We are 1st time parents at Saint Sebastian and we are extremely impressed and happy to be part of…read moresuch a dedicated school. My daugther is in TK, and is part of the dual language immersion program. I have seen such an improvement in my child's ability to speak Spanish, as English is her 1st language. The faculty is exceptional and very involved. Aside from the language and learning foundation they are providing my daughter with, they are also instilling catholic education and values in her, which is extremely important in our family. Sra. Harty is incredibly personable, and knows every child by name, I have never encountered a principal as involved as she is. There's supervised after-school care until 6pm (even on minimum days) which is a great service for working parents. I highly recommend Saint Sebastian. If you want your child to enjoy going to school, have involved parents and Community, along with a safe environment, Saint Sebastian is the school you want your child to attend. Gooooooo Spartans!!!!!

Saint Sebastian School is a wonderful school for all of students. First, all of teachers are nice,…read morepassionate and professional. They always give kids a warm hug when they need it. Second, the team of the school is the best. A younger and responsible principal, the helping front desk, the best teacher and other nice staff. My daughters like to study here and really enjoy the day of school. So I sincerely recommend this school for everyone. Let's join the great community.

This school is one of the best! Kind teachers and classmates! Teachers are always with you when you…read moreare lost and work with the student so that they don't fall behind or excel. I will now and always recommend this school to others for I have made the best memories here of all schools. - Graduated Student of 2015 Teachers: Mrs. Burris Mrs. Chu Ms. Aceret (who I heard is now a Mrs., Congrats!) I'm happy to have had these great teachers and miss them greatly! I can only say this about Short Avenue and can't say I'll say the same in my other schools, and this is coming from now 9th grader who has had 8 schools in their lifetime.

We were part of this school community for many years, beginning when my son was in kindergarten…read more There is a lot to love--the location is wonderful, the parent community is very involved, and we had teachers who genuinely cared and did the best they could. Unfortunately, over the years we watched class sizes become increasingly overcrowded. Our grade went from three classrooms to two, at some point we had 33 kids per classroom and in my experience, the teachers were simply overwhelmed by the number of students and the amount they were expected to manage. This is not a criticism of the teachers--they were put in an impossible situation. When one teacher is trying to teach a very large class while also managing constant behavioral and discipline issues, there simply isn't enough individual attention for every child. In our case, some important academic gaps with my son were not identified until later, which was very disappointing. I don't feel the school was as hands-on academically as we needed it to be. Ultimately, we decided to leave because we were also uncomfortable with the way ongoing discipline and behavioral issues were handled. There is a wonderful community surrounding this school, but unfortunately, for us, the school itself fell short of what our child needed academically and in the classroom environment.

Beyond grateful for this incredible school. My son attended TK -8th. The staff and faculty were…read moredevoted, kind and steadfast in their commitment to not just teach academics but character, and beyond that, how to be good stewards of their community and the planet. And it was fascinating to watch the transition from Kinder, through the grades and into the rigorous middle grade years. Each building block preparing them for the next milestone. He was well-prepared for high school!

We signed up for a prospective family tour and came with our son, excited to show him a potential…read morenew school. Unfortunately, the front desk staff were rude and inflexible from the moment we walked in. Rather than welcoming a prospective student, they spent the entire interaction explaining all the reasons he couldn't see the campus that day. A simple gesture -- "since you're here, let us take five minutes to show him around" -- would have meant the world to a child. Instead, we got rigid rules and zero warmth. If this is how a school treats prospective families during what should be their best foot forward, I can only imagine the day-to-day environment for kids. We made the decision on the spot not to enroll. I'd recommend other families look elsewhere.

The school has been wonderful from beginning to end. My oldest is in his 6th and last year at…read moreWalgrove this year, and I have nothing but great things to say about our experience. He has been academically challenged in every subject, and has learned incredible things. From performing in the Shakespeare club to taking a class field trip to our state capital in Sacramento, from learning how to compost to studying the Chumash Indians--he has been engaged and interested in every grade level. Not only that, but socially and emotionally he has had a wonderful experience, making so many great friends while feeling success and building confidence at the same time. He actually enjoys going to school every day. No school can be the perfect fit for every child, which may explain some other reviewers' experiences, but for my pretty typical son, it has been perfect. To top it off, on a personal level, the community of other parents and educators I have become part of enriches my life in so many ways. There are easily 15 people I can call on, all who live right in the neighborhood, who would drop anything to help me if I was in a bind. Or who would meet me out for a glass of wine if I need to blow off some steam. You just don't find that everywhere. I encourage you to give Walgrove a try. You won't be disappointed!

"Our experience at Walgrove elementary school has been absolutely wonderful! The large campus -…read morebeautiful wild-lands and Garden - theater, tap, steam studio, chess, etc. and the teachers are truly loving and dedicated. Parent involvement is strong, which creates a real sense of community. We feel incredibly fortunate to be part of such a supportive and enriching environment. Couldn't be happier!"

Disclaimer: THAT time of the month! Sappiness ensues…read more I've been caught in a sea of nostalgia these last few weeks. Mostly because I've suddenly been immersed in a literature that uses childhood as a basis for what many call pathology, but what I call strength and resiliency. It got me thinking of my own childhood traumas, loves, hates, and fascinations. Westminster Elem. was witness to my transformation from a nose-picking pre-schooler to a boy crazy 6th grader. I'll never forget any of my teachers from Westminster. While some were definitely *nicer* than others, each contributed to my growth and evolution. Here you go, teachers of Westminster. My Yelp 100th is dedicated to you! Memories: Pre-K: Lizzy - I'll always remember you in your cut off jean shorts, tie-dye shirts and rollerskates. It would be until I reached middle school that I'd realized that you were my pre-k teacher and not a cool teenager who let us do fun "stuff." I'll never forget how excited you were when 4 months into the year; I spoke my first words in class, "my mommy had a baby." You were there on the very first "best day of my life." Kindergarten: Mrs. Brown. Most things are a blur about this grade. I do, however, remember getting accidentally hit in the nose with those metal skates. This would be the inception to my accident-prone life. 1st Grade: "Oh my god, am I really going to be able to count to 100!?!?" Dear Ms. Soo, at that time it seemed as though it would be an insurmountable task. Patiently, you'd sit there with that long stick, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5..." no longer would I finish off with "dog, cat, car, mom, sister, tortilla, 5, 9, fire." You gave me the gift of counting and would you believe that in college, Advanced Statistics was one of my favorite classes?" 2nd Grade: Mrs. Harris! Good lord -- witches are real. I used to wonder why you were so mean. I never peed on myself (in class) or hit other kids in class. You were a skank and you didn't need to be. 3rd Grade: Mrs. Gurtman - You were a wonderful teacher. I remember being really upset when you pulled a handful of us aside and told us that we'd be going to the gifted class the following year. I was upset because I wanted to go with all my other friends. I almost cried, but you assured me I'd be fine. I didn't entirely believe you until I met Dr. Slaton. 4th Grade: Dr. Slaton - another wonderful and caring teacher. You are the epitome of what an educator should be like. My mother still remembers that parent conference where you told her that I was a bright child with a big heart. You took a polaroid picture of us that day. It is one of the only pictures I have from that time. I think you knew this. 5th Grade: While I'd love to call you a 'poor excuse for a human being' I won't. I've carried with me painful memories from my experience in your "accelerated" academic class. It was 5th grade and we didn't *have to* learn logic or calculus. You called those that didn't learn at the capacity you expected, "flunkies," and you'd publicly humiliate them and their test scores. Your class taught me about pain. It was the year of your husband's death, my childhood friend Blanca's death, Magic Johnson's HIV positive test results and the L.A. riots (a death attempt on South Central by its own residents). As much as I'd love to hate you for berating young children, who really just wanted to be children, I'll only feel sorry for you. Childhood traumas work in mysterious ways. I'm entering an exceptionally empathetic professional field, most of my undergraduate research was on HIV, and I have committed myself to bringing out and showcasing the impeccable capacities for strength and resiliency of South Central residents. 6th Grade: Ms. W. & Dr. Asuquo - genuine laughs and smiles were had in your classes. Not only would I re-learn sex ed through you, but I'd giggle in excitement when I'd catch a glimpse of my *boyfriend*, yet ignore him when he came close. Oh the joys of childhood dating. I'd start wearing training bras, learn how to put a maxi-pad on and say no to drugs and boys. I'd begin to first develop physically, and then emotionally. Mr. Robbins, School counselor - You came into my class one morning and asked us what we'd received for xmas. As I listened to all the nice and expensive gifts everyone had received, I thought about lying about the gifts I'd received. We never celebrated xmas bc of my mom's religion. However, my aunt did give me socks. When I said "socks" you asked me what color. I said they were yellow with white lace. You thought that was the coolest gift ever. I smiled and wore them to school the next day. You have all impacted my life. Sometimes when I try to operationalize success -money, homes and happiness (in that order) find their way into the equation. Tonight, the definition of success is to positively impact ONE individual. Faculty of Westminster-- you have succeeded in my eyes.

Updating now that I have had one child culminate and another in his 5th grade year. This school is…read morevery social-emotional oriented. The administration cares a lot. The teachers that my kids have had with one exception (who is no longer at the school) have all been excellent and really dedicated to the kids. Both my children have been happy there and would have nothing but good things to say about their time at Westminster.

A very special neighborhood school…read more Our son started at Richland last year in the very first French Kinder class. We weren't sure how he would do in an immersion program especially as we don't speak French, and he flourished! We immediately felt so welcome at the school and a part of the wonderful community of Richland Avenue Elementary. It feels very special to find such a fantastic neighborhood school that is providing the incredible experience of language immersion. His little brain is getting such a workout! There is so much about the school that we love... We love the small size, the principal- Mr. G knows all the kids and parents and is so open to participation and ideas - the staff, weekly yoga in French, the beautiful garden that is cared for so lovingly and open to the community, the extracurricular programs and the focus on the kids. Our son is loving first grade so far and the teachers are doing a wonderful job inspiring a love for learning. Richland feels like a school in a small town and I love that. We love it so much and feel very lucky to be there.

I'm still here with my younger children and honestly the school has lost its magic. It was a domino…read moreeffect starting with the influx of more private school families moving over to Richland with their entitled behavior, then Covid, then a few families with insanely litigious approach to dealing with the staff not meeting their demands. The principal and coordinator both quit because the families became just too much to deal with. We lost a lot of truly wonderful teachers. Now we have a principal who is rude and oblivious and always defensive. She's all talk and no action and has no energy whatsoever. Our former principal, who granted had some shortcomings as well, was such a positive presence on campus. He engaged with families and students in an upbeat and excited manner every day. I wasn't his biggest fan, but the environment that he fostered was really special. We felt like we had a voice. Like he cared what the parents thought. This new principal acts like we as parents are always in the way or annoying her or doing something wrong. She doesn't remember anyone who isn't constantly kissing her behind. I've had many face to face conversations with her and she still never knows who I am or who my children are. We used to be welcome on campus, it was such a warm and loving environment. Now you have to jump through a thousand hoops to get approved to volunteer and for some reason only the select few parents get approved.

We have had a really positive experience with Broadway Elementary. Coming from a home where both…read moreEnglish and Spanish are spoken, we were especially interested in third strong language, and the school has exceeded our expectations. The Mandarin program has been a standout. Our child recently started and is already progressing quickly, which speaks volumes about the structure of the program and the quality of instruction. We also appreciate the overall environment, it is supportive, diverse, and focused on helping students grow academically and culturally. We are very pleased with the school and the direction they are taking with language education.

The amazing teachers and Dual language opportunities at this school. We love Broadway…read more https://www.westsidecurrent.com/news/broadway-elementary-invites-the-community-to-annual-boo-bash-celebration-of-fall/article_22021642-93d6-46b3-adec-f21c5f2cf3f4.html

This is one of the greatest schools in LAUSD. The principal is dynamic and caring and the teachers…read moreare dedicated and hard working. This is a magnet school so all parents need to apply and students are assigned based on a lottery-type system. There are sometimes spaces available at the beginning of the school year on a walk-in basis for those who missed the application process, particularly for students in kindergarten and first grade where competition for spaces is less fierce. Students can catch the bus from anywhere within LAUSD. Students have access to science labs once a week, a gifted student enrichment program, and intervention for struggling students. The computer lab has recently been redesigned, and beautiful murals are all over the campus. If you're looking for a safe school with a diverse student body and rigorous academic curriculum, this school is second only to Disneyland when it comes to being the happiest place on earth.

My daughter just finished kindergarten here and I could not say enough good things about Paseo. The…read morestaff and teachers truly care about the students and the school is small at the moment which makes it really nice for getting to know people. My daughter has also excelled academically here and we can't wait for next year. If you are in the area please consider Paseo!