If you're looking to put your children in a safe high school filled with amiable (at least most of them) teachers and a fairly rigorous academic program, Bishop Montgomery is the place you want. Like all private schools, it will take a huge bite out of your wallet. All the books, uniforms, and even scantrons have to be bought. Uniforms, despite what teenagers may think, are actually very helpful to the school environment. Almost everyone will judge you based on what you're wearing/how you look and if everyone is wearing the same thing, that means it's much easier to make friends. My favorite part of this school is Drama Lab. I have had many profound memories in that club. Mr. Masters is truly an inspirational teacher who is very fun to work with and talk to. read more

This school was so incredibly damaging to my child. He went into the school with what a public school would call an IEP. They wrote him something called a "step program", They never followed it. The teachers berated him and treated him as if he were a bad child. The "dean of men" told me that he would never treat my child any differently than the other kids. Even though, my son struggled with some neurodivergent issues. We are still dealing with the repercussions of having gone to this school. Do not send your child to Bishop Montgomery High School. Particularly if they are neurodivergent in any way. read more

Awesome school excellent academics and sports. So many clubs to choose from . I really like how organized the school is they have someone assigned to every department. No questions go on answers. read more

The worst principal I have ever come across. He will expel a kid for a minor infraction and never look back. No second chance. No redemption. Do not not risk sending your kid here if you think they might make a minor mistake at some point in 4 years. They will be left out in the cold. read more

Nice Catholic high school in the heart of Torrance. There is so much love and diversity on campus. They have caring teachers and a fair share of classes that are academically challenging and faith enhancing. Not only do students learn from the classes, they also learn from the people that surround them. The whole school is like one giant family that sticks together through the good times and the bad times. read more

Terrible. Just terrible. Wish I could give it 0 stars. Or even -1. It's bad enough that they treat the students as if they are inmates at a juvenile detention center, the education is FAR behind the public schools in the area, as we found out the hard way. The boy's dean (warden) treats the students like prisoners at a prison camp, doling out harsh, ambiguous, and unnecessary punishments from atop his throne. Camera's are fine, but they now monitor conversations via microphones in the hallway, bathrooms, and classrooms. Students are not allowed to do anything except robotically go from class to class. Any deviation from the Warden's orders results in harsh and sometimes impossible to fulfill punishments. Failure to comply with these arbitrary punishments results in expulsion. They expel students at a rate I've never seen before...and these are pretty good kids overall. One student from a family we know received 80 hours of community service time + 24 hours of after school detention for an image on his social media that was at best a childish antic, and at worse, in bad taste. It wasn't expulsion worthy, which is ultimately what happened. The punishment was over the top, and was designed for the student to fail at. The school should be ashamed to employ someone like that, but then again, with the state of the Catholic Church where it is, I guess I'm not surprised when I see actions taken that are spiteful, hurtful, and unchristian like happening everyday. Now let's talk education. They speak about it being great, but when we moved our straight A student to public school after just one semester at Bishop, he was literally MONTHS behind in his progress and struggled to catch up. It was a total nightmare that was very illustrative of the quality of education at Bishop. After digging in a little, it was clear that teachers mostly just give "packets" at the beginning of the week to complete with little or no instruction. Once, my child told me that when he asked his teacher for help on a packet, he was told that "I'm not your personal tutor, go figure it out". Wow. I think that pretty much sums up the experience. Bottom line: Terrible environment that is actually detrimental to a student's mental and development progress, a dean that thinks he's Fidel Castro, and an educational experience that is so far below the free public school that it's almost criminal. Do not send your kids here, and do your friends a favor and steer them clear too. read more

It has outstanding teachers/ professors and administration that truly care. It"s rigorous academically and best for serious motivated students. My son is extremely happy and thriving at the Bishop Montgomery High School read more

Bishop Montgomery focuses on academics but not anywhere near the Christian values one would expect from a Catholic school in California. Their discipline policies are punitive and based from an outdated era that does not reflect todays diverse world and the wealth of research regarding restorative justice practices. Zero tolerance policies for students, who science proves their executive functioning skills are not mature until past 21, make no sense. Not to mention their complete disregard for the suffering of the students' families. Specifically, many families sacrifice to pay the tuition for the so called spiritual and Christian education, but when it comes down to it Bishop will force students to withdraw with a bogus appeal policy which only causes more anxiety and zero actual consideration of appeals. Parents dedication, faith, and economic contributions are completely disregarded. Of course some students do deserve disciplinary action, but others get sentenced with no evidence beyond hearsay. If BMHS were subject to actual law, with a judge, jury, and lawyers they would get thrown out of court for lack of evidence. The boys dean appears to take a keen interest in this form of unwarranted punishment and shows no mercy to families who literally beg in the appeal process. A student and their family should not be denied their hard earned graduation ceremony based on hearsay. Not to mention the psychological damage to these students. I am repeatedly shocked by incidents such as these at Bishop Montgomery High School. The archdiocese should be embarrassed to treat their lifelong parishioners in such a heartless and cruel manner. -Sincerely shocked and saddened for these poor families. read more

This is a great school. I got a lot out of it. It prepared me for college and I did great there. Im really happy with this high school. It also taught me a lot. read more

When people ask me where I went to high school at I always reply with "Prison." Their next question is always "WHAT?!?!" And then i explain "Yes, Bishop Mont-Prison-ry." This school spends more time disciplining and reminding you tuck your shirt in, than teaching you. What did I learn at Bishop? How to copy people's homework and not get caught, how to cheat on tests and not get caught, how to cheat wearing a uniform and not get caught. For a school that spends so much time trying to discipline their students and remind them of all the negative repercussions of their actions, they sure did a horrible job at catching not just me, but everyone. If they were to expose me for cheating, I could expose several accounts and picture proof of other students (including my class's valedictorian) doing the same thing. Several parents and oblivious staff members will comment on how well behaved the students are and how outside of the school they are completely straight edge and little angels Wow... How far from the truth. I can say with confidence that AT LEAST 70% of my senior class was either on drugs, smoking underage, drinking underage, not virgins, or a combination of all 4. While this is normal for most public high schools, people PROUDLY proclaim that the Bishop kids are supposedly different. Let me break this down for you in 2 simple words: They're not. If you're not counting my personal opinion on the school, look at the course offerings. There is no math class higher than AP Calculus 1. (Compare that to South, Peninsula, West, North, Torrance who all offer AP Calc A, AP Calc B, and AP Calc BC) There are limited language courses. The arts classes are also limited in choices. Sciences also are few in choices. Many who review Bishop are impressed by the high test scores and school averages. Again, another lie. Bishop expels the students who do not meet minimum academic requirements. Also, if one were to look at the AP scores from bishop students and compare them to another public school in the area (Peninsula, South, West), the public school would win. The student body is not as friendly as many make them out to be. For those who comment about Bishop being a "big family" I strongly disagree. Many of the students who have been attending catholic school all their lives are very click-ish. If they do not know you, it is hard to approach them. This school is more like a bunch of small families and a group of outsiders who never went to catholic school before this one. I graduated in 2009. I was counting down the days at the beginning of Senior year just because I wanted to get out as fast as possible. I am so ashamed of attending this school, sometimes I lie to people and tell them I graduated from Palos Verdes Peninsula. People at Penn (including faculty) knew me better, and were more willing to help me than the people at my own high school. The one and only reason this place has 2 stars and not 1 star, is because I had a few good teachers who actually did their job instead of just disciplining us. read more

I think it speaks volumes that graduates and attendees of this school are reviewing with their negative experiences. To keep mine short and sweet the education is subpar. Their focus should be more on education and less on keeping kids "in line" based on the uniform they wear. Bottom line is if you or your parents weren't excessively involved in the school and its activities you probably didn't receive much, if any, help with your education. read more

I have lived in the South Bay my whole life and can tell you this is one of the best schools in the area! It's a clean campus near the beach that is very safe for the students and staff. It welcomes families from many areas, near and far. This school has produced the best of the best in many different fields, from nurses, doctors, lawyers, and athletes. One of the most famous names was Carmelita Jeter, Olympic athletic, who was named the fastest woman in the world. All the classrooms are are the same main level of the property, making them all easily wheelchair accessible. The students are kind. The staff is so knowledgable and and caring. When my family had a family member in the hospital, many teachers and even the principal called or dropped off care packages for us during that difficult and challenging time. Words cannot express how thankful we were for the love and support of this campus. We will forever cherish the many good memories we had here. read more

'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'...probably something most people would say reflecting on their high school alma mater. For me, BMHS was neither - it was just kind of a neutral, monotone 4-year ride (the real fun and drama came in college)! But having a 'monotone' experience in high school is pretty damn good, especially because you can focus your energy on studying, playing sports, and hanging out with family and friends without stupid bs getting in the way. I have no idea what the school is like now, although I'm sure it hasn't changed drastically in the little over a decade since I've been there. I'm really happy that I went to BMHS because my public school choice would have been TERRIBLE. I had some great teachers back in the day, most notably my favorite was Mrs. Lynch for Sophomore English Honors and Senior British Lit Honors. If the tuition is still fairly reasonable and the public school option isn't better in terms of academics offered (like I would rather go to Penninsula than BMHS for the science and math programs), I would gladly enroll my child here. I really loved the ethnic diversity, how safe the school felt, and most of my classes were taught by good teachers (the weakness I say was once you got past geometry, the math teachers weren't the best). Oh, and the real sour note of the school is the so-called college career counseling. My counseler, Mrs. Egan, tried to discourage me from applying to lot of great schools around the country because she didn't think I would get in. This school definitely pushes only the UC, CAL State system (and EL CO, oh and USC, if you have $). So whether she was incompetent or too lazy to complete my 20+ applications I don't know but in fact I got into the majority of schools I applied to (including Ivy Leagues, the top 2 liberal arts colleges in the nation, UCLA, etc.), which just tells me that they are so out of their element that parents better get some outside help on the college application experience. The one thing I always tell people is I liked high school because there wasn't any real bullying, fights, mean girl attitude....it was a good kind of boring. read more

BIshop Montgomery is a high school that I'm proud to say my children have and are attending. They offer an excellent academic program as well as a top notch sports program. They also maintain a solid foundation in the catholic faith. Great preparation for college !! read more

We have been soooo happy with our experience at BMHS. Even starting with my daughter's shadow day, she knew it was the right fit for her. She has met so many new friends and has had an incredible experience with the Drama Lab. They embraced her from Day 1 and she it. I also feel with the online learning due to Covid, the teachers were so prepared for the challenge.. Here's to 3 more successful years. read more

I have 3 kids that have been a part of the BMHS family. My oldest is now in college, my daughter is graduating this year, and my youngest is now a freshman. All have had such positive experiences and well prepared to go to the college of their choice. BMHS provides excellent academics, enriching spirituality, and competitive sports. read more

We have 2 students at BMHS, a Senior and a Freshman. Our oldest is graduating soon and loved her high school experience. She loved the smaller class sizes and the ability to connect with her teachers when she had questions in any of her classes. Our other child also has also very much enjoyed attending BMHS during her freshman year. The school provides a positive catholic faith based environment for the students learn, challenges the students academically, and overall develops well-rounded students that are ready to excel in the future. read more

If you are a C average student you will not be treated the same as an A student. They do not seem to care as much about educating each student as they do helping those with good grades. If they spent more time working with average students and less time worrying about keeping everyone in line it would be a better school. They expect students to be like robots and prevent kids from expressing themselves and stifling creativity. Discipline is one thing but they go too far. The Archdiocese should look into how they treat their students and run this school. You are better off going to one of the other private schools, the extra cost would be worth it. read more

Good Catholic school. They offer a great amount of curriculum but when I heard they completely took out the band that concerned me, the arts are still very important. Glad to hear they have it back. read more

I had both a son and daughter attend BMHS. It was worth every penny! They both graduated ready for very challenging college classes. The teachers are caring, the administrators are willing to help in any way they can, and the principal is very hands on. She makes it a point to talk to and know all her students. It was a fantastic experience for our whole family! I'd give it 10 stars if I could! read more

My son, currently a 10th grader, attends BMHS and we could not be more pleased with the education curriculum and the young man he is becoming. He's not in AP or Honors classes and we still feel he is being challenged daily to do more, be more and strive for success. The teachers have reached out appropriately to identify areas of concern and genuinely want to help. We are completely satisfied. read more

I graduated from BMHS in May of 2017 and can't help but look back on my experience with absolute love and gratitude. Bishop more than prepared me both academically and socially for life beyond high school. Academically, I was challenged in nearly all of my classes and consistently pushed out of my comfort zone. My teachers truly had my best interest at heart and put in the effort to develop relationships beyond the classroom -- teachers came to soccer games, stayed after class if I need help and support, and some of them still email me to see how I'm doing in college. Furthermore, the community I experienced at Bishop is unlike any community I will ever experience again. Bishop screams family -- and the friendships made there are friendships I know will last a lifetime. The Bishop community overflows with faith, diversity, support, integrity and ambition. I love Bishop with my entire heart and 110% recommend to absolutely anyone and everyone. read more

My experience was less than pleasurable. I came from another private school, not one of the feeder schools for Bishop and I can honestly say my first 3 years of high school were like a repeat of my last 2 years of middle school. I was even in honors classes and I was bored. I also had a teacher who lost it and ended up leaving the school (I believe involuntarily). Kids there are more stuck up than anything else, and yes... They do party and have sex and do all the things the school claims to deter. In spite of being on the cheer squad and in several clubs, I had few friends there and a couple I did have were "secret friends". The classes are so limited that I felt cheated... Especially when I learned that the religion classes I was required to take didn't even count towards my grad credits... WHAT?! Back when I went there, there was only one place to sit and eat lunch, outside and it wasn't big enough for everyone to eat... And when it rained we would have to stand in the hallways for lunch. Classy. To top it off, the things available for purchase for lunch rotated from overpriced pizza and nasty nachos with radioactive cheese to stale chick-fila. Every year I begged my parents to let me go to public school... read more

am a current senior at this school nd have attended all four years. i trully love this school. very safe and kind environment. although it is a small school nd the everyone will somewhat know of everyone else. the teachers are TRULLY unique and awesome. you learn many different things, life lessons, not just academic stuff. great basketball and volleyball team. read more

I'm a 2009 alum of Bishop Montgomery. I felt compelled to write a review of the school after reading one of the previous articles. My opinion is that Bishop Montgomery is a fine school. Most all of the teachers care deeply about their students and the school is led by one of the best principals around, Rosemary Libbon. The school is in a great location and you get a good mix of people from different areas and situations. The diversity of the schools population might be its greatest asset, and is something you might not see in a typical private school. True every rose has its thorns. Bishop is not perfect. Still, I loved attending and recommend it wholeheartedly. read more

I went here in the 90s and hated it. Now that I'm a parent guess where I want my daugher to go? This school was soooo boring to me when I was there but now that I look back...I would go back there in a heart beat. Only complaint was the ghetto multi purpose room in the back of the school. You do pay for everything and I mean everything but that prepares these kids for the real world. The discipline at the time seemed dumb to me (no belts and you get detention). As an adult I totally get it. Felt like a prison at the time but in 2012 most kids need some sort of prison. read more

Literally, I'm reading these other reviews from students and I feel the complete opposite of what they're saying. Yes, dress code and discipline rules are at times kind of annoying, but if you learn to get past that, I think Bishop is such a great school to be at. I'm a senior right now and recently earned admission to Cal Poly SLO and couldn't be any happier with my experience at Bishop, and I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. The teachers are so willing to help when you ask for it, and there's a sense of acceptance and, as corny as it sounds, "love" when on the campus. I have teachers that literally will stay in their classroom during lunch to help me go over things that I don't understand...I have other teachers that literally give me snacks everytime I'm in their classroom because I'm always complaining about how hungry I am. Students care about each other and are excited to get to know you, all you have to do is put yourself out there! Everyone is so welcoming. I think that is probably the best part about bishop: the people and how we treat each other. Anywhere you go, there's gonna be people with their own group of friends...however, the difference with Bishop is that if you put yourself out there, those groups of friends are so so so willing to get to know you and befriend you out of their own Kindess, not pity. I think The spiritual aspect of the school is the reason for this. The faculty pushes so much for you to "treat each other well" to "respect" people and to "love". On another note, Basketball games are insane. The school spirit at the games are electrifying. I played football, and although many came to games, no one really pays attention, but it's cool lol. Anyways, I'm Always proud to be a knight. I highly recommend the school. I've had a great time. read more