this school is tuff and mr. morales and ms. audras are peak 3 star because some teacher are mean thoread more

Excellent staff with a student-centric approach to well-being. I highly recommend if you live in…read morethe area.

Seeing that Viewpoint has 4 stars and not 5 is proof that noting is perfect for everyone...not even…read morea school like Viewpoint. I will say, however, that Viewpoint is as close to "perfect" as a school could be. It is 6 stars in my book. I can't say enough about how the school is run, the individualized care, the facilities, the programs, curriculum. My son started in 7th grade and he is now is 11th and I literally have a smile on my face when I picture him being at Viewpoint. Easily, what stands out the most is the fact everyone in the faculty and administration seem to know my kid, personally...they are invested in all the kids..they aren't anonymous...my son feels like he is in a family type environment where people truly care about his welfare inside and outside of the classroom. That is a very rare characteristic for a school. I can't think on one single aspect of my son's education, from academics to administration, to sports, etc., that have not been handled with the highest level of care and professionalism. And, he has built a tremendous friend base at Viewpoint...definitely his second family. If Atticus Finch were to teach at a school...he just might pick Viewpoint. I will look back on Viewpoint and say it was perhaps the best money I have ever spent...and easily one of the proudest contributions that I have made to my son's young life. His mom and I got this one right!

Graduated a long time ago but know that the level of education is top notch…read more Expensive but most private schools are!

6th grade boutta end…read more Top 10 things this school year: 10: Easier than elementary school 9: New things to learn 8: Short Wednesdays 7: Beginning Strings 6: History class 5: Cool teachers 4: Mr. Kimball (music teacher) 3: Class periods (no more sitting in the same room for 4+ hours like in elementary) 2: Meeting new friends 1: Mr. Johnson Honorable Mention: Fun school not boring. (only sometimes boring) IMPORTANT NOTE: Boys in P.E. always get let into the locker room (at the end of P.E.) about 5-10 minutes after the girls get let in. It is not fun to change with 3 minutes left. Also, the girls got free locks at the beginning of the year. Yeah I don't get it. On the last academic week of school, me and my friends sat in front of one of the doors at the buildings. The staff said we could not sit there anymore because there were girls that left trash there all the time. Before I sat there with my friends, (beginning of the year) I sat at another spot which I also could not go to after the assistant principal said we could not sit there anymore. This school is good, just these few things make it worse. Also kids curse very openly and loudly in class and the teachers rarely punish them.

School is fine if your kid tows the line and is a kid who doesn't need any extra…read moreHelp or has any kind of needs such as a 504 plan or IEP. My daughter struggled so badly we had to take her out as she wasn't learning anything at a point in which she became Physically sick. We pleaded with the teachers and the staff To work with us to help her and they just ignored us to the point we couldn't keep Her there anymore. Her mental and physical health declined badly. She's in a private school Now making straight A's and feels like a normal middle schooler again. If your child has any needs do not send them Here unless you want to be ignored. The amount of negligence here is astounding.

As a parent who has spent years navigating special education, private providers, assessments, IEPs,…read moreoutside experts, and placement decisions, my experience left me with one overriding impression: the district is exceptionally good at process and far less effective at solving problems. There is no shortage of meetings, assessments, documentation, scheduling emails, committees, consultations, and procedural steps. The challenge is that families often mistake activity for progress. When your child is struggling, you assume everyone is focused on finding the right educational environment. Over time, I came to feel that preserving the process itself frequently became the priority. Many individual staff members were professional and well-intentioned. This review is not about any one teacher, psychologist, therapist, or administrator. It is about a culture that too often appears designed around institutional protection rather than meaningful responsiveness to families. Parents should be prepared to become experts in special education law, assessment reports, accommodations, placement options, and procedural safeguards. You will likely need to keep meticulous records, follow up repeatedly, and advocate consistently. What surprised me most was how difficult it could be to obtain straightforward answers to straightforward questions. The amount of time, energy, and emotional bandwidth required from families can be extraordinary. Our child ultimately made meaningful progress in a highly individualized setting. That experience reinforced a lesson I wish I had understood earlier: educational progress is often the result of the supports a child receives, not merely the system in which they are placed. Families considering this district should go in with open eyes, detailed documentation, and realistic expectations.

I am a parent in the Las Virgenes Unified School District and want to share my recent experience…read morewith the district's student retention process -- particularly as it relates to support for students with developmental needs. After submitting a formal request to retain my child, I provided extensive documentation from the Regional Center outlining his developmental delays and social-emotional concerns. Despite this, I was told that the information was not reviewed as part of the official appeal process. Even more troubling, I learned that most of the individuals involved in the decision-making process had little or no personal knowledge of my child -- raising serious concerns about how informed the final decision truly was. As a parent, I expected a process that was personalized, child-centered, and inclusive of expert and parental input. Instead, the process felt procedural, closed off, and disconnected from the realities of my son's daily challenges. When I requested a meeting with Superintendent Dr. Dan Stepenosky to share my concerns in person, I was denied based on a policy that gives final authority to a designee -- in this case, Jana Davenport -- even when significant concerns remain unaddressed. The stress and emotion this process has caused cannot be understated. It is incredibly disheartening to advocate for your child's well-being, only to feel that the system values procedure over people. In my experience, the district seems more focused on preserving its Blue Ribbon reputation, test scores, and public image than on providing individualized support for students with developmental or emotional needs. I'm sharing this review not to criticize individuals, but to advocate for a more compassionate, transparent, and genuinely collaborative process for families -- especially those navigating developmental, behavioral, or learning differences. Families deserve to be heard. Children deserve decisions made by people who actually know them. I hope the Las Virgenes Unified School District reflects seriously on how its current practices affect the very children and families it is meant to serve. -- A Concerned Parent Marina

Do not take an ACT test at this school. They have a complete disregard for the amount of time our…read morestudents put in to preparing and trying to achieve their colllegial goals. For September 2025 test they had a band practice right in the middle of the test. When approached the band said they had every right to be there. The test administrator assured me that it was a one time mistake and it would be fixed for October. Sure enough, the band started playing again and their adult representative did not care about the gravity of the testing situation. I am disgusted and this was our last chance for an ACT test before merit scholarships are awarded. Shame on this administration and the band teacher.

They care about each student, teachers are amazing and counselors are the best in the valley high…read moreschools

I went here from 2004 - 2006 and I was bullied quite a bit…read more The fact that I came to look at this page and see reviews of people talking about their kids getting bullied even to this day breaks my heart. I see that it hasn't gotten any better. I had some good times too and all, some of my teachers were really cool, but still.

The school is just so ghetto. There are so many incidents of bullying and the staff just simply…read moreignores it. There were girls mocking an autistic kid and nothing was done about it. The adults at the school simply don't try to protect other kids, and it's just upsetting. There'a also a teacher that bullies her students and the first time she was reported nothing happened.

Both my teenage sons attended public elementary school, then went to Topanga Mountain School, then…read moretransitioned successfully back into public high school at El Camino. TMS provided a nurturing haven during the middle school years which has made my kids more resilient, better citizens of the world, and confident advocates for themselves and for others. Here are some of the experiences my boys had: - going on at least three one-week camping trips each year - learning to cook for themselves and to shop for their camping group on a budget - taking elective classes in pottery, archery, swimming, fencing, and aerial silks - composing and performing original songs during the music trimester - practicing public speaking in a variety of formats, from in-class debates to presentations to full-length plays - sitting in "council" and honoring the feelings and values of their classmates, even whey disagreed with them - burning off energy by playing soccer, basketball, and "mushroom tag" after lunch each day - exploring DTLA via public transportation - evaluating what constitutes a reliable source in traditional media and on social media - gaining an appreciation for nature through weekly hikes - feeling they had an actual relationship with their teachers (with whom they continue to stay in contact) - mastering the five-paragraph academic essay - working in small groups at a pace that was appropriate to their skill level, especially in math - graduating with a strong sense of self Sending my sons to TMS is one of the best investments I have made in their education and their personal growth. The only caveat I would offer is that, due to its small size and flexible curriculum, TMS tends to have more last-minute changes than a traditional school. There is no such thing as a "typical" week at TMS; the teachers may adjust the day's schedule if an issue arises and they feel the kids need to process events in the news or resolve interpersonal conflicts which impact the entire group. I f this to be a virtue, but if you are expecting rigid consistency, it's best to look to a more traditional school.

TMS has been a gift to our son and our family! Middle school can be difficult and distressing for…read moremany kids, but every morning my son wakes up excited to go to school. I've talked to other parents, and the sentiment is the same: kids love TMS! TMS is a mixture of appropriately challenging academics (with some room for individualization because the school is small), social-emotional development, the arts, and outdoor education. The school goes on four trips a year, and I love how the curriculum is integrated into the trips. For example, last year, they read a book that took place at a Japanese internment camp during WWII, and then they visited the actual camp during one of their trips. Also, there is a focus on making the learning applicable to the "real world." For some of the trips, kids are divided into groups, given a food budget, and work together to plan their meals and buy food. There is also a great community feeling amongst the parents at TMS. There is also a culture of kindness and acceptance at TMS. All-in-all, I am confident that my son will emerge from his middle school experience self-confident, ready for high school, and equipped to make the world a better place!

As a parent of a student who has been attending Manzanita for 4 years since Forest Kindergarten (…read morenow in 3rd grade ) and another child that is soon to enroll - We are so grateful to have this amazing school so close by. The campus is incredible, grounding , and inspiring for the students and parents - who get to spend time on the land , connecting to nature and learning in symbiosis with the world around them. We have seen our daughter flourish in the last 4 years - first in her confidence, creativity and sense of self - and then in her academics . Her teachers have worked incredibly hard to overcome any challenges she has experienced - gently encouraging and finding the best ways for her to learn. The community is strong and the school works hard to involve the parents in the culture and learning experience. Our personal primary goal as parents is to raise happy and healthy children who will have the ability to adapt, listen and learn in their future. We are very happy with our experience at Manzanita and can't wait to continue our journey under Big Rock.

Simply an outstanding educational experience in every way. Manzanita is an entirely new model for…read morelearning, one that doesn't neatly fit into any established category. Students learn on the land and from the land, supported by teachers trained as mentors for a truly personal, close-knit experience. Your child will be seen, known, and understood here. They will be taught how to think, not what to think. They will be prepared to show up as their most authentic selves. They will be exposed to a curriculum that is much more nuanced and engaging than most people can imagine. Your child will be in community with people who are committed to making the world a better place and often live lives far outside the mainstream. The lunch program is incredible. Tour the school to experience firsthand. Truly amazing.