After a handful of years here, we finally decided to cut out of the Seven Arrows cult and, yes, forfeit several years of "investment" in our kids' futures. Community is their #1 priority and it comes at the cost of what ought be their first priority: a competitive academic education. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are lost to dressing up the campus for events but not a dime is spent on Faculty professional development. Also their version of "community" is only as good as the amount of money you give and the parental cliques you can endear yourself to. If you are parents in a dual-income family, who can't always volunteer at 11am or give up entire days to help out, you are excommunicated by both the school and other parents. We found these overt acts of judgement against the value and ethics of modeling business-building with our kids through our careers to be abhorrent. The school regularly weaves in a denial-based approach toward any concerns you might voice, all while purporting to possess a growth mindset. Margarita, the Head, runs the school with an iron fist - God forbid you ever question anything. For a school that waves the flag of "community and openness", what they really want is everyone to nod in agreement, roll up their sleeves and volunteer all their time, donate generously to support private street closures of non-inclusive events, and tiny-campus makeovers. From a student perspective, it's now well-researched and broadly understood that if a child is bored in class, socializes with peers, or is otherwise not engaged in the curriculum, this is an indication that the program offered is not meeting the intellectual or creative needs of the student. And a well funded school has many options to better flex to the student's needs, offer material through alternative learning modalities, or even revise of the approach/methods altogether. When our kids were bored, the school admin pointed their fingers at our kids (accusing them of having ADHD), or at us (for poor parenting skills) and they heavily implied that our kids be medicated. BEWARE: The school uses a cunning strategy of building their case by recommending that the parents have the child fully evaluated, with a request that the pychologist share their findings with school. In truth, they are building fodder against you, in case they want to "council families out" if you disagree with them on other things. Your physician's account becomes a "menu of opportunity" for the school to manipulate you into seeing things their way, or else have you relinquish your entire investment. Because everybody knows that unless you demonstrate your liking for the Kool-Aid they serve up, your child's future (by way of recommendation letters, support, and referrals at the time of graduation) is at their mercy. Today, the "campuses" are all over the place and disjointed. While the Masquerade event is still a great student experience, our older child was repeatedly bullied by the offspring of entitled, Instagram Mommy wannabe's but the school did little to upset parents with deep pockets. After all, Margarita's gotta bankroll her sprawling Riviera estate somehow. Also BEWARE: When it comes time to give their recommendations of your child to the next school, they don't hold back any details. From how you, as parents, participated in fundraising and underwriting opportunities, to whether or not you have the Rolodex to connect the school to famous thought-leaders, to how much you volunteered time at event preparations, and how much you can publicly advocate on behalf of the school, they tell ALL. And regarding your children, they share everything, too, including medical information (illegal) and details that might actually make your children look bad. Do you really want to place this power into someone else's hands? There's an unbelievably high rate of teacher turnover; many are fresh out of college. And the ones who had "ins" at Harvard Westlake, Brentwood, and Marlborough are now gone. As are many wonderful families who decided they had had enough. We also decided to cut the chord. Though our first child graduated, we didn't want to repeat our mistakes with our second one. read more

Our 5 children attended Seven Arrows and it was the best thing we have ever done for them. The amazing teachers, rigorous academics coupled with amazing science program, art, music and performance prepared my kids for the top high schools in LA and on to great colleges. Each of my kids participated in theatre and team sports while at Seven Arrows and made lifelong friendships. We also made amazing friendships with the parents that continue today. We will forever be grateful to everyone at Seven Arrows for those amazing years. read more

Seven Arrows is an amazing independent private school focused on 21st century learning. My husband and I selected the school for my daughter Malia primarily because of their individualized, immersive, innovative and inspirational curriculum. I didn't know that along with the rigorous, demanding academics it would also have a warm, wonderful and loving community of parents, staff and educators. The school focuses on critical thinking, collaboration & communication, skills that all children need to succeed. Highlights include: 1) Singapore Math 2) Ethical Leadership Projects 3) Global Festivals 4) Edible Garden 5) Kuyams every Friday and much much more! Malia jumped to 2nd grade from Kindergarten and the students, teachers, staff (especially) the Head of School, Margarita, Director of Admissions Omid and Dean of Students, Darren welcomed her (and our entire family) with open arms. Malia is continually challenged with individualized reading and math programs and is also loving the enrichment programs including Italian Cooking, Chess and Robotics. Thanks Seven Arrows (esp Omid, the Director of Admissions) for making our transition to the school an amazing experience thus far! We love it here and look forward to enrolling our younger daughter Kailani to Seven Arrows next year read more

See all

I am a parent at the school. While I believe there are a lot of great schools in the Westside of LA, for our family Seven Arrows really has really delivered above and beyond our expectations. Here are just a few of the things that have us just so in love with the school: 1. Seven Arrows uses the town of the Palisades as its campus. Like a New York City school the students are using the park and other resources that the town has to offer. This makes for one of the best campuses anywhere and in my opinion going outside into the town is a great thing for social growth. 2. The individualized learning really allows for your child to excel in things they are ahead and get help on the things where they are behind. At these young ages it is hard to "make" all of the kids be at the same levels in each subject and maybe even harmful. This is at the core to Seven Arrows teaching and we have seen amazing progress in our son with this. 3. While Seven Arrows is very focussed on learning and scholastics they are able to balance this with a very strong arts program. Including a celebration of this every Friday morning where the kids, parents and teachers all gather. 4. A strong focus on giving back. This is in every part of the learning and kids do ethical leadership projects. These projects can be for anything that helps others and teach the kids how to be well rounded citizens of the world. I could go on but these are just a few reasons we thing that Seven Arrows is so special and that we are lucky that the school is here for our family to attend. read more

Both my kids attend and the love it. Academically rigorous with a strong focus on social emotional. Lots of academic differentiation in the classes so my kids are always challenged to the best of their abilities. Science and math programs are excellent! Parent community is also wonderful; has helped us make some of our closest friends. read more

We have one son at this school and can't wait for his brother to join him next fall. It really is an individualized program in a beautiful progressive and academic school, a perfect balance. Our son literally skips to school every day, excited about whatever he is about to learn. Whether it is math, science, language arts, spanish, cooking, soccer, the edible garden, lego robotics, dance; he loves it all. Our son has blossomed. Our shy little man is now about to embark on his first ethical leadership project in front of the whole school, and he is only 6 1/2 years old! The school and community has been nothing but loving and inclusive and we thank our lucky stars we found this amazing school. It truly is a magical place. read more

Both of my girls attended Seven Arrows from K to 6th grade and it was the most magical years of our lives. The girls were engaged in their learning and learned respect, perseverance, and tolerance. The community is diverse and yet connected in the most loving way. It was truly the most outstanding experience. read more

My family is having an amazing experience at Seven Arrows. We have two children who attend who couldn't be happier or thriving more than they are at this school. The school offers a strong academic experience in addition to character building and teaching the importance of ethical leadership. The curriculum is cutting edge with an exciting emphasis on STEAM...and now, there's a new "North Campus" building that provides additional space to support projects related to science and the arts. A fantastic school all around. read more

absolutely idyllic education. personalized and perfect for each child in the school. a tiny campus that is transformed into a cozy world of imagination and learning for the students. kids use the neighborhood as their greater campus. city park is used as playground. kids are encouraged to be citizens of the world by starting as citizens in their own town. emphasis on arts as well as academics. teachers and staff are excellent beyond measure. can't believe how lucky we were to find this school. read more

Seven Arrows was the absolute last school we looked at when touring schools on the Westside. To say we saved the best for last is an understatement. Three years into the school we are thrilled -- our child continues to thrive and is incredibly happy. We see first hard the results of individualize learning plans which the school has implemented for each student (they are the norm, not the exception) which means each child is stretched/challenged academically. Fueled by cutting edge, proven brain research, the school truly excels in every aspect from the Singapore Math, incredible arts, rich music (two teachers), ethical leadership, public speaking opportunities all of which result in a well-rounded child that is confident, grounded, sense of self and more. Because of the high teacher student ratio, children learn math, reading and more in small groups which allow for successful implementation of personalized learning plans. Each year the children move on to the most selective middle schools where they continue to thrive due to the strong academics and foundation they were given at Seven Arrows. We are elated our child is having a truly happy experience, loving school, curious about learning and soaking up the beauty of a Seven Arrows education. read more

I am a parent of a Seven Arrows alumna. Our experience with Seven Arrows was wholly positive. While academic excellence is a priority, there is also a realization that academics alone will not supply all of the skills necessary for our children to reach their maximum potential. Thus, the arts, languages and multi-cultural learning also are emphasized. The Seven Arrows educators give such care and attention to formulating a thoughtful and appropriately rigorous curriculum. The director, teachers and administrators all passionately share a common vision, firmly rooted in a desire to inspire a love of learning. These educators are 100% devoted to laying the foundation necessary to encourage socially conscious, academically motivated children who will play a prominent role as adults in our modern global society. The parent community is warm and engaged. There is constant and welcomed communication between the director, staff and parents. All voices are heard and valued. Our child thrived at Seven Arrows. The school is, in all areas, exceptional. read more

This school has been an absolute gift for our family. Our first grader is incredibly engaged with the curriculum and loves going to school every day. The growth we have seen in him since entering kindergarten is nothing short of incredible. Seven Arrows' approach is to provide a rigorous academic education in an immersive, integrated and innovative way. Kids learn in an environment supported by the arts and global cultures which fully engages them and helps them retain the material. The smallness of the school enables teachers to tailor the education plan for each child. It also allows them to be nimble in terms of offering cutting edge tools -- a robotics program, a fully embraced and integrated 1:1 iPad tech program, and Singapore math to name a few. "STEAM" is not just an acronym here, it is integrated into everything they do. Supporting the academics is an incredibly caring staff of teachers and administrators who truly care about each and every child at the school. Graduates go on to the most challenging secondary schools of their choice, but most importantly, emerge as caring, well-rounded individuals. read more

I have a 1st grader at Seven Arrows. The classes are small and the school is small, with only one class per grade. Right in the heart of the Pacific Palisades, it is very easy to get to if you are on the west side. The academics are strong, but the school is made special by its ability to mold to the needs of your child. Students from different grades perform every Friday with the whole community there to cheer them on. Art, music, robotics, technology, math, all of the STEAM you need for your kid to thrive is there. Many graduates make their way to and through schools like Brentwood and Harvard-Westlake and onto great colleges ranging from California State to Ivy League. I love it as a parent because the school gives back what you put in. If you want the basic experience it is great, but the more time you spend at the school, the more it molds to your families needs. The community has as much say in how the school is run as the administration and as a hands on parent I find the school heaven for my child and a comfort for our family. read more