Worst experience. Sad to think that we live in the area, pay tax to create suck a horrible school…read more Watch your kids closely and dot not take the teacher or staff words over your kid. They lied and will blame in on the kids. Sad!

Such a Great School, Students, Staff and Parents! High…read moreexpectations, yet achievable and students show kindness. Positive experience with all teachers! LFE is amazing!

Sad to see a couple bad reviews here, that seemingly have ulterior motives…read more... Parents and kids love Santiago! Mr Johnston recently got promoted to another larger school, and was honorable, excellent and very hard-working in all areas. We've had a new principal for a while, and she has a great relationship with teachers and staff which is evident in the school spirit and supportive learning environment. The school and PTA have worked very hard in the last couple years to develop a learning agricultural garden and charming nature paths. Even better, the students respect and take care of their school and each other. The school has some awesome events like the PTA supported Fall Festival with great community-based STEAM related games. It's also nice that the school is tucked away off of Jeronimo, which results in a bit more traffic but an amazing cozy campus. Parents and kids love Santiago!

When I went there, some of the teachers were really mean and not supportive. The principal even…read moreaccuse me of doing something I didn't do but some of the teachers are very nice

Our daughter is entering first grade at OPA this year. Last year was our first year at the school,…read moreand we had an amazing Kindergarten and overall school experience. The amount of growth I saw in my daughter after her kindergarten year is directly attributable to her amazing teacher, the caring administration, and the involved community of staff and parents. We also see a lot of growth in her academics through nightly reading and homework assignments to reinforce the lessons throughout the day/week. We also love how the kids are exposed to music, Spanish, and Mandarin, and the offering of after-school clubs is diverse and fun (running club, board games club, debate club, gardening club are just a few). There are also a number of school events through the PTA and school throughout the year to enrich the children's' and families' experience. The fundraising done goes directly back to the children and is used to enhance the school environment. In terms of overall learning/academics, we love the theory of multiple intelligences the school uses to tailor to the individual child. Even in kindergarten, my daughter's confidence and love of learning grew through family projects, classroom projects, plays in front of parents (ABC fashion show and a kinder circus), and so much more. Im looking forward to seeing her growth this year too, and hopefully will have my son start TK there next fall! Lastly, I'd say the experience is best when students and parents get involved and work together to make it a great school - even small contributions have a big impact in a community like OPA.

Every single damn thing about this piece of shit school sucked. For starters, the teachers suck…read more But the main problem is the students. They are fucking rude man. I'll just say that.

It's a great school (minus the drop off and pick up fiasco!)…read moreRules are put out about proper drop off and pick up yet parents break the rules, cut in the line, block crosswalks and stop in the middle and not pull all the way forward as instructed. People on parking lot duty never enforce the rules..... super frustrating! The Principal and teachers are great and they also have a wonderful PTA! If you can ignore the rude parents at drop off and pick up, you will survive

La Madera is a nice small elementary school with not a lot of bells and whistles but it does the…read morejob. Each classroom has a door leading to the outside and a door leading to the grand interior hall that connects everything together. The campus is quite small but has recently built a MPR in the farthest corner of the lunch area and there is a substantial grassy area for the children to play on. The parking lot and surrounding streets can be a little hectic in the morning drop off window and from 2:30 on because La Madera lies across the street from El Toro High School. The parking lot is one way so that helps a lot with the flow of traffic but there will always be those that cannot conduct themselves in such a setting. ;] All in all, its a nice little school and your kids will be safe.

My daughter went to Grace for a year... and boy it was amazing til they drop the ball early this…read moreyear. School was closing d/t financial problems. Everyone was heartbroken bec of the news. 4 stars for the staff, because they deserve the recognition. They are AMAZING. For the upper management, i have nothing to say. The fact that you kicked our kids in the curbed just like that says a lot. Thank you GCS staff for providing a memorable school year for our daughter, thank you for our teachers and aides, Ms Kim W for the assistance and everyone who kept the school going til the end! its heart breaking but we should all move on, I hope the decision of the management to close the school is worth it.

We loved Grace for years. A wonderful school. I would highly recommend the school to anyone. My…read morechildren went to the school from pre-K to sixth grade.!

Fulbright is a hidden gem - it is tucked away on a quiet street and you won't just happen upon it…read more We are so glad we found this school! My daughter is excited to go to school literally every day. With a Montessori approach, there is not homework, exactly, but she is motivated to keep learning at home. She takes an interest in all kinds of topics and even wants to pick out books related to her classmate's research topics and to do her own projects in her free time. There are thoughtfully chosen books for literature circle, and the children get together in smaller group to discuss them. There are opportunities to delve deeper into topics that are of great interest to the group, or to individual students. Ms. Cherish is in charge of the elementary class and she is a blessing. She is one of those teachers who seems to bring out the best in everyone. I'm not sure how to really describe how wonderful she is - like Ms. Honey from Matilda plus some Fairy Godmother powers? The children really trust her and look up to her and it shows in the warm, positive atmosphere. My daughter has grown so much this year, and she feels very much a part of a learning community that Ms. Cherish has created in this class. More generally, I can also comment that things seem to really run well under Ms. Maha's leadership, like everyone pulls together to create a smoothly running ship. She is very present and available. Communication is great and families know what to expect. All the random curveballs one must deal with in a typical school year? We haven't had any of those since coming here. Finally, though this school year has not ended yet, my daughter is already asking about when next school year begins. This school and the teachers in it inspire children to want to go to school and to want to learn.

This school feels like a second home. Thank you to the amazing teachers for the love and care you…read moregive every child, and to the wonderful director for leading with so much heart. It's because of you that our children grow with confidence, kindness, and a true love of learning

There's a lot wrong with this school. First off it started with a scandal from the top down, well…read moreok, these things happen, but it never really seemed to recover. The teachers are very green, full of hopes and dreams but egregiously lacking in skill. The administration doesn't seem to be much better, my kiddo was in a class with a pregnant teacher, mind you they had several months to get a replacement ready, however after this teacher went on maternity leave it still took them several weeks to replace her. The student body has a ton of delinquents apparently because they were kicked out of other schools and this place appears to be a miscreant catch-all. I can't tell you how many times bullying has occurred. Their after-school program is a mess, my kiddo was injured by one of their staff who got too over zealous during a game!! And after the first couple years almost the entire after school program staff had turned over. If your school district is half ways decent I suggest you keep your kiddo there. In most cases non-charter schools have been doing their thing for a long time and have already figured out the solutions to the problems that OPA has.

Our son started kindergarten this year and so far we've been very pleased with the school! He has…read morebeen making a lot of progress and I love that he has Spanish, music and steam each week. The administration and teacher seem to be very caring and also very serious/reliable. The PTA is active and the school often has events for the whole family as well as an incentive program to motivate the students. The school is very diverse with many students of different cultures, which is important to us. I was a bit hesitant seeing the reviews on Yelp and Google, but glad we made the decision to send him at OPA!

The FOOD there is not good. My kids rather bring a peanut butter sandwich and some fruit than…read moreeating the stale, cold food. I really don't understand how the people in charge of contracting these providers don't go and check the food. But there is good news, once the kids graduate from Gates Elementary, Los Alisos Lobos has much better food. But the government is wasting $$$ from our taxes there.

Wasn't a good fit for our kid. He wasn't picking it up and there was no extra help. When we asked…read moreif we should get an outside tutor, it was advised against. His kindergarten teacher was not very nice. First grade teacher was nice. Seems it's hit or miss. A lot of the kids he was in class with have also left.