Granted, my son only had his first day of school as a freshman, but he loved the school already…read more I went to orientation with him, and we both fell in love with the dedicated staff and the large and very diverse student body. The campus is old and showing its age, but just as with any school, it's the software that matters.

As someone somewhere sometimes and always has often said, high school and other milestone…read moreexperiences in life is what you make of it. As the mother of two sons who have successfully graduated with high honors at this school, I come away from here having generally positive thoughts and feelings about their particular high school journeys. In total, I was a Millikan parent for 6 years from 2017 thru 2023. During these years, I saw them transition to Zoom instruction during Covid, then return to in-person classes. It is a large school of about 3,000-4000 students. There are many options for A-G requirement courses (English, Math, Science etc), many AP courses available to choose from (such as Human Geography, Computer Science, French, German etc.) and various electives offered (such as Dance, Jazz, Band, Vocal, Photography, Museum studies, etc). I can speak highly of the COMPASS program in which my First-Born was a part of--allowing him to be surrounded by creative oriented peers and teachers. And I can also speak highly of the PEACE program which my Youngest was a part of allowing him to be surrounded by social justice oriented peers and teachers. Both programs allow for high achieving goals as you can choose to take as many AP courses as you want at your discretion and ability level. The cost of taking the test for the students is $5.00 (the district pays for the difference which is something over $100) and allows the student to take the commendable risk of taking the test without too much pressure cost wise--and the rewards of passing is actual college credit that not only saves time but helps stamp down costs for college. As parents, we're particularly grateful for these benefits. They have career counseling, tutoring services, and they help with college applications, filling out the FAFSA etc. I also believe they have a Food Pantry to help out students with food insecurity and other services offered...please contact the school directly to inquire about these services and take advantage of them as needed. We're not a sports family, but they also have a variety of sports--some highly recognized and many of these athletes win scholarships. Are there down sides? Yes. As with any school, I'm sure, not every class and/or teacher is talented or dedicated. For the highly motivated student, the need to effectively navigate these situations (often with palpable frustration) is necessary. Some teachers are called to be teachers, some see it as just a job and a paycheck. I wish it didn't have to be that way, but that's just the truth and a real part of the experience. I wish the Administration kept a better eye on these situations to make sure they hire the best staff for the benefit of the students--but that will be an on-going issue, at this school and anywhere else. The vaping...you definitely hear stories. And the school feels that locking bathrooms is a way to discourage this situation--except now students have the challenge to find restrooms that are open. Definitely not ideal. And I'm sure there are many other negative experiences and stories out there. The existence and absence of drama is a personal one and really just depends on the student. The school does have a uniform policy--not terribly difficult to follow and frankly, cost effective. Overall advice: research the surrounding high schools since LBUSD does have a School of Choice policy. Attend the Site Nights and feel out the fit for your student. Some feel more right than others. Millikan, at least for us, was the best fit.

This school has been so very good for my daughter. She is thriving, excelling and being mentored…read moreby her teachers, counselors and staff. The classes are demanding and challenging as I think they should be. If there was a 6th star, I would mark it.

Great school staff, students are kind and respectful, teachers, main office and Counselors are…read morephenomenal. This school is built on "Poly Pride" and student success. Home of Scholars and Champions!! The immediate area is not the best, many reviews discuss the area, but the student confidence and student reviews far surpass the area! Mrs. Safotu is an all star and makes all elements of Polytechnic High School truly outstanding in every way. I would not chose any other HighSchool in Long Beach for my children to attend. The experience is second to none.

My daughter is in 7th grade and very happy here. I have been so impressed with IVA since my…read moredaughter started last year. The communication from the school and the inclusiveness has made it a great experience for us. Students are respected, their voices are heard and they are made to feel like their opinions matter. The virtues are there to make them feel empowered as students. The weekly advisory meeting they have once a week for all students is great because it helps them understand and know the virtues and how to apply them to their work. Sixth grade is a learning curve and IVA gets that. One thing to know about the school is that since kids are coming from all different schools and school settings it's easier to make friends. There are no clicks in place. This year they also made it phone free. No phones at school. However, they can use them after school. I have read past reviews that said the school is not diverse and not for people of color. This from our experience is not true at all. Maybe in past years this was the case but it is no longer this way. IVA is very racially and socioeconomically diverse. It is a true representation of Long Beach in that regard. If you are a parent who wants to volunteer and see what is going on at the school there are plenty of opportunities, field trip opportunities, dances every year, a chili cook off, and family breakfast/lunches hosted by the school. There is a weekly newsletter, outlining all events coming up. How you can get involved, sports info, field trips etc... They make it very difficult for you to miss something. My daughter loved the dances last year. They are more like a fun party. There is no pressure to have a date or anything like that. They make them very low pressure like come in your PJ's etc... It's just an opportunity to hang out with friends outside of school. The staff and teachers will all know your child's name. I think this matters to my daughter. We live in Belmont Heights and had an opportunity to send her to Rogers as well. It's not quite our home school but it is a lot closer to us than IVA and I wanted her to go there. She would have had friends closer and I wanted that for her. However, after my daughter toured IVA in 5th grade, she made her mind up that she wanted to experience the smaller school and smaller class setting. She loved seeing students laughing in class with the teachers and sitting at little tables. The teachers were young and they didn't look miserable. The principal, Mrs. Bryant who led our tour was very dynamic and genuine. My daughter noticed these things and pushed for us to let her try IVA out. Her experience so far has not disappointed her. She has liked or loved almost all of her teachers. This is so important and this is coming from a student who struggles in school. She has an IEP for a reading disability. School is not easy for her. This is another reason I was hesitant on IVA. I wanted to her to have more options concerning her IEP and a bigger school can provide this. So far, her accommodations at IVA are working for her. She has also made friends with a great group of girls who are from all over Long Beach. In truth this is something I was also dreading but it's ok! She is happy! The parents of her friends are the type of parents who want the best for their kids. They will drive. This is how most of the parents are at this school as well. When volunteer sign ups come out for some event, the list gets filled up fast! Most of the parents at the school care. So far my daughter has joined Track and Cross Country. She also wants to play soccer this year. They do have team sports at IVA but it is on a smaller scale than a larger school. It's great for kids that want to try sports but might be intimidated at a bigger school with a lot of talented athletes. Not to say that there aren't some talented athletes here but it's not the focus of the school. If you're wondering about academics. I have heard wonderful things from parents who have had older siblings that graduated from IVA. One parent in particular shared with me that when her son started at his private High School (Bosco) after IVA, he was placed in honors classes which surprised her because her son was a B/C student at IVA. She felt the education he received at IVA was top notch, taught him how to be a student and actually engage in what he learned. Lastly, I just want to give a shout out to Mrs. Gordon, the dean of students and Mrs. Bryant the principal. These women care about your student. The love and dedication they put into their job is truly impressive.

its not the best school in the world but not the worst. The students are sort of rude to my child…read more If you really want your kid to go there so be it they have really good state teat results though. Try it for ur self

while i was at this school i meet very rude people when i would get in conflicts ms monoly wouldn't…read morewanna belive my side of the story and send me home instead of the people that gave me problems all the staff are horrible left and right but dr tri was my go to staff the rest were so rude and one specific staff be screaming in your face while using cuss words . but the people are also so rude and not a so good environment but overall the memories were okay

Great school and teachers! My son is a straight A student and has never gotten in trouble .read more

I do not recommend the school and this is why so on Monday, March 25 my children were at school and…read morethey didn't have a drill drill. They had a real walk down and there was a threat to the school. I didn't know till I seen other children getting picked up. They did not notify me or any other parents that it was a threat to the school so I do not recommend this school

I was skeptical about this school at first. Reading all the reviews here and on google. But as for…read moremy experience, it's been great. Mrs. Domino and Mrs. Manning are awesome. The staff are amazing too! I've met really great and caring teachers. Also the schools PTA does a lot for the kids. (All kids, not just their own kids) My daughter did have trouble at first. But she's shy and I spoke with the teacher. And now she is so outgoing and loves going to school. The school has a lot of positive behavior incentives. To encourage the kids to behave. Like I said, I speak from my experience. And I've seen some kids not caring. And the school can only do so much. I've spoken to and seen some parents who could care less. Sometimes the parents have to take the initiative and speak with their children. Plus the school is here to teach education not raise your kids.

I went to this school and mi got bully and it was good up until 2th grade tbh. The rest of my years…read morewere not good.

Honestly pretty chill school it just need better people and y'all NEED to add swings to the upper…read moregrade playground

Would be a 5 star but ms.garcia first grade ruined it I…read moredidn't get a call back from the principal which I was promised. She is really rude and needs to remember she isn't working with 6th graders she's working with 1st graders now and telling child you don't tattle tale in first grade since you weren't hurt. Name calling is a form of bullying.

Great school! My daughter recently transferred into the first grade (Ms. Garcia's class) here from…read moreanother school in the middle of the school year, and has found a good school home here. The curriculum is great and the teachers are very helpful. They also are very safe with how they conduct the children leaving after school (a big plus). It seems to be a pretty healthy learning environment, and I look forward to many more years here for my daughter.

This is a phenomenal school. From the teachers to the principal they all work very hard to teach…read moreour children more than what is expected. Both of my children transferred from a school in Inglewood and this school has been an amazing experience for my children. The subpar education in Inglewood was holding my children back. The advanced education in Kettering has propelled my children's knowledge. Everyone is kind and courteous as well. My kids are also part of CDC which helps my wife and I work until 4:30pm. Once we pick up our children they have completed their homework and have eaten a snack as well. I recommend this school to anyone that is looking for their children to be advanced in their studies.

They love to hang up on parents especially the principal. When you talk nice to the principal she…read moregives an attitude back and thinks her personality doesn't stink. You would think having special needs students at her school she would have some sympathy she doesn't. Wouldn't recommend sending your child here. They barely contact the parent too if a child is sick. They just send them to the nurse then send them home just for a stuffy nose. Even when the childs covid test comes negative they still think the child shouldn't be in school for weeks smh.