I am a parent in the Las Virgenes Unified School District and want to share my recent experience…read morewith the district's student retention process -- particularly as it relates to support for students with developmental needs. After submitting a formal request to retain my child, I provided extensive documentation from the Regional Center outlining his developmental delays and social-emotional concerns. Despite this, I was told that the information was not reviewed as part of the official appeal process. Even more troubling, I learned that most of the individuals involved in the decision-making process had little or no personal knowledge of my child -- raising serious concerns about how informed the final decision truly was. As a parent, I expected a process that was personalized, child-centered, and inclusive of expert and parental input. Instead, the process felt procedural, closed off, and disconnected from the realities of my son's daily challenges. When I requested a meeting with Superintendent Dr. Dan Stepenosky to share my concerns in person, I was denied based on a policy that gives final authority to a designee -- in this case, Jana Davenport -- even when significant concerns remain unaddressed. The stress and emotion this process has caused cannot be understated. It is incredibly disheartening to advocate for your child's well-being, only to feel that the system values procedure over people. In my experience, the district seems more focused on preserving its Blue Ribbon reputation, test scores, and public image than on providing individualized support for students with developmental or emotional needs. I'm sharing this review not to criticize individuals, but to advocate for a more compassionate, transparent, and genuinely collaborative process for families -- especially those navigating developmental, behavioral, or learning differences. Families deserve to be heard. Children deserve decisions made by people who actually know them. I hope the Las Virgenes Unified School District reflects seriously on how its current practices affect the very children and families it is meant to serve. -- A Concerned Parent Marina

I have High functioning autism. The school knew something was wrong in preschool and 1st grade…read more By the end of second grade the forgot about me and stopped helping. They used to threaten kids "this will go on your permanent record" to us. But, as I continued to struggle though the years, with everything from handwriting to socialization, everybody just forgot. As a senior I was still struggling, so I dropped Spanish class to lighten my workload. I asked to be a teachers assistant. They ended up assigning me to the janitor and wanted me to clean lunch tables for free. I was so embarrassed, everybody thought I was in trouble. I ended up ditching the class as there was no credit for it, which made me feel creepy inside, as I never ditched before. I ended up hating the school and not caring because i felt treated so bad. I ended up failing English, not graduating with my class. My parents were mad at me. Nobody ever congratulated me when I did graduate. They had told my partents "autism can affect your childs quality of life." Then they forgot.

Once they forced us to stop putting shrines in the bathroom this place went so far downhill lmao…read more Full of insecure mean girls.

Cool athletics team here and clean school! Senior night was fun and everybody looks very happy hereread more

Graduated a long time ago but know that the level of education is top notch…read more Expensive but most private schools are!

Seeing that Viewpoint has 4 stars and not 5 is proof that noting is perfect for everyone...not even…read morea school like Viewpoint. I will say, however, that Viewpoint is as close to "perfect" as a school could be. It is 6 stars in my book. I can't say enough about how the school is run, the individualized care, the facilities, the programs, curriculum. My son started in 7th grade and he is now is 11th and I literally have a smile on my face when I picture him being at Viewpoint. Easily, what stands out the most is the fact everyone in the faculty and administration seem to know my kid, personally...they are invested in all the kids..they aren't anonymous...my son feels like he is in a family type environment where people truly care about his welfare inside and outside of the classroom. That is a very rare characteristic for a school. I can't think on one single aspect of my son's education, from academics to administration, to sports, etc., that have not been handled with the highest level of care and professionalism. And, he has built a tremendous friend base at Viewpoint...definitely his second family. If Atticus Finch were to teach at a school...he just might pick Viewpoint. I will look back on Viewpoint and say it was perhaps the best money I have ever spent...and easily one of the proudest contributions that I have made to my son's young life. His mom and I got this one right!

Simply an outstanding educational experience in every way. Manzanita is an entirely new model for…read morelearning, one that doesn't neatly fit into any established category. Students learn on the land and from the land, supported by teachers trained as mentors for a truly personal, close-knit experience. Your child will be seen, known, and understood here. They will be taught how to think, not what to think. They will be prepared to show up as their most authentic selves. They will be exposed to a curriculum that is much more nuanced and engaging than most people can imagine. Your child will be in community with people who are committed to making the world a better place and often live lives far outside the mainstream. The lunch program is incredible. Tour the school to experience firsthand. Truly amazing.

The setting is beautiful, peaceful, and safe, and the food is AMAZING! (go Hillary!) The teachers…read moreare talented and caring. What makes this a one-star school is the principal's anger issues and sense of power over others. He treats the boys unfairly and is over-protective of the girls. The toxic environment that he creates completely over-shadows the location and good staff and is most evident in grades 9-12, but he also loses his temper with the boys in grades 6-8. His discipline is guilt and power-driven and students don't feel comfortable sharing this with their parents because he is seen as a wise sage. He puts on a good act for the parents but can be very manipulative behind the shiny veneer. In addition, his belief in pseudo-scientific principles chips away at the integrity of the school's academic component. The school supports the notion that plants are sentient beings. He minimized the dangers of Covid during the pandemic in order to keep the school open so he wouldn't lose clients (families and students.) He cherry-picked outlier studies from questionable scientists to support the false notion that Covid wasn't as easily transmittable as it actually was. You have to drink the proverbial Kool Aid here or you'll be cast out. At times, staff and even students were asked to leave the school because their believe system didn't align with his. He once fired a secretary right after an initiation ceremony on a staff retreat because he didn't think she "fit in." Shouldn't that have been decided during the interview process? As a parent, I simply can't recommend this school. Maybe after he retires and turns the school over to new leadership... It has so much potential.

I transferred hear after seventh grade from AE weight. let me say I really recommend you send your…read morekids her. The community is amazing the teacher always go out of there way and everybody is just good there. They also have a stable after school program the boys and girls club there where kids can play video games and do their homework. This school is the best send your kids there and do not send your kids to AE wright that school is all wrong and toxic. Send your kids here they have more and provide more in so many ways you can imagine.

I have to say, I Really appreciated the Boys & Girls Club @ Linder Canyon Middle School. Both my…read morekids went here and they could get Help with their homework , Play video games when they were done with homework, play foosball play music and even be allowed to be outside playing games. I was really grateful to all of the counselors who took care of the kids and planned a lot of fun activities. Actually donated a bunch of furniture to the club and they were so happy! So they have cozy chairs to sit in in a nice lounge area just to relax or read. As I was working full-time I was truly grateful to have a safe place for them to be. We are very lucky to have them at Lindero Canyon middle school.

Although the school looks absolutely post-card perfect, that beautiful exterior barely conceals the…read moretoxicity that lies within. For the parent of a child with special needs, this facility is to be avoided at all costs and for those lucky parents of mainstream children: beware. There is no one watching over your student. Blake, my son's case coordinator, conducts himself like a pre-adolescent Neanderthal on muscle relaxants. He is incompetent, unresponsive, unprofessional and lazy. He has no knowledge of special education beyond that of a first year psych under-grad and he is proud to announce in meetings that he is unavailable the day after Halloween because he is planning on partying too much. Often, when his responses are actually intelligible, he is typically saying something along the extremely erudite lines of, "I don't know what you want me to do about it." Drug and alcohol abuse run rampant on campus and students walk off campus as they please despite not having passes. Administrators are distant and uninvolved and do not seem to mind having unprofessional individuals under their employ, who do irreparable damage without sanction or consequence. Parents, look elsewhere and do so quickly. Do not let the pretty buildings fool you.

This school is very interesting to say the least. I just wanted to give my advice on how the school…read morecan perhaps improve a bit to get five stars (first the good) -This school exceeds any expectations of what a public school is and looks like in Los Angeles. The school overlooks beautiful hills and houses. -They have a better arts center than most community colleges. -The facility is clean. -Beautiful sports facilities:including a pool, baseball field, track, football/lacrosse field -The custodians are friendly -FOOTBALL HAS GONE UP IN RANKINGS and THEY HAVE RECRUITED A FEW PEOPLE FOR CERTAIN SPORTS so needless to say they are projecting in the right direction with that (back in the day they were a joke) -The parents seem very actively involved especially with donations -many kids I have met here were very studious and went off to good colleges. However I am not certain that it is because of the school itself that allowed for that to happen. Most of the parents are college educated. -Los virgenes is a very small school district and a good one at that -the parking lots make the school look like a luxury car dealership (lol) The real reason why I am writing this review though is because Ive seen some weird stuff here. To be honest it is not unusual for students to be behaving the way I am about to explain (they are teenagers after all) but I am complaining because I know that if I had children who went here I know I would want there to be more security. There is a serious problem with the gate that stays open by the track. i see kids coming in and out whenever they please: During second period, right after first period or whenever! They just walk out in groups. And no one says anything. Not the PE teachers who are teaching their classes nor the maintenance or whatever. They get into the car and literally speed off and some come back later. Some are actually staying in their cars (doing who knows what...very suspicious behavior). As i said earlier this is really common in high school (so just because I am saying this does not mean that you should be worried, it's virtually everywhere), but I think what Im trying to say is that the school does not care if your child stays. Maybe the parents dont either sooo i guess it's all swell! but just thought id say something!

I wouldn't have a high school diploma if it weren't for Fusion ( Halstrom Academy when I attended)…read more I graduated 5 years ago, but I still think about my time here. Public schooling can be traumatic for disabled students, and Fusion Academy saved me.

Just wanted to add that my daughter that hated school now talks about going to college. The…read more"sparkle in her spirit" is back, & she actually enjoys school. Our home life has greatly improved. I cannot thank Fusion, Academy enough, and only wish we had found them sooner.

Both my teenage sons attended public elementary school, then went to Topanga Mountain School, then…read moretransitioned successfully back into public high school at El Camino. TMS provided a nurturing haven during the middle school years which has made my kids more resilient, better citizens of the world, and confident advocates for themselves and for others. Here are some of the experiences my boys had: - going on at least three one-week camping trips each year - learning to cook for themselves and to shop for their camping group on a budget - taking elective classes in pottery, archery, swimming, fencing, and aerial silks - composing and performing original songs during the music trimester - practicing public speaking in a variety of formats, from in-class debates to presentations to full-length plays - sitting in "council" and honoring the feelings and values of their classmates, even whey disagreed with them - burning off energy by playing soccer, basketball, and "mushroom tag" after lunch each day - exploring DTLA via public transportation - evaluating what constitutes a reliable source in traditional media and on social media - gaining an appreciation for nature through weekly hikes - feeling they had an actual relationship with their teachers (with whom they continue to stay in contact) - mastering the five-paragraph academic essay - working in small groups at a pace that was appropriate to their skill level, especially in math - graduating with a strong sense of self Sending my sons to TMS is one of the best investments I have made in their education and their personal growth. The only caveat I would offer is that, due to its small size and flexible curriculum, TMS tends to have more last-minute changes than a traditional school. There is no such thing as a "typical" week at TMS; the teachers may adjust the day's schedule if an issue arises and they feel the kids need to process events in the news or resolve interpersonal conflicts which impact the entire group. I f this to be a virtue, but if you are expecting rigid consistency, it's best to look to a more traditional school.

TMS has been a gift to our son and our family! Middle school can be difficult and distressing for…read moremany kids, but every morning my son wakes up excited to go to school. I've talked to other parents, and the sentiment is the same: kids love TMS! TMS is a mixture of appropriately challenging academics (with some room for individualization because the school is small), social-emotional development, the arts, and outdoor education. The school goes on four trips a year, and I love how the curriculum is integrated into the trips. For example, last year, they read a book that took place at a Japanese internment camp during WWII, and then they visited the actual camp during one of their trips. Also, there is a focus on making the learning applicable to the "real world." For some of the trips, kids are divided into groups, given a food budget, and work together to plan their meals and buy food. There is also a great community feeling amongst the parents at TMS. There is also a culture of kindness and acceptance at TMS. All-in-all, I am confident that my son will emerge from his middle school experience self-confident, ready for high school, and equipped to make the world a better place!

Do not take an ACT test at this school. They have a complete disregard for the amount of time our…read morestudents put in to preparing and trying to achieve their colllegial goals. For September 2025 test they had a band practice right in the middle of the test. When approached the band said they had every right to be there. The test administrator assured me that it was a one time mistake and it would be fixed for October. Sure enough, the band started playing again and their adult representative did not care about the gravity of the testing situation. I am disgusted and this was our last chance for an ACT test before merit scholarships are awarded. Shame on this administration and the band teacher.

They care about each student, teachers are amazing and counselors are the best in the valley high…read moreschools

Very large and clean campus, staff were very friendly and welcoming and the students were friendlyread more

Our two sons attended Oak Park schools from K-12. Our youngest is currently a senior. WE LOVE OAK…read morePARK SCHOOL DISTRICT!!!! We've driven 20 minutes each way to take them to school for 13 years and it was worth every minute. The teachers are mostly wonderful, but what I appreciate most as a parent is the community of students, the high standards, work ethic, and diversity. Anyone who writes a terrible review of OPUSD (especially with poor grammar) is not being truthful.