Sierra Canyon School

CAUTION PARENTS i am a former student from sierra, (K-7) and it does not prepare you for real life!!! The math program is messed up. Even if you get a C you can pass the class. At public schools, you have to get a 85% that shows that you actually know the material!!! ONCE AGAIN do not go to this school. It is is WAY too overpriced.

As a parent whose child went through entire program, I will address the comment @ "Their math skills are streets ahead of their public school friends and neighbor kids", If only that was true. I would not feel as though I wasted thousands of Dollars. It is Absolutely False. My Student feels the school did not prepare for college Math. @ Comment regarding Chemistry teacher---This is correct. The teacher was Lost; the entire class was spending hundreds of dollars on tutors. @The red flag to your comments are "tutoring kids." Perhaps the kids you tutor are the problem------- The Majority of my Students friends at Sierra opted for tutors.
—Submitted by a parent

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. ~William Arthur Ward Beautiful 37 acre campus. Outstanding faculty, councillors, and coaches with depth, teaching savvy,, and hearts in the right place. Sierra Canyon recruits the cream of the teaching and coaching world. Incredible staff. Credentials and advanced credentials from Harvard, Yale, Tolstoy, Colgate, Stanford, and many other great Universities. Teachers that would be successful at anything they did. No attitudes here,, the focus is on education and building character with bearing in a magnificent, friendly and helpful learning environment. Outstanding academics, athletics, theatre arts, dance, sciences, social energy, field trips,, it's all here, and it's all superb. Our 7th grader excels in Sierra Canyons learning atmosphere and loves it here. No issue getting up and rolling to class in the morning. May be tough to get enrolled. Worth the effort if your child is a good student and of good character. Not for children with learning disabilities. Sierra Canyon School cues up your childs best years in front of them.
—Submitted by a parent

To the tutor that mentioned Civil War knowledge: Our Sierra Canyon educated kids would love to discuss the Civil War with you. From " the Confederate high watermark at the Angle in Gettysburg, south to Harpers Ferry, all the battles up to and including Antietam, from Fort Sumter west to Vicksburg, up the Shenandoah Valley, all the way to Fords Theater." -Those are my kids words, not mine. Their math skills are streets ahead of their public school friends and neighbour kids. My daughter is a math professor at CSUN and is very impressed with Sierra Canyons mathematics dept. She was well into then beyond Geometry by the 7th grade on the strength of Sierra Canyons excellent teachers and program. She got a math scholarship out of it all the way to her Doctorate. Jack Londons soul walks the halls of this school and you can hear his heart beating in the library if you just warm YOUR heart a little I invite you to take a tour. Call the school and they will be glad to accommodate you, and you'll be impressed by the outstanding kids and faculty you meet. The red flag to your comments are "tutoring kids." Perhaps the kids you tutor are the problem,, not the school. Hence being tutored.
—Submitted by a parent

Ok so I'm an outside observer, namely a tutor who had 4 students from this school last year...and I'm outraged. A particularly bright 8th Grader (on the US national chess team) had no idea who fought in the Civil War and why Abraham Lincoln was important. An eleventh grade English class in American Literature was asked to read Bruce Springsteen songs (not lit) but not Twain or Hemingway or Crane or Hawthorne or Benet or Irving or James or London; they got 2 major works of American Lit all year, namely The Great Gatsby and a Faulkner novel, which if I recall correctly was As I Lay Dying. He asked his students to write essays in one paragraph only and to use absurd numbers of unrelated quotations as coherent supporting evidence. It was downright appalling. The calculus teacher was lost, and the Chemistry teacher as well. And while I do ont consider a majority of my students bright--there have to be some below average for the concept of an average to make any sense--in this case I do believe all 4 were bright. It is in fact so bad that this school deserves to have its accreditation revoked, a charge I do not issue lightly and have no motive to issue except for my observations.

I was a student at Sierra from 2nd-8th grade. I always loved it - the fieldtrips are always absolutely incredible. The staff is your second family and the academics are very, very challenging. I was in the honors program and all my teachers were incredible. Unfortunately, it is highly overpriced and the kids are extremely privileged on the whole. The high school has far more expenses to pay with "Peak Week", books, and tuition in general. On the whole, I would not take anything in place of Sierra. It was a great elementary school. I now attend a more reasonably priced and reputable high school - Chaminade. The dynamic is very different and I love it.

We have been at the Sierra Canyon lower school for 3 years now, and we are thrilled with our experience. It has a very warm and "family" feel from the founders of the school (who come by rather often), to the administration to the staff. It's a great group of kids. They are respectful, accepting of diversity and have an overall good time while learning at an incredible speed. The kids do not seemed overwhelmed or stressed out. The food they offer is fresh and high quality, they have an in-house garden that parents and kids foster. If desired, there are a plethera of parent involvement opportunities. There is no pressure, but the opportunities are endless and it's fantastic. This school is willing to make change based on feedback like I have never seen. Everyone's voice is heard. It's unreal. We have found our home and have no plans of leaving!
—Submitted by a parent

A warning to all the parents. My duaghter broke her right arm with 2 broken bones on the right hand. The reason: there was no one there to tell her not sit on the fence. Not even a phone call after I took her to hospital to see how she is doing. All they care is collecting money thats all. I wished they could just call and feel sorry for what happened to my daughter. The phone call I receive was from their administrator after I complained and informed them that she had a broken hand. Her escuse was that she was busy with paperwork and couldn't make a call to see what happened. I am usually not a person who complains I just care about your children being safe and all I am telling you is please be careful. You don't know what my daughter had to go through with her injury.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a very very good school. Academically they out perform a lot of other better known schools. The school is building out the sports programs - after that will be the arts programs. The administration is 100% open to feedback and there is a true open door policy. They are a young school and do need to raise money and have parental involvement to build out the facilities, finish the non-academic programming and build up the parent-school infrastructure.. Being a young school means that parents can have a lot of impact with what is going on. Given the tuition (lower than Oakwood, Buckley, Viewpoint, Campbell Hall), this is a very good value for the money.
—Submitted by a parent

Our daughter has been at Sierra Canyon School since 1st grade. We are extremely happy with the school's teaching philosophy and the supportive staff and administration. They treat my child as if she was their own. The academics are outstanding and with the new athletic director, the sports teams are solid and at the top in standings. College counseling support is tremendous. The merger of the upper school and lower school is complete and it feels great. An upper school gym is being built and soon there will be a multi-purpose building on the lower campus. We couldn't be happier at Sierra Canyon!
—Submitted by a parent

For the parent who asked about Ingenium Charter School, here is their web site, IngeniumSchools.org. Hope this is helpful for you -- so many folks are having the same challenges with tuition.

An excellent school that provides a perfect foundation for college. We sent our child here from a public school. The attentive and supportive teachers are great and he is thriving. The only drawback is the constant need to pay for "extras" like books, trips and tons of other things throughout the year that can really add up, on top of the high tuition. But even with that, we feel this is the best chance we can give our child for a successful future so it's worth it in the end.
—Submitted by a parent

What every school should be like.....Unbelievable grounds and program is second to none..All 3 of my kids have thrived!!!
—Submitted by a parent

This is a wonderful school. My husband and I love it; however, we simply can no longer afford the tuition. A new charter school (Ingenium Charter School in Canoga Park) is opening this fall. It seems to have the same educational philosophy--learner centered and based on academic and not age levels--does anyone have any information on Ingenium Charter School? We would like our children to continue with the Sierra system!
—Submitted by a parent

This expensive school has lacked direction for the past four years. With the opening of the new high school and new management, they have bled the lower school families of funds and resources. The aides are not qualified and some of the teachers are employed out of nepotism and not ability. This year Science specialists were cut, nurse hours were scaled back, and supervision has dwindled. The school has focused on athletics and the new high school for the past three years with drastic negative effects. For such a high price, there is no indoor gym, auditorium, and cafeteria. When it rains, the children must walk to the lunch line and cary their trays back to their classes to eat, even kindergardeners! The campus often floods and the pick up and drop off is often chaotic. Academically, there are a few bright stars with the faculty, but not nearly enough.
—Submitted by a parent

My child moved to Sierra Canyon a few years ago. He loves the school!!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been in this school for 4 years. The tuition is so expensive for what they could offer the kids. First they have a poor P.E. program. They sometimes go to Mason park to run 3-5 lapse for or sometimes will just run around the campus. They have no gym so varsity basketball and voleyball teams go to Powerhouse gym to practice. Academically, it's not so challenging bec. some of the teachers are so lenient in their HW as if they don't want to stress out the kids. The kids are nice and my daughter enjoys the people in school.
—Submitted by a parent

We moved our daughter to Sierra Canyon from another school in the area and we couldn't be happier ! She can't wait to get to school every day. The teachers are amazing, they know how to inspire the kids to do their best without making them feel any pressure. Most of all they make it fun and creative. If you are anywhere in the valley you should look at Sierra Canyon first.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children at Sierra Canyon and couldn't be more happy. The integrity of the teachers mixed with their warmth and knowledge of teaching young kids is well worth the price of tuition. They are getting not only the fundamentals of reading, writing and math, but they are also getting music, art, Spanish and PE! They love it and it isn't a chore to get them out of bed and off to school each day!
—Submitted by a parent

This school is very overpriced for what you receive. I can afford the tution however they have unqualified teachers assistants teaching academic centers in the class room. Very important centers including reading, writing, and mathmatics. They have a beautiful field however no gym. They have promised a gym for years and it has never come to be. My feeling is that it will never be built especially since the new owners and administrators have placed all there focus on thier new upper school. They have laid off all of there long time Physical Education teachers and coaches that were highly skilled and loved by the students. The new administration is pouring all the funds and thier efforts into there new campus. They are running the lower school into the ground. I would not recommend this school to any one.
—Submitted by a parent