16908 Hillside Dr
Brea, CA 91709

Our grandchildren attend this school, positive experience, awesome caring staff.

Lyle S Briggs is an amazing school! The teachers are caring and dedicated, the community is strong, and the families are so supportive. It’s a wonderful environment for students from TK through eighth grade. Truly a great place for kids to learn and grow!

This school checks every box on the “reasons to avoid public schools” stereotype list. As an active parent volunteer to a high-achieving student in my child’s classroom, It is clear that slower-progressing children get left behind due to student teacher ratios and resource limitations. This is especially true in lower grades where children in early developmental stages require individualized support and attention. However, the teachers here are not resourced to provide that attention and instead focus efforts on students who are able to “keep up” with the severely outdated curriculum and schedule, leaving others to fend for themselves and setting the foundation for a lifetime of learning challenges for students who otherwise would have thrived with some intention and individualized support. Additionally, Litel is AWFUL at communicating to parents. Unless they are asking for money (which they do on a very frequent basis), don’t expect to be in the know about what’s taking place while your child is at school unless your child tells you themselves or until it has already happened. This includes communication on bullying, emergency drills, assemblies, testing, events, special guest visits, etc. It very much feels like the school treats students as “their kids”, leaving parents to compete for basic visibility into what their kids are actually experiencing behind school doors on a daily basis.Last but certainly not least, this school practices extremely exclusionary practices under the guise of “competition.” Events like the “fun run”, “twin days”, “student of the month”, etc, clearly create and encourage favoritism and division between students. This may be understandable for older kids, but telling a group of sixty 4-6 year olds that only three of them can win a prize (e.g. fun run) when they all tried equally as hard is a recipe for disaster. Don’t believe me, ask the dozens of small children who were left crying on the field because they “weren’t fast enough.” But hey, at least the school made an extra buck at the expense of your four-year-olds confidence and self esteem. Unreal. Much of this could be remedied with additional staffing resources and modernized curriculum, but CVUSD is tied up in so many lawsuits (thanks to the board president and Calvary Chapel) that significant funds are allocated to legal fees instead of student-facing supports. Oh, and parking is the nightmare that everyone says it is. Arrive 1 hour early if you want a spot.

My oldest son has joined the school almost a year ago. Now he is not one to be very interested in education in the traditional way! and he also is coming form a private school oversees. Having said that, i have seen significant development in the level of responsibility towards his academics for sure. The most development i have noticed is in the sports section! he played Football for the season and now switched to wrestling. He is having a blast with the sports while developing his academics and that happens when the school is working on it as well as the home. Love the school.

I sent my child to Canyon Hills hoping it would be a good place to learn. I was wrong. The teachers run the place like a military camp. They use outdated worksheets, and they don't seem to care if the children actually understand the material. When I asked about a test my child had taken, I felt like they were offended that I showed any concern. As for the students… it’s hard to describe them. There is a small group who seem to think the bathrooms are meant for artistic expression. My child came home talking about stalls that were “decorated” in ways I would rather not explain because they give me nightmares. Lunch feels like a survival challenge. My child came home once, staring blankly at what was supposed to be pizza but looked like something else entirely. The hallways are chaotic, filled with loud noises, running, and unpleasant smells. Each week brings a new small disaster. A ceiling tile falls, a fire alarm goes off, or a student brings in something that looks like it came from a chemistry lab accident. The administration treats it all as if it’s completely normal, as if chaos is somehow part of the learning experience. At this point, I’m not sure if my child is learning algebra or just figuring out how to survive Canyon Hills. If you want a real education, look somewhere else. If you want a daily circus with a dose of indifference, then go ahead and enroll your kid.