My son has been going to school here for about 4 months now and he absolutely loves it…read more He actually goes to bed early on his own when he knows he has school the next day and wakes up super excited for class with Mrs. Wilson. The first week at this school, my almost 4 year old would cry when I picked him up because he didn't want to go home yet. He'd say, " I just want to stay and learn more!" The teachers are as loving as can be and I am surprised by the things he tells me when he comes home. They are easy to talk to -- and they always keep me in the loop on what's going on with him in class. Just love love love this school! I only wish we had learned about St. John's when he was younger! Such a wonderful school

We have three kids at St. John's and could not be happier with the school. Yes, every school has…read moreits challenges, but overall, it is a nurturing environment where everyone is treated equally. It has a strong community, and feels like one big family! It is academically challenging and the teachers are extremely passionate about making sure your kids thrive and do well! We highly recommend the school!

I am nanny to two children that attend this school and I can honestly say I really like this place!…read more It is nestled at the base of a dead-end street residential street next to a great sports park & playground. The demographic is made up of predominantly white, upper middle class children from the surrounding suburbs and the parents seem to really take pride in getting involved in the classroom and extra-curricular events. The Principal is incredibly energetic and seems to know every kid by name which makes them all feel so important and actually makes them WANT to go to school! Although its not the biggest school, there are acres of fields for the children to play on and plenty of playground equipment. My 10yo loves that there is an actual working football league organized by the principal where the different grades play against each other each day - something i'd never heard of in other schools and in my own education! That's how much the principal cares. They have "spirit days" seemingly every other Friday where they have a DJ at lunch and wear their school pride out loud and proud. Its so cute to see the kids excited about school and I know its credit to the caring teachers and principal! This school was different than our previous elementary in Lake Forest because they focused more on in-classroom learning instead of physical homework sent home. Both kids still have spelling homework/tests every week, the usual math homework and 20 minutes of reading but not nearly the volume that we've had at other schools. However, they are still excelling and I credit this to the teachers and the classwork that is required of them to build understanding - which I think is a definite plus! The teachers & staff care and are very good at what they do! My only gripe is the way the pick-up/drop-off situation works. The school is at the base of a dead end street and so cars that come in have to loop around and tend to pack up 100s of yards. If you intend to walk your child to class, you must parallel park along the residential street because the parking lot of the school is only open to staff. There is a grassy area that the kids gather on to be picked up so I definitely find it more timely to park and walk over to the lawn and pick them up but I could see how this would be annoying for someone with young children already in the car. In that case, most would rather wait through the line. I would try to get there at around 2:30PM if you plan on waiting through the long line of cars to pick up your kids at the grassy area without getting out of your car. Its a little hard to explain - I'll try to add photos for better illustration. All in all, a great school! I just wish it wasn't so crazy to pick up or drop off your kids!

I saw the most amazing thing this morning as I dropped off my niece at this school for the first…read moretime. 6 children, along with an aid flocked to meet my niece at our arrival with smiles, hand holding and hugs. I've never seen such an all inclusive school. I attended Christian Schools growing up and couldn't believe the love that these kids showed. Come to find out the greeting to my niece was not a special occasion this was an every day event. The kids chose to come every day and show love. This school has it figured out from the top to the bottom and could only pray and wish this was every school system!

We have been pleased with this elementary school. The teachers and staff are excellent. I am…read morethankful we came here years ago. My only recommendation is that parents be allowed and encouraged to be on campus again for picking up their students. The current policy- which changed with Covid- and they appear to not want to reverse- keeps parents waiting outside like a prison- therefore parents don't get to know each other or have much interaction with the teachers.

Transitioned to this school from private kinder and so the Bar was high, but for a 9 rated school…read morethat shouldn't have been a problem. My 7 year old was left unattended outside of school after dismissal for 30 min until a teacher found her under a tree and realized they didn't transition her to the after school program. Negative experiences continued after that - to sum it up we are considering pulling child out only 2 months in. The principle and Front office staff is horrible - and unfortunately deal breakers. Even for a high rated school with good teachers - it isn't worth it to deal with the office and Principle for the next 6 years.

Our 3.5 year old son really enjoys going to this Preschool…read more We toured many Preschool facilities while choosing one, and this place was much cleaner than most and also has really reasonable rates :) If you are considering where to send your child for preschool, I highly recommend you go take a tour of this facility as we were really impressed.

My son is in his second year and daughter in her first year at MVCP and it is a wonderful school…read more All the staff (from the office to the assistants) are so loving and truly care about all the kids there. I couldn't be more happy with my children's teachers, and their little sister will be coming here too as soon as she's old enough! They also have great hours for working parents, with a before and after school care program.

Trabuco Elementary is such a special little school! Tucked away in the peaceful canyon, it has the…read moremost amazing farm and garden where kids get to learn by doing--it's such a great way for them to connect with nature. The small class sizes are a huge plus because the teachers really get to know each child and give them so much individual attention. They also focus on social-emotional learning, which has been incredible for helping my kids build confidence and learn how to handle challenges. The community here is so close-knit--it feels like a big family--and the teachers are just phenomenal. If you're looking for a school where your kids will thrive, this is it!

This school is amazing! Small class sizes, excellent teaching staff, amenities galore! On-site farm…read morewhere students are able to visit during recess. Students participate weekly in outdoor assignments on the farm following next generation science standards and STEM. Brand new STEM lab-green screen, go-pros, microscopes-everything! Highest test scores in SVUSD. 87th percentile in English and 74th percentile in mathematics. The school has an active PTA which promotes tons of community activities. Hosts Trabuco Field Study program which students from all over Orange County visit to learn grade level curriculum hands-on. ALL Trabuco students participate in every field study program while they are enrolled. Many students end up being extremely high achieving in later academic life-honors, AP, and IB when they hit middle and high-school. Over 100 year old school with an amazing record of success.

If you're looking for an unsafe, trauma-inflicting dump to send your kids, you've found the right…read moreplace! There's nothing like 12 year olds doing dr*gs in the bathroom and bringing g*ns to school and putting the place on lockdown!! (True story!) As a former student, I can confirm that the neglect at this school is beyond-belief. At one point in the disgusting bathrooms, there was graffiti of male g*nitalia with the word "sl*t" and an arrow pointing down. I was told you were meant to stand under it and take selfies. It was absolutely horrible! Students would drink alcohol from Hydroflasks and faint during class. At one point in my time at La Paz Intermediate, there was a student who brought a g*n to school, intending to fire during lunch. We were put on lockdown. It was traumatizing. The vice principal is an a-hole who runs her mouth non-stop without stopping to think what mental damage it's doing. Most of the staff acts like they don't want to be there. Honestly, I wouldn't want to either! The students are extremely disrespectful to adults and have no sense of authority. All in all, this is an unsafe, terrible school. I'd give it zero stars if I could. Send your children elsewhere, parents!

Amazing school, I've made a lot of new friends and had amazing experiences with them, all the…read moreteachers are amazing and if you want your child to have the most fun I recommend signing them up for music

It's a great school (minus the drop off and pick up fiasco!)…read moreRules are put out about proper drop off and pick up yet parents break the rules, cut in the line, block crosswalks and stop in the middle and not pull all the way forward as instructed. People on parking lot duty never enforce the rules..... super frustrating! The Principal and teachers are great and they also have a wonderful PTA! If you can ignore the rude parents at drop off and pick up, you will survive

La Madera is a nice small elementary school with not a lot of bells and whistles but it does the…read morejob. Each classroom has a door leading to the outside and a door leading to the grand interior hall that connects everything together. The campus is quite small but has recently built a MPR in the farthest corner of the lunch area and there is a substantial grassy area for the children to play on. The parking lot and surrounding streets can be a little hectic in the morning drop off window and from 2:30 on because La Madera lies across the street from El Toro High School. The parking lot is one way so that helps a lot with the flow of traffic but there will always be those that cannot conduct themselves in such a setting. ;] All in all, its a nice little school and your kids will be safe.

The FOOD there is not good. My kids rather bring a peanut butter sandwich and some fruit than…read moreeating the stale, cold food. I really don't understand how the people in charge of contracting these providers don't go and check the food. But there is good news, once the kids graduate from Gates Elementary, Los Alisos Lobos has much better food. But the government is wasting $$$ from our taxes there.

Wasn't a good fit for our kid. He wasn't picking it up and there was no extra help. When we asked…read moreif we should get an outside tutor, it was advised against. His kindergarten teacher was not very nice. First grade teacher was nice. Seems it's hit or miss. A lot of the kids he was in class with have also left.