13550 Del Monte Dr #122-C
Seal Beach, CA 90740

I feel scared here i get bullied every single day by 8th and 7th graders

If you asked me a few months ago what I thought about Hopkinson I would have given a glowing review, though I had heard rumors of other families having difficulties with the school. After the experience our family just went through, I would never again recommend Hopkinson or the Los Alamitos district without a warning. As you read on, keep in mind that I currently serve on the PTA and FOH boards, the Operations Steering Committee, and I was recently elected by the school community to serve on the School Site Council. It is fair to say that I loved this school and happily dedicated countless hours of my time because I thought the school was a supportive, caring place dedicated to the well-being of its students and families. I do not think that anymore. My son is bright, enthusiastic, kind and sensitive and he thrived at Hopkinson from K-3rd Grade. He also has ADHD and Anxiety and though some teachers struggled with his energy and enthusiasm at times, I always felt like my input was valued and my son was always given the support he needed to feel successful. That all changed in 4th grade. My son was matched with a teacher that has an excellent reputation, but 2 weeks into the school year my son was already showing signs of struggle that I had never seen before. I had a conversation with his teacher while he sat nearby in tears and I explained that he needed a 3-step warning system before receiving consequences. She seemed receptive and apologized to my son, but over the next 6 weeks she continued to punish him without the 3-step system. She sent him to sit outside the classroom by himself on several occasions and each time his feelings of shame, isolation and fear grew. I went to the school psychologist and principal for help, but both were ineffective. I watched my son's mental health deteriorate to the point where it affected all of his relationships. I pleaded in tears for more positive support at his IEP meeting. Finally he couldn't take the pressure anymore and had his first anxiety attack and refused to go to school, expressing that he didn't feel safe with his teacher. I respectfully requested a teacher change and provided notes from 2 doctors in support of my request. The teacher indicated that this was now about her safety and her reputation and the school and district went to great lengths to refuse this simple request that was clearly in the best interest of the mental health of a student. The impact of this experience will stay with us forever.

My wife and I are both Los Al grads and we have both a freshman and senior attending there now. Since I have very little exposure to other schools, it’s difficult to compare Los Al to them. But here’s what I do know…The Academics are hard to beat in this area, especially for a public school. Just like other schools, I’m sure Los Al has a few bad teachers, but by and large, they are all very good educators that care about their students. There are also many elective options available as well as AP courses and Honors courses for freshmen. I’ve been told that colleges look favorably upon many of the AP courses because of the rigor compared to other schools. The Musical Arts are top-notch. In fact the choir program is the largest organization on campus and has won multiple national championships on several levels over the past 15 years. If your child is a musician, the Los Al Jazz band is extremely good as well. When it comes to Sports, Los Al sends multiple teams to the CIF playoffs every year. As a local, my only complaint here is that lots of good athletes from other schools are recruited to Los Al, which takes opportunities away from our local kids. The level of play is tremendous, but it’s difficult seeing good players sit on the sideline just to get a win. I do know that the district pays their teachers well, which helps attract good talent. The administration also does a really good job running the school and keeping everyone informed. They care about the safety and well-being of the students. They’re also mindful of the social complexities of teenagers in a high-stress environment and have a wellness center staffed with some really good people.I don’t particularly care for how large the school is. When I was a student, enrollment was less than 2,000. Now, I believe it’s almost double that. I suppose that’s to be expected with a school everyone wants to attend. I’m quite certain that the school is pushing the limits on out-of-district transfer requests every year. As someone said in another review, you get out of Los Al what you put into it. If your child wants no part in learning, growing and improving themselves, they can certainly get lost in the crowd. But, if they want to be at the top of their class and be involved in multiple sports, activities and social programs to set them up for the next chapter in their life, there is plenty of opportunity at Los Al. There is also no shortage of volunteer opportunities for parents.