El Camino Real Senior High School

El Camino Real Charter High School is a GREAT HS! My daughter attended school there for 4 years and graduated last year. Last year ECR became a independent charter school so now the school is even greater! The teachers are wonderful and the administration is very friendly. My younger daughter will attend ECR in 2014. There is no other public school in the valley that is better than ECR! In addition, El Camino Real Charter is one of the most successful teams in the history of Academic Decathlon, and arguably the single most successful team of the last decade. ECR has a record 6 National Championships, the most of any high school in the Nation.There AP courses consist of: Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Computer Science A, AB, English Language, English Literature, Environmental Science, European History, French Language, Human Geography, Macroeconomics, Mechanics, Microeconomics, Music Theory, Physics, Psychology, Spanish Language, Studio Art, U.S. Government & Politics, U.S. History, World History - (ECR offers over 10 Honors courses). Hope this helps!
—Submitted by a parent

Can someone with current experience at El Camino please post a review. We are considering it as a choice but would love to see some reviews from 2012. Thanks!
—Submitted by a parent

A school where your child can get a great education. The teachers, staff and parents really work together as a team for the better of the children.
—Submitted by a parent

I had some amazing teachers there: Roberson, Firestein, Zwick, Aguilera, just to name a few. These teachers deserve more money.
—Submitted by a parent

It is a California Distinguished School and we have won numerious Academic Decathalons. We take pride in our school.
—Submitted by a student

Academically, it is very strong.And they have won the aca-deca competition for the last 2 years.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is just finishing the 11th grade at El Camino. This year has been much better with regarding the teachers she has. The teachers she had last year with the exception of two just did not teach. They would give her loads of homework every night including weekends and holidays. She would have to study for tests on the same nights that they would give her additional homework. They would write the assigments on the board in the class and give no other direction. My daughter and the other students in these classes were basically teaching themselves. I agree that the school is STILL overcrowded. I don't understand why we are still busing students in. El Camino is not a magnet school so I see no reason. Teacher are going to be loosing jobs and funds are going to be cut again. . . Stop busing in students!!!
—Submitted by a parent

I completely agree with what the parents are saying. Your kid will get lost. Good luck on advise for college, even with a child at 4.2. They will show your child no direction. Nice people in general. Not motivated or interest in your child's future.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a student in El Camino Real High School. This school can be the best and the worst all depends on your perspective. We have the best, yes, with AP passing rates of high 80s to 100, strong academic teams such as Academic Decathlon and Science Bowl, but you will not get this benefit if you don't have the right teacher. El Camino is also the worst, with bad teachers who does not teach and do not care. One advice i have for all new commers is that you better find a senior in that school and take classes according to him or her, because you don't want to go to some classes there.
—Submitted by a student

I am the parent of one student beginning his senior year and another who i pulled out of the school after one year. The school is great if your child is motivated. The school's downfall is not the fault of the teachers or administrators, because there are some excellent ones here. There are also good opportunities for self-motivated and/or high achievers. However, if your child needs encouragement, any amount of individual attention and/or some creativity...forget about it. The school is just too overcrowded and the class size too large. I know, I have both kinds of students and one thrives there while the other didn't find her footing until we found a more appropriate school for her learning style.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughgter just completed 9th grade at El Camino Real. I am truly disappointed in the unmotivated teachers, the extremely rude staff and the fact that it is overcrowded. Luckily she is an A student so we did not have to deal with the teachers or staff too often, but when we did it was an awful experience! She will not attend next year. I am willing to drive the distance for a better school with 1/4 of the size enrollment. Over 4,000 kids it outragious!
—Submitted by a parent

I don't think I really appreciated the education I received here until I left. I graduated in 2003 after spending all 4 years at El Camino and, although it did not really prepare me at all for the real world, most of my classes did prepare me in some way for college. I took all Honors & AP courses & had some of the most amazing instructors I have ever had the pleasure of being in class with...really, they could have been teaching at the university level they were that great. I would like to see more control over the students as fights broke out (often between minority groups). I think they have stopped busing kids in though which should reduce 75% of the problems with that school.There should be more room for electives & classes geared toward student interests like interior design or architecture. However, they do have film making
—Submitted by a student

The school's amazing. As is the school's newspaper. Very sophisticated!
—Submitted by a parent

el camino is a great school for high achievers. It offers more ap classes than all the fancy, richer schools nearby. Being part of la unified it must accept all students. Therefore, its api will suffer with kids who do not want to achieve or succeed in life. unfortunately, this hurts such a good school and its reputation gets tarnished. there are many great classes, teachers and programs. the school needs to have the ability to maintain the high quality that it always had and to not succumb to the pressure of dumbing down for kids that do not want to better themselves. el camino needs to maintain its reputation as being one of the only shining lights in lausd's domain.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is great; it has clearly shown this through all the students' hard work.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a 9th grade student at El Camino Real High School. This school is just repulsive in almost every way imaginable. The music program is of a low quality. Teachers are for the most part, uninspired and inefficient. Faculty is rude and disrespectful to visitors and students. It is truly an awful school.
—Submitted by a student

I had always heard great things about El Camino. However, I have been very disappointed. A student can get lost and forgotten at this High School. The teachers are not hands on and due to overcrowding are not involved with the students. The counslers are unavailable and rude as is the rest of the staff. I am have decided my son will not go to this High School next year as it has been a huge disappointment
—Submitted by a parent

I cant say I have been overly impressed with the level of learning I have seen from my 10th grader attending ELC. I believe there are too many distractions and a smaller school would be more appropriate for many learners. Less likely to have the diversions. The benefit to ELC is there are many options for the children. There are just too many kids in this school.
—Submitted by a parent

Great high school. All students work hard. All serious students, no goof offs.
—Submitted by a former student

I think this school is amazing! Though I wish for more extracurriculsr activities!
—Submitted by a student