Los Feliz Charter School for the Arts

One of the most powerful gauges for how happy and successful my children are is how they feel about the people and the environment they are in for the great majority of their day. My children LOVE LFCSA! They are being exposed to a rich curriculum in an environment that celebrates arts integration, standards based learning, multi-modal approaches to delivering instruction and the development of consciousness and character. My children have the opportunity to be with educators who care about them and prioritize developing a relationship with them that is meaningful and lasting. As an educator myself, I marvel at the commitment of the staff, vision of the leadership, and accountability from all stakeholders given the many constraints that we are facing in education. I have children in multiple grade levels at LFCSA who are thriving and receiving an education that they would never receive in a traditional environment. I am a better parent and educator from my experience at LFCSA and I know that my children are receiving a foundation that will shape who they are for many years to come. Amazing environment and a team of educators committed to the success and well-being of each child.
—Submitted by a parent

I have been with the school for six years now and my family and I love it. My son has thrived here and continues to grow and learn. I love the staff.They have bent over backwards to help me and my son. He has loved each and every one of his teachers. There was some drama when the old principal left but the new principal has picked up the reins and run with it. They have a new math curriculum, they are implementing new writing and reading programs and finally my kid has homework. His test scores have jumped. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about our school.
—Submitted by a parent

Every time my family enters the school we feel we are part of an extremely special community. My first and second grader are happy to go to school each day, and are eager to learn. The arts integrated approach to learning at LFCSA has given both my children an appreciation for the vital role the arts play in our world. Our twice weekly field trips to Inner City Arts have been a fantastic addition to our curriculum this year. As a parent, it is fantastic to be a part of a school where you can actually bring forth ideas and have them supported and brought to fruition.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter started mid-year, and the experience has been wonderful. She has really responded to the hands-on, project based learning style, and the integration of the arts into the curriculum. She is excited by what is happening in school, which is certainly a change from years passed. The most impressive thing was how welcoming and friendly the other students are. She never felt left out, and felt welcomed and respected by her peers.
—Submitted by a parent

Submitted a positive review last year, and doing so again, as I am disappointed by the misleading negative reviews. I find that LFCSA is far above average in many respects. Sure, it's not perfect, and there's always room for improvement; but I find that the administration and staff are always striving for those improvements. This is our 3rd year & we could not be happier. Came from Marengo Elementary in South Pasadena (look up their API scores, if you want to be impressed by numbers) - a typical "in-the-box" school, whose excellence is due in large part to the huge parent involvement, teaching to the tests, and $$$ fundraising. Far too much meaningless busywork far too early, which causes undue stress for both kids & parents. Last year LFCSA's 4th grade class prepared and acted out scenes from Shakespeare plays. Some kids memorized Hamlet's soliloquy, or the balcony scene from R&J. My then 7th grader at South Pasadena Middles School was shown Disney's Lion King as a tie-in to Hamlet. Draw your own conclusions! API scores mean NOTHING, other than making the testing companies very RICH!
—Submitted by a parent

It seems parents either love this school or hate it. I have to say, bringing my child here from a traditional school nearby, this is an entirely new world for us - and that's not a necessarily bad thing. This school is firmly above average, with some room for improvement. The teachers have been amazing so far, full of energy and dedication. The arts-based curriculum seems to function as it's supposed to: enriching without taking away from the core mission of teaching fundamental standards. The campus is beautiful, and the parents are a highly committed, energetic bunch. The new principal seems to be an excellent fit, carefully building a leadership team to manage the school: disciplinary policies, support services, and communication with parents have all seen marked improvements. Minority enrollment from the local community needs a boost to bring the school out of its little bubble. The principal is aware of this and seems on board with making that a priority. The lack of homework and grades makes me nervous, along with the stagnating test scores. Will this work? We'll see. My daughter's verdict is that this is a clear improvement over her old school, and so far, I agree.
—Submitted by a parent

We feel blessed to have our child at LFCSA. We have had nothing but positive experiences with the remarkable teachers. After several very trying years in both public and private schools, the time at LFCSA has brought back my child's love for learning. He is encouraged to be a creative and independent thinker on a daily basis. He is receiving a great deal of support, particularly this year, for challenges stemming from his ADHD. Teachers are highly skilled, great communicators, and very responsive to the needs to individual students. They care for our children and work so very hard to make every day count. My child has the remarkable opportunity to receive training in the arts, and to exercise his creativity regularly. I could not ask for a better learning experience for him.
—Submitted by a parent

I agree, this school is a huge and I mean huge disappointment! The parents are too cool and are not paying attention to the fact that their children are not learning. Alot of kids here have after school tutors!! I am not joking. My daughter's teacher acts like she knows it all. Many parents are very concerned with this teacher. Our kids are coming home saying "I don't like math/science anymore!" And these are kids that loved it before. It is very sad to see how one teacher can have such a bad impact on your child. Don't buy into the hype. This is a pretentious school with no real educational foundation. We wasted 3 years here, don't make the same mistake we did.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has been at LFCSA for 2 years. I believe we started him a bit too early and that made it difficult for him to feel secure about what he was doing. This past year he participated in after school tutoring with his teacher and with me at home. He excelled! within weeks! I expressed concern, I pushed for what he needed and he got it. I grew up in the new york school system...you rarely got what you needed unless you shouted. The school now has a full time psychologist (with intern support) to support kids with these kinds of issues. I'm not really worried about test scores, in fact I'm going to opt my kid out of those tests anyways. we all know they create more stress and don't accurately explain everyday life at any school. My son will be amazing whatever school he attends, however he's now going to have one heck of a story about his elementary years
—Submitted by a parent

I don't know where to begin. The test scores are absolutely horrible, 60% of our second graders were average or above average. I find this disappointing and think it's alarming that we find this acceptable . Yes the alternative to learning and the atmosphere make us believe that we are ahead of the LAUSD system. I don't understand how all the money we have raised for the school leaves us at such a disadvantage in terms of education. I think this school is failing our children and hindering them from advancing academically. Why don't our children have homework? We are setting or kids up for failure. I am beyond upset and disappointed with this school.......
—Submitted by a parent

We are thrilled to have our daughter at LFSCA. She is excited to go to school every morning. When she returns home she takes pride in telling us about her ongoing projects. She strives to excel in her classes and seems to rise to the challenges put before her. She really seems to enjoy the process of learning. From our perspective, the teachers and staff are excellent. There has been a change in leadership this year, which seems to be very positive. There is now a constant flow of communication from the school via emails, phone calls, etc. We appreciate this very much. The staff has also been quick to respond to all of our questions and concerns. The parents are very involved, too. Many have become familiar faces because they spend so much time pitching in at all the fun events. Honestly, we couldn't be happier. LFCSA is progressive and might not be for everyone, but it's definitely for us.
—Submitted by a parent

Speaking as a newer parent, I'm going to register my support for the new administration, and my delight with how my shy child is thriving here. Since the change, I've seen great leaps forward in terms of communication with parents (phone messages, frequent e-mail updates, inviting parents to Pep rallies, Yay!), whereas previously, communication from the principal was rare. This made the school seem closed to those who weren't more actively involved, as an outsider, I feel like I have much more visibility now. I can't speak to the anecdotal drama noted below, but I agree that there does seem to be a group who expects privileges as a result of their high contribution levels. I can understand that expectation, but I myself prefer the more equitable treatment we have now... And I agree that admin/staff relationships or contracts are definitely not something for which parents are entitled to the dirty details. Just my opinion, to which I'm entitled to as well...
—Submitted by a parent

The new administration at LFCSA is a breath of fresh air for the school. They are organized and always available to help! There is more of a sense of community amoung teachers, staff and parents. We have school clubs, a garden, a newspaper, assemblies, the kids are creating a beautiful mural with an artist from the community. The music teacher is amazing. I am so grateful for the improvements that have been and continue to be made. It's only up from here!
—Submitted by a parent

Our second grader is overwhelmed by the noise level and the independence this school is pushing for.This school is not designed for every child. My son needs structure. We were hopeful that after 1st grade he would catch up, instead he is falling further behind. We are disappointed in ourselves for believing in the ideology of this school. Doing our research now to find a public school where hopefully our son will thrive. We feel we have done a huge disservice to him because we felt so strongly about what LFCSA offered. Our advise to parents would be to do your research. Don't fall for the hype, we loved the idea of "no homework" this turned out to be the worst idea. We have to now hire a tutor and are hoping that our son will catch up.
—Submitted by a parent

I must agree with those parents who where disappointed. However, I should have done more in the realm of research.This school is not for all children.If your child has special needs such as ADD/ADHD they will be overwhelmed, overstimulated and left behind. At least this was my experience. This school it seems to me is designed for an independent learner. One who can do the work with little supervision. If you have a child like this... God bless you! My child developed such anxiety and low self esteem that we have him in therapy. I admit this is probably the worse case scenario but it happened to me and I am guilt ridden knowing I pulled him out of a perfectly high achieving LAUSD school. We are taking expert advice and pulling our son out, hoping we could catch him up without having him retained at the new school.His academics have suffered , especially his reading because of the added anxiety and this school is just not able to provide the services my child needs. The teachers were great but do the research, visit the school, listen to the noise level and decide if this is the right choice for your child.
—Submitted by a parent

I am soooo shocked by the bad reviews. My son is very happy here. We left a high performing school that only taught kids to take tests, be competitive and hateful with each other and we are forever grateful for having a choice like LFCSA. They put the love of learning back into my son's life (which he'd lost at his old school). The teachers DO care about the kids. The best thing about a charter school is that if you're not happy here, then you can pull your kid O-U-T!
—Submitted by a parent

I agree with most of the negative comments, except about the teachers, they do care. It is not there fault that Los Feliz seems to be a dumping ground for students who cannot cut it in traditional schools. There seemed to be an overwhelming amount of of students with ADD, ADHD and other learning/behavioral disabilities. It appeared to me, that only until the end of last year they brought it some specialized teachers to handle this. We spent two years believing and sad to say, it cost two years of our sons education and a large sum of donated dollars and time. I do not blame the school. I blame myself for choosing a dream over reality. He started to fall behind other peers who were attending local public schools very quickly. He would complain about other children not respecting his space, back pains from sitting on the floor and the noise. As an "Arts Charter" - he came home with three pieces of art for the year. He did love the dance program, the teacher was amazing, he is now gone. Now that we are in a traditional public school, he has excelled and is once again up to par. I am sorry LFCSA, I feel cheated. Again I don't blame you, I blame myself for not doing my homework.
—Submitted by a parent

Since my children started this school in kindergarten I have never once had to persuade them to go to school. They love it so much they are never sick, and in fact, many of their schoolmates compete over how few sick days they can have. I suspect even the parents who had problems with this school would say the same thing. Elementary school should be a joyful place of learning setting up the adult to be curious and intellectual for the rest of his or her life. This is LFCSA. I drive an hour and half each way every day for this experience and its totally worth it!
—Submitted by a parent

I positively reviewed this school last year and was not part of any paid program to do so! My children thrive here and my older child scored in the upper 90th percentile on her math and english state tests. There are some growing pains with the new facility, an overwhelmed principal and some teachers who didn't take to the new environment and moved on. But overall if you're looking for a non-test-centered, developmental education where the whole child is educated and are willing to trust the system this school is where it's at. Despite the growing pains this place has more passion, dedication, creativity, nurturing and care than I've seen at any other school - including some private. And we've been at several since starting Kinder.
—Submitted by a parent

Some of these negative reviews seem so personal and angry. We have been with the school from the beginning and our children are happy, confident learners. My eldest scored 100% in math on her state tests and I can't get her to put a book down. While we have had a great experience, I can understand how some folks may have frustrations with the lack of communication by admin. Personally, I share this frustration and can understand how that can unfairly tarnish one's view of the school as a whole. In my opinion, that has generated most of the negativity. Our current principal has seemed overwhelmed with solely handling the rapid growth of the school. Admin short-staffing and unclear delegating has created a shaky infrastructure.The board also needs to roll up their sleeves and seriously get involved. That being said, the teachers are amazing and dedicated. The curriculum is innovative. The children are engaged and happy. The community is strong. I am hopeful that once the long search for a new Principal and Director of Operations is final, LFCSA will embark on a smoother path and make any few disgruntled parents, heard and helped. This is a unique and wonderful school.
—Submitted by a parent