Here, students always come first. The tutors are amazing, patient, and truly care about every student's success. Highly recommend!

I paid one week SAT class, after the payment, I got an additional invoice from accounting saying I have to pay $60 to register which is never mentioned during the consultation and the payment link they send to me. They also changed the class schedule which means there is no SAT class during the week I want to attend, they told me they have SAT class every week then after paid they send me the real schedule which is every other week, when I want my refund they said they have to deduct $60 for the processing fee, so now I have to dispute with my credit company to get my money back, so never ever trust this company again read more

My son is studying HS English here this summer. He likes the teacher and class very much. The environment is very friendly and the stuff here are very nice and helpfu! read more

I've spent two of my summers going to PA College Prep to help boost my SAT and ACT scores. While their summer courses have a tough workload, they all really helped me establish a good foundation in taking those standardized tests. I definitely wouldn't have done as well as I did if it wasn't for this summer class. Also, I went here to receive help in writing my college application essays. Their essay helpers know what they're doing and have a lot of experience. I definitely would recommend it to anyone! read more

We are extremely happy with PA Prep. Kelly gives her dedication and time - she met with our son to carve out a good path to college application and a plan for ACT/SAT. PA Prep helped our son score a full score in ACT and he couldn't have done it without their great instructors. He worked with Michael L and Mr Francis. Both coaches are top notch and gave him a lot of good advice on preparing for the ACT. We highly recommend PA Prep to anyone who's looking for help in ACT, SAT, or general college preparation. read more

My kiddos have been going here for the after school program and Summer/winter camps for the past two years. Although they don't say much about it...I have a difficult time persuading them when it's time to go home. I guess that's a good sign. I like that the teachers for the elementary program have teaching credentials or a strong background/experience teaching. I can see how they interact with the students and know they're in good hands. Then the other day, one of my kids brought an assignment home from her school and decided it's time to post a review. This about sums up PACP. read more

I would like to add a few words about PA. My younger son is a senior in high school now. He has been either accepted or waitlisted from all the schools he applied for. I would like to thank PA for all their help! It was such a blessing that we had a place to go to whenever we had a question or concerns. And I was especially thankful that the whole college application process was actually not that painful for my son, thanks to the counselors at PA. Starting with the ACT tutoring from Michael and Ben, UC application assistance from Wen, final review from Chris, friendly help from the office staff, and the constant assistance from Kelly, we had the whole PA team helping us. We truly appreciate it!! THANK YOU!! read more

I've been familiar with PACP since 2012 as my sister took many classes here during her high school years as well. That said, I never took any classes until this summer, but I was received with warm enthusiasm from the faculty, administration, and the students themselves. There is a clearly a winning atmosphere about PACP - everyone is motivated to help each other and themselves grow as students and as people. During the past summer, I began ACT/SAT preparation realizing that this would likely be my only summer dedicated to it. I began in week 6 of the SAT program and later transferred into the ACT program during the eighth week. The lessons were invaluable; all of the teachers and counselors were instrumental in helping me prepare for the tests. I'll be the first to admit; I did not study in the month between leaving PACP and the test date itself. But what I retained from my weeks at PA were the many strategies that the teachers provided. All of their efforts were crucial in allowing me to get a full score on the exam, and I would like to thank all of the people that helped me in the process. I'd definitely recommend PACP to anyone looking for two things: 1) a great environment to learn in AND 2) a legitimate test preparation center that will truly help you achieve what you desire. read more

For many years ACI has helped generations of international students not only to make it through the testing and language requirements of the American school world but to excel in it. Many students can vouch for it as a shining example. While test prep and after school work can be very challenging the ACI team of teachers and tutors is constantly engaged in making evrery student's academic career an abolute success in a happy environment. As ACI is also connected to the Pacific Academy High School System, your chances to be academically successful under the guidance of the ACI team are limitless. read more

Both of my girls spent all year long afterschool and summer/winter breaks at this school(former called ACI) since Kindergarten. They are now in 8th and 4th grades. ACI staff are very friendly and responsible, they treat my kids like their own. I get periodical academic updates from each class and teacher, I also receive reminder and advices from the supervisors which helps a lot. The huge difference between ACI and normal CDC next to each elementary is that ACI provides high quality additional education by great teacher even college professors, such as Reading, Writing, Math, Critical Thinking, Speech and Debate, etc. They even help the students to prepare for standard tests. They also observed when my daughter ran into academic difficulties and offered one-on-one tutor class. I had also used ACI college advisory to help my nephew in China applying post graduate program and he successfully got into Carnegie Mellon Computer Science which is one of the top 3 computer science schools in the world. I highly recommend this school to anyone. read more

ACI has very poor service. The tutors are always late. Basically they are just taking advantage of the new immigrates. I will never recommend anyone to go there! read more

My girl has been going here after school and summer time for a year now, and I really see her improvement. She told me that Ms. Kim and Ms. Nocone taught her more than her regular school teacher does. It doesn't really "match" what they learn in school - which is understandable because they have students from different schools - but the curriculum is a step beyond what they will learn. It gives her confidence. She is all interested and motivated about learning now, not only English and math-which is the focus of ACI, but also science and Chinese. I gave a 4 star because the location is a little hard to find. They share the same entrance as the Saint Paul's Greek Orthodox Church, so you have to drive to the back towards the two story building. Took me awhile to find. read more

They have move to Irvine from Tustin. They rent classroom from a Greek church. Doesn't seem like they are fully equipped. It is very much like a cram school, not much toys or books for kids. My little girl is taking a middle school math class over there. The give a lot of home work for student to practice. However, it the teacher doesn't follow up very well. If the parents doesn't check student's error and the student doesn't care about figuring out why he or she made a mistake, it is really not going to work very well. Most of the students going over there are Asian. read more

This is the greatest academy of tutoring for teens, although 90% of them are Asians, but it's a good place to study and take some time to prepare for SAT or ACT testing. read more

I went to ACI from elementary school through high school (a little over a decade). I took almost every english and math class they offered. Even some chinese and art classes when I was younger. I can honestly say I've learned more from this place than actual public school. It seems that the teachers are very carefully selected to help students get the best results. Personally, I've experienced some of the most clever, sharp, understanding, and funny teachers here. The math teachers have a lot of tricks and different ways to approach problems that gives you quit a few weapons to use on the SAT. The English teachers have such passion for what they study and can't wait to share it with you. There are enough teachers to say that there is a teacher that will understand where you're having trouble, and be able to help. Throughout my years here I've seen ACI churn out some of the most academically smart students, bragging colleges like Stanford, Cornell, UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC... the list goes on. Even a troublemaker like me managed to improve 500+ points on my SAT score. I can't say I was always taking classes by choice, but I made the most out of it. These people are serious about your education, so if you're going to slack off or try to find short cuts, then you're in the wrong place. If you're willing to put in the time to learn, you'll find you'll learn more than you expected. read more

What really stands out about ACI is how much they care about their students. They helped me improve 400 points from my initial SAT practice test, and I got a near-perfect score after taking the summer course. A few years later, I found myself struggling in AP Chem, and mentioned this to Kelly, the Director at that time. They had no chem course back then, but she asked around and set up a tutoring session with their physics teacher within a week. It turns out I just needed some help with the basics, and after just 2 sessions he gave me the confidence I needed to not only keep up in my high school class, but bring up my grade from a C to an A. More importantly, I ended up enjoying chem enough to enter college (at an Ivy League school) as a Chem major. There are a few things I want to stress about ACI: the first is that they have the best teachers, hands-down. They recruit heavily from nearby schools, especially on student recommendations, which means that their teachers are popular and familiar faces who are genuinely great at what they do. Secondly, the ACI staff are great at giving personalized advice and assistance to each of their students, and go out of their way to help those student reach their goals. This doesn't mean just helping them excel in classrooms, but also helping them find avenues for extracurricular interests, ranging from music to science research to sports. I also want to address some concerns about styles of teaching the SAT. The reality is that doing practice exams is, in fact, the best way to prepare for that test - practicing teaches you to focus for the full length of the test, to develop better strategies in reading comprehension, to think through math tricks and understand a basic set of principles that can be applied to multiple question types. It is important to note, however, that these skills are also useful in school, and in life. At least for me, the skills and discipline from motivated test prep were definitely applicable to college. Maybe it's not for all students. But if students do want to practice and learn, and are looking for a supportive, helpful environment in which to do so, ACI is an amazing place to be. read more

This place is amazing. I first went there when I was a kid to learn algebra II and later ended up learning bio, calc and even the SATs. Without a doubt, they really improved my performance in school and gave me the confidence within the classroom. The staff there is very well educated and the class very versatile. (I felt as if I was able to learn a lot more there than what I was able to learn in high school) As for the SAT prep classes, they were fantastic. I improved dramatically (500) and now go to UC Berkeley. My final thought, if you decide to go, you won't be sorry. read more

As a parent of two children who both went to ACI for SAT boot camps, I can say a lot about it. From my experience, the staff is very friendly and genuinely cares about the students. For children who are motivated, this academy is very good. After going to ACI, both my children's SAT scores went up by over 300 points. I would recommend this academy to any of my friends. read more

My son went to Pacific Academy (previously ACI) for their primary programs that were taught after school. When he first started, seems to benefit him to acclimate to the new Common Core academic requirements. Since the changes from ACI to Pacific Academy, the teachers turnovers have been high. I never know who is going to teach my son each semester since they change all the time, let alone trying to touch base with them in communicating my son's academic strengths and weaknesses. The school implemented their Engrade system in informing parents on the students' progresses. It's basically an electronic report card system that notifies parents of the students' grades at the end of each semester, not much else. How would parents know how the students are doing DURING classes each and every week without some sort of communications with the teachers? Teachers are key in any academic programs, which the school has mediocre expectations in their credentials; at least for their elementary programs in 1st-3rd grades. Aside from the high turnover and mediocre credentials in teachers, their after-school programs were shortened by half hour of actual teaching time. Their Math and English classes used to start at 3:30-5:30pm on Mondays-Thursdays. They are now 4-5:30pm. This meant the per hour cost went up in actual teaching time spent. Aside from that, they do have flexible homework hours before the actual classes and varieties of things to do afterward for the students (especially for those parents who work late into the nights as they allow pickup until 7pm). Overall, if you as parents want to be more interactive with your students' progresses and want better teachers with more stability (can only speak about their primary programs); my expectations are not met as I have experienced better elsewhere. However, if you just want to keep your students busy; never mind being challenged, then Pacific Academy is the place. It places too much marketing on a handful of students who made it to Ivy League schools through their college entrance exam prep courses, when in fact the exams are only one factor in determining the students' admission requirements. I know some of the administrative staffs who sit on college admission boards, who publish articles on this subject matter. And as an alma mater of an Ivy League school myself, not every student who aces the SAT/ACT or any other college exams for that matter determines his or her capability in doing well in these top tier colleges, let alone stepping foot into one. I cannot speak on their college prep programs as my kids are still in primary schools. But from their elementary curriculum and teaching staffs are concerned, I have experienced better elsewhere. read more

I would like to offer my opinion of ACI from a parent's perspective: ACI and its outstanding staff helped my son throughout his high school years, they were instrumental in building a solid foundation and instilling good study habits in him, despite good intentions and efforts, we as parents may not always be the most qualified to assist in our children's educational growth and learning, this is where ACI comes in, in our case, ACI became our trusted partner in providing the best and most flexible learning and growth environment for our kids outside of structured school setting. My son is now in medical school, flourishing and enjoying the hard-earned experience, I can't say thank you enough, to the able and hard working teachers and staff at ACI, I proudly share the joy of my son's accomplishments with you!! read more

As a student who has been coming here every summer for about 8 years, this academy has helped me tremendously in getting a solid foundation in school academics. Furthermore, their ACT boot camp helped prepare me and gave me confidence to take the test and score well. I recommend this center because of the friendly, caring staff and the experienced teachers. read more

I took my daughter there but she didn't really like the environment. She felt awkward because she was the only non asian in the class. She also complained about their teaching style because did not teach the same way her teacher teaches. The tutors are not knowledgeable with Irvine high school math curriculum, only with ACI worksheets. read more

My daughter spent a few weeks during the summer here to improve her ACT score. The teachers and staff here are friendly, knowledgeable and good at what they do. She was very happy with her score on the actual test. I would recommend their summer ACT boot camp to anyone who wants to improve their score. read more