Our daughter is entering first grade at OPA this year. Last year was our first year at the school,…read moreand we had an amazing Kindergarten and overall school experience. The amount of growth I saw in my daughter after her kindergarten year is directly attributable to her amazing teacher, the caring administration, and the involved community of staff and parents. We also see a lot of growth in her academics through nightly reading and homework assignments to reinforce the lessons throughout the day/week. We also love how the kids are exposed to music, Spanish, and Mandarin, and the offering of after-school clubs is diverse and fun (running club, board games club, debate club, gardening club are just a few). There are also a number of school events through the PTA and school throughout the year to enrich the children's' and families' experience. The fundraising done goes directly back to the children and is used to enhance the school environment. In terms of overall learning/academics, we love the theory of multiple intelligences the school uses to tailor to the individual child. Even in kindergarten, my daughter's confidence and love of learning grew through family projects, classroom projects, plays in front of parents (ABC fashion show and a kinder circus), and so much more. Im looking forward to seeing her growth this year too, and hopefully will have my son start TK there next fall! Lastly, I'd say the experience is best when students and parents get involved and work together to make it a great school - even small contributions have a big impact in a community like OPA.

Every single damn thing about this piece of shit school sucked. For starters, the teachers suck…read more But the main problem is the students. They are fucking rude man. I'll just say that.

We are so grateful for the wonderful experience our son - Robin had at this school. Mrs. Anderson…read morehas been an absolutely amazing kindergarten teacher -- caring, patient, encouraging, and truly passionate about teaching. She made our son feel safe, loved, and excited to learn every single day. We have seen tremendous growth in his confidence, academics, and social skills this year. One thing that really stands out about this school is how genuine and personal the environment feels. It is incredible how the teachers and staff remember every child's name as well as the parents. From morning drop-off to pick-up, they always greet families with warmth and kindness, which makes everyone feel welcomed and valued. That level of care and attention truly means so much to parents. The entire school staff has been supportive and dedicated throughout the year. It is clear that the teachers genuinely care about each child's development and well-being, not just academically but emotionally too. Thank you, Mrs. Anderson and the entire school team, for making kindergarten such a memorable and meaningful experience for our family. We will always appreciate the love, dedication, and positivity you bring to your students every day.

Miss Basrur, Miss Dokovic, Miss Frost, Miss Anderson, Miss Izabel, and Miss Natalie have been such…read moreincredible teachers for our two kids who attend Stratford. The entire school staff are so dedicated to the kids and families at Stratford in helping them succeed and become leaders. We could not be happier with this amazing school community who values every child and family that walks through their doors!! We highly recommend this school and are so excited to be part of this wonderful community!!!

My daughter went to Grace for a year... and boy it was amazing til they drop the ball early this…read moreyear. School was closing d/t financial problems. Everyone was heartbroken bec of the news. 4 stars for the staff, because they deserve the recognition. They are AMAZING. For the upper management, i have nothing to say. The fact that you kicked our kids in the curbed just like that says a lot. Thank you GCS staff for providing a memorable school year for our daughter, thank you for our teachers and aides, Ms Kim W for the assistance and everyone who kept the school going til the end! its heart breaking but we should all move on, I hope the decision of the management to close the school is worth it.

We loved Grace for years. A wonderful school. I would highly recommend the school to anyone. My…read morechildren went to the school from pre-K to sixth grade.!

Our girls have been attending Arroyo Vista since Kindergarten and are now in third grade. The…read moreschool and they programs offered consistently exceed my expectations. The teachers have all been amazing and we love the arroyo vista children's theater.

We had high hopes for this school. Having heard it had good teachers and the students did well…read more This was part of the reason we moved to our current home. Kindergarten was great, our son did well and had a great teacher. 1st grade wasn't quite as good, but the teacher (1st year at the school) did put in effort to make it a good experience. 2nd grade was an absolute disaster. The teacher was horrible. Aside from being unorganized and unprofessional, she would verbally abuse our son on an almost daily basis (Several times witnessed by my wife and other parents). While he did well with his grades, we noticed a decline in his personality as well as his self esteem, he often cried about not wanting to go back to school. We had our son tested and found that he was significantly above average in intelligence and had a minor case of ADHD that with some minor accommodations would have helped him to be able to "behave" more to her liking. The teacher made no effort to engage in productive conversations on the accommodation, and the Principle was useless. We got thru the year and quickly pulled our son out. He is now in a charter school and absolutely thriving with simple accommodations that the school gladly implemented (as well as suggestions they made to help him out) I would have hoped for a more cooperative approach from the school and it's staff, but you definitely have to look passed the "Awards" to know how a school really is. follow-up: I have heard there is a new administration at the school, and while I hope it improves things, I will not consider returning either of my children even though we are now driving 20 minutes (vs a 5 minute walk) especially since the teacher in question is still teaching 2nd grade

Best school in the district! Wondering teachers and staff! The principal is amazing and gives out…read moreher personal cell, who does that?? I mean come on, she cares about her school so much and everyone knows she does!

We started this year in TK, so we have been in this school for about 6 months now. I have to say,…read morewe love it. Now let me just start by saying, this school is different and I truly feel lucky that we got in. Also, I have to say this school might not be attractive to every parent ok.... Please take the intake seriously, because you could be taking a lottery spot for someone who truly wants to be in a Waldorf school. How would I describe our experience so far ? If you or your kid loves the outdoors (sun, rain, moon, stars, ocean) things that grow and live in gardens, nature walks, learning how to care for Mother Earth, etc. then this is your dream school. If you or your child enjoy playtime in mud, dirt, don't lose your mind over stains, love rain boots, umbrellas, etc. then this is your dream school. If you or your child enjoy all things magical/wholesome make-believe, like fairy tears, knights, puppets etc. then this is your dream school. Ok I think you get the point :). Reminder , this is a review of my experience in the kindergarten program... where my child learned how to write her name, craft, knit, cut vegetables, set the table, do chores, sing songs, explore, pick up worms, and much more. I like and admire our teacher and her aid. They are extremely experienced and are really good with the kids. I don't need to be the teachers best friend, I just need to hear from my child that she loves her and is excellent with the kids, that's all that matters to me, and she is! The school is small, which I love, it feels old fashioned in all the good ways... like in ways that will remind you of your childhood school days. It is truly a Waldorf school, so make sure you research that and know what you are signing up for. I love it for our family, I personally couldn't imagine my child anywhere else. It's a little gem and I'm so glad it exists. Also, there are things they ask for like, no Disney/characters on clothes, no fancy nails, hair color, makeup, stuff that could be competitive/distracting and I'm sooooo grateful for that. They really want them to have this beautiful slow childhood. There are also so many resources for the parents! So if this all sounds lovely to you and your family - Best wishes and good luck on lottery day!!

Journey School has changed our family's life. Our daughter was feeling shut down and crushed by her…read moreprevious first grade experience. The warmth and style of learning provided at Journey has given her back her joy. She's heading into second grade now, and says she someday wants to be a teacher at Journey herself. Our son likes to compare his kindergarten experience to his preschool experience and says the old school was the "mean" school. The love between the students and teachers is evident. It truly feels like a community. I also appreciate the staff and administration that are open to new ideas and continual improvement. I too have learned so many positive things as a parent at this school. I wish all kids could have the opportunity to learn in an environment like Journey.

The teaching staff here seems to have a great interest in teaching our kids…read more Their ideas and concepts about getting our kids ready for each upper grade and always striving them forward, are great.

- i attended trabuco mesa elementary school from kindergarten all the way to 6th grade, excluding…read more5th grade. i absolutely loved this school!! the teachers, students, volunteers, lunch activities, and all the many other things this school had to offer was absolutely incredible. this school has given me unforgettable memories and experiences. just one thing,,, i had an incident that had happened my 6th grade year that's had to do with bullying and let's just say when i was offered help, the principal was no help AT ALL. if anything, she made matters worse. when i has reached for help, no help was given by staff nor the principal, all i got was a very, very loud yelling from her and questioned by the police after demanding i have a parent present before further questioning. i never knew a principle could talk to an 11 year old student in such a offensive and demeaning way. not to mention, she told my parents lies about my behavior at school and that i was a bad student even though i never was. - overall this school is truly great. one of the best and if you're thinking about enrolling your child into trabuco mesa elementary school, your child is going to have the time of their lives. you will not regret it. :)

We love our school. My daughter started back here in 4th grad after we attended a private school…read morefor a few years. I am blown away by the attention my child gets and how much the teachers really care for her. We are so happy to be back at Portola and their teachers, Principal and staff are amazing!!!!

The school has been privy to poor leadership and some negligent teachers and the kids are suffering…read moredue to this. Irvine school district has one of the highest paid staffs and our children deserve better than this.  When talking to the principal she simply made a statement that "she must protect her teachers first." As a parent I no longer want to feel helpless please help by filing an official complaint with iusd.org, calling the director Stan Machesky, Executive Director, Elementary Education, (949) 936-5055, stanmachesky@iusd.org, attending the board meeting at 5050 Barrancs pkwy on Sept 11 at 6:30pm