I am a former student now in high school, but I still wish I went to Elysian Heights…read more I had a really good time at this little arts magnet! When I was in kindergarten about a decade ago, this school was small, and I mean SMALL. The magnet program was just starting, so I was lucky to have arrived when I did. I believe that art is the number one thing that should be inputted into a student's curriculum, and Elysian is the perfect place for that. If you're planning to send your kid there, expect them to come home with art projects and wanting to be lead of the school's annual play. Expect attending every event the school has: the harvest festival, multicultural fest (if that still happens), holiday shows, spring shows, arts fest...etc! I'm not surprised that Elysian has become a competitive school recently...it's a really great place!! I still go to the harvest and arts festivals every year, and I'm still close friends with people I've known since kinder. Hear this from a former student: this is a really good little arts magnet.

best charter school in LA Best staff…read moreBest parents Lucky to be a part of it -please check out the After School Program called Prime Time ! It is now a summer sports camp that kids love

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!

This school has come a long way from where it was about ten years ago. The administration is…read morealways walking around the hallways, helping me students that are lost in this gigantic campus. They are very personable and easy to talk to. I can tell teachers really care about and motivate the students in different ways. The principal has an annual Christmas raffle where all students have the chance of winning a variety of prizes from candy bars, gift cards to Target or In N Out, to bicycles and skateboards. The students really enjoy having their name called on the intercom to report to the office and collect their prize. Mr. Roskam (principal) makes it fun for students to love learning!!!

Ts school is very bad they have a horrible math program that has homework of things they haven't…read moreeven learned #FREEELI

St Francis is an all-boys college preparatory high school in La Canada Flintridge…read more Beautiful school w breathtaking views! St Francis hosted the 2024 Round 3 CIFSS D6 playoff game last night. The school is situated on a hill off Foothill Blvd and has its own parking structure. The architectural design of the school itself along w the football field was gorgeous and well thought out... we were in awe!! They have an award-winning snack bar in the western region, according to a popular magazine (they announced). Staff running the event are helpful and well coordinated which made for a very smooth, organized event.

Nice sports field and spectator stands. We were there for a flag football play off game for our…read moreelementary school.

I am so happy my son goes to Holy Trinity School. There was never a question in my mind that this…read moreis where he would attend. When I looked into other schools, none of them felt like home the way Holy Trinity did. My husband and many of his friends also attended HTS and received an incredible education, so it means a lot to our family that our son now gets to have that same positive experience. This school truly stands out for its supportive and welcoming environment. From the moment you walk through the doors, you can feel the warmth and positivity created by both the staff and the students. The teachers and staff are amazing -- they are incredibly dedicated, always willing to help, and genuinely invested in the success and well-being of every child. One of the things that makes Holy Trinity so special is how approachable and caring the educators are. They create an environment where students feel comfortable asking questions, sharing ideas, and growing both academically and personally. The communication between staff, students, and families is also wonderful, which really strengthens the sense of community. We feel so grateful to be part of a school where the teachers truly care and where children are encouraged to grow, learn, and thrive. Holy Trinity is not just a school -- it's a community, and it's a place our family is proud to be part of.

This place has been a game-changer for my family. The staff and faculty are nice as they come, and…read morethe best part is they still use pencil and paper for homework assignments (with Ipads optional), and require reading from a book every school night (each kid's choice of which one). We had tried public and private schools previously, and this is by far the best school experience we have had so far. We are not members of the parish, but from day one have felt exceptionally welcome by teachers, the office, and parents. Whether you are Catholic parents or not, the school offers the perfect balance for children between academic and religious studies. And if your child has ADHD, in our experience, the teachers have been exceptionally supportive of helping our child advance in a way that fits him best while still maintaining a studious environment for everyone. And the students are WONDERFUL!

A truly special school that we feel so fortunate to have found. There are many reasons we…read moreappreciate El Rio, but one that grows daily is our appreciation for a no-tech/low-tech learning environment. As data mounts about the harms of pervasive tech in schools, it is simply not something we have to worry about.

It's hard to write a review of a school that had its inaugural year smack dab in the middle of a…read morepandemic, which is why I'm giving it three stars instead of the two that I would be inclined to give it under less extraordinary circumstances. I'll start with some positives, the staff, teachers, and parent community at the school are lovely and kind, and the student body makeup seems to have a good mix of race and socioeconomic backgrounds. The school is lottery-based, so their student body's diversity depends on who they target via marketing efforts. The first red flag I had with the school was attending a parent education night, and the person leading the meeting mentioned that the 3rd-grade class spends the year studying stories from the Old Testament, starting with the "myth" of Cain and Able. Another mother and I did a triple take, we asked, "How is this possible in a public school?" The reply was that they teach these stories a "myths" and not as biblical stories. Around the same time, there was a rumble amongst the parents because some of the children in the older grades were told not to use black and brown crayons because they "weren't as pretty" as the other colors of crayons. In the midst of all that was happening in the world, this felt extremely inappropriate and off-base. That was my second red flag. This prompted me to do some deeper research into the origins of Waldorf because I had come into this school thinking this was a play-based, child-centered approach that didn't stress hard academics in Kindergarten and taught reading when it was developmentally appropriate, etc. The origins of Waldorf are laden with "spiritual", religious and racist undertones and the founder of Waldorf Rudolf Steiner was simply put a religious kook and a racist. This article sums up Waldorf nicely https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/waldorf-schools-are-inherently-racist-cults-91193d1fbef6 There is no science in the curriculum, which they may change later, and if your child turns out to be more academically inclined you will either need to get a tutor to expose them to more complex materials or find them another school. I recently had my child assessed by an independent tutor for first-grade readiness as we are transferring to another school and he had only been exposed to 15-20% of the materials he needed to learn to be ready for 1st grade. Obviously, this was an upsetting revelation. At the end of the day, Waldorf was not for us and I would encourage everyone to research it deeply before committing to having their child attend any Waldorf-based school.

This school has been amazing for my kids. We stumbled upon it post pandemic, my son starting TK…read morehardly able to hold a pencil, and I was so blown away by how much he learned in such a short amount of time. The arts programs instantly brought out his passion for all things drawing. Most importantly, he has always been happy there. Five years later and neither of my kids have ever said "I don't want to go to school today". Besides the arts programs, which include music, dance and physical arts, they also have a garden program ran by California Climate action fellows. The social emotional education has been invaluable to both of my children as well. Absolutely love the diversity the school offers and the strong parent community. Volunteers are welcomed and encouraged and I always feel at home there. While we absolutely love it here, individual experiences will always vary, even in the absolute best schools. The school as a whole has wonderful teachers and a great philosophy. It works so well for so many kids, especially if you're invested in your kids education and supporting them from home. Definitely worth a tour if you're just starting off with schooling or in search of a new fit for your kid!

Our family has been part of this school since 2020. Over the years, we watched many families leave…read moreand often thought, "It's not that bad." For our children, it wasn't--until this year. The school year began in complete disarray, with inadequate supervision, students without assigned teachers or classrooms, and widespread confusion. Unfortunately, conditions only deteriorated from there. Throughout the year, students experienced repeated injuries, classroom evacuations, student elopements, frequent fire alarm disruptions, and recurring lice outbreaks that were not consistently communicated to families. One particularly troubling incident involved a substitute teacher who told a student with autism that autism "isn't real" and threatened to "call the cops" on a group of elementary students. Despite repeated efforts to raise concerns with school leadership, the board, and LAUSD, there was no accountability or communication with the affected families. LAUSD has already voted to close the middle school, and the elementary school's renewal will be reviewed during the 2026-2027 school year. I regret not taking other parents' concerns more seriously. We have decided to enroll our three children elsewhere next year. Our focus now is helping them recover academically and emotionally from a school environment where chaos often felt normalized and leadership seemed unresponsive. Parents should understand that this independent charter school operates under highly centralized leadership, with limited transparency or accountability. Many families, including ours, ultimately leave only after feeling they have exhausted every other option. I am genuinely glad for families whose children had positive experiences. However, those experiences do not erase the injuries, trauma, learning loss, and challenges many other students faced. Please consider a school with proven curriculum, healthy leadership and above all - safety.

Amazing curriculum. Well organized educational and extracurricular programs and activities…read more Excellent instructors and staff. Students excel because they are encouraged and inspired.

I graduated a few years ago, and I believe that this school's administration does not provide the…read morequality education that they claim to promote. I believe that if a school calls itself a "College preparatory" school, they should go above and beyond just meeting the A-G college requirements, instead of focusing on other activities such as "leadership and team time". Although these were nice concepts in adding to comet life, they took away valuable time in class, or could've been used to inform and introduce these young women to what college truly is. Students were not really introduced much to out-of-state colleges, dorm life, understanding college life, and extracurricular activities they join in college; it seemed like everyone was just expected to know. Another area this school could improve on is providing more support and information for ALL grade levels when preparing for college. This school lacks resources, including for advanced classes and extracurricular opportunities, and only focuses on certain students whom they (staff and admin) believe will do well academically and get accepted to a famous 4-year college. There were some teachers who never really cared about students, and some who were weird towards students. Many students are extremely disrespectful and receive little to no discipline. That just says a lot about the school. Overall, the campus is relatively safe, and most of the staff are nice.