Moving to Orange County / Private School (Santa Ana, Irvine: fit in, school district, where to live)

[smil]

Hi, We may be moving to OC - I am looking for a good Pivate High and Middle school. My oldest going into High school is dyslexia - but very smart and very hard working - just needs to be in a smaller environment . The youngest is average academic and also needs to be in a smaller environment. Both is very much into sports too. We will find where to live after we have found the right schools. It is never easy to move kids in these ages - looking for schools that is welcoming new students.
Any good Tennis academy and Ballet school in OC ???
Thanks

[bhcompy]

Private high schools with good sports in the area are almost always religious schools. Most of them have attached jr highs or can recommend some.

Some examples with strong sports programs(high schools, not all have attached jr high):

St John Bosco
Servite
Valley Christian
Mater Dei
Orange Lutheran

As far as tennis and ballet, not so sure, but ballet is fairly popular at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa/Santa Ana, so I'm sure you'll find some.

[Coldjensens]

IMO the best private school is El Durado School in Orange. It is really different. Very small. Lots of personal attention.
For Ballet look at Orange County High School Of The Arts (OCHSA) In santa ana. Also look at St.Joesepphs Ballet scool (also in santa ana)

[bhcompy]

El Dorado and OCHSA both have milnimal sports programs though, which is something to be aware of

[smil]

Thanks I will look into these schools.We were planing to live in Mission Viejo,Laguna Niguel area so I think Orange is too far away - but I will check it out. Do any know anything about Capistrano Valley Christian School ???

[missionhome]

CVCS is a nice Christian school. They take a fundamental approach to the Bible and a close relationship to God is emphasized on the campus. The high school group does Christian retreats, Bible studies, and are required to take Bible class all 4 years of high school. The high school division only has 200 something students and I know class size can range from 7 to 20 something. All in all, it is a very small class size.

If you are a Christian family, you will likely love this school. There are a few AP courses offered also. They also have sports teams and I don't think it is that hard to make due to the school being so small.

---You might also want to look at Saddleback Valley Christian School, also in San Juan Capistrano. It is a newer school (199?) and has some nice facilities with a similar philosophy and attitude as Capo Valley Christian.

[smil]

Thanks for your answer I will see both schools when I visit OC next months, we are christian so it fine with a christian school - but it is also ok if not.
Have heard alot about St.Mary & all Angles for middleschool do you know anything???. and also what about Santa Margarita Cat. high School in Rancho Santa Margarita and Jserra in SJC -
I have heard that Santa Margarita Cath. has a lot of rich kids in fancy cars and it hard to "fit in" if you dont, also have I heard that there is a lot of drugs in this school - they have the 3 level system if you need support which I like .But I am not sure if it is too hard socialy to come in as a new student -
What do you know about Jserra ?? do they have any support classes if needed - which ones of these 2 school do you think would fit best for a student that needs a smaller enviroment, or do you think CVCS or SVCS would be a better fit. do you know Crean Luthern high School in Irvine ???

Any other schools you would recommend for middleshcool than St. Mary & all Angels, again it does not have to be christian or catholic - but it is hard to find any other private school.
Thanks for your help

[meletonmc]

Hi! I wish you well in your search. From my understanding all of the schools that you have mentioned are great! My son went to Rancho Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano for pre-school, and had a great experience. I'm mentioning this because I was at an event one night, and a girl I sat next to told me that she was just there for one year before starting high school and that it was a year of transformation for her. They really embrace each child there, and make them feel special. It's a very positive atmosphere, and they really have a lot of unique special events. The campus is very beautiful! Overall, I was just always very impressed with the staff at the school. I always felt good about dropping my son off because they made him feel like he was at his second home.

It's probably going to be a tough decision. From my understanding they are all good schools. It would probably come down to touring the schools and seeing which is a better fit, or which schools are near your home.

I also wanted to mention the Prentice School in Yorba Linda. It is a school specifically for children with Dyslexia. I know someone who has a child there, and it's been great for him. The staff there also brought attention to a condition that was previously undiagnosed. This helped them get the type of help they needed for their child. I don't know if you are interested in Yorba Linda or not, because it's much further inland, but they do have other good private and public schools.

I hope that all goes well for you, and welcome to Orange County!

[calquirky]

The first thing you need to understand is that if your kid fails, he will have no backup systems at all. I think you'd be much better looking for a good school district with good special education and asking for an IEP.

[threeactingup]

If you are looking for good ballet schools in the Orange County area, that do not offer academics, try Maple Conservatory or Southland Ballet Academy. Both have excellent reputations.