My 5 yr old son started kinder 8/2018. The 1st day was a simulation. (Practice run) we parents got…read moreto stay with our child the 1st day. The lining up process & picking up process is what every school should do. I'm impressed on how the process and system that's in place. I felt very much at ease leaving my child. I have volunteered many times at Marengo elem, and I have had my kids In south Pasadena unified school district since 2010. Any parent should be so lucky to have their children going to school here. It's diverse, safe, clean, & the parent participation is outstanding. PTA

I can't speak from the experience of a student or even parent of a student, but I have picked…read moreup/dropped off children at this school many many times and worked with local Marengo kids. Of the various elementary/middle schools that I frequent in and around the LA area, this just so happens to be one of my favorites. Always a pleasant experience in South Pas ; ) Not to sound like the Stepford Wives type lol, but whenever dealing with the locals or the teachers & staff, I always seem to walk away impressed at how 'normal' everyone here seems. That could also just say something about how I feel towards the rest of LA lol, but a nice, attractive, organized, friendly, no complaints thusfar kinda school if you ask me. Grounds are well kept (as I would hope any elementary school, or any school for that matter, would be). Kids enjoy it, parents are pleased, right in the middle of a great neighborhood (off of any main streets), and everybody seems happy.

They run a summer camp every year and I decided to give it a try and work for them, little did I…read moreknow what a bad work ethic they would have. They discriminated camp counselors who were older from the younger ones. They got upset if you got any breaks, even though you were outdoors under the heat for long periods of time but were giving extra breaks to those who they favored. It was a toxic environment to work in, I feel sorry for the kids because the camp counselors should be having a great experience while working there, so that kids can also have a good experience. Unfortunately the camp lead was a great example of unprofessionalism and bad manners so definitely don't recommend working there, plus they pay way after the month so good luck trying to enjoy some extra cash during the summer.

After my kids going to school in this district since Kinder they didn't even feel the need to help…read moreus keep our kids( one whom has a valid IEP for 3 years) in their school. The HR person Kimberly something is beyond RUDE. I don't understand how she still works there. Had to deal with her for 5 years and couldn't remember who I was. Oh and btw, South Pas DOES allow kids from out of city to attend their schools. It just so happens that my brother in law Jeffrey Cortinez was viciously attacked by one of the boys attending SPHS when he was living in La Puente. I don't understand this one bit. Like I said my kids are both in elementary and were refused the right to remain at the school atleast till my son finished his IEP. Neither the Principle nor Kimberly did more than an arm reach to try and help us. If I could do minus stars I would!

This school is peanut free!read more

This lovely elementary school was just declared a National Blue Ribbon School...again! Way to go,…read moreWildcats!

I hated this school so much. It seriously put me in a depressive state for a prolonged period of…read moretime. So many of the teachers are hard to work with or extremely mean and uncooperative. If you have the money, I would completely recommend a private school because of the cons listed: CONS: -Very dirty -Mean and uncooperative teachers -outdated teaching style -Nasty food -Almost 2 hour long classes -A lot of rude kids -Most classrooms have little to no decorations -Some teachers seem unhappy to be there -Disgusting bathrooms -Very few lunch tables -More that would take too long to name PROS: +Good sports fields +Some nice teachers +Some decorated classrooms +Some nice kids

This is going to be long, but it's worth the read. I used to attend this school. Granted, it could…read morebe much better now, I admit that, but based on what I've heard from students and parents who still go there, while there has been improvements, it has a ways to go. I attended in 2017-2020. I had undiagnosed ADHD and autism, but I had the symptoms of both, and I had diagnosed Tourette's and severe anxiety. If your kid has any sort of mental illness or neurodivergence, I do not recommend this school. They try to throw any students they find "annoying to deal with" into special ed. In my experience, they tested me, barely looked at my test results and said that I was below average in English. My mom had to look at the testing and explain to the testers why all the answers they marked as wrong were correct, which eventually they realized that my mom and I were right and they were wrong. Furthermore, some teachers are mean. Some specific teachers are traumatizing. One in particular, who I will not name here, traumatized me and several other students so badly that we were all scared of the subject she taught for years afterwards, and when we tried to all get transferred to a different class, we were told by the principal at the time that it's "good for us to learn how to deal with difficult characters". This "difficult character" would show videos of men bashing their wives heads open on concrete to 6th graders and laugh. She would barely teach during class, then assign hours of homework for her class alone, expecting you to teach yourself everything you needed to know about the topic at home, then do the hours of homework for said topic. She should be working as a prison warden, not a teacher. On the topic of issues with the staff, let's talk about their counselors, one in particular who again I will not name. I had recently been in a mall shooting and was struggling with a lot of anxiety and emotions. I put in one single request to talk to my counselor, but I was called into the office a lot to speak to a different, specialized counselor for other reasons (who ended up having issues as well). My counselor at the time threw out my single request to see her and then emailed my parents telling them I was being too needy and requesting to see her too often. Also, I was put into a class with a girl I had once had issues with in elementary school and we were supposed to be on a "don't put these two in the same class" list. It was gym class and I was feeling a bit targeted by this girl, so I talked to my counselor asking if I could be moved to a different class. The counselor told the other girl that I had asked if SHE could be moved to a different class because I had issues with her, which led to the girl sending all her friends after me for doing such a "heinous thing" like taking her away from her friends in gym class, when that was never what I asked for in the first place. I did switch counselors after that. The cherry on top of it all, however; I started having non-epileptic seizures as a result of a medication I was on in 8th grade (I'm fine now). One day I had a half-hour long non-epileptic seizure that had head movement so severe that I got a concussion and memory loss from it. Someone, who we suspect was the principal, forbade the nurse from calling paramedics for me because it "wasn't part of school policy". The district did in fact apologize for this, got me a private tutor, paid for my therapy and very promptly re-taught every school in the district what "school policy" is for seizures. But the teachers were not very patient with my recovery process, expecting me to turn in all of my assignments despite having to relearn years worth of information I lost from the brain damage. However, my neurotypical friends and acquaintances seemed to love this school. So, for neurotypical kids, it could be a very good fit, it's a good neighborhood and there isn't much of a threat of violence. But when it comes to the actual education itself, if your kid is neurodivergent, you're better off finding somewhere else or homeschooling, which is what we eventually did.

HFS builds a nurturing environment allowing students to thrive both socially and academically…read more Students are challenged to think and apply real world knowledge through various projects across the curriculum. Because all teachers and staff are welcoming at FHS, there is a deep sense of family which allows students to grow their faith and develop a positive self image. Our daughter is very happy and cannot wait to share her new learning.

I am alumni! I attended Holy Family from first to eighth grade, for eight years, and I'm so…read morerelieved that I went here for school. This school really taught me how to set the bar high. And if there is any time in my adult life that I question my life, I revert back to Holy Family and the future they helped shaped for adulthood. Knowing that achievement is a super power, Holy Family helps you gain confidence, as well as moral standards, plus success. Thank you, Holy Family!

I am the parent of two Sequoyah students and am deeply grateful to be part of this learning…read morecommunity. Sequoyah's Habits of Mind align closely with our family's core values and reinforce our approach to parenting. Teachers balance high academic standards with thoughtful, individualized learning paths that ensure every student meets or exceeds grade-level competencies. The outdoor education program is among the strongest in the nation, weaving together environmental stewardship, team dynamics, and critical thinking through experiential learning in nature. Clubs and extracurricular opportunities have allowed both of my children to discover new interests and develop new skills. As an academic physician, I care deeply about lifelong learning, student accountability, autonomy, and creative problem-solving; values Sequoyah actively cultivates. I am confident the school is preparing my children to pursue STEM careers with curiosity, resilience, and a strong foundation. I have full confidence in the administrators and their ability to integrate feedback from students, parents, faculty, and staff to continuously strengthen the community.

I have three kids at Sequoyah, and they have all been at the school since kindergarten (this is our…read moresixth year at the school). I cannot speak highly enough about this school. It's a place where teachers and administrators fiercely guard the experience of childhood and being a kid, while also challenging kids academically. Our kids deeply love school (they're disappointed when there's a three-day weekend!) - they are engaged in and excited about what they're learning. I've been so impressed with the level of the academics for all the kids - the teachers at Sequoyah expect a high level of achievement from the kids, proportionate to what they know each kid is capable of. Even more importantly, every teacher we've had has truly *seen* each of our kids for who they are - they see what motivates each kid, what their social experience is, and how much they should push versus encourage. The school community is, quite simply, what keeps our family in LA. The families at Sequoyah are diverse, kind, warm, and interesting - exactly the sorts of people I'm thrilled my kids get to grow up around, and I get to have as my friends. Sequoyah is the sort of special place that I truly think is making our corner of the world a better place.

This school is beautiful, the teachers I met were extraordinary. I hope my granddaughter will love…read moreher experience love learning at her new school.

How has no one reviewed Westridge yet? I guess it's a little weird to review my high school on…read moreyelp, but it was pretty kick ass and deserves some yelp loving. I suppose the five stars is a little inflated due to having graduated, but it really is a great school. The academics are tough, but it still manages to be a mostly laid-back environment. The best part is probably all of our dorky traditions like Greeks and Romans and the yam festival that we all get so excited about. We'll see how things go now that Fran is gone, but hopefully things won't change too much. I sincerely hope no one is basing whether to send his or her child to a school based on yelp, but if you are, I say you couldn't find a better school for your daughter in the Pasadena area.

This is Thanksgiving and I have pledged to thank those who helped me succeed this year…read more I'm an alumna of this school. To be fair, I arrived with a solid academic foundation from Foothill Country Day School. Poly was a great school though. Quite large, so you need to find your people, as they say. But overall, the campus is beautiful, the classes challenging, and the other students were kind and ambitious. I went from Poly to Princeton and now work in a science field in Silicon Valley. I'm grateful to Poly for guiding me on my path.

Administration is full of hypocrisy. This school tries to mold young kids into thinking a certain…read moreway than allowing them to freely learn and critically think. 1/2 the kids in upper school are socially awkward and equal amount of parents are clueless as this school is living off a rep from 20 yrs ago.

I wanted to take a moment to say what an incredible experience we've had with the staff and faulty…read moreat Oneonta Montessori. We put our kiddos there in April 2021 during the pandemic which was a tough decision given the times. However, the staff and Ms. Fiona made us feel at ease and assured us of their safety. They attended Oneonta for three years ending their time their more than ready for first grade. As a result, our kids are more than prepared for first grade. Anytime we had a concern all of the faculty addressed them with care, empathy and concern. I truly felt we had a partnership with everyone there at our school. While every child is different, I know that our kiddos thrived there and are looking forward to coming back for summer camp in 2025! Thank you to everyone for giving our children a strong foundation to start on their academic journey!

We moved from the valley to Alhambra, and this school was the first school I inquired about when…read moreenrolling my kids starting preschool and kindergarten. My kids came from a Montessori school and I wanted to continue the same curriculum. My kids had such an incredible experience at Oneonta and are still there! As a mother of 3 kiddos, I loved that all the teachers knew the kiddos names right away and would communicate frequently via the dojo app, whether they were photos of their activities, classes, and even events when my husband and I couldn't make it to an event at school. From Ms. Theresa to Ms. Vangie, Ms. Carol, and Ms. Maryann, plus Ms. Fiona and Ms. Christina, it's been easy to communicate with them throughout my kids' education. They offer the STEM program and knowing that my kids are being taught these subjects will help them prepare for middle school and up. Coming from a catholic school and public school background, I was impressed by what the school had to offer with the activities/field trips/science fairs/math and spelling bees, plus a fun summer program! It's sad to know that my daughter will be leaving as soon as she finishes 5th grade, but I'm glad my kids have that foundation from Oneonta. :)

My daughter got into Waverly via the ISA Scholarship, so if you are concerned about tuition fees,…read morethis is an option for students who have the academics to get in. She has only been there a month or so, but she has already begun to bloom as a person, which is what we wanted for her. She has the grades and the work ethic to do well at any school, but we felt Waverly was right for her because of its commitment to a progressive and inclusive community (not just the curriculum, but that's a big part of it). Kids will not be left behind if they are introverted or neurodivergent, or are from a different socioeconomic background, or a different ethnicity or are part of LGTBQ+, all of which can be factors that lead to isolation at other schools. Not at Waverly--here, they are nurtured and encouraged to develop into themselves without any sort of judgment that you'd find elsewhere. Classes are small and full of tremendously interesting material. Kids get experience with arts and literature they would never have heard of at other schools. Ok, and my daughter texts us from time to time about the long lunch times she gets; she considers that a huge plus. I have been asking the school teachers and administrators some questions on my own, and they are true experts in their fields. Anyhow, that's what we have experienced so far in a nutshell. I wish I had known about this school earlier!

I didn't think it possible for middle and high school years to be as calm & joyful as our…read moreexperience at Waverly --though fair warning: if you want your MS & HS students to have 3-4 hours of daily homework, Waverly is not the right school for you! -Small class sizes -Progressive learning (--not endless tests and excessive homework!!) -Teachers who know your kids and what they need - adapting their workload to push them at the right pace and depth of learning -Supportive engaging sports program (-not intensely competitive & exclusive) -12th graders who voluntarily hang out with 9th & 10th graders -Head of School in 2nd year making thoughtful changes -$4M donation led to buying building next door -Strong tuition assistance program -Organic farm for education and fun Our first daughter joined in 6th grade and enjoyed it so much our other two daughters joined the next year. We are in our 3rd year at Waverly and love the teachers, administrators, students & families in this community.