La Sierra High (Alternative) School

I had it on my heart to write this review after reading the most previous one-I agree with a lot of the concerns raised in that review, especially regarding the leadership of the school. In my opinion, the principal and pastor have not been well equipped to lead in a way that supports the staff, students, and families effectively. There has clearly been instability, and many teachers have felt undervalued and treated as expendable rather than respected professionals.That said, I strongly disagree with the criticism directed at the school secretary. She is one of the hardest working people at the school and is often the person left to deal with the fallout from decisions made by administration that she had no role in making. Parents frequently direct their frustration at her because she is the face people interact with daily, but she is not the one creating policy or making leadership decisions. She handles an enormous workload, supports students and staff constantly, and deserves far more appreciation than blame. So labeling her as “grumpy” is not only ill-informed, but an example of the issues currently happening with the school culture. I also feel it is a misinformed statement regarding the teachers who left. The Spanish teacher was let go due to misconduct issues, so that situation was not “unexplained.” The art teacher left because of health reasons. Both situations were communicated to parents, the second one having sent an email out to parents from the teachers own email, so it is unfair to imply that the school hid those departures without explanation.The biggest issue, in my view, is not the dedication of the teachers or office staff. The teachers at this school work incredibly hard and genuinely care about the students despite difficult working conditions. Many of them continue giving far more than they should while feeling unsupported by leadership. The problems stem from administration and leadership culture, not from the people working tirelessly every day to keep the school functioning.

We love our school. It makes me sad that someone (likely bitter or disgruntled) feels the need to slam our staff and facility, it certainly isn’t Christian behavior. Come visit and see for yourself, our little school is making a big impact on many lives. I’m truly grateful!

We have been sending our kiddos to IvyCrest for about 2years. Kids love going to the school. Also the staff is very friendly and always reachable. The teachers also spend time on staff development and attend annual Montessori conference. The school is always putting their best effort to do better each year, which is apparent on their events and planning. As a former educator and parent, I would 100% recommend IvyCrest to other parents who are looking into Montessori program in the area.