Pacific Hills School

Our son had a difficult time with another "west side" middle school when we first found Pacific Hills through a good friend with three kids of their own. PHS proved a godsend, helped our son turn him back into the happy and successful student he had been in elementary school and last year placed him in his first choice for college at an amazing university where he is now thriving. PHS is small, focused on academics and culture, and has a real world vibe and diverse student and parent body ranging from international students to the children of artists and entertainment executives alike. The principal and staff are wonderful and if you are looking for a small feeling community school environment with all the benefits of being in the middle of big time Los Angeles and Hollywood PHS may be the best in town.
—Submitted by a parent

This school turned my happy-go-lucky son in to a stellar student. He learned how to study, be independent, and stand up for himself at Pacific Hills. The teaching staff is dedicated to their students and continuously reach out to parents to discuss both positive and negative progress. The sports program is excellent and the small size encourages all students to work as a team. My son is now in college and visits his former teachers when he can. The school is amazing.
—Submitted by a parent

Pacific Hills is a gem! The classes are small, and the teachers really care about their students. They do an amazing job making sure the students are challenged and supported to ensure success. The administration is warm and caring, and make both students and parents feel welcome.
—Submitted by a parent

I can't say enough about this wonderful school and the great opportunity that my son has received at Pacific Hills. Dr. Temes has been a real breath of fresh air for the school, placing a greater focus on academics while still preserving the traditions of a diverse student body, a tireless faculty and strong sports and extracurricular activities. The school places its emphasis on the kids, keeping class sizes small and diverse, in a way you will not find in another Los Angeles school, public or private. We feel so lucky to be a part of this community and know that our son will benefit forever from the education he has received, the friends he has made and the faculty who has challenged him throughout.
—Submitted by a parent

Students do not "make them report each other for behavior issues," they make everyone accountable for THEIR actions by enforcing the honor code that EVERY STUDENT AGREES TO ABIDE BY at the start of every school year. If you feel your child was treated "unfairly" by this policy, perhaps you should look at the poor choices made by your child and not blame the school.
—Submitted by a teacher

Dissatisfied and disappointed. Unfair treatment by principal and headmaster. Instead of giving a helping hand, they produce problems between students and make them report each other for behavior issues. Think twice before sending your kids here.
—Submitted by a parent

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

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

I miss the way Pac used to be. It's just sad now. Almost everyone talks about leaving and many of them are.

The new Headmaster has completely ruined the family dynamic that used to be a staple of the school community. Under his leadership, enrollment has dwindled, veteran teachers are leaving, and a sense of unhappiness flows through the hallways. It really seems as though everything that was great about this small school has disappeared.
—Submitted by a parent

Great new headmaster, fantastic teachers, nice staff, sound curriculum and diverse and nice student body.
—Submitted by a parent

Pacific Hills School is a great school to be a part of. The staff and faculty were very cohesive and felt like a family. They were there for the students at times when some parents weren't or couldn't be. The small atmosphere helps the students learn and grow.
—Submitted by a parent

Pacific Hills demonstates constant desire to maintain a consciousness of education with hands on approach simplistic subtle encouragement producing world changing people. Pacific Hills community of educators is a group of people with purpose. The ability to believe before others do. That is the Great. That is knowing. A Gift.
—Submitted by a parent

I Like that it has private transportation & this school is more advanced than any other school and the classes are more organised than public schools and the athletic activities are absolutly wonderful especialy the football team.
—Submitted by a parent