Great school This is our first year here and my kids are…read moreloving it Everyone is so nice Also they really care about education and try their best to make sure everything is done to help the student

If you're considering sending your child here, I highly recommend considering other options,…read moreespecially if your child is an easy target for bullying. This school has a very high tolerance for bullying and won't take action. We came here for a month and after witnessing it myself and hearing about it day after day, I couldn't, in good confidence send my child here any longer. The teacher we had for 4th grade was awful as well. It was an unfortunate experience for us, and I don't wish our teacher, or the bullying upon anyone else. Academically, They use Eureka math, which I like. Spelling is not part of their curriculum if that matters to you. They don't tell you that when you tour. That wasn't an issue for us, but I imagine it could be a concern for others. Celebrations: This school acknowledges NO holidays. No Halloween, no Valentine's, they won't even acknowledge your child's birthday. Not this this is of much importance, but it is something I wish I would've known. The garden is awesome, so are the chickens. I loved that about the school, but it definitely wasn't enough to keep us enrolled there.

My son intoned and he got bullied hated this school. It is very did I pointing I think they need…read moresome nicer kids in my opinion it is a little sad my son comes back crying

My 3rd grade son absolutely loves Crestview. We can't wait to enroll our two younger ones. The…read moreteachers are all so invested in the students. They don't just hand you a stack of papers for the parent teacher conference. They sit down with you for an allotted one on one meeting and provide full detailed info regarding their academic progress and any social hurdles that have been observed. The Head Of School Mrs. Taylor knows every single student. She advocates for each child. You will see her in car line every morning waving to the students as they walk in. She even hosts an annual Coffee with all the parents for each grade level to help parents prepare for the new academic year and to educate us on new developmental changes that will occur as they go into a new year. Her administration team is so accessible. There's also parent education night hosted throughout the year with great speakers and highly trained individuals in education who come on campus to share insights, thoughts and answer questions for parents. We couldn't be happier here. My son wakes up every morning so eager to go to school. This is the BEST school in La Cañada.

We enrolled our child at AAM excited about the schools' arts focus and community. Unfortunately,…read moreour experience was deeply disappointing. During the school year, multiple children in the TK class were involved in incidents that were not handled appropriately by the classroom or administration. The situation ultimately resulted in a teacher facing criminal charges for "willful cruelty to child", along with documented concerns involving multiple children. As parents, it was incredibly difficult to continue sending our daughter into an environment we no longer felt confident in her safety of the school or PUSD leadership's judgment. Our concerns extend beyond one classroom or one teacher. In our experience, Principal Dr. Hill did not provide the level of leadership, transparency, or accountability we expected when seriously concerns were brought forward. We repeatedly left conversations feeling that our concerns were minimized rather than addressed directly, an dour confidence in the administration quickly eroded. Parents, teachers, and aides had all brought up concerns to the principal before the teacher's actions escalated to a criminal level. She did nothing to prevent harm coming to students. To be fair, there were a few positives. Our child loved making friends and there are caring staff members who genuinely want the best for students. However, trust is foundational and once that trust is broken, we could not justify keeping our child there. We ultimately withdrew from the district entirely. Every family's experience will be different, but I believe prospective parents deserve to know that serious concerns arose during our time there and to ask detailed questions about school culture, supervision, and how concerns are handled before enrolling.

I went to this school and, this school is very fun. For 5th grade we had many exciting activities…read more We went to Knotts Berry Farm and it was amazing! All the staff is so comforting ! The teachers are amazing and kind. The school is very diverse and lots of people fit right in. The first time I went there was fun and amazing. I fitted right in with all the students and made many friends. I hope for the best for all the students! If I was you I would definitely enroll my child!

I've toured this school twice and I think it is such a lovely campus. The classrooms are intimate…read moredue to the student to teacher ratio. My observation was a well manicured and clean campus, happy children, friendly parent volunteers and staff eager to answer our questions . Olivia, our volunteer parent, who escorted our group around campus was so warm and delightful and shared with us her experience as a parent. Gretchen offered everyone a warm welcome reception prior to the tour and I'm particularly fond of the emphasis on unity and inclusion. It cracked me up to see the kids on unicycles as they attempted to push off from walls and pedal. I found it to be an inspirational outdoor activity ; keep on trying combined with the importance of balance in life. I've noticed many changes in the school from when we first toured it before Covid. There is something to be said about progress during unprecedented times I I observed many wonderful new editions.

Chandler is a unique school that I am very proud to be associated with! Not only did I graduate…read morefrom Chandler, but I am also a parent of a middle school student currently attending. The school provides a well rounded education in one of the most beautiful settings in Pasadena overlooking the Rose Bowl. While I love the fact that Chandler is academically challenging, I also appreciate the importance that the teachers, administrators, and staff place on teaching good values, citizenship, and character. The Chandler community is very strong, and in recent years supported the construction of a new, world-class middle school. While the school is very technologically advanced (all the middle school students have their own laptops), Chandler does a great job balancing this with the more human side of learning. Students learn to think critically, and work both independently and collaboratively. As an alumnus, I still keep in touch with many of my former classmates. They are an amazing group of people who have achieved a lot. If you are exploring schools, be sure to check out Chandler!

Like so many parents in the Pasadena area researching private schools, we did alllll the tours. We…read morehadn't heard much about Saint Mark's and always assumed from the name that it would lean heavily religious, which wasn't something we were looking for. We also didn't like that it ended at 6th grade (something we later decided was actually a plus). Toward the end of the touring season we decided to stop in simply because it was close to our work. I am not exaggerating when I say we walked out of that little school under the shady pine trees like "this is The One". Coming from a strictly play-based non-academic preschool, we really wanted to continue letting our kids be kids, learning through play and curiosity. But we also knew we wanted them to be challenged academically. And not to sound boastful but we have nice kids; we wanted them surrounded by other nice kids. I didn't want my kids to lose their sense of just being nice, kind humans. What we found at Saint Mark's was a balance that really worked for us. Academics are strong, learning is hands-on and meaningful, and the kids are still excited. Their teachers clearly care about them. The kids are happy. And nice. Polite and well spoken. During the tour, they looked like they were having a good time being at school, laughing, joking with friends at lunch, singing on the way back from recess. Overall we've been really happy since enrolling. We are now in our third year here. Watching what they do, even in Kinder, has been impressive. They have Writer's Workshop and write diary entries about their Halloween class pumpkin decomposing in a tub for months. In another unit, they raised tomato hornworms we brought in from our garden and watched them transform into hawk moths, documenting the whole process. For Valentine's, I offered to drop off homemade pink play-dough to our worldly first graders (an homage to my pre-k co-op years), assuming they'd say the kids were too old. Instead, they embraced it with rolling pins and cookie cutters. The teachers are so special and genuinely know each kid as an individual, even across grade levels. Small groups in the classroom let kids learn together at the same level, wherever that may be. When my DK-er had a rough start to the school year, his teacher rearranged the daily schedule to help him feel comfortable/safe and wrote me daily emails of his progress. And speaking of progress, I never expected that it would be normal for a progress report from his teacher to include a personalized letter detailing his personality, strengths, leadership, character... It was just so unexpected and thoughtful. I'll admit that when we enrolled, I was focused entirely on academics, student/teacher ratio, kind teachers, diversity, outdoor space, and letting kids be kids. While Saint Mark's checked all those boxes, I didn't realize how special the community would be. They interviewed us as parents and not just our kids, which felt like they care about building a community of families with the same values. (I joke that I would vacation with almost any of these families, and we could definitely get through a zombie apocalypse together) Socially, there are grade-level parent parties in the Fall so you can get to know the other families, sans kids. There are events like the Fall Fest with petting zoos and bounce houses and bake sales and confetti eggs, there are potlucks and picnics, book fair, hikes. There is an annual gala fundraiser where parents can let loose for the night, as well as smaller socials that make it easy to build friendships. There are ways to be ON campus: classroom jobs and PA positions and many ways to give time/talent/donations. You can sign up to stuff red envelopes for Lunar New Year or hand out hot lunch on campus and spy on your kids while they eat. After the fires we did consider relocating. And while it may seem unusual to be temporarily housed on another campus, our kids do get to use the beautiful outdoor spaces, fields, gym and basketball court at EF. What I was initially worried about has become somewhere the kids love to be. We did still have moments of doubt about relocating or not. Ultimately Saint Marks was a big factor in our decision to stay. I know it's wild to think elementary school is what kept us from jumping ship, but we stayed in the Pasadena/Altadena area because of this school. Our kids love it and we love it for our kids. We plan to remain living locally through sixth grade because of the school, and probably longer after hearing where the 6th graders matriculate to. We're really looking forward to the rebuild. We feel incredibly lucky that we found this small, somewhat under-the-radar school almost by accident. It's hard to explain how great the culture is here until you walk through the classrooms and campus and talk to some of the students, parents, and faculty. Like any school it won't be the perfect fit for everyone but for our family our experience has been very very positive.

Dear school seekers, Ultimately we chose Saint Mark's for…read moreour children because it displays balance- we see both modern ideas surrounding whole-child social emotional culture with a more traditional classroom/academic load and structure. Saint Mark's has true authenticity when it comes to role-modeling what community means for our children. The Episcopal elements of school feel universally welcoming to all. As a multi-racial family, we feel very at home with Saint Mark's where DEI is not a department, an option, or a fad but a natural part of the school's identity. When we chose the school we were intentionally seeking academic rigor for our kids; and because the school embraces differentiated learning groups, we know our kids will get what they need in all subjects. The children have lots of movement throughout their day with a wide variety of subjects to explore. The school maintains boundaries with being responsible, respectful, and safe which allows all the students to take risks and lean-in knowing they have a foundation of structure and support behind them. I have noticed our children's imaginations have been flourishing due to their time at school. The teachers are joyful and friendly which invites a warmth. The parent-community is strong (and fun) which is deeper than a good time when we realize we are showing our student-body what it looks like to work-together and create something bigger that everyone can enjoy. The leadership prioritizes modern changes to education while keeping the jump-ropes and math text books in close reach. To open a new campus about six weeks after the Eaton Fire is a true symbol of how strong the community is. Come and tour! All the best, Melissa

Both of my daughters attend Westridge and are in Lower and Upper School. This school has been…read moreextremely intentional with meeting the needs of my Black daughters and helping them reach their goals. The education is top notch with experienced educators alongside administrators who put the girls first in all that they do. Westridge feels like a warm hug for girls who are independent thinkers, doers and have drive!

Our daughter just completed her first year (4th grade) at Westridge. We could not be happier with…read morethe experience! The administration goes to extraordinary lengths to build community and a sense of real belonging among the girls. The faculty are incredible - challenging, caring and supportive. Westridge is an environment where girls--and not just one kind of girl--can thrive. Everything about the experience is well thought-out and resourced. It offers students choices, different paths to explore on their journey of becoming.

We have loved their Little Explorers program and the entire community is so welcoming. Thank you…read morefor being part of my girl's development and mine, too!

We absolutely love Oneonta Co-op Nursery School! Our daughter is in her second year here and still…read morewakes up excited to go every single morning. The teachers are patient, creative, and genuinely care about every child--they strike that perfect balance of nurturing and encouraging independence. What really makes Oneonta special, though, is the community. The co-op model brings parents together in such a meaningful way; you don't just drop your kid off--you become part of a caring, supportive village. We've made real friendships here, and watching our daughter grow socially and emotionally has been incredible. If you're looking for a preschool that's joyful, intentional, and community-driven, this is it. Couldn't recommend it more highly!

I cannot imagine a better place for my kiddo's first years! Incredible teachers, STEM-curriculum…read morefor the 0-5 crowd, a brilliant director. As only a small number of spots are open to community members, you should definitely have a backup plan if you are not Caltech-affiliated.

The Children's Center at Caltech is a top notch school/education center for young children. I used…read moreto be an early childhood educator and this program checks all the right boxes and then some. Science Labs for the kids? Reggio inspired? Yes, Please! So why the bum review? Knowing how important early child education is, I toured schools early and Caltech was at the top of my list. I applied when I was pregnant (about 4 years ago on the dot) to be on their community wait list...it came with an application fee (which they were quick to cash). The woman who toured us was honest about a wait list for the community but did not allude to a 4 year wait. I checked all boxes of interest from part time to full time to half day. Any opening we would have gladly taken. Sour grapes? Maybe. But the kicker is these damn emails they send out basically looking to whittle down their wait list. If you don't respond, they will take you off. They also state that they will not answer any information about positioning on the wait list. I have called the school about three times over the past three years and once I was put on hold, once I was told to call back to speak to someone else and third I left a message and no return call. Application fees to some may be no small potatoes. But looking for schools, they add up. I have come across a couple schools that were very direct with their wait list time frame and availability (Calvary Preschool in South Pasadena comes to mind). The Children's Center needs to just be able to clearly state that there is little to no room for community member and NOT take their money. Oh wait...that may go against an agreement that they made with the community when they expanded.