Our daughter went here for 2 years from age 2-4. She loved it. The teachers showed how much they…read morecare about the children. They provided many extras such as one on one keyboard class and Spanish language immersion. Our daughter learned many Spanish songs. They have a big backyard with ample room to play. They use the garden to teach about plants and animals. They will bring in ponies and petting zoo and ride in a horse drawn carriage in the Lo Jolla Xmas parade. Thank you to Ms. Joanne for making a safe and loving place for our girl.

My daughter started going at the beginning of 2024 and she was encouraged and empowered from day 1…read moreto be independent from the moment she arrives to school. I really like it specially when she comes home and says "I can do it myself". She is always offering to help too which amazes me. she has learned so much that words can not describe it. All teachers are very caring and knowledgable. The school is always clean and organized. The new Principal, Miss. Marili is very knowledgeable too. She was one of my older kids's favorite teachers when they went to MontessorI in Mount Soledad 12 years ago.

The Gillispie School has been a dream realized for our family. I attended Gillispie as a child and…read morecherished those formative years--so enrolling our eldest in the Early Childhood Program in 2022 felt like coming home. From day one, we were struck by the school's deep commitment to character development, curiosity, and collaborative learning. Our son has truly flourished, thanks to the exceptional teaching staff who nurture not only academic growth but emotional well-being. Their dedication is evident--years later, our son still greets every teacher and staff member by name, and they warmly do the same. Gillispie fosters a strong, inclusive community that extends beyond the classroom. We've found lasting friendships with fellow like-minded parents who share our values around education and kindness. Our middle son starts in the Littles Cottage this fall, and we couldn't be more excited for his journey. Gillispie is everything we hoped for--and more.

As a parent to a Kindergartener at Gillispie, I could not be happier with the experience our family…read morehas had during our first year at the school. We have felt supported by the entire team of teachers and staff who are attentive, proactive and caring. Our daughter's confidence and skills have grown tremendously, and we love that she gets a well rounded education including specialty classes.

I am in my second year of Muirlands right now, and I am very upset. My least favorite teacher is…read moreJerry Ruiz. He is rude and inconsiderate. He talks too much and then blames US for having barely any work time. He does not teach well, and I feel I am not learning anything in his class. You can kind of tell with certain teachers that they don't want to be a teacher, but with Mr. Ruiz, it is plainly obvious. My time at Muirlands has been horrible. The only exceptions are Mr.Heinze, Ms.Shelton, and Ms. Dominguez. They all make me feel supported. I also despise Robert Wood. He dresses the kids for "not having appropriate PE clothing". I personally do not feel comfortable when a man dresses a young lady. He is rude and always accuses us of "flirting" with the other gender. I do NOT feel comfortable here.

Over the past few years that my friend and I have been here, the school claims to be a no place for…read morehate school, but rarely acknowledges the bullying, racism, and way more. Teachers that we have not had good experiences with include Mr. Ruiz, Ms. Newman, and Ms. Turnbull. The past experiences that I have had with Mr. Ruiz have not been well. He has been anything but positive, and is CONSTANTLY discriminating against his students. He picks favorites, and his class is extremely hard to manage with, along with all of his students being out of control. To add on, Ms. Newman fails to ever properly teach her class, usually leaving students confused with their work, and unable to complete many assignments with her multiple classes along with how much work she assigned. Now for the biggest problem, Ms. Turnbull. While me and my friend have been here, we haven't experienced anything positive in her class, we have been heavily discriminated against multiple times. We have been nothing but kind and hardworking students, but are yet to receive any type of appreciation or support. In my friend's words, "How she has been treating us is completely unacceptable and makes the class unbearable and makes me not look forward to school" we have been dreading going to her class, knowing that it is hard to get a good citizenship grade in her class, or even an ounce of respect. FIX TS NOW.

This is the WORST school I have ever attended. The principal did not care about the students mental…read moreor physical health. She would always be so rude to the students and was NEVER nice to us. I got some mental trauma from attending that school. My best friend was racially bullied for being Mexican and the principal would not care and proceed to think my friend was the problem. Kids would be bullied and she would not do anything. The counselor there, Ms. Katy Paul, was fantastic! She made me feel welcome. She, Mrs. Butler, Mrs. Mitchell, and Mrs. Q were such amazing teachers. I want this principal fired.

The best teachers are so polite and kind they help everyone who ask for help there they always…read morebring the kids out with a big smile on their face

Let me start by saying, this review is long overdue and our child is only in Pre-K!…read more The Evans School is more than a school, it's a family. At the core of this family is The Evan's School's "21 values." These 21 values serve as the foundation for the children's development. While most kids who attend a private school in La Jolla come from hard-working established families, the goal is aimed at developing the children into good-hearted and kind human beings.   Every morning starts with the pledge of allegiance and The Evans Pledge, " I promise myself today, to feel, to think, to speak and to act, only in accord with those things which are good and true and beautiful." How's that to start your day? ;) In a discussion with a group of well-educated parents whose children also attend Evan's, the question came up about investing in your child's development in earlier vs. later years. Everyone agreed that it's all about investing in the foundation of learning now in the younger years. This sets the stage for learning and gives them the tools they need to breeze through junior high school, high school and college if they choose to attend. Several Evans Alumni go on and attend prestigious colleges and many go straight to entrepreneurial endeavors or perhaps lives of service in the military. Regardless of what the student ends up doing later in life, the foundation for learning and The Evans values are engrained in each and every student so that they go on to become GOOD HUMANS.  If you're still reading and this resonates with you, then I suggest you set up a private tour of the school. That being said, I'm writing this during the COVID-19 pandemic and the kids are currently staying home. Unlike other schools, The Evans School immediately shifted gears and went to online learning leveraging Zoom and other software platforms so the kids could resume the much-needed structure and environment that they crave. I'm not going to lie, this was also much needed for our own sanity having at least one child attending school Monday - Friday.  I could not possibly give The Evans School a high enough rating. It's the type of place that creates raving fans and most importantly good humans. Alumni now send their children to the school. They continually honor grandparents and our military. It's not for everyone as it is more traditional in a world that seems to have abandoned more traditional values. I personally chose a path of service as a firefighter/paramedic and entrepreneur. My wife and I will continue to do whatever it takes to send our son to this amazing school because our priority is developing a strong foundation in learning while simultaneously instilling the values that create extraordinary humans.

We really liked this school, the polite staff, but especially this wonderful garden which is…read morelocated on the school grounds.

I went there for 4 years of elementary school. If you're wondering if you should send your kid here…read morethe short answer is maybe. If your kid/s works better in a bigger environment then it's ok. If your kid works better in a smaller environment then you may want to pick another school. When they added a new spanish teacher though, I felt I didn't learn spanish as well. It's more just the culture. Which is fine but they said we'd be learning more spanish. The rest of academics is great and they will give you a tutor if you need. They also have great counselors, the one I know the most is Ms. Kate the military counselor. They really do help although you can't tell them if you don't like your teacher because they tell. The social life their interesting. There is much drama and kids wearing full on eyeliner. If you don't want your kid struggling to make friends/keep friends or complain about the drama in their 5th grade life then maybe don't send them here. One more thing, the kids are over educated in subjects other then school. I learned about *it* at a very young age due to those friends. Overall, ok for a public school but could use some improvement.

Our child has attended SDFAS for the past 8 years. It has been a wonderful experience for all of…read moreus. The school offers an academically diverse and challenging curriculum incorporating language into all activities. They also offer inventive and educational field trips and experiences for the students. Overall, our child has flourished at SDFAS and is academically and socially well prepared for high school.

I cannot recommend SDFAS highly enough. Our two preschool children are thriving there. The school…read moreis like their second home! The teachers' commitment to our children's growth and happiness, along with all the love and attention that our kids get from everyone at SDFAS have made such a positive impact on their education and development. My kids are so excited to go to school every day and won't stop talking about what they do at school, their teachers and their friends when they're back home! Their level of French has also significantly improved. What more could you ask for? :)