I attended Moran School for my 8th grade year. A husband and wife team were the teachers. All grades did P.E. together. I lived in Colter Bay (part of Grand Teton National Park.) My year there was quite an experience as we moved there from Crater Lake National Park where I had attended 7th grade in a high school. However, my 4th through 6th grades had been in a small one room school with one teacher and 1st through 6th so I adjusted quickly.

We decided to leave LAUSD after trying out the TK program and getting frustrated with closed campuses, a black hole with no communication from the teacher, and no support for differentiation or advancement for gifted kids in the early grades. With elementary school ratios as high as 35 kids to 1 teacher, we wanted a change even after attending a top rated school. We found Wesley and fell in love with the humility and authenticity of its community. Compared to other private schools, there was no flaunting of wealth, designer bags and fancy cars. The families are warm and down to earth. There’s no buses as most families come from Burbank and Sherman Oaks areas which really allows for more family connections. It’s a great mix of traditional academics and progressive values like the inclusion of a social justice class teaching about implicit bias and anti racism. 8th graders can still take algebra, unlike the initiatives in CA public schools to remove this opportunity. The students are confident public speakers and kind. The teachers are engaging using experiential learning tactics. The new head of school is wildly popular and beloved. Having just gone through the grueling kindergarten admissions process and touring over 20 schools, I’m so delighted to be sending our girls to Wesley.

I was at Kavod for 9 years and had an outstanding experience. My education felt personalized and tailored to me, and my academic needs were always met. At Kavod, I acquired valuable critical thinking skills, and I was also introduced to rigorous academics that helped smooth my transition from Kavod to High School. Kavod's language program is unlike any other I've encountered because it is incredibly enriching and immersive. At Kavod, I developed a love for learning and other values and lessons I will cherish for the rest of my life. Kavod has a tight-knit community that makes everyone feel welcome and loved. Kavod is an extraordinary place, and I am so grateful and proud to call myself an alum!

Throughout the second semester, my 16-year-old daughter began her studies at this school. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with warm welcomes and felt a sense of belonging. The staff and teachers went above and beyond to ensure that we were well-informed and supported throughout the transition process. They were always available to answer any questions or concerns we had and made a concerted effort to keep us updated on our daughter's progress. Their open communication and dedication to their students' success made it clear that this school was the right choice for our family.

This school has some good resource teachers and long standing teachers. However when it comes to teaching acceptance and understanding for one another, this school misses the mark. They are very punitive no matter what your situation. The principal only believes in punishing kids when issues come up rather than working it out or seeking to understand. I would recommend sending your child elsewhere to get a proper and fair. education.

Such a great school! The teachers and staff really care and provide a great learning experience. Many of the teachers have been there a long time and it shows. We have been very happy with our child’s learning experience and are so happy we have such a wonderful school right nearby. Way to go DCMS!

This school is probably one of the worst schools you could go to. It may not seem like it from the outside, and all the reviews are good, but the amount of kids that do drugs here is insane. I was extremely surprised to hear that UPA has students like this. So many people, including my daughter had an excessive amount of academic pressure, with no support from any of the teachers. When she was in 9th grade, none of the teachers supported her. She asked the high school teachers for help each year, but they are not supportive at all. They have a huge workload of homework, but they don't teach the content to her in class well. My daughter is extremely athletic, but she was not able to do any sports because of the workload. We come from an Indian family, and we were excited to find a school that would satisfy our needs, but UPA is not like that. The teachers do not teach well, and like to push students down. Worst of all, this UPA, in San Jose, has the most disrespectful teachers. Several male teachers (who I will not be naming) have threatened to do bad things to my daughter if she wanted to bring her GPA up. I was shocked to learn about how unsafe the teachers are. The minute this school year ends, I am going to be removing my daughter from this school. My daughter has completely lost interest in school after she transferred. Please listen to these negative comments, I am giving my honest opinion about this school, speaking from my daughter's experience.

My child was bullied very badly here. She was hit almost daily by other students and then was victim blamed/shamed. Discipline was non existent for the students doing it.

Really supportive administration and staff. Lots of community engagement events that are well attended and where students are excited about attending and preforming at. There is a lot of celebration of different cultures at this school. You can see it in their events and even on the walls of the school as you walk through it. Any issues are addressed with parents promptly. Lots of respect for the school culture here.

Such a wonderful school! Have had 2 kids attend and the teachers are too notch! They really sincerely care about their students and create such a wonderful learning environment. One of my children had a bullying situation and they were extremely swift, thorough and caring handling the situation. I was beyond impressed how they handled it to ensure my child’s safety and comfort along with appropriate disciplinary action for the other child. Many of the teachers have been there for a long time and are very involved with the school as a whole. Both my children have really excelled in their knowledge and the curriculum is challenging yet fun. I really cannot recommend this school and higher. They truly are the best of the best.

This school thrives on nepotism. If you aren't related to the staff or the administration it will be very hard to do well at this school. As a 2020 alum my experience with this school is that although this school has a strong sense of community (due to its small size), it often feels like privacy is compromised as information can spread quickly. Some staff members could improve in maintaining confidentiality because most of them do not and everyone knows everything. The small size also leads to a lot of overlap between staff and student families, which leads to favoritism. Academically, I feel there's an over-reliance on self-learning for new material. Unfortunately, some teachers appear disinterested and lack the enthusiasm necessary to engage students effectively. While some are exceptional, others seem to lack motivation, which can make learning challenging. The school's physical layout and safety measures are commendable, but the academic rigor sometimes feels unreasonably high.

Overall, it was a good experience at a beautiful school. However, bullying was a common occurrence, which the principal rarely addressed. Additionally, the counselors were not as accessible as I would have hoped.

I've been a parent at Shaffer Elementary since 2017, and have had the best experience every SINGLE year, without fail. My oldest started with Shaffer in Pre-K, and is about to "graduate" and we have two additional kiddos that started in later years. I can truly say our children have received the best education, with the best staff we could have ever hope for. Not sure what the other reviews are saying about the PTA. Being a non-member of this organization from the get-go, I can honestly say that the PTA has always been welcoming and open and always looking for other active participants to join and lend a hand! From the beginning, we've always been thankful for everyone at Shaffer and look forward to our other children learning + growing from these amazing educators. Five stars - ALL DAY - highly recommend!

This is a very diverse growing school. The staff is excellent and the majority of the teachers really care about the kids and go out of their way to help the students succeed. There are many club, sport and activity opportunities too. A school can be what you make it— but Two Rivers is an excellent public program in a fabulous school district. Whether you are traditional college bound, trade school/ community college or planning to enter the workforce right out of high school, Two Rivers has options for you. They have several unique programs and partnerships with community employers, college in the schools classes, and even opportunities for student driven education and research work through Pivot Interactives (a Discovery Education Company that operates in the school building and was started by former teachers at the school).

It’s a great school I’ve never had a problem teachers are supportive and I’ve had the honor to create teacher to student relationships it’s a fantastic school filled with fantastic people and students