Orange County Educational Arts Academy

Teaches them to strive for perfection. We were not fans of that at first but after raising 3 kids, who are now in high school, at local schools and them not getting the education and attention we feel they needed in comparison to OCEAA, we wish OCEAA had been open when my 3 other children were in elementary. Our daughter has by far learned more in the 3 years she has been there than my other 3 high schoolers did by that age. GO ORCAS!!!
—Submitted by a parent

My shy daughter blossomed at OCEAA. The small size, the fact that teachers, staff, parents, & students all get to know each other, the using the arts to solidify learning concepts, the parent group who commits to raising funds so all students are able to attend at least one really good field trip a year (including overnight trips for 5th and 6th grade), and the administration who keeps the balance between meeting state testing requirements and helping student's thrive - these all combine to make this a great school. Is it perfect? No. Are there some teachers who are better than others? Yes, just like any school. And for the parent who felt the staff was rude I wonder the attitude of the parent when contacting school. Did you go with an attitude of working together as a team? And did you understand that your child is one of many students and there are some limits on what can be done for one student? Anytime I had an issue or question I was able to meet with the staff members and we were able to come up with ideas of things to try to resolve the problem. Then the staff checked in to see how those were working and if we needed to change direction. I recommend this school.
—Submitted by a parent

Love this school! They take a pro-active approach to education and are very supportive of the arts as well as academics. The school is friendly and I see happy children and involved parents when I am there. The bilingual education is excellent and test scores continue to rise. In my opinion, a high quality school.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is not a great enviroment for students to learn and become competitive students. The school focus much on politics and does not provide the necessary support for teachers. During the short time that I was involved with the school, I learned that most of this school's problem is the lack of backbone of the principal. She does not support the teachers and staff, she does whatever a few parents say. She is a puppet that can be controlled, but a small number of parents that have no idea how to run a school. Teachers are great but scared of losing their job if they demand more support. I am really sorry too see that great, talented teachers have to work in this conditions where their voice is not heard. Teachers you deserve better adminstration staff, respect as professionals and suport not demands from parents.

My grandson attends Kindergarten at OCEAA and he loves it. He is learning many new and exciting things and finding a friendly, loving place, which i would say is a perfect combination for K. We are so pleased with his teachers, the atmosphere and the professionalism of all our contacts. The after school program is outstanding because it is full of play, learning, order and staffed by really kind and qualified teachers.

My children attended this school for a brief period of time. I found that it not only lacked in academic achievement, but also in nurturing a safe and healthy environment for my children to grow. The school is run not only by the staff but also by a small elite group of parents who have far too much say in the direction of the school. Additionally, this school does not in any way prepare children for the High School of the Arts. Most of the teachers, if not all, have absolutely no training what so ever in any area of art. I found the art work to be cookie cutter art. This school failed my children in every possible way. When I withdrew them from here, my son was two years behind in every subject, however his report cards never demonstrated that. I have spoken to a number of other parents who like wise withdrew their children and found that they too where behind. The principal is patronizing and dismissive. Yes the school has improved, it had too because the state was threatening to take it over it was doing so poorly. If you care about your child's academic achievement Try El Sol instead. It is right across the street from this school.
—Submitted by a parent

My children absolutely love going to school here. The Principal has shown great leadership in making some unpopular decisions but wise decisions - which paid off. With all the hard work the teachers and staff have put in the last two years, it is really beginning to show. My kids are all enrolled in the dual language program and are all making great strides. I am very proud of their abilities. Parental involvement is okay. It seems like the same parents are always involved. It would be nice to get some fresh faces.
—Submitted by a parent

I love the direction that the school is going in. I think finally we have a strong leader, Ms. Hardman Greene, carrying the school forward instead of backwards. She's gotten a lot of slack for paying too much attention to API but in the end that's what's going to keep our school open and I finally feel like my child is learning something and not just going to school to "play school."
—Submitted by a parent

Over the last two years, the school has taken a different direction under the current principal's guidance. Unfortunately, they are so focused in improving school's API that they are forgetting about some other matters that are important too. If you have an issue, yes you have to follow the 'protocol' to get a hope instead of an answer and it can take you up to a month to be able to talk to the principal. Then, you get only hopes and no solutions.
—Submitted by a parent

I am glad my granson goes to this school. Because it is a charter school, but this school is a very young school. They have only been open 4 years. All of the school teachers are very young and I don't think that they work together. Each teacher has there own plan they don't work as a unit. I think that they put so much on trying to raise extra money with fso and not on teaching. I handle there box tops program and have raised last year alone $1,200.00 in box tops. I get very little help from staff or teachers. There are schools across the U.S. raising$20 to $60 thousands dollors for there school. When ever I go to school I am never greeted with A Hello or how are you. Most of the time staff trun there nose's up at me. I don't know what I ever did

It is a great school, both of my kids go to this school. They have great teachers that spend one on one time with their students. My son started when the school opened and it has been exciting seeing the growth of the school. Excelent realtion between parents and teacher and between students. Excelent
—Submitted by a parent

This school is a great learning place for any student that loves art, music, dance, & language arts. Given that the school is still in it's infancy stage it has shown much improvement since it's first year. Both my kids attend this school and they 'love it'.
—Submitted by a parent

This school (Staff) took some time to establish itself. Being that the school is less then 4 years old. The staff has improved tremendously. Academics seem to be in good order. Arts and extra curicular were very impressive last year. Can't wait to see what else they will come up with.
—Submitted by a parent

Teachers are quality people, really care about creating a well rounded student.

Great school. My son is leaving and will be attending OCHSA in the fall but out daughter will still be attending. We sent her with hopes she will learn spanish and she has. Great afterschool extracurricular arts programs at very low cost if any at all. The teachers are fabulous and want to be there. The school does not telerate bad behavior. The kids become like family with one another.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is making progress but overall there's a lot to improve on. The staff is young and are fairly new to the profession (less than 5 years for most). They are very dedicated but overworked. I know they do it with pleasure but many of them are single and can do it now but eventually will be hard. The principal and VP are great people, smart and knowledgeable. This is the first year for principal but she has experience as a VP and knows much about dual immersion. However, both she and the VP need to improve in their leadership skills. Many of the older students do not respect them and are getting away with a lot. I think here is where they need to work on. Discipline is not great and the problems have lingered for a long time and not much is being done for fear of parents.
—Submitted by a parent

Finally, in year three of this charter school, we have a principal who has the experience and belief in our mission to make this school great. The teachers are young, enthusiastic and willing to work with all types of learners. Most parents are motivated to assist and not bully teachers. Everything is coming together and this school finally is a place I can start recommending to my neighbors. My 4th grader's education has had some bumps as this young school got its bearings, but we are looking forward to the years ahead.
—Submitted by a parent

I suppose my first review was too harsh and censored. Speaking strictly of the educational experience at this school. My wife and I were very dissapointed. We have since transfferred to another area school where we learned our daughter was nearly a full year behind her classmates. While mathmatically she was close, in language arts history she was sorely lacking. I hope this review meets the guidelines, because it's important parents know this before enrolling.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is not what it is explained to be! There is very little art influence. My daughter got more exposure to the arts in public school. On a more serious note, my daughter's teacher cannot speak English properly. When this was brought to the principal's attention by many parents, we were brushed off. A meeting with the principal and teacher resulted only in the teacher being defended. The teacher's response, 'Well sometimes the childrens says wrong words too!' The principal refused to sit in on a class, or investigate further. Many parents have pulled their kids out of the school because we were told since it was a charter school...we could not go anywhere else for assistance. PLEASE BEWARE!
—Submitted by Marissa, a parent

My child went to this school for kinder, I moved and she will not be able to return. We had a wonderful teacher and I loved the school and envirnment. The school is new and the entire staff appeared to me to be motivated and excited to be there. I was not a stay at home mother but I made myself involved and I had a great experience.
—Submitted by Bernadette Pinto, a parent