Fairmont Preparatory Academy

The school is awesome. The complaints listed below are students who have either dropped out due to academic reasons, or the curriculum was too challenging for a student who only attended rarely. Fairmont Prep has high standards for attendance and academics and rate extremely high for technology. There ARE way too many Asian students in attendance, however, and I'd like to see more diversity.
—Submitted by a parent

I went here from 200-2003. The school is a joke. I graduated with above 3.0 and didnt learn a single thing.

My son is very disappointed with Fairmont Preparatory Academy. Very. He has explained day and day what a sad school it is. The faculty and staff, let alone the admissions people continue to tout it, but the reality is really something far, far lower. Who do they think they are kidding??? If we hadn't been in such a rush to find a private school in our area as the public schools are not worth it, we would have known better to ask pertinent questions and not been fooled. I encourage you if you are parents to request detailed information regarding school demographics such as domestic vs. international student numbers. They tout diversity, but for an American school where English is a seond or third language, what's the point? DO NOT ENROLL HERE! We are sorry we ever did and now looking else where for him to transfer to!
—Submitted by a parent

Education is the greatest give a parent can give to their child. And yes, like some have stated on this blog, it can be expensive. We truly believe that every dollar we have put into my child's education at Fairmont is worth it! Both my husband and I feel that we all have been very grateful to be a part of this organization, in fact it's actually become more of a family to us. Our child has attended FPS since pre-school and is very fortunate to be surrounded in an environment where everyone is there to help the students become successful with their high school and college outcome. The resources available to the students are incredible; the Prep Plus Program is a list of afterschool activities that is included in your tuition; this even includes tutoring! And the new counseling center that offers a ratio of 1 counselor to 80 students is unheard of !!! Fairmont Private Schools: Keep up the fantastic job you do, not only your students but for us parents too! I truly encourage any parent that is looking for academic excellence and well roundness for their child to take a look here, we've been very, very happy.
—Submitted by a parent

Hi I am international student who attends to this school. I been in fairmont for more than a year and a half. I went to jr. high and now i am a prep student. First of all, Fairmont 'does have' great teachers. However, some are just exaggerated teachers. Some of them cannot speak English fluently and has some kind of teaching problem. Secondly, it's toooo expensive! everything is just MONEY MONEY MONEY! my friend had to leave the school and school did not give her DEPOSIT money back! Lastly, there are tooo many International students who cannot speak English. they speak their own language which makes other students to feel left out and cannot improve our english skills. i sometimes feel that i am wasting money on this school. BE AWARE of the school!! some others call our school "FOB school" :P

I graduated from Fairmont last year. I was a former student, so I was not concerned with tuition prices. I went to fairmont all of my life, so my parents were constantly paying the high tuition prices. Like most experiences in life, Fairmont is great if you choose to take advantage of all that they have to offer. Now that I'm in college, I can easily say that Fairmont spoiled me in a sense. Their large array of ready-to-listen counselors and teachers is now a much missed support system that I loved. Their academic programs like Cal's famous Calculus class makes me feel like a genius in my math classes now. Don't overlook their extracurriculars either. Fairmont is for people who want to excel.

Fairmont's university outcomes speak for themselves. Have a look at the facts and you will see why it remains one of the best schools in the area. Fairmont is doing a superb job in producing well rounded students who are critical thinkers, keep up the great work!

Our daughter used to attend Fairmont Prep last year, but there were and probably still are too many international students. The admissions director and headmaster basically stated, "Take it or leave." So we left! The tuition is extremely high for the lackluster quality of teaching and we were very disappointed. It would seem that they promote one thing and yet are truly another. I would not recommend this school to anyone!
—Submitted by a parent

This school seems to have ethical and financial problems. They over-charged the tuition ahead of time and lied about refunds, even upon cancellation. Parents beware! Be careful in your choice.
—Submitted by a parent

I went to Fairmont back in the 80's (K-8) and I can still say to this day that I have an advantage over my peers because of the superior education I received. It is an incredible school and I still remember all of my teachers distinctly. I only wish that the high school had been open when I graduated from 8th grade.

I am a long time Fairmont parent who has sent multiple children to this school. When my older kids went to the Prep, I thought this was a wonderful school and my kids where well prepared for college. My youngest child, however, has had a different experience. While my child will be prepared for college, the experience was not as good as my older childen had. I attribute this difference to the desire of the head master to have a football team at the school. As a result of this goal, the quality of students has gone down and with this difference has come more discipline and social issues. If I was choosing a high school today, I don't think I would pick this one as many of the reasons I liked Fairmont seem to be gone now.
—Submitted by a parent

If you're a teacher looking for work, DO NOT apply for a job at this school. After multiple interviews and doing a sample lesson, I was offered a job to work there. Two weeks before the school year started, the school called me and said I didn't have a job. They said the contract I signed was null and that they were sorry but the enrollment numbers dropped lower than they expected. They are also the lowest paying school in the area. I have two MA's, a credential, and ten years teaching experience. I was offered 40K. That's why there's so much teacher turnover.

As a school administrator I was surprised to read the review about Fairmont Prep being overpriced. While Fairmont has increased tuition moderately over the past few years, we have been open about communicating the increase as lower than other private schools around the country who have had to increase tuition at higher rates due to loss in endowment and donation revenue. We have also been clear about the value that the increases support including new library resources, facility upgrades, the launch of our new Engineering Magnet, additional college counselors, etc. We have heard many positive things from parents and students this year who have been very pleased by these new programs and changes, and as a school, are proud to be delivering on our promise to provide the best possible college prep education to students in Southern California.

For what they offer, this school is significantly overpriced. The administration has significantly raised tuition fees for the last two years and tacks on additional tuition for medical magnet students, as well. This is not the norm, though they would tell you it is. The teaching staff seems to change frequently, as well. There are better schools out there, IMO.
—Submitted by a parent

I sent my daughter to Fairmont in the hopes she would develop better English skills. I later discover that almost 70% of the student body is Asian (a Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese mix) and these students do not integrate with each other. After two years (and two heavy tuition hikes), I saw no improvement in my child's English skills and moved her to Mater Dei where she has had a much more rounded experience. The faculty at Fairmont are competent, but the tuition is too high. Overall, I found the facilities lacking and the campus too small. The tuition keeps going
—Submitted by a parent

In preparation for college, my son attended Mr. Calavitta's Calculus Bootcamp and is now excelling in advanced caculus in college. Over half of the staff and faculty hold advanced degrees; they facilitate learning as opposed to delivering curriculum; students have multiple counsellors to guide them throughout high school and on to top colleges; student population is diverse yes but this prepares the kids for a real world college experience and global work place; multiple opportunities for the kids to get involved and really enjoy high school the way it should be. Why wouldn't you choose to have your student attend a school that can offer all of this?
—Submitted by a parent

Fairmont turns average students into super stars and has more super teachers than any in the country

disrespectful teachers, money-hungry school, too small campus, a lot of stealing, some sexual problems among students, mean projects, enormous amount of homework, coldhearted office people, unreasonable detensions, greedy, extremely high tuition, lazy teachers, etc.
—Submitted by a student

Fairmont is not worth the tuition; your child will definitely not be adequately educated for the $17,000+ you will be paying for tuition, uniform (which they for some reason hold to be more important than education itself), textbooks, books, etc. There are maybe 3 good teachers, but other than that they are rude, unhelpful, and condescending. Their clubs and other extra-curricular programs are sub-par. They will lie to you about how good their school is to get you to enroll. Do not fall for it. Fairmont is a money-hungry private school who will take any they can get for very petty reasons. I would not recommend sending your child there unless you are willing to donate a lot of money. Also, whatever you do, do not go for international school; they will show you absolutely no human decency.
—Submitted by a student

Small campus with too many students some of teacher were so mean... and they give so many detention to student
—Submitted by a student