OK, so as many well know, I'm not living in my hometown anymore. Bailed for the Bay Area, and when…read moreI was down to my last few days in San Diego County, I started to get very nostalgic. Between going away parties and work responsibilities, I spent time visiting the places I'd encountered along my life's path that made ol' Ruggy the man he is today. Some of those places include: -My little league baseball field -The Tubs in La Mesa -The house in O.B. where I lost my virginity -The original 91X studio location on Pacific Highway (well, maybe the TJ studio was the real OG) -My first apartment after moving away from home in Bankers Hill -Lips -Fallbrook High School So, essentially, hot tub parties, 17-second one night stands, smacking baseballs and high school has helped shape me into the Ruggeford H. Joesten that (some of) you love so dearly. Well, at least the Ruggeford H. Joesten that my parents love, I suppose.... After visiting my grandparents in Fallbrook, I couldn't help but remember my high school days. I grew up about 1/2 mile from the school, and after being home schooled for my entire life, I decided that high school was the time to spread my wings. So, really, my first experience with public schooling was 9th grade. Talk about a complete nightmare, huh? It's easy to bag on our small avocado laden town, but I really can't imagine growing up anywhere else. The stoners, burnouts and bums I've kept in contact with hated Fallbrook High, but they all turned out to be weed salesmen, tow truck drivers and squeegee supervisors at Ten's in North Park. The people I know that really appreciated Fallbrook turned out pretty well, though. It's really like a small, Midwest farming town that happens to be 25 minutes away from the beach. A pretty cool mix, if you ask me. After walking through the closed campus like a total chester last Friday, I can't help but remember playing baseball on the bitchin' baseball field, smoking cigs by the handball courts, parking illegally in the teachers parking area (sorry) when nothing else was available, rolling into school 45 minutes late, then cooking myself breakfast with Mr. Koch in cooking class every first and second period in my senior year, and more. It sounds like I was a complete asshole, but I considered some of the school's enforcement officers and teachers friends, so somehow, I always got away with those shenanigans unscathed. The teachers at Fallbrook were classic. I strolled past Mr. Port's classroom, Mrs. Hellams old digs, Mr. Rupp's room (even though I despised that dude), Mr. Howard's room, and a few others. I've actually kept in touch with a few teachers from my high school days, which has to tell you something about the individuals making this school what it is. I even remember Lolo, the gangster security guard that kept shits on lock. He was quite the character. When you're 17 or 18 years old, it's pretty standard to ask your parents why the hell they decided to move to Fallbrook. But after almost a decade of being away, I can't tell you how much I'd love to return someday. There's literally nothing going on in that town... and when I've gotten sick of the hustle and bustle of city life, that's exactly how I'll like it.

save yo kids, there's other high schools out there....there are some REALLY awesome schools that…read morethey can go to, some of the teachers are high-key mean. my teacher got mad at me for breathing and made me move to a different desk.

Stay far away from this school!!! I received appalling, disrespectful treatment from the moment I…read moreenrolled my son. Everyone from the receptionist Mrs. Magaña to the principal Mrs. Taitano acts like they're above you and won't give you -- a paying customer -- the time of day. The receptionist was bilingual and since I also was fluent in Spanish, I chose to speak to her in Spanish. She promptly race-shamed me to insist I only speak in English. I'm an American citizen and I didn't appreciate the rude and racist treatment. However, I tolerated the treatment for the sake of my son. Next, my son missed a few assignments and I hired a tutor to help him get caught up. I asked the teacher, Linda Hayek, for his missed assignments via email and she never responded to me. We later asked again for the assignments, involving the principal and she nastily retorted that I was "making up stories" and that I had not asked for the assignments and not received them. I have an electronic paper trail to prove I did ask the teacher for them. My husband was upset at how they were treating me so he responded to the principal in an assertive but respectful tone and we received the most unprofessional reply from the principal. Rather than supporting our son and helping us create a plan to help him succeed, they kicked him out of the school. At some point during this exchange, they said we could leave and receive a full refund, but after they kicked us out they only refunded us our security deposit and said they would give us the rest "later" (yeah, right...). I insisted they keep their word which was also expressed in written form. These people do not care about children's education. They only care about money and a hypocritical form of piety that was absolutely disgraceful. I am a catholic, but I am ashamed to have served at, donated to, and enrolled my son in a school with such ungodly leadership. This was not a one off case either. My friends enrolled her kids here and also received the same rude stuck up attitudes and lack of support. Stay FAR AWAY!

I enrolled my son in the Preschool class half days, a few days a week, to test the waters. My son…read moreloved it so much he was asking to go to school ALL the time so I changed his enrollment to all five days since he was enjoying it so much. My family and I are so pleased at his development and his love and affection for his classmates, teachers and staff. Everyone at the school is so inviting and takes an honest, pure interest in each child and family. We have felt welcomed since the day we took an initial tour to now several months later. We have enjoyed the school and church activities immensely. We hope to be able to keep him enrolled as long as possible. I highly recommend St. Peter's The Apostle Catholic School.

Iowa Street school was once an excellent school, however, much has changed over the years. Budget…read morecuts have not been kind to this school and it has lost not only many of its exceptional teachers but the workshop/enrichment program has been greatly impacted. With it's many challenges, it seems that ISS has lost it's vision of what 'homeschooling' means. It was once a model school in the homeschooling world and it is sad for those of us who have watched it change over the years. On a positive note, ISS still retains a few of it's original teachers that truly support independent study and share that dynamic vision. Also, most of the classes (in the core program) have very high teacher/student ratios due to decreasing enrollment.

When I read some of the Yelp reviews for Potter Junior High, I was nervous to send my daughter for…read more7th grade but after one year there, I am happy to share that it is a really wonderful little school. My daughter's teachers were ALL wonderful - kind, passionate about kids and their subject(s), engaged in the process with the right amount of authoritativeness to keep kids in their seats and doing the work. The admin team is VERY strong, led by the new principal Dr Ramirez, his VPs Mrs Taylor and Mrs Jessica and the entire support staff is top notch. I think the student experience is deeply effected by how involved and supported they are by their family. Obviously this can be tough when parents have to work multiple jobs and juggle lots of kids - which is the case for many at Potter but I think the staff is really great at making sure all students get the support they need. On to Fallbrook High School next!

Very nice junior high school in the town of Fallbrook. The staff work very hard to provide the best…read moreexperience for the kids.

Wonderful Montessori preschool with a caring team and a calm, purposeful environment. Our daughter…read moreadored her teacher and grew so much in her capabilities, confidence. and independence.

Do not go here!! These poor kids. They give no love or affection to the kids. We went there for 2…read moremonths. Walked in on them sleeping while the kids were watching a movie! They always just sat and watched them play never interacted with them. They try to boss you around with when to bring them when it's not school. It's DAYCARE. my kid would cry in the in the morning when dropped off and they would tell me to leave him on the floor. They wouldn't even give the kids a hug to make them feel better. Doesn't seem like a place that is there for the kids sake. I didn't even realize how bad it was till we found a place that is so loving and caring and actually teaches the kids and interacts with them.

Blue Lotus Nature School has been such a gift to our family! Our son started attending when he was…read more3, and our daughter followed the same path--she's now 4 and still loving every moment there. Our son attended until this past fall when he started kindergarten, and we truly believe his time at Blue Lotus helped prepare him in the best way possible. Stacie (the owner) and her amazing staff have always treated our children like family. They foster such a warm, nurturing environment where kids feel safe, supported, and encouraged to explore. Our kids have learned so much--not just academically, but also about nature, creativity, and kindness. Most importantly, they always wanted to go to school, which speaks volumes about the care and passion that the team pours into each day. We've always trusted Blue Lotus to have our children's best interests at heart, and we are so grateful for the experiences they've had there. If you're looking for a nature-based, loving, and enriching early childhood program, we cannot recommend Blue Lotus Nature School highly enough!

Our son attended Blue Lotus Nature School at the Temecula location. He loved it and the staff were…read morevery welcoming and friendly and the owner is amazing. He looked forward to the days he attended and always came home with something he learned. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a great enrichment program that offers a wide variety of activities and nice families.

We love Zion! Our older daughter has gone there for preschool for 2 years and our youngest will…read morestart in August. All the teachers are absolutely wonderful. My daughter loves going to school and I know it's because all the staff is amazing. I would recommend Zion to anyone.

The best choice we could have made for our daughter! This is the best school with the best…read moreenvironment. The entire staff is fantastic! I would highly recommend this school to anyone.

This school is excellent in many ways. Communication with parents and updates are timely. My…read moredaughter enjoys attending this school.

We are extremely happy with Live Oak Elementary School we're my grandson is attending. My daughter…read moreis always kept up to dates with events happening and we have loved both his teachers. Keep up the great work Live Oak.