I have to admit I'm biased having two SMCHS graduates and a sophomore at the school as well as…read moresitting on the Board. That being said, I believe it's the best school in OC and one of the best in the country--as its top 40 National Ranking confirms. The academics are second to none, especially the International Baccalaureate program. It more than prepares the students for college and offers some of the best counseling. The arts program is also superior. The theater program won the top prize for high school musicals and have also had several best actor and actress awards. The orchestra and choir are also top-notch winning their share of awards as well. The sports program is well known and established as one of the best as well. Not only do they win CIF titles in football, basketball and baseball, but also in soccer, water polo, golf, etc. The school makes an effort to be excellent at every level. It doesn't just focus on one area and forget about all others. Instead it makes every effort to provide 100% support behind every endeavor.

It seems to me that if you aren't the same shade as this Karen then be mindful of how she operates…read more Kids will be kids but she's having a hard time understanding that. She's taking her little volunteer job too seriously if you ask me for a weekend. The security guard was dope though he understood the assignment. This lady is watching black people like a hawk.

We have three kids at St. John's and could not be happier with the school. Yes, every school has…read moreits challenges, but overall, it is a nurturing environment where everyone is treated equally. It has a strong community, and feels like one big family! It is academically challenging and the teachers are extremely passionate about making sure your kids thrive and do well! We highly recommend the school!

ECC is amazing, we love the 1:6 ratio and the teachers are super nice and supportive! Traffic…read morecontrol at the gate is always effective and timely made all my drop offs and pickups amazing. The school is also located at a very cool spot, taking 241 anybody can get there easily expect a little bit high way toll but who cares if can get there 15mins rather than 30mims.

Saint Junipero Serra Catholic School has exceeded all our expectations in the seven years our…read moredaughter has attended. Particularly this year, amidst the unprecedented disruption of COVID-19 and the impact on all schools. The transition to virtual learning was seamless and the curriculum proceeded with very few hiccups. The administration and teachers remained engaged and available for all questions or concerns. This is consistent with our experience through our time at the school. This institution truly cares about each student and prepares them for high school and life in general with solid values and educational rigor, all with the underpinnings of the Catholic faith.

Look elsewhere. There's a reason the tuition is one of the lowest in the area, and it reflects!…read more Catholic schools are meant to be not only places of academic excellence but also environments where faith, compassion, and moral integrity are prioritized. Regrettably, under Mr. Tolzda's leadership, these core values seem to take a backseat.

Big fan of this school. Been great for our kids so far. Really worth checking out if you live in…read morethe area or want a solid Christian education for your kids. Mrs Quickle is unstoppable as the prekindergarten teacher. Mrs Merritt is super solid as kindergarten. Lots of other lovely men and women. Great place!

Our family has a long history with this school, which makes this review especially difficult to…read morewrite. While there are dedicated teachers, our recent experience exposed deep problems in how serious student concerns are handled. Following a bullying incident, the school's response was slow, procedural, and fragmented. A safety plan was eventually produced, but it relied heavily on the student to manage unsafe situations and lacked clear staff accountability. Even more troubling, the plan was finalized without including all custodial parents in the process. Instead of focusing on corrective action and supervision, the school increasingly framed homeschooling or withdrawal as the "only viable path," which felt more like avoidance than resolution. Parents entrust schools with their children's well‑being. When concerns are raised, families should be met with transparency, collaboration, and urgency. Sadly, that was not our experience.

I am nanny to two children that attend this school and I can honestly say I really like this place!…read more It is nestled at the base of a dead-end street residential street next to a great sports park & playground. The demographic is made up of predominantly white, upper middle class children from the surrounding suburbs and the parents seem to really take pride in getting involved in the classroom and extra-curricular events. The Principal is incredibly energetic and seems to know every kid by name which makes them all feel so important and actually makes them WANT to go to school! Although its not the biggest school, there are acres of fields for the children to play on and plenty of playground equipment. My 10yo loves that there is an actual working football league organized by the principal where the different grades play against each other each day - something i'd never heard of in other schools and in my own education! That's how much the principal cares. They have "spirit days" seemingly every other Friday where they have a DJ at lunch and wear their school pride out loud and proud. Its so cute to see the kids excited about school and I know its credit to the caring teachers and principal! This school was different than our previous elementary in Lake Forest because they focused more on in-classroom learning instead of physical homework sent home. Both kids still have spelling homework/tests every week, the usual math homework and 20 minutes of reading but not nearly the volume that we've had at other schools. However, they are still excelling and I credit this to the teachers and the classwork that is required of them to build understanding - which I think is a definite plus! The teachers & staff care and are very good at what they do! My only gripe is the way the pick-up/drop-off situation works. The school is at the base of a dead end street and so cars that come in have to loop around and tend to pack up 100s of yards. If you intend to walk your child to class, you must parallel park along the residential street because the parking lot of the school is only open to staff. There is a grassy area that the kids gather on to be picked up so I definitely find it more timely to park and walk over to the lawn and pick them up but I could see how this would be annoying for someone with young children already in the car. In that case, most would rather wait through the line. I would try to get there at around 2:30PM if you plan on waiting through the long line of cars to pick up your kids at the grassy area without getting out of your car. Its a little hard to explain - I'll try to add photos for better illustration. All in all, a great school! I just wish it wasn't so crazy to pick up or drop off your kids!

I saw the most amazing thing this morning as I dropped off my niece at this school for the first…read moretime. 6 children, along with an aid flocked to meet my niece at our arrival with smiles, hand holding and hugs. I've never seen such an all inclusive school. I attended Christian Schools growing up and couldn't believe the love that these kids showed. Come to find out the greeting to my niece was not a special occasion this was an every day event. The kids chose to come every day and show love. This school has it figured out from the top to the bottom and could only pray and wish this was every school system!

St. Michael's was the most important crossroads of my personal religious and higher educational…read morelife. Being educated at Catholic schools the majority of my life until I got to St. Michael's, my 2 years there confirmed the importance of my faith in my life and the integrism of that faith with my education and my every day life. St. Michael's is run by Norbertines, a French order that is nearly 1000 years old. The Abbey that runs this school was founded by five Hungarian priests that fled communist persecution. St. Michael's was, at the time that I attended, and at present, an all-boys boarding school. For those of us who lived within 2 hours - we were "5-day" boarders. We would go home for the weekend. It's really hard to talk about everything that St. Michael's means to me in a Yelp review, but let me summarize it in three brief points: 1. A world-class education. We were in class, with time for recreation and study, from 9am to 9pm. The teachers I had loved us and the subjects. 2. An integrated Catholic life. The chapel was always open to us and no matter how "pious" each individual boy was (or wasn't) we were all in the chapel every night to sing Compline. It was always the right way to end the day. Mass in Latin with proper Gregorian chant. I wasn't ever able to go back to "normal" Mass again. 3. Friendships that have lasted me, at this count, 14 years. Boarding school means spending more time with these people than with your own family. Endless late night conversations, countless study sessions, and chores. Thank you, St. Michael's, for changing my life.

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. :)