We moved to La Cañada when my son was still in elementary school, and everyone always talked about…read morePrep like it was the dream school. Now that we are here, I can say it is a very good school, but it is not perfect. The teachers are very knowledgeable and most of them really care about helping students. My son has found a few teachers he really connects with, which makes a big difference. The campus is clean and safe, and the students are serious about school but not boring. They also have a lot of activities like sports, theater, and clubs, which I like because it keeps the kids balanced. At the same time, I feel like Prep expects the students to manage everything by themselves. If your child is already very outgoing and knows what they want, it is a great place. But if your child is quieter, or needs more help finding their way, it can feel overwhelming. Sometimes I wish the school checked in more instead of just assuming the kids will ask for help if they need it. Also, socially it is a little tricky. Most students are friendly on the surface, but real friendships are hard to build if you are not already part of a group. It can be lonely sometimes, especially for new students. Overall, I am still very happy my son is at Prep, but it took longer to feel comfortable than I expected. You really have to be your child's advocate and make sure they speak up and find their place.

Both of my children attended and graduated from this school. My children attended here for 5 and 6…read moreyears. We chose the school because of the small class size and great teachers. We stayed because of the great teaching and great friends my children made here. I would strongly recommend this school to anyone who has a really smart child who lives to learn for fun.

Where do I even begin? I truly wanted to love this school, but it didn't take long for my instincts…read moreto tell me it wasn't the right fit for my child or our family. The academic approach is heavily based on authoritarian teaching, rote memorization, and repetitive worksheets. There is very little emphasis on critical thinking, observation-based learning, or a true classical education. Instead, students spend their days completing worksheets and then bringing home the same material to review again. The workload is repetitive, overwhelming, and leaves little room for children to simply be children. Students also receive very limited outdoor time. I've witnessed children being punished for minor behaviors, such as talking out of turn, by being required to eat lunch in the director's office or by losing physical activity as a consequence. I have also personally observed instances where both the director and head teachers spoke to children in a disrespectful, intimidating, and demeaning manner. That was extremely concerning to me. Another major issue is the constant fundraising and donation requests. Families are regularly encouraged to donate, yet I saw very few tangible improvements to the school. There is no library, the playground has not been meaningfully updated, and it's difficult to see where those funds are being invested. Even more disappointing is the culture surrounding donations, where families who don't contribute can feel judged or excluded, creating unnecessary cliques within the school community. For nearly $2,000 a month in tuition, I expected a nurturing environment that fostered curiosity, independent thinking, and a love of learning. Instead, I found a school focused on compliance, excessive repetition, and fundraising. This experience simply did not align with the educational values that were promised, and unfortunately, I cannot recommend it.

Dear Committee Members and Treasurer,…read more I hope this message reaches the owner of the school as well, as it addresses an important concern regarding the treatment of community vendors by representatives of the committee, Ani and Angie. In March, I was approached by Ani about providing floral arrangements for a Mother's Day lunch at Castaways. After a consultation to discuss details and budget, I provided a proposal, including a sample centerpiece, which the committee and parents enjoyed. We were thrilled to be selected for the event on May 3 and accepted a $1,000 deposit, as outlined in our invoice. Our proposal clearly states that deposits are nonrefundable and nontransferable, with the remaining balance due 15 days before the event. However, as the date approached, my assistant and I made several attempts to finalize details and settle the remaining balance. Ani informed us that we would need to coordinate payment through Angie. Unfortunately, our attempts to communicate with Angie were met with resistance. She questioned our request for payment ahead of the event, despite our clear policy requiring full payment prior to ordering flowers. After negotiations, Angie decided to reduce the order value from $3,800 to $2,700, leaving a balance of $1,700. We continued to reach out for the final payment, but communication was inconsistent and often unproductive. On April 17, I informed Angie that without payment, we could not proceed with the floral arrangements. After weeks of silence, I received a last-minute text from her on May 1, confirming the centerpieces, which left me frustrated. I reached out to Ani for clarification, but was met with vague responses, including claims of a check being mailed, which we never received. Ultimately, on the morning of May 2, I was informed that they were canceling their event due to our inability to order flowers--an outcome that was entirely outside our control given the lack of payment and communication from their side. This situation reflects a troubling disregard for the policies that protect our business and the community relationships we strive to maintain. I urge all vendors to be cautious when engaging with this committee. The management of this event has not only wasted our time but has also impacted our business financially. It is disheartening to see representatives of the school behave in this manner, ultimately tarnishing its reputation. I have been in business for 20 years and have worked with numerous schools, but I have never encountered such disrespect and lack of professionalism. I hope this message prompts a reconsideration of how community vendors are treated and the individuals representing the school. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please understand that as much as your concern is to remove our review, my complaint. I will rewrite and repost my review. instead of getting my complaint and feedback deleted your concern should be addressed and apologize for the inconvenience and behavior you have caused toward our company.

Foothill Progressive Montessori is a truly exceptional school that we have had the honor of sending…read moreour daughter to for the last two and a half years. Run by Ms. Kanthi and staffed by a truly excellent array of teachers, including Ms. Chrissy, Ms. Kim, and Ms. Fatema, Progressive has been instrumental in the growth and development of our daughter from age 3 to 5. With the guidance of Progressive, our daughter gained admission to our first choice private school, and one of the most competitive schools in the state. Over the years we have come to deeply value the warm, thoughtful environment of the school. Birthdays are truly special occasions frequented by princesses and superheroes, exceptional art is made with the guidance of teachers, and the educational rigor is unmatched. With the dedicated guidance of Ms. Fatema, our now 5 year old daughter can read, write, and do basic arithmetic at the level of a late Kindergartener, winning the admiration of family, friends, and admissions directors alike. Just as important, Progressive has allowed our daughter to find her voice, speak up and give her opinion, and instill her with a level of confidence that wows everyone around her. While perhaps less well known than other preschools that profess to be "feeders" for the competitive Pasadena private school scene (and who charge accordingly), Foothill Progressive is exceptional in that it stands not on a name, but the merits of its teachers and genuine commitment to the success of its students. Our daughter's success is proof that this is what truly matters. Thank you, Progressive Montessori, for everything you have done for our daughter and family. You deserve nothing less than our highest recommendation and we encourage all parents in La Canada, Pasadena, and Altadena to join your wonderful community.

We absolutely LOVE Foothill Progressive Montessori School. Our kids have been at this school since…read more2022, and I was a student 1997-1999. Ms. Kanthi was my teacher and now she owns the same school and teaches my kids! She is absolutely amazing! All of the staff are incredible. Ms. Fatema, Ms. Chrissy, Ms. Kim, Ms. Sumudu, Ms. Raquel, Ms. Angelica, Ms. Hazmik. Literally every single one of them. All of them treat the kids as if they were their own, so much love and patience with the kids. My kids love going to school and they actually get excited about learning. Ms. Fatema's science class has been amazing in instilling a love for learning for our oldest child. We can't wait for our other kids to take Ms. Fatema's science class and Ms. Kim's science class. My oldest is definitely ready for kindergarten solely because of Ms. Fatema. The school has great hours for working parents from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Hot lunch is available for an additional fee. The school goes all out for all of the holidays and graduation. There are lots of opportunities for parent involvement should you want to be involved. The environment is screen-free and true to the Montessori method.

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.

My son intoned and he got bullied hated this school. It is very did I pointing I think they need…read moresome nicer kids in my opinion it is a little sad my son comes back crying

My 3rd grade son absolutely loves Crestview. We can't wait to enroll our two younger ones. The…read moreteachers are all so invested in the students. They don't just hand you a stack of papers for the parent teacher conference. They sit down with you for an allotted one on one meeting and provide full detailed info regarding their academic progress and any social hurdles that have been observed. The Head Of School Mrs. Taylor knows every single student. She advocates for each child. You will see her in car line every morning waving to the students as they walk in. She even hosts an annual Coffee with all the parents for each grade level to help parents prepare for the new academic year and to educate us on new developmental changes that will occur as they go into a new year. Her administration team is so accessible. There's also parent education night hosted throughout the year with great speakers and highly trained individuals in education who come on campus to share insights, thoughts and answer questions for parents. We couldn't be happier here. My son wakes up every morning so eager to go to school. This is the BEST school in La Cañada.

If you are attracted by how clean and organized the school appears to be, think it twice! Our…read moreexperience with this business is one of worst in our life time. The school is rather cold. People are distant. Communication is poor. We sent in enrollment application online after a phone call. For two weeks, no response at all and we had to call in to follow up. Parents are not allowed to get into the classroom, even before COVID. The program director Angie was OK but the owner REALLY loves money. They forced all students to go back to school in the middle of the pandemic, after abruptly reducing care hours for almost three hours per day. In that case, the school gave only four days' notice. They sent out the email on June 27 2020 (Saturday) and asked all kids to go back school on July 1, with much reduced care hours. We asked to stay home longer until we felt more comfortable about COVID. The school rejected. Their position was: "if you don't like it, you can leave but we would have to keep your deposit because the contract asks for 30 days notice in advance". If you want to talk about contract, the school altered the contract in the first place, by reducing care hours for almost 3 hours! It's clear the school cares more about their money than the health of the kids and concerns of the parents. Now, they don't even want to follow the arbitration agreement they included in the tuition contract themselves, i.e. they refused to do arbitration after we filed complaint with AAA. Consequently, AAA sent them a letter, prohibiting the business to reference AAA in their contract. The school can no longer use AAA services either. I am going to upload the AAA letter. Parents, do you really want to let your child be educated by these cold-blooded, money loving, dishonest people?

Clean, organized, and academic excellence! The Director, Mrs. Angie and the entire staff are heaven…read moresent. The love and care our children receive is unmeasurable. Communication is crystal clear. This school deserves more than 5 stars. They really go above and beyond.

I feel so incredibly lucky to have had my daughter attend Parents and Children. Today is the last…read moreday of the school year, and while I'm sad that she is graduating, I'm also very grateful for the experience she had. I strongly believe in the schools foundational curriculum of play based learning. My daughter truly enjoys learning because of the fun atmosphere they've created around it. Nothing is forced, curiosity is nurtured, and they are free and independent to explore what they want to. The teachers are all so warm and kind, they really make preschool feel like a second home not to just my daughter but myself included. Picking up my daughter with my youngest has become one of our favorite things to do everyday because we feel so welcomed and the environment is always bustling with activities and laughter. The staff is incredible. They've always taken such great care of my daughter even during her toughest moments, she was never scolded or punished, they've always taken a kind and gentle approach which I really appreciate and helped my daughter work through some tough times. Especially miss Conny, she not only kept me updated with what my daughter was working through, but gave me tips, shared personal experiences, and was just there as a friend when I had those tough mornings. This school is an absolute treasure.

Parents and Children's has gone above and beyond in keeping our daughter's experience and…read moreenvironment as healthy as possible during their return from the Covid-19 pandemic. It is of no surprise that they would make this transition so seamless, the teachers have been so nurturing since day one. It speaks volumes when your little one is very excited to go to school Monday morning and shares all the excitement of a school day. We couldn't be more grateful for our daughter's preschool, it's been a big part of her life and we are looking forward to when our 2nd little one could attend in the fall. We know that one day they will look back and remember Parents & Children's fondly just like their father does, as he was fortunate enough to attend Parents and Children's during his pre-K years. The fact that we are a multi-general Parents and Children's family evidences the educational, healthy, and happy experience they will create for your kids. P.S. they make THE best art projects and sensory activities!

It is an amazing school with indivualized teaching. The writing is particularly strong. The…read morePrinciple and K teacher Ms Stout are truly amazing. (My kids are only in K). A lot of activities, talent show, science fair and multi cultural nights. Kids learned a lot. And from year 2024 fall onwards, K has the same schedule as the first, second and third grade. It is a truly amazing school. I love it so much.

Love most the teachers and staff do not care for the principal and the way she handles serious…read moresituations! Very rude and cold

I spent 20 plus years of my life in computer hardware/software, and I was ready to change. I…read morethought, "Hey, why not teach?" When I began my teaching career in 2002, I was hired as a substitute in the La Canada district. My first job was at LC Elementary, and it went well. I had no experience as a teacher. I was 48 years old. I had the B.S. degree, the CBEST, the Livescan, and the TB test, so I was ready to go! Most of my subbing was at Palm Crest. It's been so many years ago, but I have great memories. Wendy Sinnette was the Principal, as I recall. Some lovely and supportive teachers. Kelly Oh, 4th grade (I think). Lovely experiences here. Taught at Paradise Canyon many times, but I don't remember names. The kids were wonderful. I taught at La Canada HS and Middle School, too. Kathy Cockerill, 8th Grade English. I had her class for a few months. Can you imagine 8th graders who were supportive to a new teacher? They were. I spent several years in a charter school later on. That's a post for another time. In 2013, I had had enough and left the profession. Thanks to the La Canada School District for a superb life experience. I will always remember my time in your district. -Pete M.

Great local public school. Caring teachers (for the most part) and a hands on principal. Lots of…read morekids walk to school, and it has a welcoming community feel.