Pinecrest Schools

Speaking as a former student in Middle School, I am writing this in response to Harry. Did you attend the SAME History class as me?! You say our teacher READ to US from the book??? Where were you when we built an entire Colony before the Starving Time? Or when we wrote our own Constitution? Or when we created a Presidential campaign poster for a biography we read? Remember this one? The entire Middle School voted on these to see who would be elected. Or how about the Lewis and Clark Field Guide, the Geography Scavenger Hunt, the monthly Challenges, the Industrial Revolution (we created an advertisement for one of the inventions), or the best one of all, the Civil War Simulation (with hardtack and music!)? You say she read to us. WE read aloud in class. But why did our parents pay $ 100 for our book if we aren’t going to read it? And, you seem to be okay with the Science teacher reading the book. You say she was at her desk most of the time. The only time I remember her at her desk is when we BEGGED her to let us work alone from time to time. Why slam the best teacher at Pinecrest? She was one of the kindest, fairest, and fun teachers we had.

Our son went there for Kindergarten and 1^st grade. Could not have asked for a better Kindergarten teacher as Mrs. Webb is hands down THE BEST. When 1^st grade came, the teacher we thought was going to be there, left for a public school position and was replaced by a teacher from a different campus. (Note: the parents were not notified of this change until the first day of school after the contracts were signed). My son loved the new 1^st grade teacher (Mrs. George) and her assistant (Mrs. Ness). Overall, our experiences with Pinecrest were positive. The staff was approachable, friendly and professional. The children in my experiences were polite and friendly. However, this school year (2015 – 2016) the tuition was increased and compared to other area private schools was not worth the increase in price. The campus needs to be updated with better facilities: most notably the computer lab and maybe a bigger multi-​purpose room for the children as the current one is basically the size of a classroom.

I am speaking as a student from Pinecrest based upon my experiences of the middle school. This review does not reflect upon the preschool or elementary part of the school.
MATH (⁶⁄₁₀)= The math here is below average. The Pinecrest math curriculum is pretty horrible. By eighth grade, the kids haven’t learned one bit of geometry. They just start algebra in eighth grade when the public schools are doing geometry, trigonometry, or algebra 2 in eighth grade! The math teacher though, a former engineer, is not to blame. His background ensures that the kids know how to do math correctly and properly. He is energetic and kind, yet having a sense of strictness. He will stay after school to whatever extent if he has to in order to ensure that the student masters the math lesson.
ENGLISH (¹⁰⁄₁₀)= The English classes here are exceptional. The grammar is enforced in sixth and seventh grade. By eighth grade, the student’s grammar is mastered. They write papers and essays with spectacular fluency and details (can’t you tell by how informative this review is?) The only person to thank for this is this the English teacher, who makes sure that the students understands the basics and application of English in the real world.
SCIENCE (⁸⁄₁₀)= The science classes are quite good. The cirrculum isn’t as bad as the math, but it isn’t above average. Like most schools, they are learning earth science in sixth grade, life science in seventh grade, and physics and chemistry in eighth grade. These concepts can be quite confusing at times, but the science teacher explains them in a simple and easy way to understand. This teacher is the main teacher here and also acts as the character ed teacher towards the middle school students.
HISTORY (⁴⁄₁₀)= It’s sad that I have to have such a low rating for the history department, but honesty is key. The teacher is incredibly friendly and teaches important life lessons. The curriculum is not even that bad. However, the kids don’t even do anything in that class. The teacher reads from the book while the student takes notes. Sometimes the kids just read and take notes while the teacher sits at her desk. Don’t get me wrong, the teacher is an amazing person who solves issues in a blink of an eye, but come on. No explaining concepts during class, just reading out from the textbook. And the worst is the assignments! Everyday, we have to answer questions from the textbook and write the answers in our notebooks. That’s fine, but do we really need to color? Sometimes the assignment is to color pictures. Coloring as a middle schooler? When did my parents accidentally enroll me in the kindergarten history class?
SPECIALITY CLASSES (⁹⁄₁₀)= These classes are not meant to be extreme studying classes, but instead relaxing yet fun classes. The music, art, and computer classes are excellent examples. In music you learn a little and have a little fun. The same follows for computer and art. The Spanish though, is a little different. The Spanish teacher is probably the best teacher on the Pinecrest campus. She makes sure that every student can at least have a basic Spanish conversation. There is nothing elite about the Spanish program, and it isn’t that fun, but the teacher is something you can’t miss out on.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION (⁹⁄₁₀)= The PE program is good. The instructors are great and all have great personalities that connect with the kids. The PE uniform is $ 20– which really isn’t that bad for a shirt and shorts. My only complaint is that students have to run their laps on concrete. With the money they save doing this, they are able to buy enough band aids for when students fall running on the concrete.
ATHLETICS (¹⁰⁄₁₀)= The Pinecrest athletics program is awesome. It is very easy to manage sports and school at the same time. The teams practice during PE and don’t need to miss any school or come early or stay late to practice. Most sports cost about $ 100 a season which isn’t horrifying. The teams they play are all within the scv, so not much of a drive. Really awesome athletics department coached by the same awesome PE instructors.
THE SCHOOL PHYSICALLY (⁵⁄₁₀)= This school is probably older than you and has probably never been updated after it was built. The computers are slow and were just updated to windows 7 this year (Finally got rid of windows xp!) The school is super small, boasting four classrooms for the entire middle school. The eighth grade pavilion is some tables in some dirt. For the thousands paid a year in tuition, I think just some money can actually go back in the school.
Is this school actually worth the thousands paid a year? Yeah you may be able to get a better curriculum in the public schools, but the one on one with the teachers here at Pinecrest is worth quite a bit. They have an awesome athletics program and a few clubs like chess, robotics, drama, and NJHS. The decision is up to you.
Wow. You deserve an award if you actually read all of that.

Perfect location in Sand Canyon, hidden away from the hustle and bustle of SCV. The staff here are like family and treat their families as such! Highly recommended for everyone, especially the families who have a strong emphasis on academically advanced curriculum.

I am going to start this review with a forward: I will not use the names of faculty working here or what subjects they teach simply because I do not want to be sued for libel. I will also not put down when I was a student here for the same reasons.
Speaking as a former student here, under any circumstances, DO NOT send your kids here. You are better off homeschooling them if this school is your only choice. Everyone may think private school is great, but it’s not, honestly. Even the worst public schools here in SoCal are better than this.
So, why do I think this place is the equivalent to Dante’s lower circle of Hell?
1. The campus has honestly seen better days. It’s dirty, old, and could use a complete makeover.
2. The staff here is extremely rude. I won’t go into detail, but one of the teachers made me cry me in front of the entire school, and another was verbally abusive to my class.
3. The kids are stuck-​up and snobby. Yes, I know there’s a middle school here, but it doesn’t excuse or validate the fact that I was bullied for being the not-​snobby kid.
4. Speaking of bullying, they’re extremely lax when it comes to any anti-​bullying campaign. On more than one occasion, I was scolded for doing the right thing by telling somebody that I was being bullied. And, on more than one occasion, the bully got away with whatever they did, because whoever I told said «They’re not doing anything.»
5. Tuition prices are way crazy. When I went, it was $ 600 — $ 650 A MONTH. I’ve heard it’s gone up, too. Do yourself a favor and save money by not going here. If you don’t enroll your kids here, then you can spend the money meant for tuition on a nice trip out of town.
This place still makes me upset. I hated it here so much, and I was so happy the day I graduated and finally left this place.

facility is old and looks like there is little investment in improving the current conditions. I will not recommend this school to friends or neighbors. a facility closed in the San Fernando Valley, the school is not doing well financially. move, look for a better alternative.

We have both of our kids in the toddler and preschool classes. Couldn’t be happier with their teachers and office staff. Especially for the price that includes their meals and snacks!

If I could give this school a –star I would! Please think about putting your children in this school. If you want a day care it seems fine but for a challenging well rounded option for middle school they lack in everything. Everything is old and outdated including the «computers». Starting with low grade books, no cafeteria, no auditorium, terrible PE, all they do is run and on concrete!, no school dances, no field trips, no extra classes. Middle school is still being treated like elementary. Sorry excuse for a Middle school :(

Front office personnel should be removed especially the blonde lady who gives tours. she is rude.
I don’t know how much longer this place can stay open but enrollment is clearly way down so i’m not sure how they can afford to keep a bunch of aloof simpletons running this place like they own it.
Whoever is running this show should clean house before the house is gone.
there are other options in the area. do yourself a favor and do some more research if you’re thinking about this place.
One caveat, there are some good teachers here like anywhere else it’s just more of an administration issue.
as they say, one drop of you know what will ruin a gallon of ice cream.

We loved this school for our oldest daughter. Great teachers and a great program! The tuition hike was outlandish though and so many people have left the school. I would love to return if tuition rates are more reasonable for part timers.

Had my daughter there two years ago for preschool years and I loved it but now that it’s time for my son I can’t afford it. They’ve raised the price from $ 410 for three HALF days to $ 570. That’s a 28% increase. None of the other private preschools in the area have raised their prices to this degree and I don’t understand why Pinecrest has. A number of people I know have opted to go elsewhere for the same reason and it’s a shame because if it wasn’t for the price increase we’d all be there. Thanks Pinecrest. Seems like they’re only thinking of the bottom line and not the students and families. Sad.

We have both of our children there… the entire staff is great!