Alverno High School

Alverno will likely not be around for many more years. The campus is a complete train wreck and the administration should have retired decades ago. It may be the lowest priced private school in the area, but it is NOT worth the money. They have quite a few extraordinarily BAD teachers (see ratemyteacher.com). As a parent I can't warn other parents enough to avoid the school. Many of girls have left the school to attend public schools and enrollment is way down. Most of the current parents are NOT satisfied with the school or how its run.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter currently attends Alverno and hates it! She feels that the teachers are not as available to help and instead refer you to the honor students instead. Alverno is not worth $13,000.Yes theyare the lowest priced school in the Pasadena area but their curriculum does'nt even come close to La Salle or FSHA. I also feel that the administration is not sympathetic to families that are middle class and are in need of financial help. If for some reason your are late with a payment or registration fees instead of giving you an extension they tack on a late fee($100). That's not very christian like. My daughter is not an "A" student but she is well disciplined and a hard worker , too bad that this school doesn't help the students that need that extra help.
--Submitted by a parent

Alverno has been a huge disappointment. The OLD administration really needs to be replaced. There are several very poor teachers (that don't teach), a campus that is in a sad state of disrepair, and an administration that doesn't seem eager to fix any of it. Enrollment is way down, so the school is constantly asking for additional donations to cover their costs. I'd recommend against sending your daughter to this school.
--Submitted by a parent

I graduated from Alverno back in the 1970's, but have stayed involved over the years. Though the enrollment is not what it was during the years of "Baby Boomers," the intimate campus feels alive with the enthusiasm of the current student body. I am always impressed with the poise, confidence and school spirit of the young ladies I meet at Alverno. The faculty is diverse and devoted, and the entire staff is committed to fulfilling the school's mission: To empower each young woman to become exactly the person she wants to be." These young ladies are receiving the best education money can buy, and are moving on to the best universities in the country. Alverno is a perfect choice for your daughters!

I am a recent graduate from Alverno and I am here to tell you to make sure you attend this school if you are a girl looking for an excellent education and opportunities to be involved! Alverno is a college-preparatory school so the academic program is challenging to say the least! It prepared me for college and I am doing really well at USC this year because of the education I received. The teachers are interactive, well-educated and truly concerned about every student. They stay after class to help when students need it and the small class size makes it easy to get involved in every subject. I loved being on the softball team and the student government in high school. It helped me develop leadership skills and the ability to work as part of a team... both important qualities to have in college and later in life. I was also in the Christian Service Club and I participated in the musicals as well. Whatever you are passionate about, you will find it at Alverno! My older sister and my cousin both attended Alverno as well. I am grateful that I had this education and I wouldn't have attended anywhere else.

With some of the lowest tuition in the area, I would say that the quality of the education I received at Alverno as a student is worth more than 10 times what my parents paid. I have recently graduated from graduate school with a Master's in Education with a 4.0 from a major university. I have completed more than 1,000 hours of student teaching and more than 5,000 hours of substitute teaching and I can say wholeheartedly that Alverno provides an education far above the local public schools and many of the privates as well. My teachers were caring, committed, intelligent, and diligent when it came to students. I never felt like any of them ever gave up on their students. The administration was strict but fair and has helped Alverno to become a hallmark of the local community. The thing with a private education is that it is what you make of it, I question the parents and students who write horrible reviews about the school. My question is what have you done to fix it? Have you brought your concerns to anyone? Most likely not. If your daughter has poor grades or disciplinary issues, don't immediately blame the teachers or administration but try talking to your daughter.

We made a big mistake in sending our daughter here. Bad principal and vice principal and teachers are marginal. Our daughter does not want to change schools because she has established friendships, however our younger daughter will most certainly not attend this school. Despite having the girls in private schools their entire academic life, I think a public school would be a better choice compared to Alverno
--Submitted by a parent

My school is small so you can know everybody. This website lies about the number of students. We have about 196 right now because a lot of kids and parents haven't liked it and left the school. I like my friends and a few teachers, but I have had a few teachers that don't teach well at all. If it wasn't for my friends I would want to leave here too, because I talk to my friends that go to other schools and they have more support from their teachers and the school leaders. That is where we are especially bad in the school leaders. They are just plain mean to those who are not their favorites and they don't enforce the rules evenly, which makes many of us very angry.
--Submitted by a student

Having sent my son to an all boys' school I have a basis for comparison. Unfortunately for my daughter the comparison cannot be made. Alverno has been a huge disappointment. Their motto is to empower young women, but they do so by beating them down and the administration gives a horrible example of women in positions of power. The school is run in a very amateurish fashion, with the standards for faculty set way too low, despite claims to the contrary. My daughter has had a couple of good teachers, a couple of adequate teachers and sadly more bad teachers than the two previous groups combined. Definitely not worth the money (I paid more for my son's school), and this is a case of not getting anywhere near what you paid for.
--Submitted by a parent

I currently attend Alverno high school and like it a lot. The school contains great teachers with outstanding work ethics. The school genuinely cares about your well being and makes a big effort to make sure you're doing well. The atmosphere is welcoming and you will never feel left out. The girls are all very nice and I can say that because I'm a student there and see the interaction between students on a daily basis. If you are planning on having your daughter apply to Alverno, go ahead! I never thought I would choose Alverno, but it has been a blessing in my life. Go jaguars! Class of 2015!
--Submitted by a student