Readers’ Choice Awards 2018 – Education

Best Public School

Troy High School

Beating out some tight competition, Troy High School year in and year out proves to its parents, children and staff that it has a curriculum that is second-to-none. The school provides excellent liberal arts programs, and is a leader in progressing students through tech, science and governmental courses. Troy High School has also brought home a record 12 Science Olympiad championships.

fjuhsd.org/Troy | Fullerton

Best Single-Location Private School and Single-Location Preschool

Heritage Oak Private School

Heritage Oak has been in Orange County for more than 50 years. It serves preschool through middle school, is accredited by NIPSA and is a nationally-recognized Blue Ribbon School. With some of the OC’s top teachers—including Parenting OC’s 2019 Top Teacher of OC—the focus is on developing the whole child, with a well-rounded education. This is the third year the school made the Best of OC list.

heritageoak.org | Yorba Linda

Best Private Elementary and Junior High School/Best Private High School

Fairmont Private Schools

A fifth-year winner, Fairmont Private Schools has been providing students in Orange County with a superior education since 1955, now with four campuses in Orange County. Fairmont offers individualized learning to students preschool through high school so they can pave their path toward success. In the past five years, 91 percent of all Fairmont graduates have attended the top 100 colleges and universities as defined by U.S. News and World Report.

fairmontschools.com | Multiple Locations

Best Montessori School

TIE: LePort/IvyCrest

Leport

Leport reports that while you may have heard of the Montessori method, you may not know what Montessori actually is. This is due to the wide array of Montessori practices available. Being a vague term in today’s practice, Leport prides itself on its research conducted into all Montessori methods to ensure every student’s success, in an atmosphere that provides all the tools and support the children need to become confident, wise and overall excellent human beings.

leportschools.com | Irvine

IvyCrest

It is a shared belief at IvyCrest that “being a Montessori teacher is the noblest profession with the highest intrinsic rewards.” This is reflected in the dedication this family-owned center has to the parents and children that choose to grow alongside this flourishing school. IvyCrest seeks to assimilate what the children are learning into the community, providing resources both in and out of the classroom that may stimulate a child’s growth and development.

ivycrest.org | Fullerton and Yorba Linda

Best Faith-Based School

Discovery Depot

A third-year winner, this Yorba Linda school was founded by the Faith Community Church of the Nazarene. The staff strives to build relationships, form partnerships and cultivate community, which results in an environment that feels like family, all while the children learn Christian values and have a lot of fun. Activities include family movie nights, parades, carnivals, Easter egg hunts and outdoor chapel. Discovery Depot is expanding and is set to open its first satellite campus in the city of Whittier in September.

fcnaz.org/Discovery_Depot.html | Yorba Linda

Best Tutoring

Kumon Center for Reading and Math

One cannot deny the exceptional track record Kumon holds, educating children with a consistency that has allowed readers to vote for it eight years straight as “best tutoring” program. Displayed both by the success of individual locations and as a whole, Kumon’s growth and recognition is due to its results, which prove time and again that its curriculum facilitates brilliance.

kumon.com | Multiple Locations

Best Mommy & Me Class

My Gym Yorba Linda

A four-year winner, My Gym in Yorba Linda continuously impresses us and our readers, due to their loving staff and high expectations of themselves. Known for its cleanliness as well as its balance of mental and physical activity for tots, My Gym Yorba Linda staff and owner Jeremy Hanewinckel are praised for their constant contribution to budding families. “The owner and staff really love and care for the children. They don’t do it for the money—it’s really a true love,” commented reader Sujin Pitaknarongphorn.

mygym.com/yorbalinda | Yorba Linda