Altadena Boys & Girls Academy

Indoctrination, lack of natural sciences, poor math level, bad equipment. Not for someone who wants to get a solid math/physics education, but it is good for artists.

This school simply is not for everyone. On our tour of the school, the admissions team told me that they meet the kids where they are in their emotional and intellectual growth. And I simply found that not to be true in our experience. A teacher left abruptly in the middle of the year and the response by the staff was shockingly inept. We spent three years at this school and were incredibly disappointed by the lack of communication by the faculty - but the administration/leadership at the school was especially disappointing. I did not feel like my child was properly supported, so we left - even though we originally had every intention of staying at the school for years.

One of the most wonderful Armenian private schools in California! The teachers are very educated and are great with the children. They know how to make them love learning and feel safe at the same time. The class sizes are small, so it's like the teacher is your private tutor.The principal, Mrs Maral, is great and very understanding.

We have two kids currently at PCS and it has been one of the best decisions we have made for them. They have a great student to teacher ratio (between 14-20 kids) with 2 adults in the classroom. This was one of the main reasons we chose the private school route versus public. We just knew our kids needed the small group environment. We also love the diversity. Both our kids' classroom is so diverse. People come from very different SES backgrounds, moreso than other private schools since they provide financial aid and scholarships to people in the local community. I want to say almost everyone in my kids' classrooms identify as a different ethnicity. At most private schools, it's very easy to tell which race dominates the study body, but at PCS you cannot pinpoint a single race/ethnicity. As a person of color, our family has felt so welcomed. Our kids are high achieving, and we noticed that the teachers do a good job breaking up the classroom into smaller groups so that lessons can be adjusted to each child's level. We like that the school isn't so intense about testing since they aren't required to state test until a bit later, learning is not just to test well. It's very intentional, engaging, and fun (according to our kids). The classrooms are orderly, and kids spent a lot of time learning. All of the teachers from Kinder to second grade have been so warm, structured, and wonderful. Most of the teachers and admin staff we have met have been at the school for many decades, really great teacher retention and culture. The admin is highly organized and they've truly worked out all the kinks. We've tried summer programs at the top tier neighborhood schools in Pasadena, the disorganization and poor communication made us realize how good we have it at PCS. They answer questions before we have to ask about anything that's happening at school. We love how much exposure the kids get at the computer lab at a young age, reading, high quality art curriculum, programming, public speaking (they start the kids very young to get practice), sports (basketball is big here), musical/theatre, and after school programs (robotics, art, hip pop dance, chess, science, etc) for families who need it. They also have a reputable orchestra where kids can take private lessons in their choice of instrument. It's such a a great school. I'm surprised more people don't know about it. Highly recommend!!