437 Swarthmore Ave
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272

We have been at private schools in the palisades and can attest that this rivals any $20-$40k+ tuition school. Forever grateful for the community at Pali.

I just graduated from this school, and honestly, it was a total mess. The bathrooms were disgusting. Almost every time I went in there, someone was vaping. You’d open the door and walk straight into a cloud of fruity fog — like mango, cotton candy, or something that smelled like burnt Skittles. Sometimes you couldn’t even see the mirror because the air was so thick. It wasn’t just once in a while — it was every day. You’d have to hold your breath just to pee.There were fights constantly. At least once a week, sometimes more. In the hallways, out by the lunch tables, right in front of classrooms — people were just angry all the time and ready to start swinging over dumb stuff. It made the whole school feel unsafe, like you had to watch where you stood or what you said in case someone decided to go off. The staff didn’t even show up until it was already out of control.The vibe at the school was just bad. Some of the kids acted like they ran the place, always starting drama or looking at you like you didn’t belong. There were friend groups that were super fake, and people talked behind each other’s backs constantly. It felt like you couldn’t trust anyone, and honestly, it just made going to school really stressful. And the counseling was a joke. The counselor was always picking favorites and wouldn’t give very good emotional support. My science teacher didn’t even teach us anything. Just sat there and gave us an assignment or video to watch. Although, i had fun in that class because it was chaos and i got to talk to my friends without her caring.Not everything was terrible, though. I did have a couple teachers who were actually really inspiring. One of them took the time to talk to me after class and encouraged me to keep drawing — said I had potential. But in the end, a few good teachers couldn’t fix how toxic the school felt overall. Between the vaping, the constant fights, and the weird energy from so many students, I couldn’t wait to leave. I’m glad I’m done.1 star. Do better.

Academically, school is very rigorous and good for those who are a higher level of learning, however, it is very hard for people to make friends who did not go to the feeder middle school.