17552 Wayne Ave
Irvine, CA 92614

We have had one child graduate from South Lake Middle school and one more is halfway through her 8th grade year, and we have absolutely loved it. It’s crazy to me that their middle school years went so smoothly and I credit most of that to the administration and teachers at South Lake. The academics are great, but IUSD is great all around, so that doesn’t surprise me. What stands out is how South Lake staff genuinely care SO much about all of the kids. Belinda Averill and David Kette are remarkable leaders—they listen* to kids and parents, they are organized, motivated, intelligent, and thoughtful. They learn students’ names, their social circles, they regularly check in with their emotional status, they frequently communicate with parents, and are concerned with the schooling and character development of the whole child, not just the stereotypical admin who is only concerned about attendance and test scores. We are very blessed to have them and the entire staff team at our school, and we trust them 100% with our kids’ education and safety. Sidenote: I'm sad to read the few reviews with negative experiences, and I sincerely have never heard of anything like that happening in the 10+ years that we have lived here. Middle school years can be emotionally tumultuous, but with the open communication and constant emphasis on positive behavior reinforcement and teamwork, I can't imagine a problem that couldn't be resolved quickly and effectively with South Lake staff and counselors. Just visit the school or ask members in the community. These negative experiences are certainly not the norm.

What Culverdale may lack in test scores, it compensates for with the immeasurable value of the life experience students gain by attending such a diversified school. Any school can teach your child how to take tests, but the exposure to so many different cultures is priceless.

We had 2 children go to and excel at Uni in the ‘90’s.The first was The Valadictorian and was accepted to and went to Harvard. Our younger one went to and excelled at Cal/BerkeleyWe never had to worry about our kids and did not spend any $$$ on tutors.Thanks for the Great Education and most appreciative of the Faculty who made it easy for us to be successful parents.

I'm an alumna from Westpark Elementary and was in the APAAS program. It wasn't so bad, I had many memorable experiences, and my classmates were like family to me. Teachers were supportive and helped me learn. My younger sister, who is currently in Westpark, feels comfortable in the environment, whereas in her old school she hardly made any friends. Occasionally there are some fights and once two children ran away from class (we saw them) but it was mostly okay.