Finding a private school that balances academic excellence with character development can feel like…read moresearching for a needle in a haystack. For our family, EAA hasn't just been a school, it's been a community that feels like home. From the start, we could tell the teachers and the staff set up a caring environment where your child is seen, known, and cared for with respect and encouragement. The main areas that have stood out to us the most: 1. Excellence Beyond the Textbook - The curriculum here is rigorous and forward-thinking, but what truly sets it apart is the holistic approach. The teachers don't just teach for the test; they teach for life. Starting in kindergarten, every quarter each student had to prepare a presentation that would be presented to their K-1st classmates. By the 4th quarter, each kid was thriving with confidence in public speaking skills! From STEAM projects to the fine arts in musical performances for choir, band, and handbells, kids are challenged to think critically and creatively every single day. 2. A Foundation of Faith and Values - In a world that often feels chaotic, EAA provides a centeredness and steadying influence. The Christian values of service to others, integrity, and compassion are woven into a variety of experiences and community outreach. It is incredibly heartening to see your child excitedly talking about how they helped someone that day and lead with kindness. 3. Mentors, Not Just Teachers - The faculty here are small, mighty, and absolutely world-class. They are deeply invested in each student's personal growth. We have seen firsthand how the small class sizes allow for individualized attention, ensuring that no student falls through the cracks and each child, no matter how young or old, is encouraged to reach their greatest potential. 4. A True Community Atmosphere - When we first started here, we immediately knew we weren't just signing up to any old school; we were joining a supportive community. The parent-teacher partnership is phenomenal, and the sense of safety--both physical and emotional--is something we value deeply. We wanted a school that would prepare our child for a success: whether for life in general or a rewarding career, we wanted to ensure they would be taught more than just the ABCs and the 123s. We now know our child is being set up for so much more through an enriched foundation that provides the tools, resources, and critical thinking necessary for a meaningful life. We have found that at EAA where confidence, intelligence, and faith have been intertwined in the most fantastic way. If you're on the fence, take a tour. Talk to the staff. See the students at play. You'll realize very quickly that this is exactly where your child belongs!

I can't express enough gratitude for Escondido Adventist Academy. After going through a difficult…read moredivorce and relocating to San Diego to be with my parents, I discovered this school through the Seventh-day Adventist Church--and it has been a true blessing. The environment is amazing--safe, nurturing, and full of love. From the front desk to the principal, every staff member is incredible. And I must say, his teachers are absolutely wonderful. They work so closely with him, offering constant support, giving him countless opportunities, and helping him succeed in every way. My son is flourishing--he's excelling academically and growing in character, rooted in Christian values. I'm so thankful for this incredible school and the difference they make every single day in our lives.

My niece really enjoys her friends and teachers at this school. The school isn't too big, so it…read morehelps kids make friends, I think.

Amazing school! This is my first charter school I ever went to and it was a great first experience!…read moreThere are three Tracks and different ways you can attend school. The teachers are really nice and understanding and the campus reminds me of a Montessori school, swings, dirt and gravel.

Classical Academy has far surpassed any expectations I had for a school for my son. My only regret…read moreis that I did not find the Classical Academy schools earlier. The teachers and staff are incredibly dedicated to teaching, the students, and exude an enthusiasm and confidence that is magnetic. Truly, everyone is so invested in the success of every student. I have observed on numerous occasions, staff and teachers encourage, embrace, applaud, support the diverse student base. The athletes, academic team, musicians, introverts, extroverts, are lauded in the same way. Everyone is valued. Every teacher is unique- in personality, skill set, mannerisms which helps to serve the diverse student body. It is a comfortable space for anyone to fit in or create their own space. Innovation, ideas, perspectives are encouraged. There is no right approach to learning. There is no wrong approach. It is truly a learning environment. Students are accountable with clear direction and expectations, tutors and counselors are always available, and goals, hurdles, requirements are defined well ahead. As students work to achieve those goals, materials is presented in many ways, with many formats, to allow for students with different learning styles and capabilities to succeed. Most importantly, the school is very invested in academic and personal success well beyond high school, in the community, in the workplace, in college, working toward creating independent, conscientious, resourceful graduates who will achieve well after graduation.

2 campuses, 1 school. For 1 campus, they lost instructional time last year to accommodate the other…read morecampus, and this year they lost even more time, (this year it ends at 1:30 for some reason), and students have to navigate a different schedule every day they are on campus. And this is the high school campus with the most kids with disabilities. It seems like the school board just doesn't care about this campus. The low stars are because of the management of the schools, but there are at least some really amazing teachers there, and there is a better student to teacher ratio than the Escondido union school district

Wonderful school. We love that they offer pre-K through high school, so the kids aren't losing all…read morethe friend's they make between elementary, middle, & high school. The kiddo has also really been enjoying the additional Elementary classes outside of the regular classroom, such as music, art, P.E., & chapel. The elementary school has a fun new playground. The kids also enjoy checking out what's growing in the garden! Highly recommend for Christian families!

I went to Calvin from 6th grade up to 10th grade, before finally opting to transfer to a nearby…read morecharter school. Calvin is a small school. It has grown, but it's still small. There are benefits, of course, such as small class sizes, individualized attention, and open dialogue between teachers and students. However, it also has its downsides. Please look at this list of criteria (created by me): Is your child considered "troublesome"? Is your child struggling with any sort of mental health issue? Is your child not Dutch/Caucasian? Is your child not a teacher's pet? Is your child not often a popular kid? If you answered yes to any of those questions, Calvin is not the place for you. I am not a troublesome student. I graduated high school with a 4.11 GPA. I got A's in almost all my classes no matter what school. However, I did struggle with my mental health starting freshman year, which is ultimately the reason I left the school. I received the label of being a "depressed kid" and was never able to shake it, and I ended up taking that on as my identity. I transferred to get a fresh start from the teachers and the students, and I did much better once I didn't have that label following me. There isn't blatant racism at this school, but in my class all the Dutch girls sat together, and all the non-Dutch girls sat elsewhere during lunch. I am not Dutch, so I sat elsewhere. The Dutch girls didn't say you couldn't sit with them but weren't welcoming to any newcomers in their group. There were no other friend groups in that grade. That's also pretty much how it went for every grade. Calvin has diversified since then, but the saying "if you ain't Dutch, you ain't much" is well-known and I would say it is true. All the Dutch students were favorited by the teachers as well, but that's because most of the Dutch kids had their parents go to school there, so they were really just "legacy" students who were automatically favorited. The trick for getting good grades is to be a teacher's pet. If the teacher doesn't like you, you're screwed. I was a teacher's pet, and I was able to finagle my way out of several bad grades by gaining sympathy from the teachers. If you're not a teacher's pet, Dutch, or a popular kid, you're going to have to do a LOT of hard work to get good grades that other kids get simply by having parents who went to the school. Most of the teachers were amazing. Shout-out to Mr. Marriott, Mr. Bakker, Mr. VDP, Mr. Beutlich, Mrs. Lapka, and Mrs. Lundgren. They made learning fun and were genuinely such kind-hearted people. I always felt safe around them. However, as with every school, there are teachers that aren't great. The history teacher, when I was trying to explain my ADHD to him in regard to the accommodations plan I had, just kept telling me, "Oh, it's like my tinnitus". He also refused to accept my accommodations plan to break up a 100-question test into two parts. When my mom reached out, he told her that the class has a B average, she's never taken the class, and would I be receiving a modified diploma? I took an incomplete for this class and retook it my senior year at my new school. I got an A+. Also, they do present that 100% of their students go off to college. However, that's not actually true. I had a friend who ended up faking that she was going to go to college (she wasn't) so that it would look like she was in the graduation ceremonies. They even got her college merch from the college she was supposedly going to attend. I would have never known had I not been close friends with her. This school has its secrets. Teachers were quietly removed from the school for reasons that were pretty big deals, such as inappropriate communication with students and emotional outbursts at students. As for the principal. I thought he was great... because my beliefs aligned with his and he took pity on me. Yes, he does meet with students with the blinds open for all to see. We once all saw a student get his backpack searched for drugs in the office. Whether or not he had drugs, the blinds should have been closed. His office is in a common passing place so everybody can and will see. The principal seemed to like me a lot, so we got along and I liked him, but I can see how others wouldn't like him. He is adamantly anti-LGBTQ+, which can be expected at a Christian school, but he expressed this in an unkind way. God still loves those that are LGBTQ+ and this principal did not express that. Last thing! I hope your kid loves public speaking. My class had to give 7-10 minute speeches with no notes... apparently, this is not a thing in public schools, and my class was graded quite harshly. Anxiety was not tolerated. It's good to learn public speaking, but 10 minute speeches without notes on subjects kids aren't passionate about? That's harsh, especially for sophmores. This was for sophmore year. I am ultimately glad I left this school, but I believe others can thrive here... just check that checklist!

As parents who relocated to Vista from out of state, we found St. Francis to have an exceptionally…read moreinviting and welcoming community. We set down roots here and the school and parish community has become our family. Our children thrive academically and socially, and we couldn't be happier 11 years later. Helping students develop strong character to become good stewards of our community has been an integral part of our family's experience. My children serve on student council, and participate in numerous character-building community service projects. The Learning Support Program has been very effective in allowing my children to succeed at their grade level and given them the confidence to push themselves academically.

My two sons were failing in the public school system. I had to pull them out mid-year and put them…read moreback a grade. Both boys have done a 180 at St. Francis. They are flourishing. They can't wait to go to school. My older one now has his sights set on private high schools as well. St. Francis completely changed the course of their lives. I am forever grateful. The staff is amazing, they pay such close attention to the kids they can tell you what you packed them for lunch and if they ate it all. The after school activities and sports are super, the fundraisers are such a blast!! I love this school, I love everything about it.

I had to write an update to include this: the office staff is just the absolute BEST. They are so…read morewelcoming and kind as soon as you enter the front office, and when I see teachers around the campus they always wave and say hello very genuinely. I also LOVE and appreciate that there are students here who have babies and can't afford child care so they allow the students to bring their kids to school and have help with the kids. That's amazing. This honestly is one of my favorite schools I have been to.

This school is designed for a student that needs a small classroom, more attention, and has…read morehistorically struggled in the comprehensive high schools. All academics are offered. After school programs are designed to foster social growth. Go to your San Marcos High School and ask about TOHS.

I enrolled my child at this school last year, and it was a very bad experience. From middle school…read moreup, classes are mixed with much younger students all the way to high schoolers in the same classroom. The older kids openly bullied the younger ones, often in front of the teacher, with no consequences. According to my child, teachers were passive-aggressive toward each other, which created a tense and unhealthy atmosphere. The principal also controls what teachers are allowed to tell parents, so you may not get the full truth about what your child experiences during the school day. I would not recommend this school.

Pacific Academy Encinitas has been a great fit for our 7th grade daughter. She feels valued, safe…read moreand cared for at school. The staff is loving, encouraging and accommodating. The small class sizes lead to individualization and great support from teachers. In addition to academic support, PAE encourages participation in school sports & activities, even without prior experience. These opportunities have helped our daughter to develop self-confidence and allowed her to create friendships with students across grade levels. We are so grateful for PAE & the culture of learning they have created.

My son took APUSH with Ms. Claire Freeman through Atlus this summer, and we had such a positive…read moreexperience. The course ended up being more daunting than he anticipated, but Ms. Freeman was incredibly supportive throughout. She was consistently available, responsive, and willing to provide guidance when he needed it. Her support made a challenging summer course feel much more manageable, and we truly appreciated having her as his teacher. I would absolutely recommend Ms. Freeman and Atlus to other students and families!

My daughter took Spanish 3 with Altus over the summer and it was a great experience! She struggles…read morewith language but she got great support from her teacher Claire Freeman and was able to focus on the class while not taking a lot of other classes during the school year. She did much better than she would have done in a large classroom with not as much support. Thanks Altus and thanks Mrs. Freeman!!