11841 Upland
Way, CA 95014

Unfortunately the bullying at this school is out of control to the point where it has greatly impacted my child's academic performance and well being. Our teacher this year was also overly rigid and unsupportive, made the students grade their own math homework and failed to communicate bullying incidents as if she could not be bothered. Escalating to the principal was also unfortunately not helpful as the repeat offenders know they can just keep getting away with it without any serious consequences. Apparently many other parents have complained, but still nothing has changed. Our first year was great when we had an amazing teacher, but this past year was an absolute train wreck. I highly cannot recommend Blue Hills given our experience, and so glad we transferred.

John F. Kennedy Middle School is terrible. One teacher that I had is VERY rude and impatient. Most of the teachers are kind, and it's a matter of fact which teacher you get that shapes your time at Kennedy. For me, the John F. Kennedy Middle School experience was far from positive and extremely disappointing. Although there were a few teachers who made learning somewhat enjoyable, the rude behavior and lack of patience from other teachers and staff made it hard to feel comfortable asking questions or participating in class. Instead of feeling supported, I often felt stressed.The inconsistency in how students were treated made it hard to build trust in teachers, because they have their favorites. Some days were bearable, but many were filled with frustration, confusion, and a lack of motivation. School should be a place where students feel inspired and challenged in a healthy way, but unfortunately, that wasnt what I felt at Kennedy. The overall experience left me discouraged, and I wouldn’t want other students to go a school like this. While I appreciate the teachers who did try their best, the negative experiences ultimately outweighed the good, and I’m relieved to be moving on from it.

I went to Monta Vista for high school and since then have gotten my bachelors and am currently getting my masters degree. I will say that no other educational experience has even come close in difficulty to my time at Monta Vista. This school is REALLY academically challenging, everyone who goes here is smart AND driven and because of that the teachers have really high expectations of everyone. I found that dealing with the pressure to keep up academically was the most difficult for me. I dealt with feelings of inadequacy and incompetence all throughout high school. It was only after I graduated and went to college that I realized that I was very smart and Monta Vista was just a bubble full of other really smart people. However, this high school also prepared me so well for college. I was already in the mindset to work hard, look for extracurriculars and plan ahead to make sure I set myself up to achieve my goals. The mindset it hammers into you serves you well for the rest of your life. Most of my class is also extremely successful - mostly in masters/PHD programs or working in a big tech company. There is no fights breaking out or people smoking in the bathrooms. There isn't a big party culture and everybody is academically focused which means that it's a good environment for your kid to just focus on school. However, that also makes it not the typical American high school experience - it just depends what is important to you. I would recommend that you only send your kid here if they have robust mental health and a thick skin. They need to be able to withstand pressure and balance 1000 things. If they can do that and deal with the levels of competition, I think they would benefit and be successful here.