Best Preschool, Private Elementary, Intermediate School, Private High School
Fairmont Private Schools
4 Year Winner
Just in time for the Prep Academy’s 25th anniversary celebration, Parenting OC Readers voted Orange County’s largest and oldest nonsectarian private school to the top of three different categories. The school’s newest initiative — The Fairmont College Promise — might appear aimed at its high schoolers, but in reality speaks to the quality of education students enjoy from the start of their academic career.
The Fairmont College Promise guarantees students attending Fairmont Private Schools from 7th-12th grade admission and scholarships to a Top 100 U.S. college or university. If the Promise is not met, Fairmont will convert up to 100% of tuition paid for four years of high school tuition into a college scholarship payable to the student’s college of choice.
How can a school promise such lofty achievements? The school’s 40:1 student-to-counselor ratio allows advisors to build a meaningful rapport with every student, helping guide them to a future which not only fits their personal strengths and areas of interest, but one in which they can be successful. But developing such a strong upper level school starts with a great foundation.
Children enrolled in Fairmont’s early childhood programs master key literacy and math skills by the time they enter Kindergarten through enriching activities using technology, music appreciation, physical education, science, art, and early foreign language skills to develop the whole student.
As students get older, they add to their educational studies by participating in day trips, outdoor science camps and overnight study trips throughout the year. They visit Sacramento, the Grand Canyon, the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Washington, D.C., and Catalina Island. Outside of school hours, over forty clubs (debate, yearbook, chorus, recycling, academic decathalon, FIRST Robotics, and Math Olympics, to name a few) are available beginning in elementary school.
Fairmont also attends to the student as a person and member of our community, focusing on service projects, ASB and a Character Education Program. In short, they have clearly developed an equation for success with 2017 seeing 91% of graduating students going on to Top 100 Colleges and Universities, earning over 2.3 million dollars in scholarships.
Best Single Location Private School
Heritage Oak Private School
Editors’ Choice
Accredited by NIPSA, Heritage Oak is a nationally recognized Blue Ribbon School. We love the Smart Start pre-k program, which explores the seven continents, geography, cultures, key monuments, foods, language, and music of countries from all over the world and performs weekly science experiments.
www.heritageoak.org | Yorba Linda
Best Public School
El Modena High School
Editors’ Choice
With a strong showing every year for Parenting OC’s Top Teachers of OC (Teacher of the Year 2016, Top Five Finalist and Educator with Heart Award Winner for 2017, Fam Favorite Teacher 2017), strong sense of community and service, recent award-winning PSA, Honor Roll School designation and robust athletics program, Vanguard Nation has a lot to be proud of. Our readers and editors agree, giving the nod to this impressive local high school.
www.elmodenahs.org | Orange
Best Music School
Orange County School of the Arts
4 Year Winner
Anyone who has ever seen a concert or performance by the students of OCSA would attest to the worthiness of this winner. But it is perhaps best said by alum and Broadway/Glee favorite, Matthew Morrison, “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the amazing public arts education I received at OCSA. The training this school provides is incomparable. My OCSA experience was the cornerstone of my professional career.”
www.ocsarts.net | Santa Ana
Best Tutoring Program
Kumon Center for Reading and Math
7 Year Winner
Kumon’s after-school academic enrichment program has a long history of instilling in children the desire to achieve and the motivation to learn on their own. Whether seeking enrichment, or in need of catching up to peers, students advance through the program at their own pace. Individualized learning helps focus, motivation and self-reliance — in fact, one student, twelve-year-old Ananya made California proud by winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
www.kumon.com/los-alamitos | Los Alamitos
Best School-Based Day Camp
Page Academy
Editors’ Choice
This camp takes a personalized approach to learning through swimming and field trips, hands-on projects and more. Each day is jam-packed with academic activities, challenges and experiments.
pageacademyca.com | Costa Mesa
Best Tutoring Program
Sylvan Learning of Huntington Beach
Editors’ Choice
These passionate educators love inspiring children to succeed, engaging and motivating each child in a personal way. They build confidence as skills and better scores, with one recent student winning a competition at his elementary school using concepts from his Robotics program. STEM camps and birthday parties also speak to Sylvan’s talent for fun combined with learning.
www.sylvanlearning.com | Huntington Beach
Readers’ Choice 2017 Sections
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