Pacific Hills School

I take great exception to the previous comment. I am a teacher with 23 years of experience in both public and private school settings. I have taught at every grade level from Kindergarten through twelfth grade, and have been at Pacific Hills since 2004. This parent posting that "the most qualified teachers have left" is not only untrue but hurtful.
--Submitted by a teacher

This school has limited facilities and now diminished capacity faculty. The head master is shows elitist characteristics, chauvinistic opinions and does not support scholarship students. The most qualified teachers have left and now the head master is teaching in the classroom. His Napoleonic complex is tarnishing Richard Makoff''s legacy. Under Makoff's leadership PHS won numerous awards and was designated a Promise Place by America s Promise Alliance (APA), which is one of the programs that impressed us as a family. The students have experienced no benefit from the APA designation. Nor won any awards. The sports teams are not competitive and morale is very low. This school is already small. If it does not change directions, it was suffer the same fate as the little red school house.
--Submitted by a parent

I'm kind of amazed at the new year beginning right now - we've got new art classes including AP Studio Arts, music back at the school in a big way for the first time in years, and three new faculty members who are really incredible. There was a spirit at the school in recent years that was really making me think twice about keeping my son there, but I'm now feeling like there's going to be real magic at Pac Hills. I'm so glad we stuck it out.
--Submitted by a parent

So happy to be back at Pac! I just met two new art teachers and a spanish teacher - I'm so happy! I feel lucky to be at this school, and it's still small and super focused on the kids' experience. Some students were asked to leave last year - I know it was hard for them, but you could feel the difference even before the school year ended. It feels like the standards for behavior have really taken a big step up, and there's so much less distraction from the very cool things happening in the classrooms.
--Submitted by a parent

Pacific Hills School is better than ever. As a parent I am thrilled to see the positive changes focused on educational excellence and preparation for college and beyond. My son has had a first-rate education; I can't imagine a more personalized experience at any school in Los Angeles. His academic preparation has resulted in strong SAT scores and a fantastic outlook for his college choices. The school works closely with each family too, making sure that the education is affordable and accessible for all students who are lucky enough to attend. I just can't say enough about the fantastic experience we've had at PHS.
--Submitted by a parent

I have been associated with Pacific Hills School for many years and with everything in life change is inevitable and for this institution it is a GOOD thing. With the addition of the new head of school (Dr. Temes) it is a true breath of fresh air. I have attended events at the school that are academic in nature and the entire environment is about learning. (Instead of the old head of school that seemed to be far more concerned about sports then providing a quality education.) With the addition of some great teachers and making some various obvious changes to all facets of the school the real proof will be in the pudding and that is a higher quality of education for the students. The new changes and new blood at the school was long overdue and beyond what you read on this web site are welcomed. This school is going to do great things with the new head of school and the direction it is headed. Be a part of it!!!
--Submitted by a parent

The new headmaster has destroyed the school. He does not support the familys in need he is only concerned with his own power and success. He is rude to female students and condescending to lower income parents. The school is no longer a vessel for lower income and struggling students to receive help from a supportive headmaster and staff. This school should not be a non-profit it seems all this school is now concerned with is status and money. I am astounded that a school that used to support the underprivileged is now become a school that makes lower income students feel ashamed about there financial status in society. If they are different or struggling in someway they make them feel something is wrong with them. This is a school on the decline and it will happen quickly with such a man as the new headmaster at the Helm. Sad and Disappointed!!!!
--Submitted by a parent

This is an amazing school. Very small - and very small class sizes - with some of the most gifted and engage faculty I've ever seen. For too long Pacific Hills was a classic "second-choice" school, taking kids other schools did not accept. The new head of school is changing that fast - and has partnerships now in place with Stanford and Columbia Universities, amazing speakers (Noha Radwan, professor at UC Davis, visited right after being in the middle of the Egyptian revolution). This year, grads were accepted at Amherst, Brown, Berkeley, NYU, UCLA and a bunch of other impressive places. A dozen AP courses are on offer - new ones this year and next are AP Latin, EP Environmetal Studies, and AP Art History. This is a school on the rise.
--Submitted by a parent

Super school. Much less stuffy than other LA private schools, and really high-level academics. The new Latin teacher is amazing, and it feels like new things are being added every day. Particularly a great place for kids who are very bright but have trouble in more traditional, bigger schools.
--Submitted by a parent

This small school is a treasure in LA, with a great community of kids, parents and teachers working together. It offers superb and challenging academics and really committed faculty who care about the kids. Come in on any given day and you'll see a wonderful collaborative atmosphere with teachers working closely with students on any number of projects and subjects from algebra to Latin, history and poetry. My child just completed his first year and I was incredibly pleased with how much he learned (from reading Shakespeare in the 7th grade to learning the culture of Japan and reading portions of the Odyssey in Greek and Latin). He never could have done that in a larger school without the flexible approach of this school and commitment of of the new head of school and teachers.
--Submitted by a parent