We absolutely love Stratford School in Altadena! My older son is in fifth grade and my younger son…read moreis in first, and both have truly thrived here. The small class sizes mean every child gets individual attention, and the curriculum is very advanced, engaging, and thoughtfully designed to challenge students while keeping learning fun. The teachers and administrators are exceptional, caring, very communicative, and deeply invested in every child's growth. But what really makes Stratford special is the community. The kids are kind, well-behaved, and genuinely happy. The families are wonderful, invested and share the same goal: creating a nurturing, protected environment where children can still be kids. Parents are on the same page about carefully monitoring what our children see and hear, helping them stay innocent and grounded for as long as possible. People often comment on how sweet and polite the Stratford kids are and it's true! This is especially the case for the kids in 5th grade. They are so kind, welcoming and supportive. The school reinforces the same values we prioritize at home: being good citizens, good friends, and good students. Our family's experience with Stratford has been truly life-changing. Before coming here, our older son went through a very difficult 3rd grade year at another school where he experienced bullying. What hurt us most was that the school failed to inform us despite multiple incidents. There was zero communication until something major happened. Our son suffered in silence for much of the year. When we finally discovered what had been happening, we immediately decided to immediately pull him out and make a change. Stratford was already at the top of my list. I had toured the school and met the principal two years earlier when we were exploring different options -- and, by some miracle, there was one spot open in third grade after another student moved over the holidays. Within a week, our son had taken the assessment and started at Stratford. The transformation was incredible. His anger and sadness melted away, and our sweet, happy boy returned. We will be forever grateful for this school. It's more than just an excellent academic environment, it's a refuge, a true community that supports the whole child and we'll never stop being thankful.

An exclusive private school. The school provides high quality education for Pre and Elementary…read morelevel up through middle school. They offer bilingual Mandarin preschool. Impressive. You may set up an appointment with the school head to tour the facility. They have their own parking lot.

My son has thrived at this school. I'm very happy with the teachers he's had and the…read moreextracurriculars he's been part of, including the amazing drama program with Ms. G and robotics with Mr. Watson. The teachers are genuinely caring and attentive. Highly recommend this vibrant and strong 6th through 12th grade to prospective students and families!

Thurgood Marshall Secondary School (formally Marshall Fundamental) has been an incredible fit for…read moreour family. My younger son started here in 9th grade, and from day one, the students, teachers, and staff made him feel genuinely welcome. He has flourished. Our family has experienced more than one PUSD high school. My older son attended Pasadena High School's App Academy, which was right for him. But I also knew it would not have been the right environment for my younger son. They are different kids with different strengths, personalities, and educational needs. Thankfully, PUSD still offers families that choice. Families choose Marshall because it offers something different--and for many students, something better suited to how they learn and grow. I am incredibly grateful that our family had that choice. Marshall isn't just an excellent school; it's a place where students are known, supported, challenged, and encouraged to become the very best version of themselves.

Best campus in the district and they have an absolutely excellent Law and Public Service program.read more

I'm currently attending this school and it's a great school positively wise and it's a safe place.read more

Love Elliot magnet such a great middle school love the Art program suggested to anyone looking to…read morego to middle school.

My son is in 6th grade and, as he is an artist, is learning so much from, not only his art and…read moredrama classes, but from the after school conservatory. He is taking two fine art/drawing classes, stop motion animation, and graphic design. As I have no artistic talent, he is getting much needed direction, support, and encouragement. In addition, he is getting strong core curriculum instruction. The conservatory, along with the Capturing Kids Heart program, have created a vibrant, kind, calm, and enriching environment for students to learn.

My son joined the 1st grade class at LILA Pasadena, after we moved from New Jersey. The entire…read morecommunity (teachers, administrators, families) was incredibly welcoming and helped our family get through a big move. The community of families is the best part of LILA - especially the Pasadena campus which is truly an intimate, connected group. As a non-French speaking family, we have always felt included, and our son's development in both French and English has been a joy to watch, but the biggest joy has been seeing him grow as a person, a person being molded by the entire community around him.

My daughter is in the Pre K/PreSchool combo class and loves the school. The teachers, kids and…read moreparents are very nice. It's a very small campus with mostly French speaking parents who work in various industries. It has a very friendly and laid back feel to it. My daughter had a birthday where I brought cupcakes for the whole school and some of the "big kids" in the 3rd to 5th grade classes came by to wish her a happy birthday. She felt very special with the big kids coming over to the smaller kids area just to say happy birthday to her. It's a great bilingual education. My daughter is 4 and understands what's being said to her in French thanks hr being at LILA now for 2 years.

As a parent of two daughters who have only attended elite, very expensive private schools up until…read morenow (schools that cost more than double the tuition of High Point) I can confidently say that High Point is, without question, the best place for my children to learn and grow. Yes, it is known for its academic rigor, and it absolutely lives up to that reputation. But what really sets High Point apart is the way its teachers meet every student exactly where they are. They scaffold thoughtfully, set the bar high, and, most impressively, get their students there. I've never seen anything quite like it. Even more important than academics, though, is the culture the school fosters. My children feel genuinely loved, heard, and respected every single day. There is a warmth and authenticity here that is rare, especially compared to the elitist entitlement that can be so prevalent in many independent schools in the area. My only regret? Not sending them to High Point sooner. Then again, if I hadn't experienced the alternatives, I wouldn't fully appreciate just how special this school truly is.

This is currently our first year at HPA, and we have been loving it!…read more We've been especially impressed by our kinder teacher- she is super nice, very approachable, answers emails almost immediately, and puts out weekly updates via email. We expected all that, but we were really impressed by how well and how quickly she recognized our son's strengths and weaknesses, and how she's been able to tailor the curriculum to fit him. Even though he's quite advanced, she adjusts his assignments so that he doesn't get bored with class. After he finished the advanced reading/writing workbooks, she encouraged him to really use those skills by reading a nonfiction book, writing down notes, and then putting it together for a presentation. He's super proud of being able to do this, and was recently even more excited to be able to mentor a friend in class who's about to start a similar project. She has done a great job of keeping my gifted child engaged and enjoying class, but also keeping him socially instep with his classmates. When my son had some self-control problems in class, she told us immediately, and continued to work with us by providing reminders, helping him set up boundaries so he wouldn't be tempted to misbehave, and continued to give us feedback as his behavior improved. We really appreciated her patience in working together with us on helping our son mature. My son has said that he likes all his ancillary teachers as well- art, music, spanish, library, and of course, everyone's favorite- PE. After school classes have all been fun and enjoyed by many kids- chess, science, dance... It has been a very friendly school- the Head of School Mr. Stern, and Mrs. Haines are both at the front of the school every day greeting the kids by name :) Our crossing guard, and even our temp crossing guard are super nice too! The older kids at carline dropoff are always so nice and polite! We see the other kinder parents on a regular basis, whether it's for class volunteering or class parties, and we've really enjoyed their company. We have liked getting to know all of our son's friends' parents. The parents in our class have all been very generous with their time and efforts for the kids (wow, they kids made out like bandits at the class Christmas party)! They have some really fun kinder traditions- teddy bear picnic where all the families come too, special tshirts, author visit, petting zoo at school... I wish they had all that when I was in school! The tuition is very reasonable, especially considering the quality of the education, and the breadth of offerings. Our school has regular fundraisers, but we've never felt pressured to give more to get more, and we are not constantly solicited for additional fees, which I've heard parents from other school's complain about. The school is also very helpful w/ their days off/staff development days. They often have them the friday before a vacation week- which means headstart on vacationing! Great education, thoughtful teaching, and nice people!

Current parent of a Freshman. Our experience so far has been great. Besides the great teachers, one…read morething that really stands out is the state-of-the-art facilities available to students. From cutting-edge science labs equipped with the latest tools for hands-on experiments and research, to Performing Arts, there's truly something for every interest. Whether a student is passionate about STEM, visual arts, music, theater, or anything in between, the school provides amazing opportunities to explore and grow in those fields without feeling limited.

My most memorable teacher would be Mr. Pleitez the spanish teacher he instilled good Christian…read morevalues in all of his students which stuck with me to this very day. Besides that I would say this is an ok school.

Sierra Madre Middle School looks new and shiny from the outside, especially situated in such a a…read morequiet lovely town. But make no mistake. The bullying and racism by the students, and by some teachers is rampant and uncontrolled. The administration has no control over the student body and issues few consequences for really, seriously bad behavior. That empowers and develops the worst parts of kids' characters because they know that they can get away with almost anything. Even worse, when the kids get in any kind of trouble at school the parents are seldom, if ever, notified so they don't have the opportunity to parent their kids. If their kids are bullied the parents aren't notified so they can support their kids. Everything is about keeping up appearances and placating concerned parents. If a parent does find out something concerning and brings it to the administration's attention, they will be kind, concerned, say they are "investigating" but ultimately nothing will come of it. The bullying from the kids that occurs during nutrition break and lunch is made far worse because of a disturbing lack of adult supervision... especially on the field. There is bullying during PE. There is humiliation and shaming by certain teachers. And the bullying continues after school where groups of kids go together to the park unsupervised and act like gangs that surround other kids and torment them verbally and sometimes physically. Parents believe because this is Sierra Madre that everything is safe and peaceful from school to park. It is not. This is nothing remotely like the amazing SME. Many (underscore MANY) of us parents who have had terrible experiences there and have brought it to the PUSD have been told over and over that since COVID that the reports of bullying have skyrocketed and that they are overwhelmed. But this is their job and their responsibility to keep our children safe and make an environment that is conducive to learning. If they don't step up and provide the necessary resources to protect our kids while they are in their care, who will?? There are a several wonderful teachers who do really care. The front office staff and nurse could not be lovelier.

I'm a parent and my kid complained that he was waiting for me to pick him up near the school. A…read moreteacher or a worker came up to my kid and told him he couldn't wait for me in that stop where kids usually wait.When I picked him up he said he didn't feel welcomed at this school. Schools should be about caring for kids and making sure they are welcomed something the school clearly did NOT do. Do not recommend this school also lots of fights and kids making out all over the place

this is my old el school I am now in high school going to the 11 grade this school was so good in…read more2018 -2019 and 2017 peak days had so much fun teachers were nice and everyone I really enjoyed moment of that's school I have a year book form 2020 then I graduated , Dereon

Principal does nothing to help the community with parents parking in red and double parking no…read morewonder the community wants the school closed

Driving up the foothills in the shadow of the recent bobcat fire, I wondered how safe is the air…read morequality and where is Alverno? Then it appeared two massive iron-rod gate doors which lead to the grounds of this majestic campus. It's what I would assume the mansion of great expectations once was. There are strawberry and oaks trees for acres and a linear koi lily pond. So here the history lesson: it was once a mansion which consumed hundred of acres of land. As time marched on, as it does hundreds of plots of this plantation-Spanish styled looking mansion were sold-off. Creating the adjacent neighborhood of Sierra Madre. Including, a large plot to this now existing school, Alverno. The mansion is host to the girls drama classes and plays: Bravo! I can't speak to the school or the educational quality but as a shooting location it's Ethereal. Such a delight and an endless time capsule of history. The city of Sierra Madre was wonderful and welcoming. And this feature film we are shooting which I can't say much abt, truly will be the stuff of legends.

The high school closed down unfortunately due to poor management. They claim it's declining…read moreenrollment but none of the other high schools are closing down. they took the money in donations and tuition from families who are expecting their girls to be invested in the school. They never let the parents know they were in financial trouble. that was wrong and I don't think the whole story because the new principal now says at public meetings she is going after much younger students because that is where the money is. It's sad when a school has to focus on the their heads giant salaries and not the students once the Covid funding stops. On the plus side it's a very cheap school Unfortunately they have a lot of interest in holding weddings (almost every weekend) and filming (even during school hours) on the campus. I wouldn't want my kids around strangers when they should be getting educated. My nieces enjoyed a good high school 30 years ago. My grandnieces and nephews have not at the new Alverno. Their parents pulled all three kids out. They felt the education was lacking compared to other schools. And are now enrolled in and very happy. The staff seems ill equipped. Some teachers are nice others seem very disgruntled. they really don't seem happy to teach there. It comes across to the children. some teachers are just there because the kids are getting discounted tuition and that doesn't make them qualified either. There is a mentality between those who have which are a lot against those students who have less. So much for Christian teaching The new Alverno is not the school that it use to be. The school require the kids to enroll in a sport so they can claim they have a big sports program. More fees. I find it misleading especially upsetting for kids who have no interest in their team sport but would rather compete in something more individual or that the school doesn't have (like gymnastics). Or in participate in the arts. Every time one turns around there's a fee for something (Jagothon,field trips, fundraiser in school hot dog lunches) so the school isn't as inexpensive as initially thought. They constantly want money for some sport courts. They have lot's of land but lack the accoutrements a proper school like a gym with showers, an updated cafeteria, a proper theater, etc. Their hand is out throughout the year. This makes the tuition more expensive in the long run. They really should have skipped allowing the new lower school to come in and worked on improving the high school. It ruined the campus