Freshman at this school I love it, it is amazing I love the people that I met and it's just a…read morereally amazing school I would definitely recommend this school to students who get good grades and don't skip school...because you are just wasting time skipping instead of going to your fun classes. I would recommend MEDs pathway if you are into medicine that's my pathway and I love it! #futureorthodontist

This school has been so very good for my daughter. She is thriving, excelling and being mentored…read moreby her teachers, counselors and staff. The classes are demanding and challenging as I think they should be. If there was a 6th star, I would mark it.

My daughter is in 7th grade and very happy here. I have been so impressed with IVA since my…read moredaughter started last year. The communication from the school and the inclusiveness has made it a great experience for us. Students are respected, their voices are heard and they are made to feel like their opinions matter. The virtues are there to make them feel empowered as students. The weekly advisory meeting they have once a week for all students is great because it helps them understand and know the virtues and how to apply them to their work. Sixth grade is a learning curve and IVA gets that. One thing to know about the school is that since kids are coming from all different schools and school settings it's easier to make friends. There are no clicks in place. This year they also made it phone free. No phones at school. However, they can use them after school. I have read past reviews that said the school is not diverse and not for people of color. This from our experience is not true at all. Maybe in past years this was the case but it is no longer this way. IVA is very racially and socioeconomically diverse. It is a true representation of Long Beach in that regard. If you are a parent who wants to volunteer and see what is going on at the school there are plenty of opportunities, field trip opportunities, dances every year, a chili cook off, and family breakfast/lunches hosted by the school. There is a weekly newsletter, outlining all events coming up. How you can get involved, sports info, field trips etc... They make it very difficult for you to miss something. My daughter loved the dances last year. They are more like a fun party. There is no pressure to have a date or anything like that. They make them very low pressure like come in your PJ's etc... It's just an opportunity to hang out with friends outside of school. The staff and teachers will all know your child's name. I think this matters to my daughter. We live in Belmont Heights and had an opportunity to send her to Rogers as well. It's not quite our home school but it is a lot closer to us than IVA and I wanted her to go there. She would have had friends closer and I wanted that for her. However, after my daughter toured IVA in 5th grade, she made her mind up that she wanted to experience the smaller school and smaller class setting. She loved seeing students laughing in class with the teachers and sitting at little tables. The teachers were young and they didn't look miserable. The principal, Mrs. Bryant who led our tour was very dynamic and genuine. My daughter noticed these things and pushed for us to let her try IVA out. Her experience so far has not disappointed her. She has liked or loved almost all of her teachers. This is so important and this is coming from a student who struggles in school. She has an IEP for a reading disability. School is not easy for her. This is another reason I was hesitant on IVA. I wanted to her to have more options concerning her IEP and a bigger school can provide this. So far, her accommodations at IVA are working for her. She has also made friends with a great group of girls who are from all over Long Beach. In truth this is something I was also dreading but it's ok! She is happy! The parents of her friends are the type of parents who want the best for their kids. They will drive. This is how most of the parents are at this school as well. When volunteer sign ups come out for some event, the list gets filled up fast! Most of the parents at the school care. So far my daughter has joined Track and Cross Country. She also wants to play soccer this year. They do have team sports at IVA but it is on a smaller scale than a larger school. It's great for kids that want to try sports but might be intimidated at a bigger school with a lot of talented athletes. Not to say that there aren't some talented athletes here but it's not the focus of the school. If you're wondering about academics. I have heard wonderful things from parents who have had older siblings that graduated from IVA. One parent in particular shared with me that when her son started at his private High School (Bosco) after IVA, he was placed in honors classes which surprised her because her son was a B/C student at IVA. She felt the education he received at IVA was top notch, taught him how to be a student and actually engage in what he learned. Lastly, I just want to give a shout out to Mrs. Gordon, the dean of students and Mrs. Bryant the principal. These women care about your student. The love and dedication they put into their job is truly impressive.

its not the best school in the world but not the worst. The students are sort of rude to my child…read more If you really want your kid to go there so be it they have really good state teat results though. Try it for ur self

Do not recommend for introverts. My niece is a very quiet kid and had a difficult experiance…read morefitting amongst the other kids. Based on her thoughts explained during our chat, she mentioned how she feels that the school is much more rewarding for sporty and extroverted kids. Which did not suit her in any way possible. Just wanted to let everyone know that this review should've been posted around the time it happened at around 2022-2024. To begin, I want to start by saying that the reviews on this page speak for themselves, but here is a bit of context based on the student perspective and the parent perspective. My niece went to this school, therefore, I will be explaining into depth of what she has stated so far and give to you and what her parents say about the situation. By the way, my niece attended RDPS from 2022-2024. This information is important to let you know the timelines of when things happened. So, let's focus on the most essential part of a school or any place in general: Cleanliness. The halls reek of dog poop. Trash scattered everywhere, teenagers smoking in the hallways. I highly assume that a big factor to this, is that the teenagers are lacking the important skill of having manners. I will take into consideration that there is many schools that have bad kids, without a doubt. But, of course, this is still a big issue for the school, as it should remain a clean environment, not just for safety but also for well-being. We don't want our kids slipping on a banana peel at 9:00 AM in the morning, slipping down from the long staircases. My niece complained about the building issues and how some days it would seriously smell of manure. Major leaks would come from the walls and that in itself should be explanatory. Another complaint that I have, is those loud boys bullying my niece during 2022-2023. My niece is asian, and she was a victim of many racist remarks. This is not only her experiance, but she has mentioned that asian substitute teachers that would come, have also faced the same racism she faced. The teenagers are shouting slurs and these boys would always poke fun at anyone who was quiet. Most kids had no discipline and zero respect. When it came to 2024, the bullying was a little less, still there but I have a major issue with the teachers. A lot of the teacher's lack actual teaching. One thing a lot of the teachers here need to understand, is that learning takes a lot more than just throwing a textbook and forcing students to learn. It's no wonder the students seem to have no interest at all when it came to the work, and then they decided to go around skipping the classes and pressing that alarm until it goes off and not only cause a disturbance to the firefighters, but also everyone in the entire school. Yes. Because that was exactly what happened during her experiance. Some random student or students, would run across the hallways whenever they want and most would just skip class and maybe play with the alarm. This could also be a sign that staff needed to do a better job at keeping their students in a better learning environment. My niece told me about how they made this no phone policy thing, which in my opinion feels completely unnecessary. I know that phones are a big thing nowadays, especially with a lot of our advanced technology. But keeping students phones in a bag then locking them up for the entire day is not going to do any of them favors. May I suggest, that the only way of getting students to learn is by actually making them interested in learning? Not to say all teachers were bad. Some teachers are quite remarkable at their job. But remember that only few of them were encouraging and fun. Most were--only remarkable for drama. I am unsure if I am allowed to name drop some of the good teachers on here, but I will say thanks to the old woman teaching in an art class. My niece said that while she was very strict at times, and that her way of teaching wasn't the kind she interested in; the teacher was very gentle and didn't seem at all as bad as she expected. This proves that you can be a good teacher even without having the same mentality; as long as you encourage your students to learn instead of pressuring it onto them. Her parents wanted her to be in an atmosphere where creativity isn't diminished, and that while there is still structure, she can still use it to benefit to her. Everyone is allowed to learn and they are able to, but it should also be encouraged not restricted. I sincerely apologize if this review may be a bit too long, but I do like to give a long extended overview of the experiance. My niece says thank you to the very few kind teachers and people she met in the school, especially the librarian during 2022 who helped her a lot. 2024. she also met some nicer students so glad for her and glad that she isn't put into a seat with loud boys again.

this one staff in particular is very concerning sometimes creates a hostile atmosphereread more

This school in my opinion is ok but it could be better. One day walking in to the gates this staff…read morewanted to dress code me for having to short shorts but my dad was ok with me wearing the shorts, I don't understand why they only focus on girls clothes and especially if their parents allow them to wear that outfit. There are math teachers that can't teach students, they give notes then hand out the class work and expect the students to understand the work. Honestly this school has some really good teachers and really bad teachers as well. I would rank it a 6/10 or 3/5.

Anyone who gives a five star is crazy. I went to this middle school and I DO NOT recommend. The…read morestaff is rude I got detention for no reason once and I now worry about how I dress and look like to people because of them. One of the staff even told me I wont ever get a job or I wont be successful... Yeah differently do not go here its not worth it. And they denied everything wrong with this school. Lots of fights someone almost punched me because I slipped on mud. And there "fun fests" are not fun everything costs money. They do not care about special needs people I have anxiety and ADHD and anytime I tap on the desk they get mad like if they cant even do that then don't work or go here. There is just so much that happened to me at my time here and it wasn't even good and when I say there is so much that happened I cant even write it all down so yeah. One positive was this teacher named Mr. Borg he was so nice and helpful he was the only person I liked in that school. Don't go here please go to a better school.

Stevens Williams middle school located here in Long Beach right on the west side off of Santa Fe…read moreAve. this is a good middle school it's been here for many years Stevens middle school good school lotta good education I went to the school so I enjoyed it really good PE program good math program. Good science English. Everything serves pretty good basic located here on the west side. Check them out if you haven't seen good middle school this is a good one here in Long Beach on the west.

Honestly, this is a horrible school. I've went here and there's many fights, horrible teachers,…read morethere's a good handful of actual good teachers, like ms barringer. The staff are rude and horrible there. The office people are horribly rude as well. I don't understand how this school still is up even tho they've had more than a dozen fights and more than 1 stabbing incident. Students are even worse than the horrible staff and make going school there living hell. They smoke weed, bring weird stuff to school including weapons. And smoke vapes, cigarettes and drink and bring alcohol. Their dress code policy is whatever, it's too strict and seems useless. Got in trouble for wearing a "gray" jacket and sweats when it was clearly black. Horrible school, Don't go here. Families!! Reconsider!!!

When I was attending that school, the experience was fantastic. Teachers and staff members were…read morekind and courteous. Especially during freshman year when you absolutely have no clue where you are going. There's someone there to guide you. I enlisted in the NAVY'S JRROTC during my 4 yrs there, and the experience was memorable. There are so many events and PT drills. It definitely taught me a few things. Time fly when you're having fun with friends and events. Many things have changed since technology evolved. I wouldn't say you would gain the same experience but more of a fast-paced movement experience. Seems like everyone is doing something solo or collaborating with another. Overall, this school is amazing. I'll definitely recommend it to friends and families. Come check it out and ask for a tour. It's worth it.

The varsity men's soccer coach has NO discipline. He came to our school and had him and his whole…read moreteam charge their phone, curse, and make a mess in our home bleachers. Mind you, they have their own visitors bleachers. The coach has no regard, lacks common sense, and feels entitled to go where he please. Absolutely unprofessional and a shame to have a coach "lead" his time in this way.

Long Beach high schools have loss the control, there are savage fights almost every day, where kids…read moreare actually sent to hospital. The perpetrators get away with it, since they are hiding in oversize sweaters/hoodies and Masks. There is not enough manpower to control the situation. One kid got rob of his shoes and shirt and backpack. This is not acceptable. I have email the school and district and no respond whatsoever. I'm afraid the kids are being desensitized by seeing this fights almost every day, that they will see it as normal. There are no minus star, that I can use to post this comment.

These schools are dangerous areas where students get away with so much infraction and misbehavior…read more Administrators are impotent and unfriendly. While there are a handful of decent schools, a strong majority are quite lousy and ghetto. Bad element, bad people and bad students. If you have no choice , but to send your kids here under unfortunate circumstances, I would avoid the Middle schools altogether. They are simply breeding grounds for violence and decadent behavior. Milliken High School is the only decent high school and even they have their aches and pains with urban students.

My kid has been going to Bancroft for three years now. My youngest just joined…read more Not sure what the low ratings are for, but they are untrue: the school is as safe as a middle school can be. Teachers are invested and passionate. There are hardly any fights. As far as smoking and vaping... well, someone can always hide and do these things, but when discovered by the administration, there is a zero-tolerance policy. Highly recommended.

this school and entire district suck horrible teachers that talk down to students don't teach and…read moreare just incompetent i was called a disappointment by the vice principal and called lazy while I was struggling with mental health

This is coming from a Marshall Academy alumni - Class of 2026…read more Today is June 26th, 2026--Wow, time flies, I am now a freshman at CAMS. From the bottom, Marshall Academy of the Arts has been a very cool school to be in--but it solely depends on the people you meet. Internally--I was very excited for my first day at Marshall, externally--nervous. Because as a Hudson K-8 School alumni, which is 15 minutes away, I barely know anybody, and the only 1 out of 3 person attending Marshall from Hudson, I was very nervous - because none of my friends were coming with me - most of them went to IVA, Stephens, or Hughes. However, that's where the WEB leaders stepped in--they were very friendly, guiding, and most of the 7th/8th graders are very nice. I was very lost when guiding through the campus--nearly becoming tardy to my 7th period class--however, as soon as I knew where that class was, a WEB leader still came up to me and offered me help--even though I denied his offer. In 6th grade, which is also my favorite year, they will literally make it fun. The activities are so fun and I think everybody will like it. Lunchtime was peak for me during this grade as well. They did more WEB bonding events (WEB leader event, dances, and carnivals etc.) Moving on, the staff... Most of the staff, including those that formerly work here are so cool, it merely depends on who you meet though. Some, of them I will positively mention: Mrs. Clements is literally a person that has a heart of pure gold. She is one of the nicest, and sweetest teachers you will ever have if you take orchestra. She consistently shows her beautiful smile, she is very mentoring, and she teaches everything so well. If you're really into music, I highly recommend taking orchestra. That also goes to my history teacher, who no longer works here unfortunately... Mr. Godsil. Mr Godsil is a true definition of funny. Mr Godsil will literally make your history class so fun, he consistently smiles at funny times, jokes around with us, and is overall a very cool teacher. He would occasionally give us bananas because of how awesome we are. Outside of the classroom, he is actually a very cool person to talk to, we would talk about school life, my elementary school teachers (yes, he used to work at my elementary school when it was K-8), and gaming. The rest of my teachers were very cool. Though I had great relationships with teachers, if you ever come to Marshall, I want you to be aware of some teachers in eighth grade. Mr. Cayamanda--he is actually pretty cool to talk to outside the classroom, but academic wise, that's a different story. Mr. Cayamanda will demand absolute perfection--in my experience, he yelled at me simply because I was unable to get some tasks right. He claims to push his students but it was a different story. (in my opinion) it depends on how you perform. For me, though I had an A, needed a lot of patience however he did push me to my limits. Personally, another thing I want you guys to be aware of his judgement.--When I ran my hard earned 10 laps on an assessment, he thought I marked my name twice--I didn't! I worked all my middle school career for 10 laps just for it to be mistakenly counted as 9.--Man, what kind of teaching is that? Overall I did have chill times in his class but he will yell at you for making mistakes, so be aware. If you're a guy like me, who may need patience and a more relaxed environment, you're better off with Mr. Rubin--he is a good example of those and he is chill most of the time, just don't play around in his class! Another teacher to be aware of is Mrs. Robertson. (Yes, I got student of the year from her, but still) Mrs. Robertson is chill whenever she wants to, however one thing I don't like about her is her philosophy and wording. I am a guy who needs repetition, so I can understand the concept. Mrs. Robertson will not fulfill that request, every time you ask for clarification, she will yell at you or crash out on you--while not even letting you finish your sentence. I understand she may not like repeating herself, but there is some people who may need it. One thing I want you guys to be aware of is how she words things.--From my experience, she says stuff like "you have a brain, use it" "I'm only human so you better listen up" "I guess I am speaking Spanish because y'all can't follow simply instructions" and even said this to one of my classmates: "If I could, I would whip you, but I love my job so much"--long story short, go with Ms. Kim if you're not interested in a personality like that. If you're a new 6th grader, coming from me (a former WEB leader), my best advice for you is to make great memories. Just like in this 1 minute video, you can see how much memories I've made. These great memories will linger onto for the rest of your life. My favorite year personally was 6th grade. Enjoy that grade while you can, especially 8th grade. Peace... Marshall will forever be the home to great memories.

This school is awful, the guidance counselors don't really care how you feel and are rude. Same…read morewith the principal. This school does nothing about the bullying and fights, all they do is separate the people for a short period of time. The only good teacher at this school are Mrs Weber, any of the other teachers are extremely rude and uncaring. This school does absolutely nothing when it comes to anything negative happening to you.

We are not year-round family at Westerly, but we consistently return for their summer camp…read more Our eleven-year-old son had attended all the local summer camps in Long Beach--JCC, 49'er camp, the city's parks and recs--over the past few years, and he ranks Westerly the highest among all camp experiences. The staff is accommodating, the hours are flexible (7:30 am to 5:30 pm), and he has a great time.

What can I say. Our family loves Westerly! Our eldest started at one of Long Beach's blue ribbon…read moreschools, but with the huge classes we decided to take a look at Westerly and we couldn't go back. Since then all our kids have thrived in their Westerly experience. It starts with a sizable campus with a beautiful grass field for sports and activities, newly constructed learning studios and the amazing arts village. What a great place to learn. Then the passionate teachers and staff deliver a whole child program, with a better than 10:1 student/teacher ratio. The Westerly program includes: Curriculum and instruction - Enthusiastic teachers with a well thought out curriculum and small class sizes enabling teachers to adapt the curriculum to the needs of your child. Technology/STEM - Westerly recently hired a full-time Director of Instructional Technology to enhance an already strong technology/STEM program throughout the curriculum. Think coding in class, 3D printing, science and engineering fairs, etc. Visual and performing arts - Incorporated in the curriculum is an annual school-wide play lead by the folks at TKTC. The visual arts program is second to none with the kids being exposed to public arts projects, ceramics in the new ceramics studio, mixed media, painting, photography, etc. I wish I could take the classes myself. Wildcat, the after school program is a blessing. Our kids beg to go to Wildcat to play with their friends, work on yearbook, take film, dance, music, robotics and other after school enrichment activities. Athletics - A legitimate, well-run PE program with enthusiastic instruction and basketball, volleyball, football teams throughout elementary and middle school. Music - Every child takes both general and instrumental music as part of their Westerly experience. Spanish - Kindergarten through 8th grade all the kids get introduced to the Spanish language through a dedicated Spanish instructor. Leadership - This is quite possibly one of the most amazing parts of the curriculum. Continuing on the theme of whole child education the Director of Student Affairs leads an amazing program that goes so beyond student council, creating leadership opportunities for so many children. Programs like student council, district representatives, green team, etc., start in Kindergarten and the kids grow in responsibility as the children grow themselves. Each child also gains leadership responsibilities as a student mentor, where each older student is paired with a younger student as a mentor. Service learning and field studies - As the kids grow in maturity so do the service learning and field studies. Our children have enjoyed trips to Catalina and other local camps, but the highlight of the program is a one week trip in 8th grade where the whole class travels to Nicaragua to conduct a service learning project, practice their spanish, and are exposed to a different culture and way of life that they are used to. Community - Westerly is a place where without question every family places a priority on securing a great, well-rounded education for their children. Being in an environment like this is so fantastic. Independent school is not cheap, but in our minds it's the best gift we can give to our children. Westerly also offers significant financial aid support, so if that is an issue be sure to discuss your situation with the school to see if they can make something work for your family. P.S. This may sound like a paid ad, but it's our true feelings about this place. It's really special.