I really wish reaching out to the district was worth it but sadly it isn't. They have zero interest…read morein what goes in their schools. The way some teachers treat students is alarming but since they aren't there to witness it there's nothing they will do. As a whole the leadership and district at these "prestigious" Irvine schools is very disappointing. You're lucky if you get a call back from someone here.

Just look at the reviews for this office. Dose not answer phones. When you you do get to talk to…read morethe receptionist they are unhelpful. Doesn't have any idea of what or where or who. Not friendly at all, hurry to get you of the phone "I don't know, I don't have any information". Then why have a contact or phone number at all if they just tell you to find email by yourself. Horrible horrible. The schools can be good if you keep up with the program. Anything you have questions about is most likely going to be through email but never responsive. Please DO BETTER!

Good morning/afternoon/evening my good readers, Today we…read moreface the final review of well-known University High-school, which I know you have all been waiting for because of the significance of it. From the pristine art on the walls to the treacherous steep hills, there are many goods and bads to write about. To start, our arrival: "It's a school," one student explained to me, with not many strong feelings. Perhaps they didn't admire the money that went into creating this, what some people might call glorious, school? Or they had no idea of the danger ahead... We blew dandelions for a while, which were luckily in abundance. We hoped for good luck in our marching which we would perform in just an hour. Trees around the parking lot shaded us and added to the beautiful view, which was created with pink and blue contrasting colors and a tiny moon. This was especially cherished during the moment before we stepped onto the field, with a crow flying gracefully through the high sky. The most terrible element of our time at this school was the hill. This hill which brought immense struggle and buckets of sweat. With this addition to our problems the ending amount of stars could in no way be five or even four. Waiting for food was a different struggle, instead of something of the school fighting against us in our venture back to the buses (the hill), we were instead found with the pain of waiting. Signage was minimal and people were forced to yelling at others about where to go. "People aren't picking up their food," a person at a food stand told us. There also definitely should have been a sign towards the restrooms as well. Thank you for taking time out of your day to thoroughly read this review, ultimately making yourself more knowledgeable of the true marching band ways. Dearest, marching band pro performers

I would not recommend attending this school, especially if you come from a difficult or emotionally…read moreunstable home environment. In my experience, it was not an easy place to survive. Looking back, I believe I would have been happier at Woodbridge or Irvine High, where I likely could have earned higher grades and reduced the extreme stress of constantly studying until 3:00 AM while still feeling unable to keep up. Without tutoring or outside academic support, I often felt like I was on my own. There was very little individualized help available to bridge the gap between what students were expected to do and what was actually taught. When students needed concepts explained from the beginning, it sometimes felt like their questions were treated as frustrating rather than as a normal part of learning. If your main goal is maximizing your GPA and chances at highly selective colleges, I would carefully consider whether this environment is the right fit. Many students assume that attending a highly competitive school automatically provides an advantage in admissions, but a rigorous environment does not always lead to better outcomes if strict grading makes maintaining a strong GPA significantly harder. Students who might have earned mostly A's elsewhere may receive lower grades here. Another challenge was that students were often expected to perform advanced analysis without enough instruction. In English classes, we were sometimes expected to analyze entire literary works and identify themes, symbolism, and deeper meanings after limited explanation of the concepts. For students who had never been taught literary analysis before, it could feel like being asked to produce advanced work without first being given the foundation to succeed. While independent thinking is valuable, students still need guidance, examples, and support before being expected to analyze complex material at a high level. The expectation to "figure it out" with limited instruction made learning especially difficult for students adjusting to advanced academic English. This was also challenging for students from different educational backgrounds. Some students grew up in households where English was not the primary language, where parents could not help with English reading and writing, or where they had less exposure to English books and academic support growing up. Even bilingual students can struggle with advanced academic English because speaking a language does not always mean having the same comfort with complex writing and analysis. The combination of difficult coursework and the bell curve grading system sometimes made it feel like success depended heavily on prior exposure, outside support, or the ability to independently figure out advanced concepts. The environment could feel less like students were supported individually and more like they were competing against each other. Many teachers were very strict and unforgiving, with little understanding of challenges students faced outside of school. It often felt like the focus was on maintaining the bell curve and creating difficult exams, sometimes covering material beyond what was explicitly taught. Some students could feel overlooked or discouraged, while the highest-performing students received the most recognition. In my experience, some AP and Honors teachers were also unsupportive, and there were moments when students were embarrassed or called out in front of the class rather than being guided privately. There was very little patience for students who did not understand something the first time, and the pace often felt too fast for students who needed more explanation. There were also situations that felt unnecessarily humiliating. For example, there was a time when a teacher believed they had caught students cheating and angrily accused them in front of the entire class before fully confirming what happened. Even if there had been cheating, I believe it should have been handled privately and professionally rather than through public humiliation. In a high-pressure environment where students compete for grades, public accusations can have lasting effects because classmates may form judgments without knowing the full story. For students dealing with difficult situations at home, asking for help was not always simple. It can be hard to open up when you are unsure whether others will understand or whether sharing personal struggles will actually lead to meaningful support. Some students may feel like they have to silently manage their challenges while still meeting the same academic expectations. The one positive I took away was that the school pushed me to develop strong critical-thinking skills. It taught me to analyze concepts from different perspectives, question assumptions, & think more deeply about ideas, which helped shape the way I view the world and approach complex topics later in life. However, the emotional cost and stress were not worth the practical benefits.

I come here for after-hours open-play pickleball…read more Likes: + After hours, the scene is quiet and peaceful. + Numerous pball courts. + Plenty of parking. + Other visitors come here for quiet, peaceful dog walks and private exercise. Non-likes: - The pickleball courts are terrible quality. Confusing kitchen lines, unsecure nets, nets set at incorrect heights, no boundaries to prevent ball-on interferences, if you lose the ball, you have to run all the way to the grass to get it.

Terrible school do not recommend. My son witnesses a lot of inappropriate behavior. He got his…read morephone taken away when he putting it away. Overall i am extremely dissatisfied.

My daughter has been struggling her whole life in school and we finally get her into Mardan School…read moreand she's having an amazing time. She's finally getting the support she needs and the education she deserves thank you to her teachers Mr. John and Mr. Zack thank you so much erin! You are so kind and helpful. Thank you Bonnie for everything thing you do thank you so much

I can't say enough about how amazing Mardan is. This school and the staff forever changed my sons…read morelife. Prior to coming here , he hated school , had a ton of behavioral issues and was so unhappy and school was just awful for him. We have been here for 4 years now. He loves school , he's thriving and it's absolutely remarkable to see how much he's changed and grown. The staff is amazing and I'll forever be grateful to have found this school. They truly do care about our children and they go above and beyond every day to make this environment a positive one for my son. I highly recommend Mardan if you're needing an alternative to public school , especially for children with special needs.

Most of the negative reviews reflect the chaos of school politics. It doesn't really reflect the…read moreteachers' hard work and students' lives in the past year. I don't really write Yelp reviews often, but I feel I need to share my point of view for my son's first year at this school. I don't want to see teachers' hard work and devotion to be erased by all these negative reviews. This new school does not have a lot of resources like Irvine Unified School District. The facilities at the campus are out of date and the campus is leased from IUSD. The faculty has been trying hard to maintain the school facilities, but it is very challenging. - 2 of 5 star I have been volunteering at my son's classes in the past two semesters, and both English and Mandarin teachers from the 2nd Grade are very passionate about teaching and helping our children. I have heard a similar compliment for all other teachers at different grades. The school only has one PE teacher, who is working hard and carrying a lot of responsibilities for all the kids at school- 4 of 5 star The communication channels between teachers and parents are very clear. Teachers will quickly respond and answer questions or concerns from the parents. - 5 of 5 star Before enrolling at IIA last year, my son has no knowledge about Chinese handwriting. As now, at the end of his 2nd semester, he can do both reading and writing more than 117 Chinese characters. For reference, attached are words he has learned so far. - 5 of 5 star Some parents have questions about the on-site after-school program. From my observation in the past two semesters, my son was able to complete his homework at school, attending enrichment class for music and art, and playing with his friends after school. My son always asked me to pick him up last so that he can spend more time at school. - 4 of 5 star To sum up, my wife and I feel very fortunate that our son has this opportunity to learn both English and Mandarin at the same time without sacrificing our weekend attending Chinese school. Everyday when we dropped our son to school, he always rolls his backpack with lightening speed and runs to the teacher. We can tell our son really enjoys his first year at IIA. This is a tuition free charter school, not a 5 star Private school. This school requires a lot of parents to involve and help. This is a new school starting with a bumpy start. We all hope one day the school board and parents can come to an agreement one day so the teachers/students in between will not be sacrificed.

Mastering the language is the best key to start learn a culture of country…read more We are so touched that the school and teachers have done so much to make our children happy every day.

The teacher this school is very good except for some of them,there are specific teachers that likes…read moreto make inappropriate jokes with students and race is still a problem in the school,I hope they could have done a better job on that.

i am student of venado as 7th grader, i say there are amazing teachers, they are not that strict…read morethe reason they get strict because students isnt behaving well, we got so many activity and field trips i love that school, they even got delicious lunch, every ball is there, PE is so fun you can enjoy there, infact the lunch is long and fun. The School IS AWESOME!!

Here, students always come first. The tutors are amazing, patient, and truly care about every…read morestudent's success. Highly recommend!

My son is studying HS English here this summer. He likes the teacher and class very much. The…read moreenvironment is very friendly and the stuff here are very nice and helpfu!

Director Jennifer Ahn and teachers at Jen's learning center teach children with love…read more And they are sooooo kind! My son has been studying here for almost two years. During Pandemic, He had online classes, and I was very satisfied with the new workbooks. I already recommended this center to my friends p.s. Thank you Hannah ! Joon enjoys studying with you very much.

My kids have been attending this learning center for the past 2 years and my wife and I love it…read more The center recently went through rebranding and enhanced their curriculum. It is definitely more advanced but my kids are loving the new challenge. I really appreciate all your help for my kids. Thank you!