Caring and supportive staff with excellent teaching skills. My nieces had to pull their children…read morefrom a competing Sierra Madre "Catholic" school with a nice mansion but that was all it offered. The kids have been so much more enthusiastic about their learning and the environment at St. Rita's. The school is established and that says a lot. I think they hit a rough patch when a past principal was fired, took staff and the student roladex to start the competing school. St. Rita's seems to have weathered the upheaval and are strong. My family really enjoyed their inclusive nature. One family is a practicing Catholic but the other not and says no one makes a big deal about it. Both say they feel very happy with their choice of St. Rita. No one seems to shun my one niece who goes to a church closer to where she lives. That says a lot about acceptance too. I toured the school with them. I could just tell the staff knew what they were doing. They discussed their methodologies and how they handled the different learning abilities of their students. Looking forward to their grandparents day, debate tournaments, theater and other events they offer. This school has so much more than just a sports program. There is a variety of opportunities for each of my grand nieces and nephews that do not require they be in a sport. Their PE program is well rounded. I am not sure if St. Rita's has an immense budget but from what I could see the teacher's and staff are creative. No child is lacking from talking with returning families. My kiddo's are making friends and the families we met are delightfully involved. No one is pushing their agenda or sticking their hand out for money all the time. So far so good.

I don't normally review things, but I have had a horrible experience with the school. Many of the…read moreteachers are very unprofessional with their students and the lack of discipline baffles me. Some of the teachers were caring, but I find it preposterous some of the things that others got away with, like blatant favoritism. I do know some of the staff members were fired, but based on previous years, they just cannot find competent people to hire. Also, according to my child's experience, things I've heard from other parents, and events I've witnessed myself, many of the children here get away with terrible behavior. I have heard so many horror stories of children saying racial slurs and micro aggressive comments, but none of them have faced actual punishment, besides maybe getting marked. If you are looking for a small, cozy Catholic school to send your children to, St. Rita is not that.

Both of my children went to this school through 6 th grade. It is a wonderful school and is rated…read morewell. One of my neighbors was displaced by the Altadena fire, and has 2 daughters who currently attend this school. They love it so much that they hope to still attend there when their home in Altadena is rebuilt.

On February 20th, my husband and I received some very disturbing news. Our son, Michael, shared…read morewith us that he was using the bathroom at school and a 5th grader was in the same bathroom watching him use the urinal. Our son expressed that it was making him uncomfortable and told him to leave. The other child refused and did not stop looking at Michael's private parts. In fact, he made a comment to the effect of "Next time I am going to take a picture and send it to your Mom!" This is completely unacceptable behavior and frankly warrants taking action. Michael also expressed that he shared this experience with Ms. Alma who later shared it with Mrs. An, his 4th grade teacher, and Mr. Budd, Special Education Teacher, only to be told that Mr. Budd knows who Michael was talking about!?! We as parents were not notified until we reached out to the school, Sierra Madre Elementary School and PUSD. As of today, our son Michael has not received an apology from the student nor the teachers who he trusted the most to share this disgusting experience. When will SME and PUSD take accountability for their actions and mistakes!!!

We still look back at our time at SMCNS as some of the best time spent on our children's…read moreupbringing. My now high school aged child thrived while at SMCNS and still recalls fun memories of his time there. He was accepted to every private school we applied to in the Pasadena-area, including some of the most prestigious ones, with no extra tutoring or educational supplementation. We moved away when my younger child was in attendance and finding a similar preschool in our new area was impossible. My son was much more prepared for Kindergarten than my daughter who attended a less developmentally focused preschool.

I just transferred my son from a highly rated, 2-year- wait list school in the area. He was…read moremiserable there for some unknown reason, which I still can't pinpoint exactly what went wrong. The teachers, director, and I tried everything we could think of, and my son continued to hate going to school everyday. He threw massive tantrums and pushed boundaries with his teachers, he eventually did the same at home with me and my husband. I was unaware how stressed he was for 2 months until the week my son joined SMCNS. Last couple of months, he started struggling at bedtime and sleeping 1-2 hours less at night. I thought he was going through sleep regressions or that he just didn't need as much sleep as he's getting older. Turns out he's been stressed. Since the first day at SMCNS, he calmly settles down to sleep at night and sleeps for 11+ hours through the night, uninterrupted. He is not cranky after school and does not fight over little things with us anymore. He's back to being his old happy self again. I shed happy tears seeing the immediate changes in my son, and wish I had switched schools earlier. I've been a teacher for 15 years with a child development background, and have 5 education certificates. Children need meaningful and purposeful play-based learning and develop social emotional skills to build the foundation they need to succeed in the future. I'm so glad to be part of the SMCNS community and know that my son is in good hands.

The preschool director is on top of things and the staff is nurturing and caring of their little…read morestudents. There is potty training available for the littlest ones and actual curriculum for helping the older ones to be ready for learning. All done at appropriate levels for the children.

Bethany Christian School is amazing. The teachers, administration, and head of school work every…read moreday to make sure the kids are happy, loved, and learning and growing at their own pace and full-potential. The entire staff at Bethany are genuinely kind, loving, smart God-fearing and God-loving people. The kids are kind, smart and blessed. I can't say enough good things. If you're looking for a loving, Christ-centered school for your child/children, do give Bethany a chance. Their admissions director is wonderful. Call the school for a tour, I'm sure they'll be happy to accommodate!

Sierra Madre Middle School looks new and shiny from the outside, especially situated in such a a…read morequiet lovely town. But make no mistake. The bullying and racism by the students, and by some teachers is rampant and uncontrolled. The administration has no control over the student body and issues few consequences for really, seriously bad behavior. That empowers and develops the worst parts of kids' characters because they know that they can get away with almost anything. Even worse, when the kids get in any kind of trouble at school the parents are seldom, if ever, notified so they don't have the opportunity to parent their kids. If their kids are bullied the parents aren't notified so they can support their kids. Everything is about keeping up appearances and placating concerned parents. If a parent does find out something concerning and brings it to the administration's attention, they will be kind, concerned, say they are "investigating" but ultimately nothing will come of it. The bullying from the kids that occurs during nutrition break and lunch is made far worse because of a disturbing lack of adult supervision... especially on the field. There is bullying during PE. There is humiliation and shaming by certain teachers. And the bullying continues after school where groups of kids go together to the park unsupervised and act like gangs that surround other kids and torment them verbally and sometimes physically. Parents believe because this is Sierra Madre that everything is safe and peaceful from school to park. It is not. This is nothing remotely like the amazing SME. Many (underscore MANY) of us parents who have had terrible experiences there and have brought it to the PUSD have been told over and over that since COVID that the reports of bullying have skyrocketed and that they are overwhelmed. But this is their job and their responsibility to keep our children safe and make an environment that is conducive to learning. If they don't step up and provide the necessary resources to protect our kids while they are in their care, who will?? There are a several wonderful teachers who do really care. The front office staff and nurse could not be lovelier.

I'm a parent and my kid complained that he was waiting for me to pick him up near the school. A…read moreteacher or a worker came up to my kid and told him he couldn't wait for me in that stop where kids usually wait.When I picked him up he said he didn't feel welcomed at this school. Schools should be about caring for kids and making sure they are welcomed something the school clearly did NOT do. Do not recommend this school also lots of fights and kids making out all over the place

Driving up the foothills in the shadow of the recent bobcat fire, I wondered how safe is the air…read morequality and where is Alverno? Then it appeared two massive iron-rod gate doors which lead to the grounds of this majestic campus. It's what I would assume the mansion of great expectations once was. There are strawberry and oaks trees for acres and a linear koi lily pond. So here the history lesson: it was once a mansion which consumed hundred of acres of land. As time marched on, as it does hundreds of plots of this plantation-Spanish styled looking mansion were sold-off. Creating the adjacent neighborhood of Sierra Madre. Including, a large plot to this now existing school, Alverno. The mansion is host to the girls drama classes and plays: Bravo! I can't speak to the school or the educational quality but as a shooting location it's Ethereal. Such a delight and an endless time capsule of history. The city of Sierra Madre was wonderful and welcoming. And this feature film we are shooting which I can't say much abt, truly will be the stuff of legends.

The high school closed down unfortunately due to poor management. They claim it's declining…read moreenrollment but none of the other high schools are closing down. they took the money in donations and tuition from families who are expecting their girls to be invested in the school. They never let the parents know they were in financial trouble. that was wrong and I don't think the whole story because the new principal now says at public meetings she is going after much younger students because that is where the money is. It's sad when a school has to focus on the their heads giant salaries and not the students once the Covid funding stops. On the plus side it's a very cheap school Unfortunately they have a lot of interest in holding weddings (almost every weekend) and filming (even during school hours) on the campus. I wouldn't want my kids around strangers when they should be getting educated. My nieces enjoyed a good high school 30 years ago. My grandnieces and nephews have not at the new Alverno. Their parents pulled all three kids out. They felt the education was lacking compared to other schools. And are now enrolled in and very happy. The staff seems ill equipped. Some teachers are nice others seem very disgruntled. they really don't seem happy to teach there. It comes across to the children. some teachers are just there because the kids are getting discounted tuition and that doesn't make them qualified either. There is a mentality between those who have which are a lot against those students who have less. So much for Christian teaching The new Alverno is not the school that it use to be. The school require the kids to enroll in a sport so they can claim they have a big sports program. More fees. I find it misleading especially upsetting for kids who have no interest in their team sport but would rather compete in something more individual or that the school doesn't have (like gymnastics). Or in participate in the arts. Every time one turns around there's a fee for something (Jagothon,field trips, fundraiser in school hot dog lunches) so the school isn't as inexpensive as initially thought. They constantly want money for some sport courts. They have lot's of land but lack the accoutrements a proper school like a gym with showers, an updated cafeteria, a proper theater, etc. Their hand is out throughout the year. This makes the tuition more expensive in the long run. They really should have skipped allowing the new lower school to come in and worked on improving the high school. It ruined the campus

I always assumed my daughter would start school in TK, but when she turned 1.5, I kept hearing…read moreabout programs for two‑year‑olds. I was hesitant--especially because of the cost--but decided to attend a community open house to learn more. That's where I first met Miss Emmy. Her warmth and genuine kindness immediately stood out. After talking it over, my husband and I visited HRNS. Initially we were hesitant about the co‑op commitments, but we instantly fell in love with the bright, welcoming campus. We had toured another school, but nothing compared to the warmth, openness, and sense of community we felt at HRNS. Meeting the teachers and seeing how the children were supported made it clear our daughter would be in good hands. Miss Emmy explained parent expectations honestly and clearly, and everything felt manageable within such a supportive environment. Even though we have someone who could watch our daughter at no cost, we choose HRNS every day because of the community we've found. The teachers and parents have embraced our daughter with patience, care, and encouragement. Watching her continuously grow into her own person has been a joy, and she genuinely looks forward to going to school and moving to the "next door" each year. We will be sad when her time at HRNS comes to an end, but incredibly grateful for the foundation the school has given her--and us. If you are considering HRNS, know that you've found a true gem in Pasadena, ready to welcome you and your child with open arms.

I cannot praise this school enough. We love HRNS. We have had two of our children attend over the…read morecourse of the last four years. The love and care shown by the teachers and staff, the community that goes beyond what we could ever imagine, and the knowledge my children have acquired is unmatched. I was nervous about participating in the co-op setting, but afterward I realize what a privilege it is to be a part of this community and watch my children thrive and learn. They have grown leaps and bounds. I am so thankful for the TK program and Miss Julie and Miss Jenny. My children's confidence and skills were mastered through them and the school's play to learn strategies. My now first grader thrives at school because of what she has learned here. So thankful for HRNS.

There was this blonde proctor that was like rude she would yell at u for no reason idk her name but…read morelike she would walk around during lunch mostly but during snack ms Shirley was nice and the other proctor I also didnt know but she had grey hair and was so sweet and wouldnt raise her voice at all!! I had mrs Scott for 1st and 4th and like she was the best teacher ever and like all the 4th grade teachers were good overall because that was my fav year (my yelp name is fake bc I don't wanna give out my real name) but aside from that ONE proctor this school was good 5th grade science was lowkey really overratted because there was barely anything fun but the 5th grade party was also fun

My son has been going to this school since three years ago and most days that he comes back home he…read moreis upset and says I don't want to go to school. He gets fat shamed and is called by bad words every day many times at school. One of the students name call him as a carton character that is fat and it really makes my son mad. I sent an email to the principal around two weeks ago and explained every thing in detail but not only did she ignore my email and not responded to me, but also didn't approve to schedule an in person appointment with me to hear about what's happening to my son at school. My son is experiencing anxiety & depression and I have to consult with a psychiatrist soon because he didn't receive the support he needed at school.