We've been waiting a couple of years to leave this review, now that our son has graduated from this…read morepreschool. Marina View Preschool has been a home away from home for our son, who was there for 2.5 years. In his time there, he flourished not only academically but also in his social-emotional skills. Our son made deep connections with his teachers and classmates. The school runs a tight ship in their policies and practices which ensures the school is properly staffed and the children are safe and properly attended to. We toured many different schools in the area and Marina View stood out for the location/safety of the campus, their open door policy and how happy the children looked when we visited! Our son loved his experience there and misses it so much! It was a school where he felt accepted and safe to be himself. The school has cool events and activities throughout the year. It's just the BEST! We are looking forward to bringing our newborn when the time comes. Thank you Marina View for your wonderful, nurturing and loving staff and for always providing a safe environment for the children to learn, be themselves and have fun!

I toured a few schools/daycares in LN and this school by far felt right for my son. I looked for…read moresafety, attentiveness from staff, reasonable pricing, and a clean facility, and this school met all my needs and more. My son loved his time at this school! The teachers (my son was placed with Ms. Sharlene, Ms. Mayra, Ms. Maria, and Ms. Pari across his 2 years here) are attentive, caring, and all around AMAZING people! My son's excitement every day to go to school speaks to the kind of rapport the teachers built with him. The facility is also well maintained. I feel my son has been prepped well for Kindergarten because of the guidance and environment this school provided for him.

My daughter started OCASA kindergarten at the beginning of this year. She went to a small pre…read moreschool for 2.5 years and we really struggled with the decision to send her to a public school. We wanted to send her to a small private school as she is very shy and sensitive and we feared her getting lost or bullied in a larger school environment. My daughter LOVES this school. She looks forward to going everyday, loves wearing her uniform and clearly feels like she's part of a school family. She is thriving and learning so much. She has an AMAZING teacher and aide that clearly love her and all the kids in her class. She's been on at least 5 field trips and she comes home spouting interesting facts about so many things. She can count to 15 in Spanish and knows all her letters, numbers, and is starting to read. She's doing addition, subtraction and knows amazing facts about our past Presidents, History and the Solar System. She walks around singing "The Grand Old Flag" and knows the entire songs lyrics by heart along with many others. Not all schools are for everyone, and we definitely had our concerns about OCASA after seeing some negative reviews on line. After almost a year we now feel like we hit the jackpot and got into something great on the ground floor. All school have growing pains especially a school that's brand new, but we believe that for our child its been the right choice. If you want a perfect, predictable, typical school environment OCASA might not be for you. But if you want a growing and thriving environment for your child to learn, explore and thrive in new and different ways....I would suggest you check this school out and give it a chance.

After writing a 2 star review on this school based on my true and honest experience, I get a very…read moredisturbing phone call from their director Kapil M. He wanted me take down my review. He accused me of bullying his school with my Yelp Review. I am just telling the truth. Please look at my previous reviews where I gave them 4 star. I had all the excitement and hopes at this school and was shattered after realizing the lies that were fed to us. Right now I am enrolled at our school district. My intention for coming her and our attraction for attending this school is because my son loves science!!! After seeing how he replied on my review, it is a lie that they hired staff. They state that they hired staff...Nope staff was not hired and that's the reason why they couldn't give me an exact start date. When they sent their psychologist to my transitional IEP meeting, their representative flatly told my IEP team at my district that they will not be able to provide services at the level they are providing. My IEP is also recorded and was disclosed before the meeting started. All members in that meeting is 100% aware that they are being recorded. When a public charter school makes promises that they will fulfill services like a public school district, and at a recorded IEP meeting they say they will not??? It really questions the accountability and the process for kids with IEP. Sounds like they cherry pick, which special kids they will have enrolled. Or maybe we are sounding like a business.... Because Mr.Kapil told me take my review down because it is ruining his school reputation. Sir, it's a public school and this is my experience with the admission process... Yes, they have all the field trips to make their school look great and all the extra activities. How about accountability? Teacher experience? Ask the how they deal or prevent with bullying? You will notice they tend to dodge the question. When I asked about the teachers, I am told that they had alot of applicants that applied so therefore they have teachers that want to teach and they highlight that they get county retirement and benefits. But they don't tell you the experiences of their teachers. They look really young, which is fun and great but I think having experienced teachers at a school is also very important. Bullying question... They answer by telling us they hired private investigators and no bullying was done. So how about the prevention? If you go to other review sites, you will see accusations of bullying in this school. Overall the idea presented at this school is amazing! STEM based. Lots of activities. Large member of the PTA, which alot of them are their own employees. ;) Alot of attraction to come to this school and that is why we applied. Go to your local school district. Ask the question of STEM and activities before jumping to come here. There are many charter schools to choose from here in South OC such as Journey, Community Roots, Oxford. How are they run? How are they accounted for financially? Money laundering is very common for people who run charter schools. Do your homework? See what best fits your family. Unfortunately this school wasn't a good fit. And sadly we had promises that were made but on the record during the transitional IEP meeting with the school district, it was very clear, they will not provide the services....

We have been at CRA for 3 years and absolutely love this school. With degrees in Sociology and…read moreChild Development I did a ton of research into all our local school options because it was very important we found the right fit for our family (and not just settle for a default school). CRA is a perfect blend of a small tight knit parent/admin community, project based learning which helps kids gain real life skills, and a gorgeous campus - all for "free"! We started at Community Seedlings Preschool (which I also highly recommend) and made a seamless transition to CRA for Kindergarten. I have been especially grateful to have my 2nd grader here during the pandemic. They took swift action to keep our kids safe but didn't make rash decisions without thoroughly thinking them through. As a result I've felt very confident allowing my son to be on campus basically all year aside from only a few closures. They have been transparent about efforts to keep children safe with mask requirements, hand washing, distancing, school-wide sanitation, and more. I encourage others to take negative reviews with a LARGE grain of salt. One individual's experience does not mean the entire school is bad. Look into it yourself and keep an open mind :)

My daughter has been going to this school for six years now and we love it! Wonderful teachers…read more(especially her group of sixth-grade middle school teachers this year!) and the project-based learning model is perfect for her. Highly recommend.

I've only had my kids attend this and one other school in los angeles, so I can't say I'm an expert…read moreof elementary schools. What I can say is that this one seems to be pretty good. I feel that my children are safe and the quality of education is at least adequate if not pretty darn good. I've seen both happy and sad parents at this school and a lot of it depends on how their children have fared and been treated. I've seen people who love the school and those that left the school to pursue opportunities that were more to their liking. This school is in a super nice community and offers a lot for those who have the skills to take advantage of it. If there is extra help needed, I'm not sure if this school can provide it adequately. There are usually at least 30 kids per class and that makes it hard to give individual attention. I personally am happy at the school. The children are well behaved because that is the culture of the school. They are well versed in academics and the school has a solid technological focus. There is a good amount of computer time. They emphasize the use of computers and the importance of reading. Parents donate a lot of money to help the kids mitigate the large class sizes by funding engineering/lego building classes on a part time basis. This helps reduce class size by catering to only half the class in chunks, while the other half can focus on the regular learning. There is a good curriculum at the school and children get a well rounded education. It is a traditional school, not a charter school.

Just another money grabbing racket, borderline devoid of any ethical thought process, that values…read moretheir own bottom line over that of regular families. Unfortunately, this seems to be the norm in 2023. I will never give this school a single dollar of my money, or support it in any single way as a result. They get taxes to fund them, but over zealous planners just see opportunity to get their hands on hard cash and are too greedy to consider the needs and effects this has on families. Attended the "Boo Blast" and the most shocking thing about this is that fact that it's $10 per activity, at least for the better ones, so that's $20 if you have 2 kids, or $30 if you have 3. And what might you get for these VERY overinflated prizes you might wonder? 3-4 mins on a climbing wall. Or 3 mins walking school rooms set up like a ghost house. What makes it completely obnoxious is the fact that young children often want their parents to walk through with them, and that ladies and gentlemen, costs another $20 on top. Forget protesting this, they genuinely couldn't care less. Within 1 hour at this awful event wrapped up in fake smiles, but with green dollar signs in their eyes, a family of 4 might have to spend $200 just to do a couple of activities that all last approximately 3 minutes. That's after you have lined up for 30 minutes to wait for the activity in the first place. They even have the audacity to ask parents to volunteer their free time to support this so that they can maximize profits. The real kick in the teeth is that when raising this to a member of staff, who turned out to be the treasurer, she then asked "Are you one of the low income families here at the school?", which I'm not. And even if I was, it's not the point. The point is that their pricing is totally unreasonable, and unjustified. To not realize that is to be totally devoid of reality altogether. However I can get involved in making changes to this, I will. Yes some parents can afford to waste the same amount of money as it costs to go to Disneyland on some fair games, but again, that's not the norm for everyone. I just had to leave my kids with my ex wife, on my weekend with the kids, as I could not stand to be around this endless money pit. Totally disgusted. I raised this with Mr Pedraza, the School Principle, that was stood marshaling traffic on the front gate. I might as well have been speaking to a block of concrete, as all I got was a blank stare and some vague repeating of some of the words I had just said. He honestly couldn't have cared less, or made it more obvious that he didn't care and just wanted me to slide away so he could watch the money rolling in. He already got his fill, he got slime tipped over him on the Thursday prior. Not for any particular reason, but because he wanted to. That's where the tax money goes huh?

Like many parents, I read the reviews before enrolling my son at St. Anne's, and I'll admit, I was…read morehesitant. Some of the concerns raised gave me pause. But as we near the end of our third year (currently finishing 4th grade), I feel compelled to share our experience because I'm genuinely glad we chose this school. No school is perfect, and yes, we've had our challenges here and there. But overall, St. Anne's does an outstanding job across many levels. My son is not only thriving academically, he's also genuinely happy. The school strikes a wonderful balance between being firm and structured, while maintaining a warm, positive environment where kids are encouraged and challenged to grow. One of the highlights for us has been the next-level extracurricular offerings and the way St. Anne's integrates experiential learning in every grade level. These hands-on experiences really resonate with the kids and make learning more fun and meaningful. Our first year was a bit rocky, while St. Anne's is a private school and doesn't follow public school IEP protocols, the principal at the time (Mrs. Bournazian) went above and beyond to work with his teacher and me to put support systems in place to help him suceed. When she became Head of School, I was a little nervous that our dynamic might shift, but the transition has been seamless and honestly, the school has continued to flourish under her leadership. We still feel incredibly supported by both the administration and teachers. Speaking of teachers, we've been very fortunate. Each year, my son has had passionate, caring educators who are truly invested in their students' growth. I've heard some concerns among parents about staff turnover, but having experienced two other schools (one public and another well-known private school in OC), I can say this is fairly typical. Teachers move on for all kinds of reasons, what matters more is the consistency of care, and we've always felt that here. With the exception of one long term sub that was not ideal, we've had outstanding teachers from 2nd to 4th grade. The music program is beyond impressive, Mr. Yaple works wonderfully with kids of all ages. Same for the arts program, the school puts on a more professional production than some theater houses in LA. This is a school that provides the opportunity for all kinds of kids to thrive. Socially, like many schools, St. Anne's can feel a bit cliquey at times, but we've also met some truly amazing families, and my son has built wonderful friendships. All in all, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend St. Anne's. I'm grateful we ignored the negative reviews and gave it a chance.

This school is good in many ways. I like some of the middle school teachers. I think it's good…read morequality overall. The reason it only ranks 3 stars with me is due to the inefficiency of the drop off/pickup line compared to other schools. It's really a grind if you have to drop off/pick up a kid at another school. The staff there is also rude.

We've been part of the John Malcom community for the last 11 years. It's such an amazing school…read more The teachers are just phenomenal. They truly set a high bar for expectations moving forward. We are blessed to have such talent in our area. I know not everyone is as fortunate to have such amazing teachers that are able to provide our kids with such an great education. They did this pre pandemic. During the pandemic and post. Going above and beyond expectation. Not just the teachers but the amazing staff as well. The families here are so kind. We have made some great friends and our kids have enjoyed going to the school. Their volunteers are also amazing and we appreciate that our kids have grown up learning respect, love, kindness and generosity. Their garden is such a wonderful thing to have and we will enjoy the last few years here. Go Mariners!!!

Great great school ... very organized and focused on students... great job Team Malcomread more

We've been at St. Mary's for six years now, and I still honestly pinch myself because I feel so…read moregrateful that we get to be part of this community. The warmth here is truly second to none. St. Mary's does such a beautiful job of educating the whole person - not just academically, but in raising kind, empathetic leaders, thoughtful community members, and globally minded thinkers. As an IB school, there is such a meaningful international presence woven into the experience, from travel opportunities and exchange students to learning about and celebrating so many different cultures and religions of the world. I love that our children are taught to be curious, open-minded, compassionate, and respectful of people whose experiences may be different from their own, while still being grounded in the values St. Mary's has always believed in. It really is such a special place, and after six years, I feel even more grateful as I see what a standout human my son has become.

St. Mary's has been such a special part of our family's life. Our daughter has been there since she…read morewas two and a half, and now seeing her grow into a confident middle schooler heading into 8th grade feels so meaningful. So much of her childhood has been shaped by this school, and as a parent, that is something I will always be grateful for. When she was little, the most important thing to us was knowing that she was somewhere safe, loving, and truly cared for every day. St. Mary's gave us that peace of mind from the very beginning. It was such a comforting feeling to drop her off and know she was in an environment that felt warm, secure, and nurturing. That feeling has stayed with us all these years. What makes St. Mary's so special is that it really feels like a family. The teachers and staff care deeply about the students, and the school does such a beautiful job making families feel welcomed and connected. The families and community are also wonderful. Everyone is so friendly and supportive of one another, and we have made such special friendships here over the years. There is a true sense of belonging at St. Mary's, and it is one of those things you feel right away when you are on campus. One of the things I have loved most is watching how much St. Mary's has helped our daughter grow in confidence, curiosity, and independence. The school gives students so many opportunities to speak in front of others, present, perform, and participate in ways that really help bring them out of their shell. My daughter has especially loved being part of the school plays, and it has been so sweet to see how much those experiences have helped her grow. I also really appreciate the IB approach because it keeps learning interesting and connected. The way subjects are tied together helps students stay engaged and curious, instead of everything feeling separate. It has helped make learning feel more meaningful and exciting. St. Mary's also continues to grow and improve, from the beautiful new building to the thoughtful updates they keep making throughout the campus. But what makes the school truly special is the feeling you get when you are there. It is safe, warm, welcoming, and full of heart. It is the kind of place where children are encouraged to grow, families feel connected, and students leave with confidence, curiosity, and a strong sense of belonging. We are so grateful for the years our daughter has spent at St. Mary's and for the beautiful foundation this school has helped give her.

This school is an excellent choice for your children if you want them to be in a Christian…read moreenvironment and receiving a well-rounded academic education. The teachers and administrators are dedicated to providing a positive learning environment. The class sizes are small, typically about 20 per class. My children started in kindergarten and are now in middle school at AVCS. They have advanced academically and socially, and they are well-prepared for high school honors classes. My children have also gotten to participate in band, orchestra, drama, art, choir, track, cheer-leading, and volleyball. AVCS offers many other sports and extracurricular activities as well. I am thankful for the Biblical teaching and the commitment to helping my children grow in the knowledge of God and in their personal faith. I also feel good about the Christian morals, values, and positive behaviors that are modeled at this school. You don't get that at the public schools. I highly recommend making the commitment to put your children here. The investment is one of the best you can make for your children's foundation in life.

Our two children attended Aliso Viejo Christian School for a combined total of 13 years. It was a…read morewonderful experience for them and our family The teachers were very hands on and worked closely with the parents to ensure success for the children. Our family made relationships that will certainly last a lifetime.

Our experience at Fairmont has been exceptional. The teachers, staff, and administration are truly…read moreinvested in my child's education and her growth as a young learner. Small class sizes and leveled learning have enabled my child to gain confidence in her learning abilities. Though it is a small and newer school, it allows for a lower student to teacher ratio, giving our kindergartener more confidence when asking questions, engage in group activities, and opportunities for one-on-one time with the teachers. She absolutely LOVES Fairmont! The administration is open minded and think outside the box to make a successful educational experience for the students and parents. Fairmont is committed to the whole child. They teach value lessons, character building, communication and leadership skills. We've seen tremendous growth in from beginning of the school year to end. The teachers are passionate about seeing their students succeed. They are so great about sharing moments of pride they see within your child - their good behaviors and achievements; and they know the importance of getting the parents involved should an issue arise, and do it in a very respectful, approachable manner. Great team - great school!

my grandson has been here for 4 years; they are often rude and unhelpful; they seem to be overwhelmread more