12/13/2025: Nutcracker's Principle and Co-Principle Performers were stunning, i.e.,…read moreJuilliard-worthy performances! Meanwhile, as I was enjoying the Nutcracker's Juilliard, stellar performances, the OZ disasterous meal was outrageously traumatizing my gut with Montezuma's Revenge which severely dampened my enjoyment! Aside, the photos I took are proof of Juilliard worthy performances! Bravo and Kudos!!!!!

Institutionalized arrogance. The only reason this school…read morelooks good on paper is because local parents are well resourced. Parents hire private tutors, college admissions counselors, coaches, trainers, and a myriad of specialized test prep support to maximize student outcomes. Students are competent and intelligent but it has nothing to do with campus or district administration.

Exceptional, child-centered, high expectation administration and teachers. A highly collaborative…read moreschool with parents. Your child will love it at MVA - and, so will the parents.

My daughter attended Marble Valley Academy for 3 years. It was such a special place and I feel like…read moreit helped shape her into a more confident young lady! I really appreciate what Marble Valley gave to our family, so many fond memories!

My children have gone to JAA EDH since 2018 and I feel truly blessed that my kids have recieved a…read moreClassical American Education that teaches to the whole child. I don't have to worry about my children being influenced by society and culture that have the opposite values of the traditional American family. The sports program is a huge plus. My two high school girls have been able to play basketball, soccer, volleyball, and cross country. The sports program is still growing, giving my 5th grader chances to play football, soccer, cross country, and basketball. Whether you are looking for a school for the Arts, Sports, or Classical Eduation, you won't be dissapointed.

We are deeply angry, disappointed, and shocked by our family's experience at John Adams Academy…read more(JAA). Like many parents, we were initially drawn in by their polished mission statement and strong community reviews. The reality behind closed doors, however, was a completely different story--we were shown the door almost as quickly as we arrived. As someone who grew up in predominantly white communities, I understand the demographics of the area. However, JAA severely lacks diversity--not just in the ethnic backgrounds of its scholars and staff, but in cultural upbringing and diversity of thought. The school is quick to label and judge families whose cultural background or parenting style doesn't fit their rigid mold. If you are a person of color, be warned: this is not a welcoming environment. For example, there's an expectation placed on young children that are completely unrealistic. Expecting preschoolers and kindergarteners to stand perfectly still and follow strict routines for a flag ceremony after just two weeks--with no room to move, explore, or get their wiggles out--is developmental absurdity. When children act like actual human beings instead of obedient robots, they are immediately targeted as "the problem." When we met with teaching staff to discuss normal, age-appropriate transitional behaviors, we were stunned by their complete lack of professionalism and expertise. There was zero long-term action plan, no strategy to mitigate challenges over time, and no willingness to help our child adapt to a new environment. They acted as if they had never encountered a child acting out during a major life transition before. Instead of partnering with us, the administration played the victim, framing our child as a burden until we felt forced to leave. The teaching staff lacks the experience and engagement needed for early childhood education. During my time observing, storytime was so flat and monotone that even I was bored. If educators don't know how to meet children at their level or honor their individuality, it's no surprise young kids lose focus. After consulting with multiple outside educators, it became abundantly clear that JAA operates on unfair assumptions and flawed developmental goals. To make matters worse, throughout orientation, interviews, and even during our withdrawal process, JAA repeatedly pushed us to rate them, asking if we "loved" the school and how we heard about them. It is transparently clear they are more focused on harvesting positive quotes for their website and social media than actually supporting the students in their care. If you won't even let a child stay and thrive, asking for a glowing review is insulting. Parents, please do your research. If your child tells you their teacher yelled or wasn't kind, believe them and run. We strongly discourage families of color (or anyone) from enrolling here.

Golden Hills Private School in El Dorado Hills is a standout option for families seeking both…read morestrong academics and a true sense of community. After having my kids attend for many years, we've consistently been pleased with the education they receive, along with the personal, hands-on approach that comes from being a smaller school. One of the things we value most is how much the school supports character building. Both of my children have grown not only in their learning, but also in their confidence, values, and overall development. The small class sizes allow for meaningful attention, and the personal relationships students form with teachers and the head of school, really make a difference. My wife and I would highly recommend anyone taking the time to check out the Golden Hills program. It's a phenomenal school experience.

They taught 5th grade math in 6th grade so when returning to public school in 7th grade the process…read morewas very difficult.

This place is HORRID I must say. My child went here (not mine by the way, my neighbors ( and it was…read moreabsolutely putrid!!!!! FIRST AND FOREMOST the school uses a merit point system which is just as terrible as it sounds. It causes student to turn against student and even make false claims. My son was a victim of this, with 5 students saying he tried giving them test answers, and was then given detention. Yes, DETENTION. I cried upon hearing this news for precisely 25 minutes, and upon calling them they proceeded to HANG UP after NOT solving my ISSue. The teachers AND PRINCIPAL DID not Do anything to help me! Suffice to say my son will not BE COMING BACK WITH no SMILES whatsoever I would also watch out from PGMS, he says they got something planned!

People may think this is bad, but it's not. It's one of the best schools in the area. Principals…read morehandle situations different every time.

I really like this school... but a few of the yard duties are rude and inconsiderate. The rallies…read moreare really fun and amazing. I do not like that the school is not allowing us to be on our phones or listen to music in class even if the teacher lets us now. High school is way less strict on dress code and phone polocies so some of the teachers that say, "It's gonna be a lot more strict in high school" have no idea what they are talking about. The amount of lunchtime is good and the classes are short enough that you dont get bored easily. Anyways, I had a relatively good 2 years here despite the ups and downs.

If I could give this 0 stars, I absolutely would. This school is atrocious. I did sixth, seventh,…read moreand eighth grade here. All years were pretty bad. Especially seventh and eighth, when the school truly began going downhill. Starting off with the 8th grade trip--Terri Daniels is honestly one of the worst principals I've had. Not sure how she got that Principal Of The Year state award smh. The 8th graders were supposed to go on the Great America trip -- but Daniels messed up the buses (the buses thought they were going to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, not Great America) and once they were already about 20 minutes into the trip, they turned the buses around and went BACK to the school. Once they got back to the school, Daniels began yelling at the kids, saying that they did not deserve to graduate and that they were extremely disrespectful and rude, when SHE was the one who messed up the communication with the buses. Like, WTH???! What kind of principal messes up a graduating class's final middle school trip and then yells at THEM saying that they don't deserve to graduate??? Seriously???!! However on a more personal note, all-in-all, a friend of mine was basically mistreated in a disgusting way in the school, and she was too scared to report it. When she did (only TWO DAYS later mind you), one of the principals (cant remember which one) said that she should have reported it the day it happened, and that they can't do anything about it now. The person that did it to her got absolutely no punishment!!!! like WHAT is going on at this school??? And to name the absolute worst teachers: Dr Daniels - reasons mentioned above Ms Walters - did NOT teach the class at all and instead sat at her desk all day Ms Agles - just retired this year i believe, but is extremely rude and always picking and yelling at kids in front of the whole class Ms Passovoy - not the worst but still bad, she is constantly judging student's choice of clothing and rude in general, although she is a good TEACHER Ms Campos - absolutely one of the worst teachers I've recieved, she is terrible at teaching, extremely, EXTREMELY disorganized, once I did an extra credit assignment in class and I had to ask her EVERY DAY for around three whole weeks to add it into the grade book. She initally said it was worth 2 extra credit points but only but in 0.2 points, and at that point i was just done. I'm probably missing some but I can't quite remember... The best teachers, on a more positive note: Ms Flowers Mr Von Mr Olsen All in all, i do not recommend!

Beautiful campus surrounded by gorgeous homes, wildlife, rolling hills, and amazing parks! This…read morehigh school sits atop a hillside and the most amazing views. The campus is clean and easy to get in and out of (as long as school isn't about to start or end lol).

AP Physics teacher Lisa Moore is the worst teacher, She teaches almost nothing, and her grading is…read moreextremely unfair. So many good students perform poorly in her class, She said to the students, If you guys do bad nothing good for me, If you do good nothing good for me either. School can't do anything about it. Feel bad for our kids.

HORRIBLE BATHROOMS everything about them are bad. but classrooms are clean teachers are okay but…read moreoverall great school

Have had 4 of my kids pass graduate from Ponderosa in the last decade. We have loved our…read moreexperience with the school, finding a great educational environment and a local community. All have played sports at Pondo and been involved in clubs and other groups which both strengthened their bond to their classmates and to the school. We found teachers and coaches to genuinely care about our kids and their friends. Most of the students live in less densely populated neighborhoods and correspondingly you'll see more pickups than BMWs in the parking lot each morning. We enjoyed the lower level of pretense that exists here versus the other choices down the hill and believe our kids benefitted from it.

My child was being bullied and picked on. They said they were doing something. But, this went on…read morefor 2 years. I finally was able to transfer my child out. Staff was real snotty and stand offish. Would not recommend this school. It seamed even the teacher was singling out my child as well.Would have gave them a minus but had to use one star to post

It's horrible - They don't care about their students (They…read moredon't prevent bullying, or anything similar to that.) The only thing they care about is your hoodie and hats. Even when reporting bullying to staff straight up doesn't work. - I developed GAD and Severe Depression and almost commit suicide/left the school multiple times because of the school not caring. - Bad rules, such as their cell phone policy, what am I gonna turn off my phone during a school shooting and go to the office? Including their "No Drop Off Zones" which causes more traffic and making children later than ever before. - School food is not good at all, once I ordered a sandwich, and it was moldy! What kind of school has moldy sandwiches?

My child attended GB Highsvhool and I really have nothing but great, positive things to say about…read morethis school and the faculty. The nurse however, was a bit strange in my opinion but besides her, this is a five star rated school! I have high hopes of my child return to GB high school his graduating year 2025! The teachers & the classes were great. The counselors & staff were always very helpful. I have fond memories of GB high!

I attended the school about 18 years ago and boy or boy did I love it. Now just like your favorite…read morehidden coffee shop or sandwich shop - 'if you know you know' and that's probably why the school is so great - because there aren't tons of kids from outside areas trying to sneak in and instead it stays "local" and enjoyable with the same group of kids that reflects the benefits of a society focused on morals and integrity. Sure there's always a few of "those kids" with extra means and the fancy cars given to them by parents with no quality time to spend but the same can be found at any school the only difference here is that those kids tend not to cause trouble but rather are more interested in a "good time" and after all who isn't. Besides if you have integrity you won't be persuaded regardless of what school you attend. Thank your parents for that. Enough about all that, what's important is the positive attitude found with the staff and overall with the students. More so than most schools nearby. Front desk here is helpful , upper staff is helpful and kind. I came from another school to here at my junior year and I was very impressed with the abilities of the teachers to teach outside the standard outlines and expand our attention ie home Eco / fish and wildlife / English with siturude / video production!!! My favorite - all made you appreciate being in a seemingly top tier school. So I'd give this school experience an A+ coming from a shy kid to start and ending as a confident student at the end. Happy to take on the world. Ps if you're a parent of a kid like the review below mine - maybe stop having a victim mentality so your kids don't go around being a 1 star kind of person everywhere they go aka modern woke society - go woke go broke. Happy I didn't have that going on in my household growing up.