Best Faith-Based School
Covenant Christian School — Orange
Covenant Christian School in Orange is no stranger to our Readers’ Choice list. This faith-based school, open since 1985, offers education for kids preschool aged through eighth grade. Some of its classes include foreign languages, coding, robotics, visual arts, music and more. Another great thing about this school is that the class sizes are a little smaller than the standard, so teachers have the time to really focus on each individual student.
covschool.org | Orange
Best Bilingual School
Covenant Christian School — Orange
If you are looking for an elementary school that caters to many walks of life and offers an immersive language program, Ralph A Gates Elementary School in Lake Forest is the place for your child. It even has an award-winning Dual Language Immersion program, which is designed for children to speak both English and Spanish. The goal at this school is to give students a challenging yet enticing program that allows them to become fluent in both languages.
svusd.org | Lake Forest
Best Montessori School
Little Scholars Academy of California
Little Scholars Academy of California has a program for kids from 6 weeks old all the way up to 6 years old, and focuses on five major areas within the classroom including practical life, sensorial, language, mathematics and culture. Each child is encouraged to move and progress at their own pace while having fun in the process. There are also both full-time and part-time schedules available for your child.
lsaoc.com | Orange
Best Preschool
The Sunshine School
Whether you are looking for a two-, three- or five-day program, The Sunshine School has you covered. It additionally offers early drop-off, lunch programs and extended hours for children ages 3 to 5 years old. The goal at The Sunshine School is to commit to fostering a lifelong love of learning and to nurture a deep respect for every child that walks through its doors. It also focuses on play-based learning, which is critical for this age group.
sunshineschoolreadiness.com | Laguna Beach
Best Multiple-Campus Private School, K-6
Anneliese Schools, Inc.
Anneliese Schools, Inc. focuses its curriculum on nurturing all nine of the multi-faceted components of your child’s intelligence including logical, verbal, visual, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intra-personal, naturalistic and existential. Another great thing about this school is that many of the teachers have been part of the school for over 20 years. It also offers multiple campuses with varying grade levels.
annelieseschools.com | Multiple Locations
Best Multi-Campus Private School, K-12
Fairmont Private Schools
Since 1953, Fairmont Schools has put its focus on one thing: its students. Fairmont students can be preschool aged all the way up to seniors in high school, and there is something for everyone offered at the school — be it a club, athletics, visual and performing arts, or even summer programs. You can also choose between four different campuses throughout Orange County.
fairmontschools.com | Multiple Locations
Best Single-Campus Private School
Oakridge Private School
Students from preschool age to middle school can be admitted to Oakridge Private School, and there are even options for international students to apply as well. Students are able to truly excel in language, mathematics, reading, science and much more when enrolling, and eighth-graders even have an option to study advanced classes like geometry.
oakridgeschool.org | Orange
Best Public High School
Mission Viejo High School
Mission Viejo High School has been open since 1966 and has a plethora of programs including 40 clubs, 17 advanced placement classes and an array of nationally ranked athletic programs. Your kid isn’t an athlete? There are quite a few arts programs they can engage in. It even has an agricultural program.
svusd.org | Mission Viejo
Best Private High School
Fairmont Preparatory Academy
Fairmont Preparatory Academy is specifically for students in ninth through 12th grade and excels in academics including its excellent math and science curriculum as well as athletics. Not to mention 95 percent of students are admitted to a top 100 college or university.
fairmontschools.com | Anaheim
Best Faith-Based Private High School
Orange Lutheran High School
Orange Lutheran has been open since 1973, and is a private, Christian-based school that admits students from ninth to 12th grade. When you send your child to Orange Lutheran, they have a 97 percent chance of moving on to a college or university, while the rest enter professional sports or the military. Class sizes are also small, so students get the attention they need to truly excel.
lhsoc.org | Orange
Best Public Elementary School
Rancho Canada Elementary School
The mission statement at Rancho Canada Elementary School is to provide a multifaceted learning experience to students in a stimulating, caring and educational environment. This school welcomes students from TK to sixth grade, and caters to each individual student. An example is students can use the technology provided by the school or opt to bring in their own devices to complete assignments. Not to mention, the school prides itself in benefiting all students from every walk of life.
svusd.org | Lake Forest
Best North OC School District
Centralia Elementary School District
If you are looking for a school district that is no stranger to winning awards, Centralia Elementary School District is the place for you. In both 2022 and 2023 this school district won the National Blue Ribbon School Exemplary High Performing School, to name just a couple of the many awards it has won. It has a plethora of programs to offer students including a dual-language immersion program too.
cesd.k12.ca.us | Buena Park
Best South OC School District
Saddleback Valley Unified School District
With programs like the Dual Language Immersion pathway or the College Technical Education pathway, you can see why Saddleback Valley Unified School District really stands out. It also has won a fair share of prestigious awards. Students can enroll at any of its 34 school sites and see how this district really puts them first.
svusd.org | Mission Viejo
Best Special Needs School
The Prentice School
The Prentice School is no stranger to this list for good reason. This school is designed for students with language-based learning differences as well as ADHD. It also offers small class sizes so every student gets the attention they need in order to succeed. The Prentice School even offers many support services such as occupational therapy, a marriage and family therapist, and speech and language services, to name a few.
prentice.org | Tustin
Best Tutoring Service
I Can Academy Tutoring
If your child is looking to excel in reading, writing or math then I Can Academy is a great place to learn. Not only does it offer tutoring services, but it also has a homeschool program where accredited teachers teach your child one-on-one one to two days a week for two-hour blocks. If your kid is looking to get ahead in the summer, it even offers an exciting academic enrichment summer camp.
icanacademyoc.com | Mission Viejo
Best Charter School
Oxford Preparatory Academy
Oxford Preparatory Academy caters to kids from TK all the way up to eighth grade, and has a ton of programs for students to utilize. What’s nice is each student can pursue university-level academic studies that meet their individual intelligence needs. Whether it is world languages, STEM, music or even taekwondo, there is a little something for everyone. There are also extracurricular activities available like marching band, athletics, summer programs and more.
opaschools.org | Multiple Locations
Best Charter School for Creative Students
Orange County School of the Arts
If you have a child that wants to pursue creative arts, Orange County School of the Arts (otherwise known as OCSA) is the place to send them as it has many programs for a variety of creative endeavors, including dance, music, theater, media arts, fine arts and applied arts, to name a few. OCSA prides itself in pushing its students while also making them feel like they are achieving a goal that will carry through their lifetime.
ocsarts.net | Santa Ana
Best Alternative Charter School
Excel Academy Charter School
If your child doesn’t excel in a classroom or onsite setting, then Excel Academy Charter School is probably their best option. Students still go to school, but can do so from the comforts of their own home. This school is available for students in TK up to 12th grade and operated in an independent study learning model. This flexible and personalized learning path allows teachers and parents to collaborate on the best curriculum for each student.
excelacademy.education | Irvine
Best Virtual Alternative School
Saddleback Valley Unified School District Virtual Academy
Another amazing option for schooling if you are looking for a virtual experience rather than an in-person classroom is Saddleback Valley Unified School District Virtual Academy. This school serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade and offers everything from STEM activities to music and physical education. However, there will be a few days where kids come in-person and learn in a social environment.
svusd.org | Mission Viejo
Best Alternative School
Little Red Schoolhouse
Perhaps homeschooling is what you want your child to partake in. The Little Red Schoolhouse is a private homeschool program that caters to pre-K to fifth grade. This school offers an extremely hands-on program that centers around language arts, science and math. It also offers unique opportunities like working in a garden, meeting animals face-to-face and even baking experiments to more deeply comprehend the subjects they are learning.
adventuresintheschoolhouse.com | Orange
By Jessie Dax-Setkus, Magda Hernandez and Shawn Price
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