1 hour at this awful event wrapped up in fake smiles, but with green dollar signs in their eyes, a family of 4 might have to spend $200 just to do a couple of activities that all last approximately 3 minutes. That's after you have lined up for 30 minutes to wait for the activity in the first place. They even have the audacity to ask parents to volunteer their free time to support this so that they can maximize profits. The real kick in the teeth is that when raising this to a member of staff, who turned out to be the treasurer, she then asked "Are you one of the low income families here at the school?", which I'm not. And even if I was, it's not the point. The point is that their pricing is totally unreasonable, and unjustified. To not realize that is to be totally devoid of reality altogether. However I can get involved in making changes to this, I will. Yes some parents can afford to waste the same amount of money as it costs to go to Disneyland on some fair games, but again, that's not the norm for everyone. I just had to leave my kids with my ex wife, on my weekend with the kids, as I could not stand to be around this endless money pit. Totally disgusted. I raised this with Mr Pedraza, the School Principle, that was stood marshaling traffic on the front gate. I might as well have been speaking to a block of concrete, as all I got was a blank stare and some vague repeating of some of the words I had just said. He honestly couldn't have cared less, or made it more obvious that he didn't care and just wanted me to slide away so he could watch the money rolling in. He already got his fill, he got slime tipped over him on the Thursday prior. Not for any particular reason, but because he wanted to. That's where the tax money goes huh?

The requirement for public schools to maintain neutrality regarding religion is a cornerstone of…read morefostering an inclusive educational environment. As stipulated by the California Department of Education, while educational discussions about religion are permissible, schools must not promote or endorse any particular religious beliefs or practices. This principle aims to respect the diverse religious backgrounds of all students. It is concerning when a school mandates that students sing religious songs. Such actions are far from representative of the diverse beliefs within the student population. Even with policies in place, students often have limited impact on curricular decisions. Compelling evidence suggests that "mandating participation in religious activities can make students feel uncomfortable or excluded, while inadvertently promoting a particular belief system over others." These practices provide substantial support for concerns about biased inclusivity but not for theories of equitable educational democracy. In times when global events highlight the sensitive nature of religious differences--where conflicts adversely affect people, including women and children, due to religious tensions--schools should be especially mindful of their role. Other studies have demonstrated that forcing participation in religious content can marginalize students of different faiths or secular backgrounds, their comfort and opinions overlooked by decision-makers. It is crucial for educational institutions to create a safe space where all students can learn without feeling pressured or marginalized because of religious content in mandatory activities.

Saint Junipero Serra Catholic School has exceeded all our expectations in the seven years our…read moredaughter has attended. Particularly this year, amidst the unprecedented disruption of COVID-19 and the impact on all schools. The transition to virtual learning was seamless and the curriculum proceeded with very few hiccups. The administration and teachers remained engaged and available for all questions or concerns. This is consistent with our experience through our time at the school. This institution truly cares about each student and prepares them for high school and life in general with solid values and educational rigor, all with the underpinnings of the Catholic faith.

Do Not Recommend Given the tuition--more than $15,000…read moreannually--our family expected a student-centered school that welcomed constructive parent involvement. Instead, communication with administrators is restricted and unnecessarily difficult. Parents aren't allowed to get to know staff or be involved with the education, and even when significant concerns are raised, reasonable adjustments are difficult to obtain. The academic leveling process and standards for advanced placement are not consistently applied with PTO connections and certain parent circles influencing these opportunities. Families also have 40 mandatory volunteer hours or have to pay an additional fee of $1,000. Opportunities very limited and again PTO members often give these to their friends. Dismissal is a joke with excessive wait times to pick up or bus transportation for yet another fee. Families are asked to participate in frequent fundraising, yet the students have books that are falling apart and electives that often seemed designed to satisfy a requirement rather than provide meaningful enrichment. When a teacher was absent, students sometimes get a free day or two classes are supervised together by one teacher. Frequent vendor changes involving uniforms, lunch providers and security companies have also raised questions about vendor-selection practices that seem to all be friends of Mr. Tolzda. It's impossible to contact Mr. Tolzda regarding actual school concerns or student issues but you can pay to play golf with him on Fridays. What a job! Parents instead are redirected to other staff members, on the middle school side being Mrs. Stokes who is dismissive of parents, yells at the students and is at times disrespectful to other staff including Mr. Tolzda. She should not be the representative of Serra or working with children. Where are the student-centered Catholic values the school promotes. There are so many there great staff members that should be working with the families. Overall, the school's emphasis increasingly appears to be on fundraising rather than classroom quality and student enrichment. Rumor is traditional student-centered activities are being cancelled this year in order to make room for yet more fundraising and golf functions. Changing schools is not a decision our family took lightly. However, we no longer felt that the leadership is acting responsibly or in the best interest of the students.

My son attended Oso Grande Elementary and unfortunately had a very negative experience. He was…read morerepeatedly bullied by other students, including comments mocking his Asian background and racial slurs. We reported these incidents to school staff and supervisors multiple times. While some staff members were kind, we felt our concerns were not taken seriously and the response was inadequate. The bullying continued, and we never felt our child was properly protected or supported. As parents, it was heartbreaking to watch our child struggle while feeling that the adults responsible for student safety were not doing enough. Ultimately, we decided to move him to another school. I hope the school improves its response to bullying and discrimination so that other families do not have the same experience.

Great school. Teachers are awesome. Principal is extremely attentive to the individual needs of…read morethe kids. Have sent 2 kids to this school and would do it again in second. Not sure what the prior review from ANABELLA is about...but this was not our experience at all. Ladera Ranch is a great place to raise kids and the school district is amazing. If there is any complaint, it would be that the kid drop off and pick up can be a bit of a process but that should have no impact on the great education that the kids receive while attending here.

This review is really for Las Flores Middle School. We were new to the school and CUSD district for…read morethe 2021-22 school year. Things started off on a rocky start with three math teachers within the first few months of school, but things got better socially as our child was part of Students Run Los Angeles (SRLA). LFMS is one of two OC schools still participating in this program. Students sign up and train all year for the LA Marathon in March. The students bond, the parents bond, there is a fun outing in LA, a ton of hype around the marathon, special announcements made at school for the kids, and so on. I can't rave about this program enough! The instruction at LFMS is pretty standard as long as you get a competent teacher and most teachers are. The school has struggled with their math teacher and the instruction taught is often wrong. Sometimes the answer keys are wrong. We've had multiple meetings with the school regarding this issue and the assistant principal is well aware the teacher is struggling and encouraged us to put our complaint in straight with the teacher. We spoke with the teacher and understand she has a difficult set of kids she's dealing with in her class. We were able to get the honors class workbook for our child because the math taught is easy for her. Lately we've been hearing there is a lot of bullying happening in this teachers class because the students don't take her seriously. This stems a larger issue I think the school is struggling with - bullying in general. I hear stories of kids throwing food at other students, taking cell phones and throwing them in bushes, pulling hair, telling people they smell, and the worst of all are there are rumors going around students are having sex with each other (as young as 6th grade). This school seems to be a rumor mill, in our household we stress the importance of not getting involved in the drama, staying active, etc. to avoid this unnecessary stress. The reason I'm giving it a 4-star review is because the school has been an overall good experience for our child.

OH MY GOD....... I cannot believe that i am the first to write a review about this school…read more My son is currently attending Mrs. Peggi preschool class and she is absolutely the BEST teacher I have ever known. My son has learned so much from her. He looks forward to going to school each day and is mad when it comes to the weekend and he not able to attend school. I couldn't have picked a better teacher for my sons first school experience. I would give her 20 stars if i was able too. =)