628 Esplanade
Redondo Beach, CA 90277

My daughter has special-needs and this is her second year in the LIFT program at Alta Vista. Her teachers, Leah C. & Shanel O., have gone above and beyond for my child, as well as other students in the classroom. The amount of progress that I've seen in my child (as well as others) is astronomical! I have never had any issues with communication or having my concerns addressed. Leah C. has expressed her gratitude, time-and-time again, and has noticed even the smallest of contributions by parent(s). Shanel O. has provided insight and advice, for both, inside of the classroom as well as at home. Both teachers have developed a bond with my child and make my child feel welcomed and invited, daily. I don't believe my daughter would have progressed as much as she has anywhere else. I see my daughter excited to enter the classroom and the teachers (including assistants) are engaged and know the children's individual personalities and needs. They. Truly. Care. In a perfect world, teachers Ms. Leah C., Ms. Shanel O., and assistants Ms. Tsai, and Mr. Lindsay, would all adjust their positions and follow my daughter through her kindergarten experience. Unfortunately, they can't. Nonetheless, we were blessed to have had this staff for the two years that we did and my daughter had a great experience. I wouldn't have it any other way.

My child has had such a great experience so far. Academics has been good and my child has been able to reach out to teachers and get responses. There are honors options in addition to accelerated math. I think middle school athletics is a bummer since my understanding is that it is often geared towards 8th graders with the exception of XC and track which are more inclusive. The band has many options. We had some basic mean girl stuff which did not need school intervention. I was surprised to see that the great school score was lower and saw that it was likely due to improvement per year being low. I have heard there are some attitudes that middle school doesn't matter yet so why bother. So I haven't decided for myself how to interpret whether that score is low specifically due to education, the culture that middle school doesn't matter yet or both.

This high school offers a great balance of challenging academics and a wide variety of things to do outside the classroom. Its size is a huge plus, allowing for a broad range of AP, Honors, and Cambridge International courses that let students dive into college-level work early. Along with specialized electives you won't often find at smaller schools.