Octavia E. Butler Magnet School

We love OKMS. Our children have both had amazing experiences at school. They both love learning and are very happy to go to class every day. The community is warm and caring. Specially for our older, who is in second grade, I can tell they are really learning how to learn, and what a skill that is.

We have two kids currently at PCS and it has been one of the best decisions we have made for them. They have a great student to teacher ratio (between 14-20 kids) with 2 adults in the classroom. This was one of the main reasons we chose the private school route versus public. We just knew our kids needed the small group environment. We also love the diversity. Both our kids' classroom is so diverse. People come from very different SES backgrounds, moreso than other private schools since they provide financial aid and scholarships to people in the local community. I want to say almost everyone in my kids' classrooms identify as a different ethnicity. At most private schools, it's very easy to tell which race dominates the study body, but at PCS you cannot pinpoint a single race/ethnicity. As a person of color, our family has felt so welcomed. Our kids are high achieving, and we noticed that the teachers do a good job breaking up the classroom into smaller groups so that lessons can be adjusted to each child's level. We like that the school isn't so intense about testing since they aren't required to state test until a bit later, learning is not just to test well. It's very intentional, engaging, and fun (according to our kids). The classrooms are orderly, and kids spent a lot of time learning. All of the teachers from Kinder to second grade have been so warm, structured, and wonderful. Most of the teachers and admin staff we have met have been at the school for many decades, really great teacher retention and culture. The admin is highly organized and they've truly worked out all the kinks. We've tried summer programs at the top tier neighborhood schools in Pasadena, the disorganization and poor communication made us realize how good we have it at PCS. They answer questions before we have to ask about anything that's happening at school. We love how much exposure the kids get at the computer lab at a young age, reading, high quality art curriculum, programming, public speaking (they start the kids very young to get practice), sports (basketball is big here), musical/theatre, and after school programs (robotics, art, hip pop dance, chess, science, etc) for families who need it. They also have a reputable orchestra where kids can take private lessons in their choice of instrument. It's such a a great school. I'm surprised more people don't know about it. Highly recommend!!