I have been a parent of Micheltorena for the last six years. It is my local school and my child is…read morein the Dual Language Program. The parents at this school are very passionate about their school and their kids. After having a child graduate from this school and now attending a middle school, her Spanish is better than the Spanish teacher she now has. Though the model of 90/10 Spanish would be better, for the changing community that is not Spanish speaking, the 50/50 model works. Most of the teachers have been at the school for many years and are excellent at what they do. The parent board called FOM (Friends of Micheltorena) are committed to bringing a diverse voice to the school.

I am a parent of two children at Micheltorena, who have both been there since the first grade…read more This is a quiet, friendly neighborhood elementary school, a school where the office staff, teachers and kids really LIKE each other; you can see and feel it when you walk onto the campus. The principal is outstanding; she is always accessible to the parents and public when they have questions, concerns, or just want to discuss new ideas for the school. The teachers are well credentialed and very experienced, as is described on their teacher pages on the school's website, www.micheltorena.org; many of the teachers live local to the school and are active in the community. Next year, the school will implement the first year of its dual language program. The school does not appear "great" when condensed into numbers and statistics on websites that focus on API scores; Micheltorena has roughly 25% of its student population as special needs / speical education students, many of them coming from surrounding school districts like Ivanhoe and Franklin. When the API score, which includes test scores from these special education kids, is compiled, many parents are turned off and assume that the the scores are due to poor academics. However, my children have excelled at the school with teachers that they love, who are willing to individualize their teaching plans to different students' needs. The parents of children in the gifted program also report that their children are challenged and provided with instruction that meets their needs as well. The school has always focused on the arts, and at one time had the biggest elementary school orchestra in Los Angeles. It still has its orchestra which all children in grades 4th through 6th can participate in. Now the school is partnering with local arts organizations Silver Lake Conservatory of Music and Bluepalm, both who have supplemented the existing art curriculum with increased instruction and classes. And with the school garden that is co-managed by Silver Lake Neighborhood Council members and is open to the community, the school has truly become a community center. It is a wonderful experience to be a parent at this school. Come join us!

Our kids have been attending for 7 years now. The oldest is in the Burbank campus and the youngest…read morewill be there in a few years. While no place is perfect, we've found the school to be an amazing and beautifully cultivating educational experience for our kids. We've absolutely loved more than 95% of the teachers and while administration has changed a few times since we've been there, they've all treated us and our children with respect and warmth and have continued to push forward the founding principles and mission of the school. It's not easy to get in and we consider ourselves very lucky. The community there is fantastic and we're finding parents we absolutely adore from the other campuses now that our kids have collected in Burbank. The board is a very hard-working group of volunteers, many of them parents, some for 15+ years at the school. They put in an incredible amount of time and effort to uphold the school's mission and while that sometimes involves making tough decisions that not everybody agrees with, I feel that their hearts and intentions are in the right place. The school is very unique in the academic programs that they offer. In fact, there are only 4 or 5 others in the entire country that match it. The school offers an IB and an FB tract and the program focuses on growing kids from K through 12 towards an incredible university acceptance rates. In 2015, The Washington Post listed LILA as the nation's 12th most challenging private high school. Tuition is going up and some parents are understandably upset by it, but the school also involved a group of parents (CFOs, CPAs, etc.) for a formal budget review against a strategic plan and the budget was approved, so it wasn't approved in a vacuum. There was a 3-year projection of tuition increases but also lots of caveats to that as well as plans on how to reduce it. The school is growing and does have growing needs, but it's the same spirit and culture as when we started and if you're considering it, I highly recommend you visit the school and see for yourself. We love it there and couldn't recommend it more highly!

As far as I'm concerned, this is the best school bar none in Los Angeles. Bilingual immersion…read more(French-English, with Spanish as a required subject and other languages as electives), and top notch academics, a caring and extremely well-qualified faculty, nurturing yet no-nonsense staff who truly care about the kids in their care, and at the end of the day, incredible results. Students graduate from this school with either an IB (International Baccalaureate) or a French Bac, both very high-level diplomas that give the students 1-2 years worth of credits in university. The school's grads have an incredible 100% pass rate as well as 100% acceptance rate into top universities WORLD-wide - Oxford, Princeton, Stanford, Columbia, McGill, just to name a few. This is the only school in LA where the students get to choose between the IB DIPLOMA or the FB diploma program. Don't let other schools fool you into thinking they are offering the equivalent in IB - they may offer various IB subject classes but the diploma is another thing entirely and university admissions counselors know this. The IB Organization in Geneva has strict diploma requirements on Higher and Standard level subjects covering both the Arts and the Sciences, a Theory of Knowledge class, an extended thesis essay and 150 hours of community service hours. At this school, ALL students take the IB or the French equivalent, the bac, not just a select few top students. The academics here are not for the faint-hearted! The secondary school moved last year from cramped quarters to this lovely campus in this equestrian neighborhood and the new facilities have pushed the school to a new level. All classrooms sport interactive SMART boards as well as white boards so that students can literally write on the walls! The faculty are highly qualified - either under the French Ministry of Education or the IB organization - the majority have high level degrees and/or teaching credentials. The administration is energetic, creative, efficient, and definitely have a clear vision for continuing forward. THIS is what a school should be.

this guy is a teacher at soto he is a very nice teacher and you should fs send your kids hereread more

The (LAUSD) School of History and Dramatic Arts (SoHDA) on the Sonia Sotomayor campus is a hidden…read moregem in the system. Students receive FULL a-g college preparation in addition to training in drama and all aspects of stage technology. SoHDA partners include UCLA, CalArts, Sacred Fools Theater, Mujeres de la Tierra and Los Angeles Education Partnership. Graduates have been accepted to UCLA, UC Berkeley, Penn State, Dartmouth, Skidmore, Cal Arts, many Cal States. School shares campus with other high schools so also offers full sports program. They have a few open enrollment spots open for FALL 2016. Call the school for more information.

I have two kids at this school - one in STEM and another in Dual Language. Here are some things I…read morelove and some other observations: Love: 1) there is a very large active parent/family community at this school that cares deeply about our kids. Though ideas about implementation can differ, the sheer number of committed and involved grownups is wonderful. 2) there are some teachers here who love the students as they would love their own family, and it shows. 3) the whole community comes together a few times a year for performances, brainstorming sessions, supporting teachers, fundraisers, parents' night out, etc. 4) though there are strong differences of opinion on how things "should" be run, everyone does their utmost to ensure kids are well-resourced. 5) the greening project, though it looks different than the original plan, has created a more comfortable atmosphere for the kids 6) teachers assign projects to kids that really develop their whole person 7) the PTA works for the benefit ALL kids at the school and doesn't feel snobby to me at all (I grew up thinking PTA would be complain-y adults feeling holier-than-thou, but that's not the sense I get at all). They put on a TON of events for the school and really make it happen (career day, friendship dances, harvest festival, dine outs, guardian's night out, performance support, so many more things) 8) the special ed program has a teacher whose creative mind and heart are unparalleled (Ms Aquino) 9) Ms Pedroza (UTK/TK) is just THE BEST 10) Ms Kim (5th grade STEM) is WONDERFUL with the kids - helps them feel respected, seen, heard, competent, and provides huge opportunities for enrichment 11) Ms Olga (community rep) does a heck of a lot getting communications out, organizing, presenting, and making events happen 12) Ms Carmen and Ms Karla (front office) are wonderful humans AND keep the school running in huge ways 13) the school puts a LOT of effort into getting the arts and music available to kids. Grants for ukuleles, music teachers, art clubs, etc. are worked for and obtained regularly. I could go on and on. Any school you go to will have benefits and detractors, but these are some of the strengths I've witnessed personally. LAUSD Admin are working closely with the school right now (June 2026) to establish strong leadership by appointing a new principal, so the school is being followed closely for support.

We feel SO lucky to have Buchanan St. Elementary in our backyard. Our son is thriving in the Dual…read moreLanguage program and the staff, teachers, and community are second to none. Go Bobcats!

Sugoi! I am soooooooo disappointed! NO! NOT Soteru Gakuin, but fact that I went to Uni High…read more(University High School) within stone throw of this area! Here I am Nikkei myself, plus I was new member of now former NSA (Nichiren Shoshu Academy, now simply SGI-USA, and NST) one (now two since 1991) organisation based in Tokyo, and I NEVER set foot in this area! Little Osaka now known, I could have joined teen and youth group at Buddhist Church (despite being Nichiren Buddhist as I assume this church to be Nembutsu). I never had opportinuty to eat at any restaurant or Sushiya, visit mangaya, giant robot shop, or shop at Nijiya Supa either! Now I live in Northern California. San Francisco has largest Nihonmachi in America, but still small compared to our community in Southern California! (Nihonmachi no longer strictly Japanese as many Chinese and Korean moved in)! However next time I come to Southern California, I have to visit Soteru, and other Japanese community in Los Angeles area as well! Oh yes! I want to visit (and if I move there to SoCal, as to volunteer) at Soteru Gakuin (Japanese Institute of Sawtelle) as well! Thank you!

This review is for WLA Kendo Dojo…read more Best Kendo dojo in Los Angeles. Please come join us for practice and learning!

My niece used to attend this school, and like many other students, she experienced ongoing…read morebullying. Unfortunately, the staff consistently failed to address the issue or provide meaningful support to either the students or their parents. I'm relieved that she has now transferred to a different school where she no longer has to deal with that stress.

I was bullied for all the time I went here the teachers are great though but if you get bullied…read morethere expect them to do exactly jack about it they will just say we will talk to them and then send you away, but I mean I did go here during Covid so it has been a very long time so I wouldn't know if it has changed tbh

I went here from second grade all the way till my final 8th grade year. It's easy as a parent to…read moresay " I love this school and so do my kids" heck that's what my mother used to say. Though that's not always true, to say the least teachers let you see what they want you to see. I'm an adult now, a high school graduate, and a college student working towards a teaching degree. Now let me tell you, the staff here is the worst staff I have ever encountered in my life, they do not care about the students grades and they certainly do not care about the health or well being of these students either (minus a select few). I was constantly told throughout my years "if you don't understand leave my class" the impact that statement alone has on a young persons mind is beyond what my education was worth. This school without a doubt is the reason I went into high school with the mindset that teachers will not help you, don't care, and if I don't understand something I should give up because I never will. Please do not send your children here find somewhere that has a decent staff, or at least a empathetic one.

I like this place so much. It use to be a lot better A couple years ago but I am still here because…read moreI remember it for what it was. Time flies and it's impossible to catch it. I feel sad to say that but I really mean it. Please be sure to stop by and check it out for yourself soon.

Experience: I went to watch a German film and had a great time. The space was inviting, light…read morerefreshments were offered, and to top it off, it was all free via online registration. Space: This industrial minimal looking space serves as a German cultural center that offers a wide rage of events and programming. All people are welcome to engage and participate. Event: I arrived ten minutes before the start of the film screening. There was art all along the walls for guests to browse at. Towards the front were some snacks, water, wine, and German drinks. This was a nice touch and gesture. The seats had a bit of padding and it was first come, first serve. The projected the movie from the wall, and audio and display were on point. A small thank you for coming was given before starting the film. Parking: There is a small parking garage that leads right into the space. No issues at all, really easy free parking. I look forward to attending another event.

Beautiful space to visit with fun educational events focusing on art, culture, and ideas from…read moreGermany.