Beautiful school in a pretty nice neighborhood in El Cajon. My second time going there for an…read moreinterpreting assignment and both times I have loved the experience. I felt uplifted with the motivational messages at the lobby. Everyone is very welcoming.

terrible. teachers are not the best. every single student is rude and disrespectful. teachers are…read morealways acting like they didn't see stuff. bathrooms are dirty. there is trash everywhere they force to pick up trash so they can film it. TERRIBLE SCHOOL DO NOT LET YOUR KIDS GO THERE

It's a Good school. The curriculum was challenging and prepared my son for high school. My son…read moresaid in high school as a freshman he noticed there was a knowledge gap between Hillsdale students and kids that attended other middle schools. Hillsdale kids had a more rigorous curriculum especially in math and English.

Nurse staff is absolutely horrible. My child was sent in because she felt like fainting and was…read moreliterally pale. This nurse named Nick, He just sent her back to class and she threw up in the bathroom, seriously? get better staff. my child gets racist comments about arab culture. Because of these students behavior, I can't believe this school. Some teachers are fine, But this one teacher or some assistant who is named Katie. She carries a diet coke all the time, She just always finds a way to dress code people. I've seen it in person. This one strap thing is absolutely ridiculous, It's literally 95 degrees outside everybody is sweating their asses off. And sometimes the ac is broken forcing kids to wear long sleeves shirts? oh and to mention the P.E activities.. it's 100 degrees outside and the coaches makes them run? WTF. i'd like to see the coaches run themselves. the kids are dying of heat. Take a break for gods sake.

This school has shown a pattern of behavior that makes many students feel unwelcome and unfairly…read moretreated. Numerous students and staff have expressed that the administration often behaves disrespectfully and dismissively, especially toward members of the Chaldean community. Many Chaldean students at Valhalla feel that they are spoken to with unnecessary aggression, singled out for minor issues, and treated with less patience and understanding compared to others. This creates an environment where students feel targeted rather than supported, and it damages trust between the administration and the communities they are supposed to serve. Students deserve to feel safe, respected, and valued no matter their background and many feel that isn't happening here. Many teachers are very racist towards students as well always making Chaldean comments. This treatment towards the Chaldean students needs to stop. No other student gets treated as horrible as the Chaldean students at Valhalla High School.

It was all right school a little racist I just feel that they didn't give African American kids the…read morequality time that they needed nor did the football coach allow the African American kids to really plan the games-..

Best school in El Cajon. We are truly fortunate our kid goes here.... especially considering the…read morealternative public school he would attend (and we own a home in a good neighborhood). Idc who you voted for (btw, we're democrats) or what God you pray to (btw, we're not religious).... we know a good school when we see one! Anyone who writes a negative review can take their kid to the low rated public school they live by. I mean...who writes negative reviews about schools!?!!??!! Unless you're paying for it! Charter schools are elective, and if you're unhappy with it, send your kids to the local public school, move, pay money for private school, or teach your kids yourself! Home school is an option if you think you can do better! Teachers are are under-paid and extremely undervalued. They take care of our kids for almost 8 hours a day...for free (well, almost...taxes pay). They try to educate our kids along with teaching them how to be responsible members of society. Even bad schools have good teachers.... who try and care! We previously had an issue with a teacher here and after sitting down with the principal, it promptly stopped. Our kid is almost in high school and has been attending lfcs since kindergarten. Lfcs provides a FREE and "private school like" education. Ik when my kid leaves in the morning he is learning something, safe, and well cared for. Ummm.... and the school rating is 10 out of 10....I mean really????

The best school and teacher out there my daughter loves it and I'm so glad she's attending this…read moreschool.

As a former ECV student, I am appalled to hear what's going on at ECV right now. A Spanish teacher…read morepulled a student out of class just to body shame her and tell her she's overweight and needs to lose weight? In what world is that a teacher's job? This wasn't just unprofessional. This was predatory and a massive boundary violation. High school is hard enough without the adults who are supposed to be mentors making students feel targeted and insecure about their bodies. This is harassment, plain and simple. ECV administration and the district need to handle this immediately before it becomes a much bigger issue. This teacher has no business being around students if this is how they treat them.

My niece went to this school. The kids are obnoxious, rude and inconsiderate. The teachers can't…read moreget the kids to shut up because the kids don't care to listen and they cuss at the teachers. Not sure why there is even police on campus if practically every day there is a fight on campus.

Fav place for swim meets!! Different snack bar for meets but still pretty good!! Nice pool too!!!!…read moreSWIM FAST‍‍

OMG! What a school...Our son started there in 1995 and loved it. We are foster parents and we've…read morebeen associated with GHHS almost every year with one of our new family members. The counsellors have always been helpful and respectful of each of our kids unique situations. All the teachers thru out each year have been very supportive with us and always had great communication with us for each child's needs. They didn't make many concessions because the kids situation, but helped us help each student to do the very best they could. That was and is our policy. We ask each kid to do their personal best no matter the outcome. We can proudly say that with the help of staff and teachers we successfully helped 42 kids since 2001. Can't say enough good things about this high school.

To Whom It May Concern,…read more I am writing to formally express concern regarding the excessive work expectations placed on teachers within El Cajon Valley Unified School District and the resulting impact on personal life, well-being, and family responsibilities. A full-time teacher, with contracted hours are from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM has the reality of a weekly workload that extends far beyond this. Weekly meetings often push on-site time to 4:30 or 5:00 PM, and consistently spending at minimum an additional hour each evening preparing lessons, grading, or responding to school-related communications from home. In addition to this, commuting 1.5 hours daily--30 minutes to work and 60 minutes home--which brings the total work-related commitment to approximately 49 hours per week. These extended demands severely limit the time able to spend with a spouse, children and family. Given that the children begin their bedtime routine at 6:30 PM, this equals as little as 1 to 2 hours with them on weekdays; only 9 hours across the entire workweek--just 5.4% of total weekly time. When compared with the 33% of the week dedicated to sleep and nearly 29% dedicated to work and commuting, the balance is clearly unsustainable for a healthy and present family life. I am raising this concern because the district's current expectations fail to reasonably account for the needs of educators with marital and parental responsibilities. This persistent imbalance constitutes a form of family responsibilities discrimination, as it disproportionately burdens employees who are caregivers. Although there may be no malicious intent, the cumulative effect is one of negligent discrimination--eroding work-life balance and harming family well-being. I respectfully request that the district evaluate its scheduling expectations, consider adjustments to after-hours obligations, and explore policies that support a more equitable work environment for employees with family responsibilities. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I am available for a conversation and would appreciate the opportunity to collaborate on possible solutions that support both teacher wellness and student success. Sincerely, Trevor Hirsch

This school has several things going for it. For starters its location next to a city rec center…read moreprovided it with a unique opportunity to share upgrade costs with the city for shared use of its facilities. This effectively doubled the value of the schools dollar when it decided to expand. With its large new buildings, the use of the indoor gym and outdoor grounds, this is one of the nicest middle schools i have seen around here. Of course, all that would be of no value without the staff. I like them. They are professional and courteous and there is no doubt in my mind that educating the children is their first priority. A great staff had recently had some more good fortune sent their way in the form of an excellent principal. Mr. Ernesto Villanueva transferred from Anza Elementary School around 2006. This was a great benefit to the school but my family as well because my daughter went to Anza and then went to Cajon Valley when he did. We all know it is a relief to know someone at the new school but she got one up on the other kids by knowing the principal. The values of a school is always important. I can offer the parents of children that are now or about to attend this school a little bit of helpful information. Don't go to this school if you expect to cause trouble such as fighting or bullying. Mr. Villanueva will not have it. Period. The staff there are not wardens but educators and they will quickly remind the parents and students of that. Finally, safety is always a huge factor as well. I am very comfortable when my child is in the gates of the school or even anywhere that a teacher is nearby and can see. This includes surrounding areas that the school does not govern. If you intend to screw around off school grounds thinking you are safe, think again. I saw a teacher see some students passing the school one morning to hit the 7-11about 45 minutes before school started and she made them turn around and head into the school. You see, they don't let their responsibility begin and end at they gates. I do have one concern though and that is traffic control. The school sits on a street with high traffic and that traffic consistently exceeds the speed limit. So I am disappointed that there is not a person posted out there before and after school to help guide cars and students safely. I have never addressed this with the principal but if I did he would listen and evaluate without a doubt. Overall, great facility, awesome staff and powerful discipline and education.

Boy has this school gone down hill fast. There are a few good teachers left but honestly there is…read morenot enough support. We moved my youngest and she is already excelling in a short time. Oh! Just try calling the school! You will NEVER get a live person. You can try every extension and I bet 1 out of 10 may pick up. Just trying to get my daughter out of the school was a nightmare! No one helps! No one calls back! I swear I feel like I have ptsd from the experience!

Don't recommend this school /district Very disappointing with this school not enough support or…read morehelp for there students that were/are struggling this past year. Don't get me wrong there a few great teachers and am grateful for them and I am sorry for this review to those few good teachers don't mean this towards you, but the actual district and administration obviously have not done enough for all the students that are failing and struggling badly and poor kids are feeling helpless and going into deeper depression as months go by and year almost over and still not much done to help these kids/students. So sad..for these readers I don't recommend this school .

This school has many flaws. The principal and vice principal are really stuck up. There's a man in…read morethe office who's in charge of attendance, he's a total jerk!! Pick up and drop off is sooo freaking frustrating! I swear sometimes it takes me 10 mins just to get out of the damn parking lot. They make the kids run in the damn heat, and come on El Cajon gets freakin hot! I could go on and on, oh and they give a butt load of homework, it's freakin ridiculous, my daughter sometimes doesn't get finished till 9:00 at night. It's frustrating, but not many schools in El cajon are really great anyways.

The physical state of the campus is a major health hazard. There is a rampant problem with rats and…read morecockroaches throughout common spaces, locker rooms, and areas near where student meals are prepared. Students regularly report seeing pests and droppings in the hallways. Routine facility cleaning and basic pest control measures appear entirely neglected by the administration. The school lunch program provides what is arguably the worst quality food in the area. Meals are routinely served dried out, soggy, or unappetizingly undercooked. There is virtually no nutritional variety or freshness, leaving students with inadequate fuel to get through their academic day. The grading system for the mandatory Physical Education (PE) aquatics unit is completely unreasonable. Students are required to swim four days every two weeks, regardless of weather conditions or their personal comfort level with the water. If a student misses a swim day or is unable to participate due to a lack of swim gear or physical discomfort, their PE grade drops drastically and immediately. There is zero flexibility or reasonable alternative credit provided for students who are still learning to swim, turning what should be an encouraging fitness program into a high-stress academic penalty. When parents try to contact counselors or administrators to discuss these strict PE grading rules or report health concerns regarding the pests, emails and phone calls go completely unanswered. The front office is entirely disconnected from parental concerns.

We feel incredibly grateful to be part of such a warm, welcoming, and enriching school community…read more From the very beginning, our family has felt supported not just academically, but personally as well. The teachers and staff truly go above and beyond to create an environment where each child feels seen, valued, and encouraged to grow. We currently have three children at the school, and each of them has had such a positive and unique experience. The balance between strong academics and character development is something we deeply appreciate. It's clear that the school is focused on nurturing the whole child, building confidence, kindness, and a genuine love for learning. One of the highlights for our family has been the musical program. Our daughters have been involved in the school musical, and it has been such a meaningful experience for them. Not only have they grown in confidence and creativity, but they've also formed friendships across different grade levels, which has been so special to see. The sense of community that comes from these programs is truly something unique. We couldn't be happier with our experience and feel lucky every day to be part of this amazing school. It's a place where children are encouraged to thrive, friendships flourish, and families feel genuinely connected.

My daughter has been attending MHA middle school since 6th grade. I will say the first two years we…read morewere not that happy with a lot of the staff, the non disciplinary action of other students that would misbehave and have no consequences. Even the inside of the middle school was a disappointment because there were no walls separating the different classrooms. Fast forward to present day, my daughter is in 8th grade and I am so sad she is now leaving MHA to go off to high school. Mrs Robertson is now the director at the middle school, there have been major staff changes, they even spent all summer redoing the entire inside of the school! There are walls, student lounge areas, amazing new staff, Mrs Robertson's office is right there so she can oversee everything, and there is even a counselor that comes once a week that will meet with any student or parent that might have any issues or concerns that they want to discuss, they have monthly meetings with the entire middle school about mental health as well. My daughter is thriving and loving school! We feel so confident and comfortable with her there. We love the new/returning staff, new programs, building updates, etc. I wish they had an MHA high school!! We have a younger daughter that will be at the middle school next year and we are so happy that she will be at MHA. She has some learning disabilities and the staff has been so accommodating to her. We really appreciate all the positive changes that MHA has made for this school year. Not only are the students more happy this year, you can tell the staff are excited to be there as well. Thank you MHA!!