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2023 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

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1. #1 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

   • Online School•

   • San Diego Unified School District, CA•

   • K-12

   • •

     Rating 4.25 out of 5  44 reviews

   Senior: Mt. Everest Academy is an exceptional school that offers a unique learning experience for each student. The teachers and faculty at Mt. Everest are very caring and truly look out for the students best interest. Being that Mt. Everest Academy is an alternative, independent study school, working in that environment provides the students with better time management and communication skills than at your typical high school. In a way you get that college experience of having different classes on different days and times; having to balance your class time, homework, and extracurricular schedules is all a part of it. That might seem intimidating to some but fortunately you still have the guidance and help from teachers and counselor who will help you make the best decisions for your goals and needs. At Mt. Everest Academy, you have the opportunity to make a connection with each of your teachers, which adds to the overall experience. Enroll at Mt. Everest Academy, you won’t regret it!… Read 44 reviews

   #1 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

   Mt. Everest Academy

   Online School,

   San Diego Unified School District, CA,

   K-12,

   44 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars.

   Featured Review: Senior says Mt. Everest Academy is an exceptional school that offers a unique learning experience for each student. The teachers and faculty at Mt. Everest are very caring and truly look out for the students….

   Read 44 reviews.

   Overall Niche Grade: A+,

   Students: 291,

   Student-Teacher Ratio: 24 to 1,

2. #2 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

   • Granada Hills, CA•

   • Public School•

   • PK, K-12

   • •

     Rating 4. 05 out of 5  1,454 reviews

   Junior: This is my third year at Granada and overall, I think it’s a pretty great school! I think Granada does a good job at preparing students for college by providing lots of AP classes, and most teachers here are very good! Students here also have a lot of resources, such as weekly scholarship newsletters, a wellness center, and fun activities here and there like a “Fun Zone” during finals week. However, I will say that the environment at Granada can be a little intense at times. Granada places so much emphasis on college and academics that sometimes it’s overwhelming, and it’s hard to have high self-esteem here. Because of this, we do not really have much school spirit, which is something I wish we had more of…. Read 1,454 reviews

   #2 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

   Granada Hills Charter

   Blue checkmark.

   Public School,

   GRANADA HILLS, CA,

   PK, K-12,

   1454 Niche users give it an average review of 4. 1 stars.

   Featured Review: Junior says This is my third year at Granada and overall, I think it’s a pretty great school! I think Granada does a good job at preparing students for college by providing lots of AP classes, and most teachers….

   Read 1454 reviews.

   Overall Niche Grade: A+,

   Students: 5,462,

   Student-Teacher Ratio: 26 to 1,

   View nearby homes Virtual tour

3. #3 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

   Middle School Student: Great Teachers! Smart and competitive students. My main critique is about diversity, the school works hard on it but it is really not possible. Also if you are not very left-wing you will be destroyed by unsupportive peers and some teachers. There is literally borderline propaganda on the walls that includes fighting against those who think differently, defunding government organizations, and fighting the government. Some are supportive but if you don’t think like others don’t say anything. … Read 5 reviews

   #3 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

   Woodside Elementary School

   Public School,

   WOODSIDE, CA,

   K-8,

   5 Niche users give it an average review of 4.2 stars.

   Featured Review: Middle School Student says Great Teachers! Smart and competitive students. My main critique is about diversity, the school works hard on it but it is really not possible. Also if you are not very left-wing you will be….

   Read 5 reviews.

   Overall Niche Grade: A+,

   Students: 368,

   Student-Teacher Ratio: 11 to 1,

5. #4 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

   • Palo Alto Unified School District, CA•

   • K-5

   • •

     Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

   #4 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

   Duveneck Elementary School

   Blue checkmark.

   Palo Alto Unified School District, CA,

   K-5,

   2 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

   Read 2 reviews.

   Overall Niche Grade: A+,

   Students: 340,

   Student-Teacher Ratio: 17 to 1,

6. #5 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

   • La Canada Unified School District, CA•

   • K-6

   • •

     Rating 4.67 out of 5  3 reviews

   Parent: We have two kids that attend this school. One of which went to a charter school prior, which had some strengths, but can’t come close to what this school does. There is a reason this school always places at the top of Los Angeles County. Not Los Angeles “Area”…. county. The teachers are fully engaged, experienced, smart and care. The schools runs incredibly well. The level of detail to educate each child on an individual basis is incredible. We wake up everyday feeling blessed to be a part of Palm Crest and it’s community. Lastly, the parent involvement is a huge part of it’s success too…. Read 3 reviews

   #5 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

   Palm Crest Elementary School

   Blue checkmark.

   La Canada Unified School District, CA,

   K-6,

   3 Niche users give it an average review of 4.7 stars.

   Featured Review: Parent says We have two kids that attend this school. One of which went to a charter school prior, which had some strengths, but can’t come close to what this school does. There is a reason this school always….

   Read 3 reviews.

   Overall Niche Grade: A+,

   Students: 620,

   Student-Teacher Ratio: 23 to 1,

7. #6 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

   • Palo Alto Unified School District, CA•

   • K-5

   • •

     Rating 3.5 out of 5  2 reviews

   Alum: Nixon was an amazing school. The teachers were extremely patient and assigned creative and meaningful assignments. I remember writing a journal as someone in the gold rush in 4th grade and doing book reports opened me to fascinating books and genres I wouldn’t have initially read. … Read 2 reviews

   #6 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

   Lucille M. Nixon Elementary School

   Blue checkmark.

   Palo Alto Unified School District, CA,

   K-5,

   2 Niche users give it an average review of 3.5 stars.

   Featured Review: Alum says Nixon was an amazing school. The teachers were extremely patient and assigned creative and meaningful assignments. I remember writing a journal as someone in the gold rush in 4th grade and doing book….

   Read 2 reviews.

   Overall Niche Grade: A+,

   Students: 359,

   Student-Teacher Ratio: 18 to 1,

8. #7 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

   • La Canada Unified School District, CA•

   • K-6

   • •

     Rating 3.75 out of 5  4 reviews

   Niche User: The teachers were kind and understanding and they are managing the pandemic well. The food was definitely not the best but it was adequate. … Read 4 reviews

   #7 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

   La Canada Elementary School

   Blue checkmark.

   La Canada Unified School District, CA,

   K-6,

   4 Niche users give it an average review of 3.8 stars.

   Featured Review: Niche User says The teachers were kind and understanding and they are managing the pandemic well. The food was definitely not the best but it was adequate..

   Read 4 reviews.

   Overall Niche Grade: A+,

   Students: 622,

   Student-Teacher Ratio: 23 to 1,

9. #8 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

   #8 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

   Walter Hays Elementary School

   Blue checkmark.

   Palo Alto Unified School District, CA,

   K-5,

   Overall Niche Grade: A+,

   Students: 259,

   Student-Teacher Ratio: 17 to 1,

10. #9 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    #9 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    Paradise Canyon Elementary School

    Blue checkmark.

    La Canada Unified School District, CA,

    K-6,

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 680,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 23 to 1,

12. #10 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    Middle School Student: Great school, I go there and I love it so much! There are a lot of different things you can do but I love how it also teaches me mandarin and it also is super strong on math and English even though its half Chinese!… Read 2 reviews

    #10 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    Yu Ming Charter School

    Blue checkmark.

    Public School,

    OAKLAND, CA,

    K-8,

    2 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

    Featured Review: Middle School Student says Great school, I go there and I love it so much! There are a lot of different things you can do but I love how it also teaches me mandarin and it also is super strong on math and English even though….

    Read 2 reviews.

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 555,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 19 to 1,

13. #11 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    • San Marino Unified School District, CA•

    • K-5

    • •

      Rating 4.22 out of 5  9 reviews

    Parent: My two kids love Valentine Elementary School for their caring teachers, staff, and close-knit community that prioritizes education. Aside from superior academics, my children experienced engaging activities that can only be found in the San Marino community. For the past two years, my kids also benefited from a comprehensive COVID safety program that included robust testing, increased cleaning, air purification, and more. Most importantly, the friendships and connections that my children and us (as parents) have made through the School is what makes this the best environment to raise our kids. Valentine School and San Marino Unified School District are the best!. .. Read 9 reviews

    #11 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    Valentine Elementary School

    Blue checkmark.

    San Marino Unified School District, CA,

    K-5,

    9 Niche users give it an average review of 4.2 stars.

    Featured Review: Parent says My two kids love Valentine Elementary School for their caring teachers, staff, and close-knit community that prioritizes education. Aside from superior academics, my children experienced engaging….

    Read 9 reviews.

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 609,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 22 to 1,

14. #12 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    • Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, CA•

    • K-5

    • •

      Rating 4.88 out of 5  8 reviews

    Niche User: Going to Point Vicnete was very well. I started in 1st grade and had the amazing principal Becky Cash. Although she unfortunately left in 3rd grade, our new principal Beth Hadley wasn’t all bad. Although she will never be as good as Ms Cash. 4th grade will most likely be the worst year because Mrs Soto is very rude. I do not know about Mrs Wang because she recently got the job. 1st 2nd and 3rd grade was AMAZING with some of the best teachers I have seen (I’m a sophomore at Peninsula) 5th grade was okay, as Outdoor Science School was amazing. Hope I helped make up your mind on a elementary school :)… Read 8 reviews

    #12 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    Point Vicente Elementary School

    Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, CA,

    K-5,

    8 Niche users give it an average review of 4.9 stars.

    Featured Review: Niche User says Going to Point Vicnete was very well. I started in 1st grade and had the amazing principal Becky Cash. Although she unfortunately left in 3rd grade, our new principal Beth Hadley wasn’t all bad…..

    Read 8 reviews.

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 296,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 17 to 1,

15. #13 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    • San Marino Unified School District, CA•

    • PK, K-5

    • •

      Rating 4. 75 out of 5  4 reviews

    Parent: We love Carver! Our children love going to school. Expect to contribute to the school’s foundation and PTA. It is still more affordable than private school…. Read 4 reviews

    #13 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    Carver Elementary School

    Blue checkmark.

    San Marino Unified School District, CA,

    PK, K-5,

    4 Niche users give it an average review of 4.8 stars.

    Featured Review: Parent says We love Carver! Our children love going to school. Expect to contribute to the school’s foundation and PTA. It is still more affordable than private school..

    Read 4 reviews.

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 595,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 21 to 1,

16. #14 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    • Palo Alto Unified School District, CA•

    • K-5

    • •

      Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

    Middle School Student: A different experience from other schools, Ohlone is a very unique place. From combining grades to numerous trips, Ohlone is a very hands on school that has improved my social learning Although the academics could be more strict this is a good school…. Read 1 review

    #14 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    Ohlone Elementary School

    Blue checkmark.

    Palo Alto Unified School District, CA,

    K-5,

    1 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars.

    Featured Review: Middle School Student says A different experience from other schools, Ohlone is a very unique place. From combining grades to numerous trips, Ohlone is a very hands on school that has improved my social learning Although the….

    Read 1 reviews.

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 438,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 18 to 1,

17. #15 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    • Palo Alto Unified School District, CA•

    • K-5

    • •

      Rating 4.33 out of 5  3 reviews

    Parent: We love Fairmeadow Elementary school at all levels, ecademic balance, diversity, social and emotional growth of our child. Our son is in grade 1 and he loves reading, math, science, soccer and tops it all he loves to play and socialize. Thanks to the administration, teachers & parents to make this school so precious where childrens can thrive. I will end my review with saying “it takes a village to raise a child”… Read 3 reviews

    #15 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    Fairmeadow Elementary School

    Blue checkmark.

    Palo Alto Unified School District, CA,

    K-5,

    3 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars.

    Featured Review: Parent says We love Fairmeadow Elementary school at all levels, ecademic balance, diversity, social and emotional growth of our child. Our son is in grade 1 and he loves reading, math, science, soccer and tops….

    Read 3 reviews.

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 360,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 18 to 1,

18. #16 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    • Santa Barbara, CA•

    • Public School•

    • K-6

    #16 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    Montecito Union

    Public School,

    SANTA BARBARA, CA,

    K-6,

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 374,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 11 to 1,

19. #17 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    • Poway Unified School District, CA•

    • K-5

    • •

      Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

    Works Here: Park Village is an excellent elementary school. The teachers ,staff and parents
    ( volunteers) work together to make learning a special experience for our students. The parent involvement PTA & foundation have provided support thru fundraising that has added Art, Music, Science and Physical education.
    Its a great place to work…. Read 2 reviews

    #17 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    Park Village Elementary School

    Poway Unified School District, CA,

    K-5,

    2 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

    Featured Review: Works Here says Park Village is an excellent elementary school. The teachers ,staff and parents ( volunteers) work together to make learning a special experience for our students. The parent involvement PTA & foundation have provided support thru fundraising that has added Art, Music, Science…Its a great place to work..

    Read 2 reviews.

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 550,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 20 to 1,

20. #18 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    • Palo Alto Unified School District, CA•

    • K-5

    • •

      Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

    Parent: I have a 3rd grader at this school. The teachers are caring, well-prepared, and dedicated. The students are eager to learn. The parents are friendly and involved. The staff is dedicated and helpful. The students learn a lot, with, it seems to me, particular focus on reading and writing, particularly on reading comprehension and writing structure. There is also a lot of focus on being good citizens being caring towards others, and anti-bullying messages. There is a lot of art and other extras, as well as a lot of after-school activities. I feel like my daughter is getting a well-rounded school experience. She is above grade in her work, and there is a group of similar kids which the teacher works hard to keep engaged and learning. I have been very happy with every grade of her education at Palo Verde…. Read 1 review

    #18 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    Palo Verde Elementary School

    Blue checkmark.

    Palo Alto Unified School District, CA,

    K-5,

    1 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

    Featured Review: Parent says I have a 3rd grader at this school. The teachers are caring, well-prepared, and dedicated. The students are eager to learn. The parents are friendly and involved. The staff is dedicated and….

    Read 1 reviews.

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 337,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 19 to 1,

21. #19 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    • Palo Alto Unified School District, CA•

    • K-5

    • •

      Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

    #19 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    Herbert Hoover Elementary School

    Blue checkmark.

    Palo Alto Unified School District, CA,

    K-5,

    1 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

    Read 1 reviews.

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 352,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 19 to 1,

22. #20 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    • South Pasadena Unified School District, CA•

    • K-5

    • •

      Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

    Parent: School is excellent and teachers really care about their students. The work load may seem a bit much at times, but kids hardly ever complain about it…. Read 1 review

    #20 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    Marengo Elementary School

    South Pasadena Unified School District, CA,

    K-5,

    1 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

    Featured Review: Parent says School is excellent and teachers really care about their students. The work load may seem a bit much at times, but kids hardly ever complain about it..

    Read 1 reviews.

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 749,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 24 to 1,

23. #21 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    • Palo Alto Unified School District, CA•

    • K-5

    • •

      Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

    Parent: Both of my children attend El Carmelo, and we absolutely love it. The rigorous academics, the social/emotional awareness with Project Cornerstone, the caring teachers and staff, the engaged parents and PTA. Truly a gem in South Palo Alto!… Read 2 reviews

    #21 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    El Carmelo Elementary School

    Blue checkmark.

    Palo Alto Unified School District, CA,

    K-5,

    2 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

    Featured Review: Parent says Both of my children attend El Carmelo, and we absolutely love it. The rigorous academics, the social/emotional awareness with Project Cornerstone, the caring teachers and staff, the engaged parents….

    Read 2 reviews.

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 295,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 16 to 1,

24. #22 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    • Irvine Unified School District, CA•

    • K-8

    • •

      Rating 4 out of 5  5 reviews

    Middle School Student: GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB!. .. Read 5 reviews

    #22 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    Vista Verde

    Blue checkmark.

    Irvine Unified School District, CA,

    K-8,

    5 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars.

    Featured Review: Middle School Student says GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB!….

    Read 5 reviews.

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 462,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 22 to 1,

25. Review your school

26. #23 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    • Laguna Beach Unified School District, CA•

    • K-5

    • •

      Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

    Alum: Amazing elementary school. Great teachers and the equivalent to a private school. Right near PCH with a large ocean view!. .. Read 1 review

    #23 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    El Morro Elementary School

    Blue checkmark.

    Laguna Beach Unified School District, CA,

    K-5,

    1 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

    Featured Review: Alum says Amazing elementary school. Great teachers and the equivalent to a private school. Right near PCH with a large ocean view!.

    Read 1 reviews.

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 423,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 18 to 1,

27. #24 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    #24 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    Addison Elementary School

    Blue checkmark.

    Palo Alto Unified School District, CA,

    K-5,

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 319,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 18 to 1,

28. #25 Best Public Elementary Schools in California

    • Poway Unified School District, CA•

    • K-5

    • •

      Rating 4. 5 out of 5  2 reviews

    Parent: Rolling hills elementary is a great small school in a great community. We are a fairly tight nit and family friendly community tucked away in the San Diego suburbs…. Read 2 reviews

    #25 Best Public Elementary Schools in California.

    Rolling Hills Elementary School

    Poway Unified School District, CA,

    K-5,

    2 Niche users give it an average review of 4.5 stars.

    Featured Review: Parent says Rolling hills elementary is a great small school in a great community. We are a fairly tight nit and family friendly community tucked away in the San Diego suburbs..

    Read 2 reviews.

    Overall Niche Grade: A+,

    Students: 419,

    Student-Teacher Ratio: 21 to 1,

29. Parent: Gateway’s academic approach strives to teach children to become self-motivated life-long learners with leadership skills. Gateway stresses good citizenship – social, ethical and emotional development alongside academic achievement.
    There is healthy amount of small-group projects, presentations in addition to standard individual curriculum.
    The curriculum provides solid core studies (language arts, math) with an emphasis on depth of understanding rather than test taking. Outdoor science, Technology, Spanish, Art and Music are all taught by specialist teachers.
    The social environment is very healthy by design. Supported by the administration and teachers, kids go out of their way to be inclusive and supportive to all their schoolmates. Conflict is dealt with as a learning experience.
    The biggest endorsement … my 5th grader really loves school and is growing into an engaging, mature, confident scholar. We are looking forward to Gateway Middle School!… Read 2 reviews

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Top 10 Best Public Schools in California (2022-23)

School (Math and Reading Proficiency)

Student Proficiency

Grades

Location

Rank: #1 – 21. – 2.

Science Academy Stem Magnet

Math: ≥99% | Reading: 98%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: ≥99% (Top 1%)

Reading: 98% (Top 1%)

Grades: 6-11

5525 Vineland Ave.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
(818) 753-4470

Rank: #1 – 21. – 2.

Whitney (Gretchen) High School

Math: 98% | Reading: ≥99%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 98% (Top 1%)

Reading: ≥99% (Top 1%)

Grades: 7-12

16800 Shoemaker Ave.
Cerritos, CA 90703
(562) 229-7745

Rank: #33.

Oxford Academy

Math: 96% | Reading: 98%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 96% (Top 1%)

Reading: 98% (Top 1%)

Grades: 7-12

5172 Orange Ave.
Cypress, CA 90630
(714) 220-3055

Rank: #44.

North Star Academy

Math: 96% | Reading: 96%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 96% (Top 1%)

Reading: 96% (Top 1%)

Grades: 3-8

400 Duane St.
Redwood City, CA 94062
(650) 482-2411

Rank: #55.

La Jolla Elementary School

Math: 95% | Reading: 97%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 95% (Top 1%)

Reading: 97% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-5

1111 Marine St.
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 454-7196

Rank: #66.

Petaluma Accelerated Charter

Charter School

Math: ≥95% | Reading: ≥95%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: ≥95% (Top 1%)

Reading: ≥95% (Top 1%)

Grades: 7-8

110 Ellis St.
Petaluma, CA 94952
(707) 778-4750

Rank: #77.

Elkhorn

Math: 94% | Reading: 97%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 94% (Top 1%)

Reading: 97% (Top 1%)

Grades: 4-8

10505 N. Davis Rd.
Stockton, CA 95209
(209) 953-8330

Rank: #88.

Manchester Gate

Math: 94% | Reading: 96%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 94% (Top 1%)

Reading: 96% (Top 1%)

Grades: 2-6

2307 E. Dakota Ave.
Fresno, CA 93726
(559) 248-7220

Rank: #99.

William Faria Elementary School

Math: 97% | Reading: 95%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 97% (Top 1%)

Reading: 95% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-5

10155 Barbara Ln.
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 252-0706

Rank: #10 – 1110. – 11.

Academy Of The Canyons

Math: 90-94% | Reading: ≥95%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Reading: ≥95% (Top 1%)

Grades: 9-12

26455 Rockwell Canyon Rd.
Valencia, CA 91355
(661) 362-3056

Rank: #10 – 1110. – 11.

Dr. Tj Owens Gilroy Early College Academy

Math: 90-94% | Reading: ≥95%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Reading: ≥95% (Top 1%)

Grades: 9-12

5055 Santa Teresa Blvd. Pb17
Gilroy, CA 95020
(408) 846-4909

Rank: #1212.

Yu Ming Charter

Charter School

Math: 94% | Reading: 94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 94% (Top 1%)

Reading: 94% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-8

1086 Alcatraz Ave.
Emeryville, CA 94608
(510) 452-2063

Rank: #13 – 1413. – 14.

Lynbrook High School

Math: 92% | Reading: 94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 92% (Top 1%)

Reading: 94% (Top 1%)

Grades: 9-12

1280 Johnson Ave.
San Jose, CA 95129
(408) 366-7700

Rank: #13 – 1413. – 14.

Mission San Jose High School

Math: 92% | Reading: 94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 92% (Top 1%)

Reading: 94% (Top 1%)

Grades: 9-12

41717 Palm Ave.
Fremont, CA 94539
(510) 657-3600

Rank: #15 – 1615. – 16.

California Academy Of Mathematics And Science

Math: ≥95% | Reading: 90-94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: ≥95% (Top 1%)

Reading: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Grades: 9-12

1000 E. Victoria St. Bldg. Sac
Carson, CA 90747
(310) 243-2025

Rank: #15 – 1615. – 16.

White Oaks Elementary School

Math: ≥95% | Reading: 90-94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: ≥95% (Top 1%)

Reading: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-3

1901 White Oak Way
San Carlos, CA 94070
(650) 508-7317

Rank: #17 – 1817. – 18.

Joaquin Miller Middle School

Math: 93% | Reading: 93%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 93% (Top 1%)

Reading: 93% (Top 1%)

Grades: 6-8

6151 Rainbow Dr.
San Jose, CA 95129
(408) 252-3755

Rank: #17 – 1817. – 18.

Murdock-portal Elementary School

Math: 93% | Reading: 93%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 93% (Top 1%)

Reading: 93% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-5

1188 Wunderlich Dr.
San Jose, CA 95129
(408) 973-8191

Rank: #19 – 2819. – 28.

Accelerated Achievement Academy

Math: 90-94% | Reading: 90-94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Reading: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Grades: 4-8

1151 Buena Vista Rd.
Hollister, CA 95023
(831) 636-4460

Rank: #19 – 2819. – 28.

Argonaut Elementary School

Math: 90-94% | Reading: 90-94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Reading: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-5

13200 Shadow Mountain Rd.
Saratoga, CA 95070
(408) 867-4773

Rank: #19 – 2819. – 28.

Carver Elementary School

Math: 92% | Reading: 92%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 92% (Top 1%)

Reading: 92% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-5

3100 Hntngtn Dr.
San Marino, CA 91108
(626) 299-7080

Rank: #19 – 2819. – 28.

Cold Spring Elementary School

Math: 90-94% | Reading: 90-94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Reading: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-6

2243 Sycamore Canyon Rd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93108
(805) 969-2678

Rank: #19 – 2819. – 28.

Hoover Elementary School

Math: 90-94% | Reading: 90-94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Reading: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-5

2220 Summit Dr.
Burlingame, CA 94010
(650) 259-3900

Rank: #19 – 2819. – 28.

Oak Avenue Elementary School

Math: 92% | Reading: 92%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 92% (Top 1%)

Reading: 92% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-6

1501 Oak Ave.
Los Altos, CA 94024
(650) 237-3900

Rank: #19 – 2819. – 28.

Opal Robinson Elementary School

Math: 90-94% | Reading: 90-94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Reading: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-5

80 Morningside Dr.
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 318-5120

Rank: #19 – 2819. – 28.

Roscomare Road Elementary School

Math: 90-94% | Reading: 90-94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Reading: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-5

2425 Roscomare Rd.
Los Angeles, CA 90077
(310) 472-9829

Rank: #19 – 2819. – 28.

Teach Elementary School

Math: 90-94% | Reading: 90-94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Reading: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Grades: 4-6

165 Grand Ave.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
(805) 596-4100

Rank: #19 – 2819. – 28.

Wildwood Elementary School

Math: 90-94% | Reading: 90-94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Reading: 90-94% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-5

301 Wildwood Ave.
Oakland, CA 94611
(510) 594-2780

Rank: #2929.

Valentine Elementary School

Math: 91% | Reading: 95%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 91% (Top 1%)

Reading: 95% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-5

1650 Hntngtn Dr.
San Marino, CA 91108
(626) 299-7090

Rank: #30 – 3130. – 31.

Canyon Charter Elementary School

Charter School

Math: 91% | Reading: 94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 91% (Top 1%)

Reading: 94% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-5

421 Entrada Dr.
Santa Monica, CA 90402
(310) 454-7510

Rank: #30 – 3130. – 31.

Pacific Rim Elementary School

Math: 91% | Reading: 94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 91% (Top 1%)

Reading: 94% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-5

1100 Camino De Las Ondas
Carlsbad, CA 92009
(760) 331-6200

Rank: #3232.

Riverside Stem Academy

Math: 90% | Reading: 94%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 90% (Top 1%)

Reading: 94% (Top 1%)

Grades: 5-12

4466 Mt.vernon Ave.
Riverside, CA 92507
(951) 788-7308

Rank: #3333.

William Hopkins Junior High School

Math: 91% | Reading: 92%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 91% (Top 1%)

Reading: 92% (Top 1%)

Grades: 7-8

600 Driscoll Rd.
Fremont, CA 94539
(510) 656-3500

Rank: #3434.

Jack L. Weaver Elementary School

Math: 92% | Reading: 91%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 92% (Top 1%)

Reading: 91% (Top 1%)

Grades: K-5

11872 Wembley Rd.
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
(562) 799-4580

Rank: #3535.

Saratoga High School

Math: 90% | Reading: 93%
Rank:

Top 1%

Add to Compare

Math: 90% (Top 1%)

Reading: 93% (Top 1%)

Grades: 9-12

20300 Herriman Ave.
Saratoga, CA 95070
(408) 867-3411

Show 100 more public schools in CA (out of 9,489 total schools)

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Selected years, fall 1980 through fall 2028

Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by level and grade: Selected years, fall 1980 through fall 2028

Table 203. 10.

Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by level and grade: Selected years, fall 1980 through fall 2028

1 Includes students reported as being enrolled in grade 13.

2 The prekindergarten, elementary total, and “all grades” counts include imputations for prekindergarten enrollment in California and Oregon.

3 The prekindergarten, elementary total, and “all grades” counts include imputations for prekindergarten enrollment in California.

NOTE: Due to changes in reporting and imputation practices, prekindergarten enrollment for years prior to 1992 represent an undercount compared to later years. The total ungraded counts of students were prorated to the elementary and secondary levels based on prior reports. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Statistics of Public Elementary and Secondary School Systems, 1980-81; Common Core of Data (CCD), “State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education,” 1985-86 through 2016-17; and National Elementary and Secondary Enrollment Projection Model, 1972 through 2028. (This table was prepared March 2019.)

Confidence in California public schools declines sharply

Confidence in California public schools has declined as voters and parents overwhelmingly have concluded that the quality of education worsened during the pandemic, according to a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.

Pollsters asked voters to give schools a letter-grade rating from A to F — essentially the same question asked of voters in a 2011 USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll. A decade ago, the results were interpreted as sobering; the numbers are worse now.

Statewide, about 21% of voters give the state’s public schools an A or B; in 2011 it was 27%. Meanwhile, D or F grades statewide rose 15 percentage points in the last decade, from 13% to 28%.

In the city of Los Angeles, 18% of voters give schools an A or B; about 1 in 3 voters give D or F marks to public schools. Comparable figures are not available for 2011.

“The decline is significant,” Mark DiCamillo, director of the IGS poll, who has surveyed voters in California for more than four decades. “It could be a long-term trend, but I would certainly think that the impact of COVID has probably contributed to it.”

As in 2011, voters still give their local schools higher marks on average than they give to schools statewide, but the gap has shrunk. Statewide, 35% of voters give an A or B to “the public schools attended by children who live in your neighborhood.”

The percentage in Los Angeles was 24%. Improving both the perception and reality of L.A schools is part of the agenda laid out in a “100-Day Plan” unveiled Thursday by new L.A. schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho.

The poll was administered online to 8,937 registered voters statewide in English and Spanish from Feb. 3 to Feb. 10. Funding for the poll was provided in part by The Times.

The poll shows no major political shift in attitudes toward teachers unions. Voters remain widely divided, especially along partisan lines, with Republicans and conservatives far more critical.

Overall, pluralities — but not majorities — agree that unions are too powerful, resist reforms that would improve schools and are too focused on the needs of teachers rather than the needs of students. But a larger plurality — 46% — agrees that unions “strive to help teachers succeed in a very tough profession. ” And opinions are almost evenly divided, within the margin of error, on the question of whether unions work to improve schools.

And, depending on the statement, about 20% to 30% stated they had no opinion at all — suggesting the issue was not so central to their personal political calculations.

On other school-related issues, the poll found:

• Solid support for free universal pre-kindergarten, even at significant cost to the state budget. By 67% to 25%, voters said they backed the plan to phase in the program for 4-year-olds by 2025.
• A close divide on the value of standardized testing, with 47% of voters saying that tests hurt public education, while 42% said they provide a benefit. On this question, a strong generational split emerged. The older the voters, the more likely they were to approve of standardized tests.
• In Los Angeles, where the issue of keeping or eliminating school police has been contentious, the poll found 41% favored having armed and uniformed police to patrol schools, while 34% preferred unarmed security personnel and 10% chose having no security personnel, with 15% having no opinion. Parents supported having police or other security personnel at a higher rate: 49% favoring armed police; 29% unarmed security and 7% neither.

On the decline in voters’ assessment of school quality, a big unknown is whether the shift from 10 years ago represents a long-term trend or a short-term reaction to the pandemic.

The pandemic clearly has played a role: 72% of voters said the quality of education has gotten worse “since the outbreak of the coronavirus,” including 40% who said much worse. With some variation, this assessment cut across all demographics. Among parents, for example, 67% said education had gotten worse.

“We had a lot of deficiencies beforehand, but now I feel that, with the excuse of the pandemic, everything has just worsened,” said Juanita Garcia, who has a grandson in high school in the L.A. Unified School District. “The quality of the education is lowering everywhere. The children aren’t receiving the type of education or the skills that they need. ”

“This is one of those issues where even large majorities of Democrats and Republicans agree,” pollster DiCamillo said.

Because the pandemic “took a huge toll” on everyone, the public’s worse perception of schools could simply be temporary and not indicative of a meaningful trend, said Kent Wong, director of the UCLA Labor Center, which conducts research on public education.

Eric Schickler, co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies, agreed that “some of this is likely to be temporary — to do with the pandemic disruptions.”

The broader findings of the poll indicated, however, “that there’s a kind of wider distrust, a wider sense of dissatisfaction,” he said.

In the past, because schools are locally controlled, he added, they’ve been less marked by a partisan divide. But that appears to be changing.

The grades given to schools are significantly lower among Republicans and strong conservatives than among Democrats.

Public education is likely to become a debated political issue in this election year. Petitions are circulating for November ballot measures that would permit parents to spend public education funding, via a voucher, on private schools. Another would limit the collective-bargaining rights of teachers and other employees. And local school board elections — which will include contests in Los Angeles — are expected to be more contentious.

Education is a traditional strong suit politically for Democrats, and those ballot measures could be a long shot in a liberal state like California. Republicans, however, have campaigned heavily on school issues in other states, such as Virginia, where public education themes were central to the GOP’s November gubernatorial win.

A widespread negative narrative about critical race theory is “probably filtering into how some Republicans and conservatives see their schools,” Schickler said. “The pandemic — and now these issues about what’s being taught — have kind of created the perfect storm in making schools more of a flashpoint. ”

A different California poll found voters giving the state’s schools higher marks. The PACE/USC Rossier poll asked voters to rate public schools since 2012. In its most recent annual survey in July, 38% of voters gave A or B grades to public schools and 51% gave A or B grades to their local public schools. Parents gave schools even higher marks.

At that point, “maybe we were still in a period of people sort of appreciating all the work that educators were doing,” said Julie Marsh, a professor of education policy at USC’s Rossier School of Education. “Potentially what we’re seeing now is fatigue in the duration of the pandemic and what it’s doing to schools.”

The recent polarizing politics around schools also are likely a factor, said Marsh, who was involved in the PACE/USC poll.

“I’m concerned about the eroding public trust we have in our public schools,” Marsh added. “I think we’re seeing that all over the country.”

Advocates who support voucher proposals hope to capitalize on that discontent.

“Parents are angrier than ever at how the K-12 system is operating, and it’s no surprise that there’s a revolt,” said Tommy Schultz, chief executive of American Federation for Children, who pointed to the recent school board recall in San Francisco.

“While ballot initiatives have historically had a losing track record for K-12 reforms, almost entirely due to the fact the unions can outspend and out-mobilize on election day, the tide may have turned,” he said.

One of the proposed voucher initiatives is spearheaded by disenchanted L.A. Unified parents, who fault teachers unions and district officials for what they regard as inadequate education during the pandemic.

Overall, parents continue to have a diversity of perspectives.

“The 2019 UTLA strike was when I first saw up close the importance of unions in looking out for students,” said Eagle Rock parent Carmel Levitan.

But Contra Costa County parent Ernest Falcon has concluded that teachers unions, especially during the pandemic, have advocated for policies that are detrimental to students.

“I do not think the California Teachers Assn. represents the interests of children,” said Falcon, an attorney who describes himself as a onetime Democratic campaign worker. “They aren’t making schools safer for themselves while harming the kids with their fear-driven advocacy.”

For the poll, a larger sample of L.A. registered voters — just over 2,100 — was collected so that the L.A.-specific results would be valid when examined outside the state sample. The margin of sampling error for the full L.A. sample is approximately 3 percentage points in either direction. The estimated margin of error for the statewide sample is 2 percentage points in either direction. A full description of the poll methodology is available on the IGS website.

Why Some California School Districts Are Changing How Students Earn Grades

EdSource

Carolyn Jones and John Fensterwald

Dec 6, 2021

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High school students participate in Art 1 at Oakland Technical High School in Oakland, Calif. , on Monday, May 1, 2017. (Alison Yin/EdSource)

Some of California’s largest school districts are trying an unconventional tactic to help students reengage in school after distance learning and boost their chances of acceptance into the state’s public colleges: by dropping D and F grades.

Los Angeles Unified, Oakland Unified, Sacramento City Unified, San Diego Unified and other districts are phasing out grades below a C for high school students. If a student fails a test or doesn’t complete their homework, they’ll be able to retake the test and get more time to turn in assignments.

The idea is to encourage students to learn the course material and not be derailed by a low grade that could potentially disqualify them from admission to the University of California and California State University. Students who don’t learn the material, pass the final exam or finish homework by the end of the semester would earn an “incomplete.”

“Our hope is that students begin to see school as a place of learning, where they can take risks and learn from mistakes, instead of a place of compliance,” said Nidya Baez, assistant principal at Fremont High in Oakland Unified. “Right now, we have a system where we give a million points for a million pieces of paper that students turn in, without much attention to what they’re actually learning.”

Although education reform advocates have been pushing for this for years, the pandemic offered an opportunity for districts to put it into action. With so many students languishing academically after a year of distance learning, districts see dropping D’s and F’s as a way to help students who were most affected by the pandemic, especially Black and Latino students and those from lower-income families.

But the move is also, potentially, a step toward an entirely different learning system, in which students are assessed by what they’ve learned, not how well they perform on tests on a given day or whether they turn in their homework on time. Known as competency — or mastery-based learning — the style has been a staple of some private and charter schools for years, and a goal for education reformers trying to overhaul the traditional high school system.

‘Instruction is what leads to learning. Not grading. They’re separate. That’s the problem — we have a disconnect between instruction, learning and grading.’H. Alix Gallagher, director of strategic partnerships, Policy Analysis for California Education

While traditional grading may have worked for previous generations, a competency-based system is better suited for the rapidly changing workplace of the future, said Devin Vodicka, former superintendent of Vista Unified in San Diego County and chief executive of the Learner-Centered Collaborative, a nonprofit that helps districts shift to competency-based learning.

“We need a system that gets beyond the institutional model and provides more meaningful feedback for students,” Vodicka said. “The future is going to require less focus on time and more focus on what we can do and contribute, and the quality of our performance. We need to prepare our students for this.”

At most high schools, grades are linked to time, and a grade reflects how well a student has performed on tests and homework by the end of a semester. Grades can open doors to advanced classes and are the primary component of college admissions, especially since universities like UC and CSU temporarily dropped standardized tests as part of the admissions criteria.

But they’re notoriously subjective. The state Education Code gives teachers the authority to issue grades, but it doesn’t specify how those grades should be determined. Some teachers grade on a curve, with only a set number of students earning A’s or B’s, while others are more lax.

An informal EdSource survey of about two dozen California teachers found that 57% rarely or never gave D’s and F’s. Only 7% said they did frequently.

“Grades are punitive and provide no information on standards mastery,” one teacher wrote. “I would love [grading] to be based on mastery of standards and … authentic feedback.”

But for some teachers, D’s and F’s play an important role in the classroom. They signal that a student did not learn the material and needs extra help. Dropping D’s and F’s doesn’t guarantee that students will learn the material, even with extra help, and may lead to grade inflation, said Debora Rinehart, a math and science teacher at St. Theresa School, a Catholic school in Oakland.

“I will work with any student before or after school or even on the weekend to help them learn. However, I will never lie about their knowledge level,” she said. “Not reporting D’s and F’s is the equivalent of lying about a student’s progress.”

But the vast difference in teachers’ grading styles has resulted in a system where grades are nearly useless as an indicator of students’ abilities, said H. Alix Gallagher, director of strategic partnerships at Policy Analysis for California Education.

“What does a grade mean? It’s a mix of things, and it’s different from teacher to teacher. It can actually be radically different,” she said. “As it’s practiced now, grading is idiosyncratic, and that’s not a good thing.”

Too often, she said, grades take on outsized importance for students, and those who get D’s or F’s become discouraged or disengage even further, never learning the material they missed to begin with.

“Instruction is what leads to learning. Not grading. They’re separate. That’s the problem — we have a disconnect between instruction, learning and grading,” she said.

Patricia Russell is the chief learning officer at the Mastery Transcript Consortium, a nonprofit that advises school districts and colleges on alternatives to grades. Interest in the topic has been soaring, she said. In the three years since the group started, membership has increased from four districts to more than two dozen nationwide.

For college applications, Russell’s group encourages students to submit a portfolio that includes essays, tests with high scores, videos showing oral presentations, lab projects or other items that showcase a student’s best work.

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The idea is to show colleges evidence of what a student can actually do, not a teacher’s interpretation based on a limited grading scale.

“We’re talking about people who are very young, and labeling them at such an early age as ‘less than’ or ‘more than’ can have significant psychological repercussions,” Russell said. “Some things in life are zero-sum games, but learning should not be.”

Two large school improvement networks, supported by foundations, have made reexamining grading policies a priority.

Laura Schwalm, a retired superintendent of Garden Grove Unified who is now chief of staff of California Education Partners, said the aim is a grading system that puts students on track for admission to the UC and CSU, as well as trade schools.

“Graduating with a D, in career and technology courses, too, leaves students with few choices,” she said. “No one is saying water down grades. This is about giving support, not lowering standards, and looking for simple ways to make grading more fair, to give kids a fighting chance and to measure what students know with multiple opportunities to show that.”

Lynn Rocha-Salazar, a former principal in Fresno Unified who is now CORE Districts’ senior improvement coach, said the work on grading preceded COVID-19, but the pandemic underscored the need for it.

“Those who had not been well served were penalized the most … so now is a time to examine grading practices to see the harm that was done,” she said.

Lindsay Unified, in rural Tulare County, has been moving toward a competency-based system for several years, and results are promising. Students at Lindsay High School, nearly all of whom are Latino and come from lower-income families, scored higher than the state average among all student groups on math and English language arts tests, as well as in college and career readiness, according to the 2019 California School Dashboard.

In Oakland, high schools are moving gradually toward a new system of assessment that doesn’t include D’s and F’s. Baez, the assistant principal at Fremont High, said the change will not happen overnight. Parents, students and especially teachers need time to understand what’s expected of them, and they must “buy in” to the change, she said.

“It has to be a cultural shift at the school. You have to build trust because we’re really rebuilding an entire system,” Baez said. “It will be a lot of work, but it’s important we do this because traditional grades benefit some kids, but they don’t help everyone.”

This story originally appeared in EdSource.

California schools: Equity becomes flashpoint

Equity.

That’s one of the buzzwords that will likely dominate conversation in California’s capitol next month, when state lawmakers return to Sacramento to consider, among other things, possible legislation to remove the personal belief exemption from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s student COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Stressed school leaders have mixed feelings about that, with some warning it could push thousands of kids — disproportionately from underserved communities — out of the classroom and into remote learning, widening an educational achievement gap that only grew during the pandemic.

That it could take a while for many students to bounce back from remote learning was evident in a wrenching Washington Post profile of three students at Burton High School in San Francisco. Am’Brianna Daniels, a senior who describes high school as her ticket to college and college as her ticket out of poverty, is struggling to keep up with her workload after the disruption and depression she experienced during nearly two years of online learning. Despite dropping two of her advanced placement classes, she says she’s still “so far behind on work, missing assignments everywhere.”

Some of California’s largest school districts — including Los Angeles Unified, Oakland Unified, San Diego Unified and Sacramento City Unified — are launching a new strategy to improve high schoolers’ chances of getting into the UC and CSU systems after the roller coaster of remote learning, EdSource reports. The plan: Drop D and F grades and promote a style of education called mastery-based learning.

• Patricia Russell, who leads the Mastery Transcript Consortium: “We’re talking about people who are very young, and labeling them at such an early age as ‘less than’ or ‘more than’ can have significant psychological repercussions. ”
• Debora Rinehart, a math and science teacher at St. Theresa School in Oakland: “I will work with any student before or after school or even on the weekend to help them learn. However, I will never lie about their knowledge level. Not reporting Ds and Fs is the equivalent of lying about a student’s progress.”

It’s a debate similar to the one surrounding California’s controversial new math framework, which proposes — among other things — delaying Algebra 1 until 9th grade to lower the number of Black, Latino and low-income students failing the class in 8th grade. San Francisco Unified has had the policy in place since 2014, and although the district says it’s resulted in fewer students across all demographics failing Algebra 1, CalMatters’ Joe Hong found that standardized test data paints a more complicated picture.

For example, at O’Connell High School — which enrolled the highest percentage of Black students among the district’s comprehensive high schools in the 2018-19 school year — just 6% of Black students met math standards in the 2014-15 school year. That dropped to 0% in 2018-19.

The UC last month said it will no longer require any standardized tests in its admissions process, noting that exams like the SAT and ACT may give a leg up to wealthier students whose families can afford pricey test preparation. But, as Joe reports, some San Francisco Unified families are paying for extra math classes so their kids can take AP Calculus by senior year and potentially have a better chance of getting into the college of their choice.

• Rex Ridgeway, whose granddaughter attends Lincoln High in San Francisco: “I had her take Algebra 1 over the summer so she could master it when she took it again with Geometry. A lot of Black families don’t have the resources to do what I did.”

The coronavirus bottom line: As of Saturday, California had 4,822,889 confirmed cases (+0.2% from previous day) and 74,046 deaths (+0. 2% from previous day), according to state data. CalMatters is also tracking coronavirus hospitalizations by county.

California has administered 59,643,525 vaccine doses, and 68.4% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated.

Other stories you should know

1. State, nursing homes embroiled in lawsuits

Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters; iStock

Maggots crawling around an elderly man’s feeding tube. A mentally impaired woman being sexually assaulted by another patient. A resident repeatedly stabbing himself in the neck. A resident choking on a medicine cup. These are among the alleged lapses in patient care for which the California Department of Public Health has cited and fined a Los Angeles nursing home in the past four years — prompting the Longwood Manor Convalescent Home to sue the state four times in the past 18 months to overturn the fines and violations, according to an investigation from CalMatters’ Barbara Feder Ostrov. The Longwood case illuminates California’s unusual requirement that nursing homes seeking to challenge citations must do so by suing in civil court — a lengthy and costly process that advocates say incentivizes the state to settle lawsuits, allows nursing homes to avoid the steepest penalties and fails to protect patients.

Among the key findings of Barbara’s investigation:

• California has issued more than 3,000 nursing home citations since 2016 — and reduced sanctions in more than 600 of those cases.
• During the same period, nursing homes filed at least 433 appeals against the state, including more than 60% of citations involving a patient death.
• Between 2016 and 2020, California downgraded and reduced fines of 14 of 45 citations involving a resident’s death after nursing homes sued.
• About 25% of the roughly $23.3 million in fines California has levied on skilled nursing facilities since 2016 remains unpaid.

2. California COVID update

Health workers prepare syringes with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at St. Rose hospital in Hayward on Jan. 27, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

The omicron variant continues to make its way through California: On Friday, Alameda County public health officers confirmed its presence in five of 12 residents who tested positive for COVID-19 in the wake of a late November wedding in Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Marin County health officers are considering levying a fine or misdemeanor charges against a couple who knowingly sent their COVID-positive child and sibling to school, resulting in an outbreak that infected eight kids and forced another 75 to quarantine. And COVID is running so rampant in San Diego County jails that the sheriff’s department recently ordered a systemwide lockdown, citing 125 new cases in the past week and two inmate deaths potentially caused by the outbreak.

The news comes amid an ongoing battle over vaccine mandates: A federal appeals court on Saturday lifted its temporary ban on San Diego Unified’s student vaccine mandate, the result of the school district removing a clause that prompted the temporary block. And on Friday, a superior court judge denied the Los Angeles Fire Department union’s request to delay enforcement of the city’s vaccine mandate, meaning that roughly 400 unvaccinated firefighters could be put on unpaid leave by the end of the month. In San Diego, at least 160 unvaccinated police officers risk termination; meanwhile, more than three dozen health care workers sued Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, alleging the medical center didn’t thoroughly consider their applications for religious exemptions. And some Contra Costa County supervisors are pledging to reverse their own health department’s decision to not crack down on restaurants that allegedly aren’t verifying customers’ vaccination status.

• Supervisor Karen Mitchoff: “I can assure you that we are not slacking off on citations. Citations that need to be made will be made.”

3. Crime poses political conundrum

Newsom, left, and Attorney General Bonta, right, at International Hotel Manilatown Center on March 24, 2021 in San Francisco. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Friday the sentencing of five defendants arrested in September 2020 for scheming to resell millions of dollars worth of goods stolen from Target, CVS, Walgreens and other stores — but that’s unlikely to placate prosecutors and business owners who say California needs tougher retail theft laws. Case in point: Republican lawyer Thomas Hiltachk recently filed a proposed ballot measure that would require anyone convicted two or more times for “brazen retail theft, auto theft, porch piracy, and other similar crimes” to be incarcerated for up to one year, “no exceptions, no excuses.” Meanwhile, crime continues to dominate the headlines: A San Francisco Chronicle photographer was robbed at gunpoint Friday while on assignment in West Oakland; men stole two diamond Rolex watches, an iPhone and at least $2,000 in cash in a Friday morning follow-home robbery in Valley Village; a San Francisco Safeway has installed security gates and other physical barriers to deter shoplifting; and Torrance police this weekend warned the public to watch out for robbers posing as landscapers or gardeners who appear to be targeting Asian American homeowners.

In other criminal justice news, the influential but little-known Committee on Revision of the Penal Code — which recently saw Newsom sign six of its proposals into law — has issued a new report calling on California to abolish the death penalty and characterizing its capital punishment system as “beyond repair.” The committee also recommended that Bonta reduce some inmates’ death sentences to life in prison and urged Newsom to use his clemency power to commute some sentences to prison terms.

Support CalMatters

We are dedicated to explaining how state government impacts our lives. Your support helps us produce journalism that makes a difference. Thank you!

CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: The economic comeback Newsom often touts isn’t happening in California, but rather in states like Nebraska.

Another way to reform California’s recall process: A ranked choice voting system would result in a more accurate reflection of people’s preferences, argues Michael Feinstein, co-founder of the Green Party of California.

Solving California’s teacher shortage: Here are a few actions state lawmakers can take to help school districts fill vacant positions, writes Nick Melvoin, vice president of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Other things worth your time

Podcast: California homeless: Is right to housing a solution? // CalMatters

Sausalito police arrest freelance journalist covering homelessness. // Pacific Sun

A Black couple ‘erased themselves’ from their home to see if the appraised value would go up. It did — by nearly $500,000. // San Francisco Chronicle

San Jose considers ending single-family zoning in historic neighborhoods. // Mercury News

60 years after being taken for abandoned Los Angeles freeway, homes may get new life. // Los Angeles Times

Nevada, California governors plan a fix for I-15 congestion. // Associated Press

Supreme court case prompts California lawmaker to share her abortion experience. // The Guardian

California official says women on boards law is toothless. // Associated Press

Newsom asked to prevent ICE from detaining a domestic violence survivor. // Fresno Bee

Large warehouse fire source of lingering stench in California town, investigation finds. // CBS News

Crude reality: One state consumes half the oil from the Amazon rainforest. // NBC News

Photos: How Hetch Hetchy Valley went from natural paradise to concrete basin. // San Francisco Chronicle

Biden administration moves to scrap Cadiz water pipeline right-of-way permit, cleared by Trump. // Los Angeles Times

Will Lake Tahoe home attack lead to more California bear killings? // Sacramento Bee

Murders of crows are taking over the Bay Area. // SFGATE

See you tomorrow.

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California High Schools, California High School Education

Prestigious California High Schools for Russian Children and Teenagers

When deciding to study abroad, a child’s parents often choose top US schools. The reason is due to the high level of prestige of American high schools: after graduating from the elite high schools in California, a graduate can freely enter the ranking universities of both America and other countries. According to statistics 90% of California’s elite private school graduates successfully enter top universities, including those in the famous Ivy League.

This state is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, the popularity of which is associated with a wonderful sunny climate, white sand beaches, a large number of modern tourist and business centers. There are several dozens of schools that successfully operate in California, which occupy top positions in international rankings, Silicon Valley is located, which has the status of a world center for innovative technologies.

Reasons for choosing to study in elite high schools in California for foreigners and Russian students

• The created learning environment is aimed at the individual development of each student, taking into account his personal interests, goals, talents and wishes.
• The curriculum provides for the study of a wide range of compulsory subjects and disciplines that are independently chosen by a foreign teenager.
• The formation of classrooms is based on the individual characteristics of each student and the academic results of students
• In addition to quality education, a rich and exciting leisure program is organized specifically for Russian children and adolescents, participation in which allows you to develop the social skills you need in the future, you can achieve high results in sports and creativity.
• Most of the leading schools develop specialized language courses aimed at foreign teenagers, making it easier to adapt to a new language and cultural environment.
• Upon graduation from an elite school in California, graduates become students of the best universities in the United States. While studying within the walls of elite universities, a foreign student can obtain a work permit in America.
• Universal recognition of the US school certificate among all countries of the world when entering foreign universities.
• Foreign teenagers will enjoy their time in California because of the high level of comfort and friendly environment. Agree that staying in a warm and sunny climate on the ocean coast, the presence of a large number of attractions will give only bright and positive emotions and impressions to your child.

What do you need to know about studying at California’s top high schools?

The duration of a prestigious secondary education in California is 12 years. It is envisaged that schoolchildren will study compulsory disciplines – social and natural sciences, mathematics, literature, physical education – and elective subjects. As a rule, foreign teenagers are offered the following subjects to study:

• Information and computer technology
• Foreign language – this can be Greek, Latin, European or Oriental languages ​​
• Statistics and Economics
• Applied disciplines
• Journalism and others.

It is also worth noting that various creative and sports sections are open especially for schoolchildren: in case of achieving high results in sports competitions, creative competitions, the graduate receives a significant advantage in entering top universities in the USA and other countries.

California Top High School Admissions Process

Foreign and Russian teenagers aged 12 to 14 are accepted for training. Students can choose one of the possible accommodation options for the period of study:

• School comfortable residence
• Host family.

As a rule, the leading private school in California is a whole student city that has modern infrastructure, sports grounds, and comfortable living conditions. In addition to training, various educational and entertaining events are organized specifically for foreign teenagers. The predominant number of Russian children and adolescents make a choice regarding accommodation for the period of study on a full board basis.

It is worth noting that when deciding to enroll in a prestigious California school, get ready for serious preparation – the competition reaches 10 children per place.

Basic requirements:

• Complete the detailed questionnaire in English
• Provide a report card for the last 2-3 years of study
• Provide recommendations from an English teacher
• Pass an oral interview to identify the student’s goals and motivations (may be conducted on an individual basis or Skype)
• Pass the academic test
• Provide an international language certificate: American SSAT, SLEP, TOEFL certificates.

In case of insufficient level of English language proficiency, it is worth taking training as part of the preparatory program or going to the top summer language camp in America.

TOP-10 best high schools in California

Foreign and Russian teenagers are provided with the widest opportunities for elite secondary education in such well-known American cities as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Malibu, San Diego, Stanford, Berkeley.

Listed below are America’s best schools for international Russian students:

• Pacific Collegiate Charter
• Oxford Academy
• Whitney High School
• KIPP San Jose Collegiate (San Jose High School KIPP Collegiate)
• Preuss School UCSD (Preuss School USD)
• Lowell High School
• University High School (Fresno)
• Hawthorne Math and Science Academy
• University Preparatory Academy Charter
• Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies).

The cost of obtaining an American secondary education in California

The cost of education for one semester will average from 20 to 50 thousand dollars – the difference is due to the rating and prestige of the educational institution. The cost of training includes meals and accommodation for the student, teaching materials.

Senior school grades 9-12 – what and how are they taught? Part 2 / Habr

In the first part, we discussed elementary education in the US junior and high school.
This note refers to high school, i.e., graduating classes from 9 to 12, when the student forms his specialization and decides whether to continue further education and in what direction.

The purpose of these articles is to share my observations about the US educational system, based on the experience gained by my children, to express my thoughts.

Subject selection strategy

For example, in our district there is a detailed list explaining the purpose of each class and which strategy is best to choose for teaching.

In short, it all comes down to money, schooling in the US is free, getting further education often costs significant amounts, and therefore, while studying at school, you can take university-level courses, thereby saving money and time on education. A year of college education here in California costs about $20,000 on average.

Thus, a motivated student has a very serious opportunity, after finishing school, to also receive two years of higher education. I’ve seen quite a few people in IT who, after two years of college, are doing pretty well in the job market. Most of my acquaintances were forced to complete their studies by the age of forty, as they decided to leave the profession of a programmer and grow up the career ladder.

The second not unimportant motivating moment is to take more classes at the university level, based on the policy of the universities, which students they would like to see in their walls. Also, for each class at the university level, an additional one is added to the average school score. Those. the price of such a course is one unit higher. Students who have taken university courses can achieve a GPA above four (the highest grade in a US school is 4). It is also worth noting that the GPA is taken seriously by universities when applying, along with federal exams, as well as with personal achievements in various fields.

What and how they teach and what skills they want to develop in the student.

Literature

Literature focuses on understanding the work and why the author chose this topic and what technique the author uses to express his thoughts in the work. I must say right away that this is a very strong level of university education. Here is an incomplete list of literature that my son read for grades 9-10:

Animal Farm and 1984 Ourell
Kill Mockingbird Lee
Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream Shakespeare
“Iliad” Homer
“All Quiet on the Western Front” Remarque
“Lord of the Flies” Golding
“The Old Man and the Sea” Hemingway
“Greek Mythology”

I personally liked one moment in the discussion of Remarque’s work – the description of the beating of Sergeant Himelshtos, in fact, Remarque devoted the entire third chapter to this act of retribution. So, the teacher crucified the whole lesson, explaining to the whole class not only the moral and philosophical aspect of what is happening, which is aptly described in the work by the phrase of Katchinsky

You see, if you teach a dog to eat potatoes and then give him a piece of meat, he will still grab the meat, because it is in his blood. And if you give a person a piece of power, the same thing will happen to him: he will grab it.

and also what writing technique the author uses to keep the reader in suspense, telling about the dynamics of group violence against the hated sergeant.

Mathematics

There is a clear trend towards developing skills in calculation. The same mathematical analysis in high school can be studied for three years, two of which are at the university level. Just a picture of the end of 19century Nikolai Petrovich Bogdanov-Belsky “Mental Counting” most appropriately characterizes the state of mathematics in the United States, although the problems are not always as original as in the rural school of the Russian Empire.

Mathematics in high school is given great attention most of the courses at the university level, even just enumeration is impressive – algebra, trigonometry, mathematical analysis, statistics.

Unfortunately, the geometry developed back in the Soviet school easily “puts down” a US high school graduate because, alas, they do not teach to understand the basic mathematical principles of what is necessary and sufficient.

Programming

Two years of study Second year specialization in Java at least so in our school.

Science

Quite a diverse set from advanced chemistry to biotechnology with serious laboratories. A separate trend in physics from classical mechanics to engineering is apparently something like a strength of evidence.

History

Starting from grade 10, you can take advanced history classes. Classes are considered very difficult – this is the real level of the university of the Faculty of History or the candidate’s minimum, if anyone who passed that one remembers everything is not sickly there. History is usually taken by those who want to specialize in law and just fans of history.

It can be conditionally divided into basic areas such as the history of Europe, the USA and World history, followed by economics and macroeconomics, and absolutely for downhole Government and Politics.

Tribunals against historical figures are very popular in historical classes. This year my son had a tribunal against Louis 14 and Stalin. When going through the history of the United States, they often discuss the nuclear attack on Japan and the violence against the civilian population during the American Civil War in the town of Antens, Alabama, which began with the legendary phrase of General Ivan Vasilyevich Turchaninov “I shut my eyes for two hours”.

Physical education

From the first year of study to grade 10 inclusive, one physical education lesson every day. There is not much variety – usually running and outdoor games: volleyball, basketball, if there are courts, then tennis, if there is a pool, then swimming or water polo (this is what my children have at school).

Starting from high school, and in some schools even from middle school, you can also participate in the sports section at the school. Usually it looks like two hours every weekday, i.e. five times a week and every Saturday and sometimes Sunday district competitions. Quite tiring for parents, but the approach fully justifies itself for a couple of years of such activities, children look very athletic.

Conclusion

I think it’s hard to describe everything in detail, I just wanted to convey a general approach. In my opinion, the school adheres to the Voltaire principle of dividing into “smart and not very smart”, while everyone is given a chance to prove themselves in any field, whether it be science / literature or sports achievements. In practice, it looks like that there are those who decide not to finish their studies until the 12th grade, then they just go to work. You can often see in a job advertisement that the applicant has a high school diploma, i. e. a school diploma is quite highly rated.

A former colleague of mine told a funny story about this. In the mid-90s, he and the boys created a well-known company in dot-com circles, and at some point he was forced to leave school and in a few years became a millionaire, bought himself a house and a BMW of the latest model. Serious investors came and “they and the boys” lost control of the firm and found out that they were fired and their shares were diluted to cents.

So he told me my parents weren’t upset at all and said, “Well, finally you will finish school.” Our conversation took place after ten years of his ruin, he graduated from school and the BMW was still in excellent condition.

Top 10 Boarding Schools in California (FAQ) | 2022

Students who choose to enroll in any of California’s boarding schools will discover a state that has both exceptional academic strengths and some weaknesses.

This article highlights the best boarding schools in California, explains the learning process in California, and provides other tips.

Contents

Should you study in California?

A large number of higher education institutions and colleges can be found in the Golden State.

The University of California system and the California State University system are two of the strongest public college systems in the United States.

Students from all over the country also attend elite private schools such as Stanford University and Caltech to gain exceptional knowledge and skills.

What’s more, the cost of living in California is 38% higher than the national average, according to the 2020 Cost of Living Index.

But the exact cost of living varies greatly depending on where you live in California.

Is boarding school in California a good idea?

Yes, it is. Boarding schools for children in California differ from regular schools in that they require students to live on campus.

There are many things they do together, such as taking lessons, eating and living in the same place.

During the summer, between classes and on weekends, some schools return home to spend time with their families.

Read more:

• Top 3 Boarding Schools in Montana (FAQ)
• 9 Boarding Schools in New York (FAQ, Age)
• 9 Best US State Friendly Medical Schools (FAQs)
• 25+ Easiest PT Schools to Get Into (FAQs)
• 7+ Cheapest Law Schools in California ( (FAQ)

Boarding Schools in California:

1. Idyllwild Art Academy:

performing arts. This is one of the best boarding schools in California.

This coeducational boarding high school for grades 9-12 is an hour’s drive from Palm Springs and has a 205-acre pine-covered private campus.

It is considered quite an international school with 300 students from 25 countries.

The academy, which also runs an arts program during the summer, is dedicated to helping young people with a passion for performance achieve their goals.

School attendance

2. Bishop Montgomery High School Amerigo Los Angeles:

Bishop Montgomery is a private, boarding, co-ed high school in Los Angeles, California.

Students at Amerigo, a private boarding school in Southern California, have a unique opportunity to receive a first-class education in Los Angeles.

Students at Amerigo Los Angeles have access to rigorous academic disciplines, active extracurricular activities and a friendly environment while enjoying the great natural beauty and unique cultural opportunities of Los Angeles.

When students go to middle school and high school at the same time, they are more likely to prepare for a good future.

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA) have given California Boarding School their seal of approval as an approved school.

School Attendance

3. Justin Siena Amerigo Napa Valley High School:

Justin Siena High School is a Catholic boarding school that builds a good community for students and prepares them for leadership.

The students of Justin Siena High School, a Lassalle Catholic high school, receive an excellent education in a loving and Christ-centered community.

This helps students prepare for service and leadership in an ever-changing world.

Justin Siena High School students have access to a complete college preparatory curriculum designed to help them get into schools and universities where admissions are highly competitive.

As one of the best boarding schools in California, students have the opportunity to spend their weekends participating in a variety of activities, including sports and recreational activities, field trips and immersion trips, community service, and various celebrations of American culture.

4. Midland School:

Midland School is a relatively modest independent college preparatory boarding school located in Los Olivos, California.

The school was founded in 1932 by a Harvard graduate who wanted to change the way education was received. This is for 11th and 12th graders and the lessons are challenging but not impossible.

The school has an 8-acre garden that students help manage, and each student is required to participate in two different team sports during the school year.

The school participates in the Western Condor League Preparatory School and currently offers basketball in addition to other sports such as soccer, lacrosse, volleyball and cross country.

School Attendance

5. Besant Hill School:

Besant Hill School is a high school located in Ojai, southern California.

Besant Hill School in Happy Valley, formerly the Happy Valley School, is a private school in Ojai, California catering to both boys and girls.

This coeducational boarding school first opened its doors at 1946 for teaching teenagers from grades 9 to 12.

Both the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Association of Residential Schools have granted their accreditation to Besant Hill.

When students leave this school, they have over 95% chance of getting into the school. college or university to continue your education.

As one of the top boarding schools in California, Besant Hill School students have a peaceful place to study because the school is located in California’s Southern Valley Natural Area.

School Attendance

6. Army and Navy Academy:

The Army and Navy Academy is a private military boarding school for boys that helps prepare them for college. It is located in Carlsbad, California.

This boys’ military boarding school in southern California is an all-boys school that inspires and shapes young people to be the best version of themselves.

Their college preparatory curriculum includes Advanced Placement (AP) and honors courses in addition to their core curriculum, which is based on the University of California admission criteria.

Accreditation is available through the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) for boarding schools in California.

School attendance

7. Monte Vista Christian School:

Monte Vista Christian School can be a great alternative for parents who want their children to be educated with a Christian worldview but still have the opportunity to attend a boarding school.

This is one of the best boarding schools in California.

The school is well known not only for the religious activities it offers, but also for the highly competitive sports teams it field in the Monterey Bay League.

Students have the opportunity to compete in a wide variety of sports such as football, basketball, soccer, golf, swimming and wrestling, among many others.

School Attendance

8. Woodside Priory School:

Woodside Priory School is the only Benedictine College Preparatory School in California open to both sexes.

Woodside School has an excellent group of teachers and a rigorous curriculum that prepares students for college.

Students are able to engage in deep intellectual conversations with their highly educated lecturers because the typical class size is only six students per instructor.

This student-teacher ratio ensures that classes are small. The admission rate for new students at the institution is 57%.

School Attendance

9. Ribét Academy:

Ribét Academy College Preparatory is a private school in Los Angeles, California that is open to both boys and girls from preschool through 12th grade . This is one of the best boarding schools in California.

This school is different from others in the area in that it has the largest marine biology lab in Southern California, as well as a theatre, courtroom, photography studio and orchestra room.

School Attendance

10. Santa Catalina:

Santa Catalina School is a respected private all-girls Catholic boarding school located in Monterey, California.

Students are challenged to achieve excellence in all aspects of school life, including academics, sports and the arts.

Students make the most of the unique opportunities and brand new adventures that come their way during their time on board in Santa Catalina.

Living in the community is the only way to truly acquire the life skills and values ​​taught to them.

Frequently Asked Questions about Boarding Schools in California:

Why do parents send their children to boarding schools?

In the event of death, divorce or serious illness in the family, students can focus on their own growth and development instead of worrying about their loved ones at the boarding school.

Is boarding school a good idea?

Boarding schools offer a wide range of activities to students, including social services, art, drama and woodworking. Children will gain more self-confidence when they learn what they like and what they are good at.

Is it possible to study at a boarding school?

Many boarding schools have numerous extracurricular activities to help students break out of their shells.

Can I bring a TV set to boarding school?

Dorm rooms in most boarding schools do not have televisions, and even if they do, they are usually limited in size and require them to be freestanding.

Conclusion

Making sure your children get the best possible education requires a concerted effort, such as enrolling them in reputable schools.

Boarding schools in California provide children with a safe place to live through the way they teach, nurture and educate their students so they are better prepared for life after high school.

Awesome; I hope this article has answered your question.

Editor’s note:

• How to Become a US Citizen (Step by Step)
• 25+ Gift Ideas for College Girls (FAQs, Tips)
• What to do if a teacher takes away your phone (FAQ)
• Chesterbrook Academy (About the program, Preschool, Curriculum, Tuition)
• The 10 youngest PhDs. Owners in history (age, location)
• 7 easy steps to negotiate college

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Plus or minus mathematics – Picture of the day – Kommersant

School mathematics becomes the subject of fierce disputes not only among teachers and scientists, but also in society as a whole. More and more students are not coping with the school curriculum, and the governments of different countries are forced to look for ways out of the situation. In the United States, they are calling for the program to be simplified, in France they are convinced that mathematical knowledge itself has lost prestige, and it is urgent to invest in popularization. In Russia, the mathematical course is only being made more difficult so far, despite the fact that last year children massively received deuces in the OGE.

Photo: Aleksey Tanyushin, Kommersant

Photo: Aleksey Tanyushin, Kommersant

Not everyone is equal before mathematics

“Subjecting the children of our largest state to such an experiment is the height of irresponsibility,” says the open letter, which has been signed for more than one and a half thousands of scientists, including several winners of the most prestigious prize in mathematics, the Fields Prize. The letter is directed against one of the biggest reforms in mathematics education, which is planned to be carried out in California in the coming year. Its main goal is to make school mathematics attractive, in particular, so that national minorities and girls, who are traditionally less represented in this sector, want to be more actively involved in it. To do this, the authors of the idea propose to remove the most difficult sections of algebra from the program, replacing them with disciplines under the general name “big data”, to abolish the existing division of classes in accordance with mathematical abilities and to cancel exams in state mathematical schools, replacing them with the distribution of places by quotas.

Mathematician, professor at the University of California at Irvine Svetlana Zhitomirskaya

Photo: The Center de Recherches Math?matiques, The Center de Recherches Mathematiques

Mathematician, Recherches professor at the University of California at Irvine Svetlana Zhitomirskaya
90 Math0005 matiques, The Center de Recherches Mathematiques

“In America, especially in the last year and a half, there has been a very strong movement for racial and other equality, which is understood by the super-progressive left as proportional representation in everything to the population,” comments mathematician, professor at the University of California at Irvine Svetlana Zhitomirskaya (this year Svetlana was invited as a plenary speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians, the largest and most significant scientific event in this area, which is a recognition of the scientist’s merits. — “Kommersant” ).— And the representation in advanced mathematical schools and classes is often very disproportionate. Asian children often dominate here, and there are traditionally many more boys than girls. There is no need to explain that quotas for some mean discrimination against others. We all went through this in the Soviet Union, where some people explained the disgusting discrimination against Jews in admission to, say, the Mekhmat of Moscow State University by the desire for proportional representation. There is no moral justification for this.”

According to the expert, the main problem of the proposed Californian reform is a significant weakening of the algebraic foundation; in fact, it is proposed to replace it with material that is rather empty from a mathematical point of view, allegedly close to the modern needs of “data analysis”. It is also assumed that all, even the strongest, children will only learn algebra starting from the 9th grade (from the age of 14), and as a result, they simply will not have enough time to acquire the foundation necessary for the basics of analysis and go through the beginning of analysis. , and the latter is highly desirable for those who choose technical specialties. The second significant problem is that the proposed program ignores the existence of mathematical abilities.

“Although mass math education in America is generally bad and lags behind many other countries, there has been one very good point so far,” says Svetlana Zhitomirskaya. levels and train separately. Most of the children who have abilities go on to technical specialties. If the new program is approved, they could all be set back by at least two years. In this case, just the children from not the most wealthy families will suffer, because the rest will go to private schools, where mathematics will be taught as before.

Of particular concern is that California, as the largest and most populous state, is a trendsetter in education, so the experience can be further extrapolated to the whole country.

Down with Euclid!

Of course, this is not the first experiment of a radical reform of the teaching of mathematics in schools. After the Second World War, all countries thought about how to teach more effectively. In the United States, a powerful transformation began in the late 1950s. President Kennedy is credited with the words that America lost space to the Russians “at the school desk”, which Kennedy allegedly uttered after Gagarin’s flight into space. Since then, in the United States, and after them in other Western countries, they began to introduce “new mathematics”, which was supposed to make science more relevant, understandable and accessible to most students. At the same time, for example, Euclidean geometry was thrown out of the school course. “Euclid must go” – this is how the outstanding French mathematician Jean Dieudonnet formulated the postulate of the new education system. “New Mathematics” lasted until 1980s, after which this experience was recognized as unsuccessful.

Previous photo

Mathematician, Vice-President of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the RSFSR Alexei Markushevich

A photo:
N. Maksimov / RIA Novosti

Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the USSR Andrey Nikolaevich Kolmogorov

A photo:
RIA News

Next photo

one
/
2

Mathematician, Vice-President of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the RSFSR Alexei Markushevich

A photo:
N. Maksimov / RIA Novosti

Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the USSR Andrey Nikolaevich Kolmogorov

A photo:
RIA News

In the USSR, as you know, the reform of school mathematics education started a little later (before that, they studied, for example, from Kiselev’s textbooks written before the revolution) and was associated with the names of mathematician Alexei Markushevich and academician Andrei Kolmogorov. The latter was chairman of the Commission on Mathematical Education at the Academy of Sciences and personally wrote a textbook on algebra, which is still being reprinted, but his textbook on geometry was soon withdrawn from circulation.

“We still have a myth that Soviet mathematical education was the best in the world,” says Ivan Yashchenko, teacher-mathematician, director of the Center for Continuing Mathematical Education in the Russian Federation. “It really was brilliant, but it concerned specialized physics and mathematics schools where gifted children were gathered from all over the country. At the same time, one cannot speak of a good mass mathematical education. In schools, they gave a huge amount of knowledge that had to be memorized and solved mechanistically. As a result, those who managed to get through this stream really became excellent specialists, but a huge number of schoolchildren were vaccinated against mathematics, did not like and did not understand it all their lives. In the final control, imitation reigned, final exams were helped by teachers, and tickets for an oral exam in geometry (by the way, a wonderful idea in fact) were massively crammed by heart without understanding.

Director of the Center for Continuing Mathematical Education in the Russian Federation Ivan Yashchenko

Photo: Dmitry Lebedev, Kommersant

Director of the Center for Continuing Mathematical Education in the Russian Federation Ivan Yashchenko

Photo: Dmitry Lebedev, Kommersant

In the 1990s, the Unified State Examination was introduced in Russia, with all its pluses and minuses, it became possible to really see what everyone already knew about: the general cut of education in the country, in mathematics in the first place, turned out to be very weak. The certification threshold was three simple tasks, and even with a choice of answers. Geometry turned out to be a particularly failure, which no one formally removed from the Russian curriculum, but it was not included in the compulsory exam in the 11th grade.

Victims of mathematics

Russian and Soviet teacher, “legislator” of school mathematics Andrei Kiselev

Russian and Soviet teacher, “legislator” of school mathematics Andrey Kiselev

Ignorance of mathematics by modern schoolchildren is only a consequence of the general dislike for the exact sciences among a large part of society, experts say. Since the advent of affordable information technology and gadgets, complex mathematical reasoning seems to many to be unnecessary for life. The crisis of interest in mathematics has recently remained at the center of the news agenda of newspapers in France. Here, mathematics was chosen by a record low number of first-year students. Analysts are already saying that in a few years the country will not have enough engineers and other highly qualified specialists to implement the technological revolution 4.0, which is associated with information and digital areas.

“For the majority, mathematics is the most difficult subject in school, and many people learn it very badly, often not so much because of laziness and lack of ability or perseverance, but because of bad programs or bad teaching,” comments Svetlana Zhitomirskaya. change is completely natural. If those who make decisions themselves do not like and do not understand mathematics, they suffered from it in childhood, then they certainly like the idea of ​​​​introducing a course that will be given without difficulty. Indeed, in our memory, some previously common things have disappeared from school programs, for example, the algorithm for extracting square roots. It seems that you can also refuse to remember the multiplication table, the long division algorithm, or the ability to build graphs manually. But experience has shown that this cannot be done. When calculators are used too early, very poor results are obtained later, because there is no foundation.

Mathematician Andrey Okounkov

Photo: Evgeny Gurko, Kommersant

Mathematician Andrey Okounkov

Photo: Evgeny Gurko, Kommersant

physics without formulas – only its descriptive part, – comments a professor at Columbia University, Princeton, the University of California at Berkeley and the Higher School of Economics, Skoltech professor, Fields Prize winner Andrey Okounkov. – Now such trends are reaching mathematics, they are trying to turn it into descriptive, almost humanities. It is very strange for me to hear about the widespread attacks on mathematics, about attempts to expel it from universities, colleges or schools, because today this science is the basis of the technological well-being of every country. In our time, not food, not energy, and not even information, but the ability to process and understand information has become the most strategic resource. And this cannot be done without a large number of specialists with a mathematical education.”

According to experts, today a mathematically illiterate person is constantly becoming a victim of more educated people. A huge number of people are deceived precisely because they do not know the elementary basics of probability theory, which underlie many financial transactions in the market.

“Of course, teaching mathematics at the basic level should be understandable, accessible and relevant,” says Ivan Yashchenko. It turns out that this knowledge is very important in an era when we are used to trusting gadgets and computers in everything. They make life much easier for us, but at the same time increase the risk of making big mistakes. Last year, newspapers wrote about a funny case when a resident of Australia was buying toilet paper in an online store and mixed up rolls and boxes. The fact that a huge amount was revealed, dozens of times more than what should have been, did not bother her. And in the end, she was brought a truckload of toilet paper. It was really funny, but now imagine if the order of magnitude was confused by a doctor calculating the dose of chemotherapy, or an architect designing bridges. Another important subject, which, by the way, from September 2022 will be implemented within the framework of the Federal State Educational Standard in Russia along with algebra and geometry, is statistics and probability theory, for the lack of which our school mathematical education has been criticized for many years. To demonstrate the importance of such knowledge, it suffices to recall the famous historical example of the Second World War, which entered science under the name “survivor bias”. When the second front was opened, many American bombers returned to base with holes from anti-aircraft guns. Then it was decided to strengthen the armor, choosing the places where the shells hit most often. The mistake of this approach was pointed out by the mathematician Abraham Wald, who said that the engineers took into account only those aircraft that returned, and, therefore, received non-critical defeats, and those places whose damage led to the crash of the aircraft needed to be strengthened. So a modern person simply must have the skills of mathematical thinking, logic, the ability to correlate data, and so on.

It is terribly far from the people

Experts see the main problem of Russian school mathematical education precisely in its isolation from life. It is known that year after year Russian schoolchildren win the most prestigious international mathematical Olympiads and at the same time show low results in assessing the so-called functional mathematical literacy. In fact, this is the ability of a student to apply the knowledge gained at school in life. It is assessed every three years under the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). In 2018, in mathematics, Russia took 30th place (in the first five – schoolchildren from the Asian region). Two years ago, as part of the OGE in mathematics, tasks were introduced specifically for functional literacy: for example, it was necessary to calculate what equipment would be more profitable to bring into the house – gas or electric. It is because of such tasks last year that students received a record number of twos.

“Now in Russia there is a very difficult transition from obligatory work and from cramming to a conscious approach to the subject,” says Ivan Yashchenko. “But at the same time, we are seeing a boom in interest in mathematics among schoolchildren, which today has become a social lift – in Russia there is a constant shortage of specialists in the field of digital technologies, and there are large companies that are ready to employ graduates. In Russia, in particular in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Tatarstan, all the best that those who oppose the current reform in California want to leave in the school curriculum are already being implemented. For several years now, the so-called Mathematical Vertical has been introduced in Moscow schools, when practically in every school children can study according to different programs – everyone receives a modern base; those who are interested can take the advanced course. And those who want even more study at the leading math schools, which receive special support.” The real accessibility of high-quality mathematical education and the development of talent throughout the country is provided by mass, of course free, mathematical Olympiads (such as the ongoing online school stage of the All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren on the Sirius platform, Mathematical Holiday, “I love mathematics”).

True, at the same time, year after year, the country has the largest shortage of teachers in mathematics, especially in the regions. That is, the programs are good, but there is no one to teach them yet.

Mathematics with an accent

“Russian mathematics has made and, I really hope, will continue to make a huge contribution to the development of world mathematics. We have a lot of wonderful talented young people who are very keenly interested in mathematics, so there are grounds for such hope,” says Andrey Okounkov. somewhere there has already been, alas, some lag.

In order to prevent this process from going too far, a few years ago it was decided to hold an International Congress of Mathematicians in Russia, where young people could hear the brightest stars of the mathematical Olympus. The last time such a significant and large-scale mathematical event was held in our country was more than half a century ago – in 1966.

“When the congress was conceived, no one could even imagine what the size of the problems on our way would be. Of course, the pandemic has mixed all the cards, many international events have already fallen victim to it,” says Andrey Okounkov. “But it was just as hard to imagine that we, the organizers of the congress, would be subjected to real persecution by a large number of both individual colleagues and entire professional communities who repeatedly raised the issue of a boycott of Congress. It is very difficult to face a conscious desire to harm, most likely fueled by the subconscious rejection of an entire country. This is especially surprising because it is impossible to imagine a more universal and unifying subject than mathematics. The population of the Earth speaks thousands of very different languages, and the language of mathematics is one for everyone, one for all countries, for all categories of citizens, just one. He is completely apolitical, does not know authorities, is minimally subject to fashion and expresses the truth and the truth as accurately as humanity is generally capable of speaking about truth. Therefore, every time it is a shame when mathematics becomes a bargaining chip in public or political disputes.

Elena Kudryavtseva

Russian school in California – Is it time to leave? All about immigration. — LiveJournal

While the Russian armed forces are trying to protect the Russian-speaking population of Crimea with tanks, the Slavic immigrants of California on their own create a network of comprehensive schools with the study of the Russian language. Imagine an ordinary comprehensive school, say, somewhere in the center of Moscow or St. Petersburg with a real football stadium, modern sports grounds, an extensive Russian library…

… And now let’s mentally transfer all of the above to the capital of California, add about fifty American teachers and teachers of the Russian language, do not forget to install the most modern teaching equipment in each classroom, and also seat one thousand two hundred children on their desks! So, we are in a charter school – Community Outreach Academy. I must say right away that this is not the only such school in the city – there are several similar institutions in Sacramento, but all of them are clearly inferior in scale to this one.

The vast majority of students at this school are the children of first-generation Russian-speaking immigrants who once arrived in the Golden State from Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia and other CIS countries. The fact is that most immigrants do not want their offspring to forget their native speech, irrevocably mixing with the local population. So parents send their kids to a charter school where they gnaw at the granite of science in a bilingual environment. (And the after-school program of the institution also offers the study of the Ukrainian language). This is perhaps the only school of such a large scale in the United States of America.

The “mission” of the school says that the activity of the educational organization is dedicated to “development of the academic talents of students, instilling in students a sense of love for their rich cultural heritage, including moral values, preparing students for a conscious choice of their place in the civil life of society” .

Walk through any American secondary school, you would probably witness a couple of fights in the schoolyard and, most likely, you would find an indispensable attribute of all public educational institutions – a police car on duty. However, here – everything is different. At breaks, children peacefully play football, and during classes they study diligently. Unlike many American schools, here on campus you hardly find a cigarette butt. Not to mention columns of smoke from marijuana – this is very strict here.

“I believe that our children should remain bilingual,” says the headmaster, Larisa Gonchar, “people of high culture and great knowledge. As you can see, we put our soul into our children.” And indeed, walking through the buildings of the Russian-language school in McLelan, I found that all the property of the school is maintained in perfect order and in some places even construction work is underway.

Larisa Gonchar came to California from Belarus 22 years ago. By the way, for some time Larisa’s family lived in the Crimea, where they are now actively fighting for the Russian heritage. “While observing the Slavic immigrant community in Sacramento, I hatched the idea of ​​combining elements of the American education system to meet the needs of our community.” Despite the fact that the Belarusian by nationality has a “union” education behind her, Larisa decides to get a second, American one. After receiving a master’s degree in pedagogy from the University of California, as well as the right to teach in elementary school, our compatriot set about setting up a charter school according to her vision.

Here we should take a step back and explain to readers what a charter school is in America. Charter schools appeared in the US in the 90s in response to the clumsy state institutions. Today, almost every corner of America has such institutions. They usually combine elements of private and public schools. Charter schools are independent (but still public) schools created and run by educators, parents, local leaders, educators, and so on. State organizations, of course, exercise control over the quality of education in these schools, but give them wide autonomy in the method of education, the choice of secondary subjects and the way they are managed.

Despite this, charter schools are still funded from the state budget, which provides all students with free education. (By the way, the influx of applicants to the Community Outreach Academy is so great that, according to the administration, a lottery has to be played for each place). Thus, charter schools are private enterprises using public resources. In doing so, they do without the extra bureaucratic red tape and obstacles that government agencies usually put in place for schools, which allows these schools to conduct educational experiments that are completely unthinkable within the framework of ordinary schools.

This school has little in common with traditional Russian education. In the lowest grades, for example, there are no desks. Instead, there are tables for groups of up to a dozen children of different ages. Students work together and independently, each at their own level of knowledge and ability. During the classes, teachers have time to work individually with each student.

“Last year we built another playground for junior classes, – Larisa Gonchar shows me a super-modern playground, – in the near future we plan to invest at least half a million dollars in another one. ” In addition, the school has a wide variety of sports and development sections: for example, a Russian karate school has been operating here recently.

Anticipating my next question (where does the money come from in a crisis?), it’s no secret that many, even public schools in America today receive less funding, and some even close, Larisa answers: “Following the old Russian habit, we try to economically distribute finance, for example, where American schools squander their budget, we try to do without frills.”

Despite this, every classroom has a giant plasma screen for interactive learning – squeaky chalk (with a slate) is kept here in the school museum as a fossil. I was told that each of these panels cost the school, by the way, up to ten thousand dollars. “Children are our future,” Larisa smiles, “we don’t feel sorry for anything for them!”

How can a Russian school do without high-quality volumes of Dostoevsky and Pushkin? I was told that the Russian Language Department at the Community Outreach Academy had recently opened a real Russian library. While only a quarter of California fourth graders can read fluently, Slavic children are excellent at writing, reading and bilingual. In fact, children grow up here in a bilingual environment. According to school administration statistics, at least 60 percent of children graduate exclusively with an “A”, which corresponds to the Russian “five”. Larisa Gonchar says that, unlike first-generation immigrants, most of her students go to higher education institutions in the country.

According to the principal, the school accepts children from grades K-6 (elementary school). The curriculum is adapted for non-English speaking students and complies with all US government standards. Among the main subjects in the school are taught English, mathematics, natural and social sciences. Teaching material for learning English is developed according to the Houghton Mifflin system, following which the child is guaranteed to receive a good level of education. For those who do not come to school from the first grade, teaching staff offer a wide range of additional opportunities and means for newcomers to catch up with other students. To learn English, for example, there is an ESL program.

The teaching staff of the school consists of American and partially Russian-speaking teachers. “We urgently need qualified Russian-speaking employees,” Gonchar complains, “if you speak Russian and have an appropriate American education, come to us, we guarantee you a job!” The advanced school currently has 1,200 students and more than a hundred teachers and administrative staff.

“Community Outreach Academy was created to develop not only the academic abilities of students, but also to promote the formation of a healthy character in the child, to instill in every student the ethical and moral principles of life,” the organization’s charter says.

“Cheating is any use of the labor of another student, – written in large print on a special board in the English grammar classroom, – students involved in cheating during tests or final exams will be directed to the office of the school administrator for disciplinary action against them Remember that by cheating in exams, you are cheating yourself and depriving yourself of the necessary knowledge!

“In addition to the traditional subjects that are taught in ordinary secondary schools, we have developed our own character development program,” says Larisa Gonchar, continuing her tours of the campus. character development.” Following this program, throughout the school year, students focus on such character traits as “friendship, loyalty, honesty, self-control, cooperation, balance”, etc. In this way, educators achieve a healthy and safe atmosphere in the school. The study of the program enables children to acquire “the values ​​and principles of life that contribute to the formation of a strong character and healthy interpersonal relationships.”

According to teachers, the special program helps to reduce problems associated with bullying, rudeness and bad behavior. As a result, “academy” students are less at risk of alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse, Sacramento social workers say.

According to the school principal, the so-called “toilet law”, which requires public schools in California to grant transgender students the right to use appropriate bathrooms, has not yet reached the Russian school. “When it comes, then we will decide what to do,” says Gonchar.

Interestingly, the educational institution is located right on the territory of the old military airfield. In those buildings where during the Cold War instructors prepared American soldiers for combat operations, today new Russian-speaking citizens of America are trained. Coming back from school, I pass by a military training ground where US Air Force fighter jets are rusting into the concrete of the runway. They are no longer needed here – as, indeed, in the tank divisions of the Russian army …

In the school parking lot, I ran into a group of parents picking up their children from school. I asked why they chose this educational institution? “I want my children to know Russian,” the father of the child answered me with a Ukrainian accent.

Ruslan Gurzhiy, SlavicSac.com

Ojai Valley School – Ojai Valley School

Address: 723 El Paseo Road, Ojai, CA 93023

Director: Michael J. Hall-Mounsey

Founded : 1911

School status: coeducational. (Grade 3-12)

Number of students: 272 students, 110 people study in the senior school (grades 9-12), of which about 50 are foreigners.

School location OVS

The school is located in the state of California, in the town of Ojai, 82 miles (approximately 132 km) from Los Angeles.

School OVS

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Eastern couple settled in the beautiful Ojai Valley and opened a small private school. The motto of the school was the concept of Integer Vitae, which means integrity, balance and strength in life.

The school has grown from a single classroom with 12 students to a large school with about 300 students on 195 acres (about 79 hectares), but its values ​​and principles remain the same.

Training at OVS

Admission to School: for admission in grades 6 to 12, you must provide general information about the candidate and his family, results of standardized SSAT or ISEE tests or pass the Boarding Schools Association entrance exam, essay, grades from the previous place of study, recommendations of English teachers , mathematics and characteristics of the student.

Foreign applicants entering grades 6-8 must provide TOEFL test results to demonstrate knowledge of the English language. The school also conducts personal interviews.

Curriculum: at OVS is a challenging college preparatory program that includes AP (Advanced Placement) courses and Honors course work. The academic year is divided into two semesters.

Graduates for admission to the university need to score a minimum of 17 points, which include: 4 points in English, 3 in social sciences, 3 in a foreign language, 3 in mathematics, 3 in laboratory science and 1 in fine arts.

Honors and Advanced Placement (AP): The course is designed for highly motivated students who have completed previous courses and received departmental approval and who are ready for more challenging homework. The school reserves the right to limit the number of AP courses and advanced courses that a student chooses. The AP exam is taken in the spring.

AP courses are English Language and Composition, English Literature, World History, US History, Psychology, Calculus, Statistics, Design, Drawing, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science, Spanish.

Honors courses are English 10, Geometry, Spanish III.

ESL – English as a second language. OVS was one of the first boarding schools on the US West Coast to adopt an English as a Second Language (ESL) program at all levels of knowledge.

The school has an academic center for training and student support. This center provides organizational and educational assistance, additional time for examinations, as well as developmental programs for those who meet the qualification criteria.

Art at OVS

The arts program at OVS caters to both beginners and advanced artists, performers and musicians. The program includes drawing, music theory and composition, music history, vocals, ceramics, photography and three art courses that can take the AP (Advanced Placement) exam. Students can also study costume design, graphic design, film and sculpture. In order to receive a diploma at the end of the school, each student must study the fine arts for at least one full academic year. For those who want to continue to enter art schools and get a degree in art, the school has a separate program.

In addition to classroom work, students take part in exhibitions and work with local artists or visiting tutors.

Music: students study in the choir, study improvisation in the drama club, practice hip-hop and choreography in the dance group, study the academic aspects of music, such as music theory and composition, music history and the basis of vocals. Each year, the school’s beautiful outdoor amphitheater and performing arts center hosts musical and dramatic performances.

Graduates go to the Rhode Island School of Design, the California Institute of the Arts, the Pratt Institute, the Otis College of Art and Design, and many other world-famous educational institutions.

Sports in OVS

The sports program is one of the main components in the life of OVS. Physical fitness is essential for the general health of students, as well as character development, teamwork and other life skills. Middle and high school students participate in athletics every season. They have the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of sports in autumn, winter and spring. All elementary school students are involved in physical education as part of the curriculum.

Schoolchildren in grades 6-8 (12-14 years old) participate in interscholastic football, volleyball, basketball and lacrosse tournaments.

High school students (15-18 years old) participate in team competitions within the Condor League, which includes various independent schools. Competitions are held in football, basketball, volleyball, cross country, athletics, baseball, equestrian sports, tennis, golf and lacrosse. In addition to this, students are engaged in swimming, dancing, fitness.

Equestrian sport.

OVS is one of the few boarding schools in the United States that practices horseback riding starting in elementary school. Riding instructors are experienced in hunting, show jumping, riding, dressage and combined training. Every year students get a unique opportunity to work with invited teachers.

The students take care of their horses and spend quite a lot of time in the stables with 22 stalls. On the high school campus, riders practice on the dressage ground, show jumping arena, a three-mile wooded trail that circles the campus. On the Junior School campus, equestrian infrastructure includes a new 12 stall stable for private and school horses, 11 paddocks, a large equestrian arena and utility rooms.

The school owns 40 horses and ponies suitable for riders of all levels who try to ride different horses throughout the year as each horse teaches something new.

School life at OVS

School uniform: casual wear.

Religion: non-religious school.

Circles and clubs: there are 26 circles and clubs in extra-curricular activities. Among them: a chess club, a surfing club, a math club, a homework club, a pony club, an archery club, a bicycle club, a computer club, a club for foreign students, a journalism club and many others. During the year, students, participating in the work of clubs and various events, improve their educational level.

The weekend program offers a variety of excursions, fishing, rock climbing, mountaineering, kayaking and surfing, hiking, horse trails, skiing and snowboarding, as well as a day trip to the Matilla waterfall.

Accommodation in OVS

At OVS, students from grades 3 to 12 (aged 9-18) live and study with their colleagues from around the world. Children living in the residence are actively involved in the life of the school community and develop friendships that last a lifetime.

As a rule, residents are accommodated in double rooms. On the school campus live and educators who control the children. Boys and girls live in separate hostels.

Free time is not spent in the recreation areas of the hostels, where they do their homework, prepare snacks or just relax.

The Junior School campus is located near downtown Ojai and accommodates approximately 65 students in grades 3-8.