12122 Pine St
Los Alamitos, CA 90720

I went to Oak for 2 years, 6th and 7th grade. These were my worst years of middle school, due to some teachers that don't know how to teach, terrible principal, and rude classmates. The school is extremely clique-y and not a lot of people are genuinely friendly. I saw people getting bullied left and right during my stay here. After 7th grade, at least 23 other students from 6th and my grade transferred with me to McAuliffe. Transferring to McAuliffe for 8th grade was honestly the best decision I ever made. Don't go to Oak. Just go to McAuliffe. You won't regret it.

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.

We have two kids at the school and our experience has been fabulous all around. The teachers care about the students, the students are challenged and enjoy their time at school.