Education

Best Faith-Based School

Covenant Christian School — Orange 

For the third year in a row, Covenant Christian School makes it to the top. They’ve been serving Orange County since 1985, offering education for preschool through eighth grade. They offer enrichment for foreign languages, visual arts, music, coding, robotics, academic coaching and more. They focus on biblical teachings to give their students a solid foundation. The class size is limited, so experienced teachers focus more on individual students.

covschool.org | Orange

Best Bilingual School

Ralph A. Gates Elementary School

Gates Elementary provides a culturally diverse environment from all walks of life, focusing on instilling self-esteem through positive reinforcement and mutual respect. Their award-winning Dual Language Immersion Program is specifically designed for English- and Spanish-speaking students. Their focus is to provide students with a challenging, exciting and enriching experience to ensure that each child is ready for the world.

svusd.org | Lake Forest

Best Montessori School

Little Scholars Academy of California

Little Scholars Academy of California has a program for infants 6 weeks to 2 years and a program for preschoolers 2 to 6 years old. They have a few spots for immediate enrollment and a short waitlist for future enrollment. Each child progresses at their pace in five different classroom areas: practical life, sensorial, language, mathematics and cultural areas.

lsaoc.com | Orange

Best Preschool

Blessed Sacrament Children’s Learning Center

This nonprofit childcare and education center offers a developmental program for kids ages 2 through 5. They hold some of their classes in the recently built education building. Kids learn many subjects such as art, music, science, pre-reading, pre-math, language development, physical development and social living. Schedules are flexible, with many different programs available. 

blessedsacramentplacentia.org | Placentia

Best Multiple-Campus Private School

Anneliese Schools, Inc.

Anneliese Schools believes that all children need to be challenged by their school to gain confidence and learn. They want every child’s potential to blossom. They have experienced teachers who use a unique program to grow the roots of the children they teach and prepare them for the world. They have multiple campuses with varying grade levels.

annelieseschools.com | Multiple Locations

Best Single-Campus Private School

Heritage Oak Private School — Yorba Linda

Using the Carden tradition since 1966, Heritage Oak Private Schools was a smaller-sized preschool that grew over the years. The school has recently joined the Spring Education Group, a massive network of education and private school institutions. They have preschool, elementary and middle schools, and camps. Each student also gets to use their own iPad for lessons throughout the day.

heritageoak.org | Yorba Linda

Best Private High School

Fairmont Preparatory Academy

With 95 percent of student graduates getting admitted to a top 100 college or university, it’s easy to grasp why this prestigious prep school is so renowned. Smaller class sizes allow for more attention to each student, increasing the ability to focus on individual students much more intensely. 

fairmontschools.com | Anaheim

Best Public Elementary School

de Portola Elementary School

With caring teachers and a smaller-sized campus, de Portola Elementary School enriches the lives of their students every day. Their continued goal is to prioritize the relationships and safety of their students at the same level as their learning. They teach kindergarten through sixth grade. What sets de Portola apart is their innovative seating arrangement in classrooms, as well as their theater, musicals and plays.

svusd.org | Mission Viejo

Best North OC School District

Fullerton School District

Fullerton School District’s goal is to work together with the community using an educational program that is high-quality, innovative and safe for every student. Fullerton School District — formed in 1888, exactly a year after Fullerton was — has more than 12,000 students across 20 schools over a 26-square-mile radius. The district’s schools have received more than 80 awards combined. 

fullertonsd.org | Fullerton

Best South OC School District

Saddleback Valley Unified School District

Saddleback Valley Unified School District, or SVUSD, excels in providing opportunities to all its students at 34 school sites. They have pathways such as the Dual Language Immersion pathway or the College Technical Education pathway. They have many awards and recognitions and have several State Teachers of the Year. They also have a Virtual Learning Academy. 

svusd.org | Mission Viejo

Best Alternative Learning School

Saddleback Valley Unified School District Virtual Academy

SVUSD has a Virtual Academy serving kids K-12. They have STEM activities, music, PE and more. Kids don’t just stay virtual, however. They have days when they can go and learn together in person. As of late, SVUSD has been modernizing its sites, focusing on safety, inclusivity in facilities and a learning atmosphere.

svusd.org | Mission Viejo

Best Special Needs School

The Prentice School

Winning again, The Prentice School is designed for students with language-based learning differences and ADHD. With small class sizes, Orton-Gillingham instruction, emphasis on the Science of Reading and cognitive training, The Prentice School offers a better learning environment for dyslexic and ADHD students. The school also provides various support services, including occupational therapy, speech and language services, and a marriage and family therapist. 

prentice.org | Tustin

Best Tutoring Service

Kumon Math and Reading Center

Kumon is way more than just tutoring. They try to get their students to actually enjoy learning. They also aim to increase their critical thinking skills. There’s tons of flexibility with virtual and in-person classes, with Kumon serving kids ages 3 to high school. The Kumon method teaches students to think differently about learning.

kumon.com | Multiple Locations

Best Charter School

Orange County School of the Arts

With multiple awards under their belt (and not just from us), Orange County School of the Arts, or OCSA, has just added another award. OCSA wants their students to have artistic creativity and academic excellence, and they push them in a challenging but nurturing way to get the best out of them. They offer music, dance, theater, fine and media arts, and applied arts schools.

ocsarts.net | Santa Ana

Best Public High School

Trabuco Hills High School

In addition to the Readers’ Choice Award, THHS has also been recognized as a California Distinguished School, National Blue Ribbon School, Golden Bell Recipient and Pivotal Practice Award winner. They offer numerous programs and opportunities for students to get involved, including in arts, academics, athletics and more. They invite students to make connections, find what they love and show their community what makes THHS such a special place. 

svusd.org | Mission Viejo

Best Public High School

Mission Viejo High School

Open since 1966, Mission Viejo High School offers many programs, over 40 clubs, 17 advanced placement classes and nationally ranked sports teams for its students. This longstanding school has garnered many different awards and accolades throughout the years, including as a Readers’ Choice winner. And here’s another one for the Diablos.

svusd.org | Mission Viejo

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best Charter Schools

Oxford Preparatory Academy

Oxford Prep offers students from transitional kindergarten to eighth grade a center for higher learning where they can prepare to pursue university-level academic studies and gain skills to be successful in the global community of the 21st century. Students learn through a variety of ways to meet their individual intelligence needs. Enrichment opportunities include world languages, music, STEAM lab, taekwondo, physical education, after-school clubs and sports, 1:1 technology and electives.

opaschools.org | Multiple Locations 

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best Virtual Charter School

Excel Academy

Excel Academy Charter School is a public, personalized learning charter school TK-12 that operates in an independent study learning model. There isn’t a physical school that students attend each day. Instead, students across Southern California can “go to school” without having to leave their homes. Students can choose between two academic paths, depending on what works best for them. 

excelacademy.education | Irvine

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best Faith-Based School

Red Hill Lutheran

Red Hill Lutheran School is an outreach ministry of Red Hill Lutheran Church that welcomes students and families from a variety of Christian denominations and religious backgrounds. The school aims to influence students toward a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Recognizing that all students learn differently, the faculty and staff focus on individualizing learning activities while also maintaining high standards and expectations.

redhillschool.org | Tustin 

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best Alternative Learning School

The Little Red Schoolhouse

The Little Red Schoolhouse is a private homeschool catering to children pre-K through fifth grade. The school offers a hands-on, multi-sensory, project-based language arts program, baking experiences and opportunities to work in a garden and interact with farm animals while exploring science and math. The curriculum is rooted in literature and students explore phonics, vocabulary, poetry, grammar and informational text writing through engaging thematic lessons.

adventuresintheschoolhouse.com | Orange 

 EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best Multiple-Campus Private School 

Fairmont Schools

This preschool-12th grade private school focuses on innovative approaches to learning that blend intellectual and social and emotional growth. Aside from award-winning academics, students can explore their interests and talents through arts, athletics, robotics and speech and debate. Fairmont embraces a growth mindset and belief in the rewards of working hard, taking risks and never giving up.

fairmontschools.com | Multiple Locations

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best Preschool

Piper Preschool

Offering a blended approach to preschool education, Piper Preschool starts with an emergent curriculum with children gradually exposed to elements of traditional education. The school offers programs for parents, babies, toddlers through pre-kindergarten and aims to help kids think for themselves, find confidence in their ideas and succeed with their choices. Enrichment activities include classes full of music, messy art, dance, sign language, gardening, wood shop and more.

piperpreschool.com | Irvine

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best South OC School District

Capistrano Unified School District

Capistrano Unified School District serves more than 47,000 students with a commitment to instructional excellence and preparing the kids to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. According to the district website, Capistrano Unified has a 95 percent graduation rate. Founded in 1965, the school district encompasses 200 square miles in seven cities and a portion of the unincorporated area of Orange County.

capousd.org | San Juan Capistrano

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best Bilingual School

International School of Orange County

The International School of Orange County is a preschool through sixth-grade school offering bilingual French immersion education in a multi-cultural and nurturing environment with a mission to develop caring, confident and intellectually curious students. Founders Monique and John Mickus and Pierrette and Jacques Gaspart had the vision to open a school that blended the French academic system with the diverse, international community in Southern California.

ischooloc.org | Orange 

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best Private High School

Orange Lutheran High School

Founded in 1973, Orange Lutheran High School is a private Christian high school offering a co-educational, college-preparatory education for grades nine through 12. According to its website, 97 percent of its students attend two- or four-year colleges/universities, while the remainder enter professional sports, serve in the military or enter the workforce. Average class size at the school is 23, part of its mission of keeping classes small.

lhsoc.org | Orange 

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best North OC School District

Orange Unified School District

The Orange Unified School District teaches about 26,000 preschool-through-12th-graders in Orange, Villa Park, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Santa Ana and unincorporated areas. The district was accepted into the National League of Innovative Schools in 2019 and has numerous award-winning school sites and programs, including 24 California Gold Ribbon Schools, 21 Distinguished School Awards and two U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon Awards.

orangeusd.org | Orange 

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best Single-Campus Private School

The Pegasus School

A co-ed, nonprofit, nonsectarian school, The Pegasus School serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. In 1984, Laura Hathaway founded the school with only 40 students and a small group of parents and teachers. With a mission to inspire bright, curious minds to become confident, compassionate leaders, they work every day to inspire students to discover and develop their unique gifts.

thepegasusschool.org | Huntington Beach

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best Tutoring Service

Sylvan Learning Center

Whether you’re looking for help for your child to catch up in school, hone skills or get ready for college, Sylvan offers personalized tutoring for many needs. They offer expert, Sylvan-certified teachers who know how to inspire kids, a personal and adaptive learning plan created for each child and more. According to their website, Sylvan students achieve up to three times more growth in their math and reading scores.

sylvanlearning.com | Multiple Locations 

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best Special Needs School

Speech and Language Development Center

Speech and Language Development Center is a nonprofit school and therapy center serving children and young adults who have special needs in language, learning and/or behavior. More than 200 staff members provide programs and services for approximately 300 children and adults ages 5 through 40 years. The majority of students have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, though many have multiple conditions.

sldc.net | Buena Park 

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best Montessori

LePort Montessori

With a goal to motivate students by transferring their natural curiosity about the world into an academic setting, LePort emphasizes the relationship between the academically challenging material presented in the classroom and experiences children have in their own lives. Serving infants through middle school, LePort wants to enable students to develop into individuals armed with the abstract knowledge, thinking skills, character traits and practical life skills they need to become mature, capable and happy adults.

leportschools.com | Multiple Locations