Private Schools in LA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And about the friends of celebrities--they are going to be everywhere, it is LA!! That is like saying you are avoiding a DC school because of all the kids of Administration officials--you would rule out pretty much every school in NW, public and private.

You are right except for one thing, and that is when it comes to the celebrities themselves (their kids), as opposed to all the people in the entertainment industry, the celebrities themselves choose schools where there is security or gates to protect their kids from stalkers. So for example, in the Palisades is St. Matthew's Parish School. They get parents from in the entertainment industry but few parents of celebrities, because the campus, while gorgeous, does not have a guard and gates.

However, I agree with your larger point, PP. Lots of parents in the entertainment industry, so the entertainment culture pervades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And about the friends of celebrities--they are going to be everywhere, it is LA!! That is like saying you are avoiding a DC school because of all the kids of Administration officials--you would rule out pretty much every school in NW, public and private.

You are right except for one thing, and that is when it comes to the celebrities themselves (their kids), as opposed to all the people in the entertainment industry, the celebrities themselves choose schools where there is security or gates to protect their kids from stalkers. So for example, in the Palisades is St. Matthew's Parish School. They get parents from in the entertainment industry but few parents of celebrities, because the campus, while gorgeous, does not have a guard and gates.

However, I agree with your larger point, PP. Lots of parents in the entertainment industry, so the entertainment culture pervades.

Agree with this generally to the extent that many parents chose parochial schools to avoid the celebrity culture in the independents to a degree not present in DC.

[Anonymous]

Los Angeles is one of the few U.S. cities where the Catholic, parochial school system, as well as the Catholic high schools, remain strong, respected, and valued educational options. The non-secular and the secular co-exist quite nicely in the City (of The Virgin) of Angels.

[Anonymous]

Anything that offers an experience comparable to the Cathedral schools? Or to Sidwell Friends School?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Los Angeles is one of the few U.S. cities where the Catholic, parochial school system, as well as the Catholic high schools, remain strong, respected, and valued educational options. The non-secular and the secular co-exist quite nicely in the City (of The Virgin) of Angels.

Seriously? That's pretty much the case everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anything that offers an experience comparable to the Cathedral schools? Or to Sidwell Friends School?

Polytechnic (in Pasadena) might be worth a look. Serious academics, very good college placements, the culture seems fairly middle-of-the-road (not super progressive, not super conservative). Due to location it probably doesn't attract as many Hollywood types as some of the others mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anything that offers an experience comparable to the Cathedral schools? Or to Sidwell Friends School?

As has already been discussed before in this thread, two comparable schools in terms of academic rigor and reputation to SFS, NCS/STA, and GDS are Harvard-Westlake (on the Westside) and Polytechnic School (east L.A., which founded more than 100 years ago as the Caltech primary). If you want a single-sex school, then the most respected ones are Marlborough (girls) and Loyola (boys, Catholic, excellent athletics). Both Marlborough and Loyola are more centrally located.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anything that offers an experience comparable to the Cathedral schools? Or to Sidwell Friends School?

Polytechnic (in Pasadena) might be worth a look. Serious academics, very good college placements, the culture seems fairly middle-of-the-road (not super progressive, not super conservative). Due to location it probably doesn't attract as many Hollywood types as some of the others mentioned.

Previous poster well describes the Polytechnic culture. The School maintains a manageable, even intimate size. I believe a typical high school class each year hovers between 95 - 105 students. Poly draws all kinds - academics from Caltech, JPL, the Claremont colleges, Occidental, and USC; parents in traditional fields of law and finance still officed in close-in, Downtown L.A.; the children of doctors and medical professionals, "industry" people, artists, musicians, NPR, L.A. Times, and other journalists; first-and-second generation immigrant families; old L.A. families whose names are found on local streets and landmarks; all sorts of entrepreneurs, tech industry types, and local business owners; and commercial real estate and development people - among others. In addition to what the previous poster offered, I would also add that the school has just as many families of modest means, as those who are uber-wealthy, and that most families fall in the various degrees of that middle range.

[Anonymous]

The following is a College Confidential post from August 2103, comparing Harvard-Westlake and Polytechnic, and apparently - from its style - written by a student:

Differences:

HW has much bigger size of class, HW 300, v Poly 100.

HW has two categories of students, the uber-rich, and the uber-smart. Poly is more uber-smart and pretty rich.

Matriculation numbers, if you are looking at HYPS is more impressive for Poly than HW, but part of it is because denominator for students per grade is lower at Poly while the numerator of uber-smart at HW is watered down by the uber-rich, average kids.

Average SAT score - higher for Poly over HW for same reason.

HW much better sports/athletics.

Poly more crunchy, bohemian. HW - new money, industry types. Poly - older money. HW - designer clothes. Poly - individualistic clothes.

HW with bigger student body, might provide a greater number of kids you have similar interests with. Poly - fewer kids to choose from.

HW - more kids, so more difficult to get spots in plays and sport. Poly - smaller so everyone who wants to can play whatever sport they want and most everyone can be in the musical or plays.

HW - kids bussed in from farther; their friends may live farther. Poly - mainly local kids and the far kids get driven in rather than bussed. Both places: fairly stressful with academics and work load.

Parents and kids from both schools are happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The following is a College Confidential post from August 2103, comparing Harvard-Westlake and Polytechnic, and apparently - from its style - written by a student:

Differences:

HW has much bigger size of class, HW 300, v Poly 100.

HW has two categories of students, the uber-rich, and the uber-smart. Poly is more uber-smart and pretty rich.

Matriculation numbers, if you are looking at HYPS is more impressive for Poly than HW, but part of it is because denominator for students per grade is lower at Poly while the numerator of uber-smart at HW is watered down by the uber-rich, average kids.

Average SAT score - higher for Poly over HW for same reason.

HW much better sports/athletics.

Poly more crunchy, bohemian. HW - new money, industry types. Poly - older money. HW - designer clothes. Poly - individualistic clothes.

HW with bigger student body, might provide a greater number of kids you have similar interests with. Poly - fewer kids to choose from.

HW - more kids, so more difficult to get spots in plays and sport. Poly - smaller so everyone who wants to can play whatever sport they want and most everyone can be in the musical or plays.

HW - kids bussed in from farther; their friends may live farther. Poly - mainly local kids and the far kids get driven in rather than bussed. Both places: fairly stressful with academics and work load.

Parents and kids from both schools are happy.

I meant 2013. Also, if you have any more questions about the L.A. schools - or schools anywhere for that matter - College Confidential is probably a better source.

[Anonymous]

Harvard-Westlake

[Anonymous]

Is Buckley a good option?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is Buckley a good option?

I have not heard much, if anything, about Buckley. However, LA is a large city divided by traffic considerations into many segmented neighborhoods, and sometimes one is not as familiar with the schools outside a certain area. So the fact that I did not know of Buckley when I lived in L.A., does not mean anything. I concur with another poster that College Confidential might be a useful tool to research the LA private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lived in LA for many years, and there are definitely some public and private gems. If you want to go the independent school route and live on the Westside, I would vote for Crossroads (if your child is more arty and free spirited) and Brentwood. The head of the lower school at Brentwood is fantastic, and very down to earth. I also found Harvard Westlake a little more snotty. And about the friends of celebrities--they are going to be everywhere, it is LA!! That is like saying you are avoiding a DC school because of all the kids of Administration officials--you would rule out pretty much every school in NW, public and private.

This is definitely not true. LA has many more mirco-cultures than DC because it is a much bigger city. Plus, being a politician is much different than being entertainment industry uber rich . There is way more uber rich in LA than DC, housing prices reflect this. Not uncommon for homes to sell for $10 million, 15 million or 20 million on the west side of LA, this price point is barely seen in DC. The political cuture is also much different than the entertainment culture which is extremely appearance conscious. West side independents tend to be more celebrity driven than other schools. If I were to return to LA, I'd go catholic or public and my kids are in independent schools now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I lived in LA for many years, and there are definitely some public and private gems. If you want to go the independent school route and live on the Westside, I would vote for Crossroads (if your child is more arty and free spirited) and Brentwood. The head of the lower school at Brentwood is fantastic, and very down to earth. I also found Harvard Westlake a little more snotty. And about the friends of celebrities--they are going to be everywhere, it is LA!! That is like saying you are avoiding a DC school because of all the kids of Administration officials--you would rule out pretty much every school in NW, public and private.

This is definitely not true. LA has many more mirco-cultures than DC because it is a much bigger city. Plus, being a politician is much different than being entertainment industry uber rich . There is way more uber rich in LA than DC, housing prices reflect this. Not uncommon for homes to sell for $10 million, 15 million or 20 million on the west side of LA, this price point is barely seen in DC. The political cuture is also much different than the entertainment culture which is extremely appearance conscious. West side independents tend to be more celebrity driven than other schools. If I were to return to LA, I'd go catholic or public and my kids are in independent schools now.

If we could live on either the Westside, or east of the city, in a place like San Marino, Pasadena, or LaCanada, which would you suggest? Would the east side private schools have the same wealth and celebrity drivers?