Frontiers Academy

102 Baker Street East

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

9 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK, K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on May 30, 2020

After 2 years at Frontiers (preschool), we witnessed our son go from knowing zero Spanish and Mandarin to a kid singing songs, reciting poems, and counting to 30 in multiple languages. Through osmosis we also learn alongside him, which has been both fun and humbling. Recently we enrolled our daughter in P1 to be a part of this journey as well.A pile of expressive artwork and colorful practice sheets filled with numbers, letters, and characters are what we can take home at the end of every week. This is clear evidence of full days (mixed with recess, lunch, and plenty of music.) The teaching methods used are effective with daily/weekly/monthly goals well planned out and shared with the parents, so we are always in the loop. Each teacher provides frequent evaluations, so we can track our child's progress in specific areas. Photos and videos of the children playing, learning, and eating together are shared with us throughout the week. The admin and faculty are very approachable and communicative with Wednesday newsletters and quick responses to any questions we have via email or text. But the school's true strength is the daily work of the teachers and assistants, done thoughtfully, lovingly, and very patiently to foster the children's self-esteem while building up their large vocabulary, coordinating fun science experiments, or teaching new skills in an after-school class. Even the simple tasks of asking to use the bathroom, washing hands before snack, or getting ready for nap-time is done in Spanish or Mandarin. That is the benefit of a true immersion program, where my child is not 'learning' a language but 'living' it.Choosing to raise a multi-lingual child is a lifestyle choice, a commitment and by no measure easy for the entire family. But knowing that this school is methodically doing the heavy lifting during the day while we are at work, provides us with a peace of mind and the confidence to persevere and continue supporting their language growth even at home. We are proud of our son's progress so far, and deeply grateful to have found this gem of a school for both our kids.
Submitted by parent on December 02, 2019

I loved Frontiers. My 2 daughters attended the school for 5 years. I was sad when the 6th-grade program switched mainly to english and we wanted to continue the language. We moved to another language school but it is NOT Frontiers! The teachers and curriculum are top-notch. My kids can carry on a full conversation in all languages. they can also read and write in Chinese and Spanish. If your looking for a language school, this is the best!
Submitted by parent on February 07, 2017

I have had my 2 kids in the preschool program for a couple months now and have been very impressed by Frontiers. My kids came in knowing some Chinese but no Spanish, and now are demonstrating a lot of understanding in both languages; in fact, they enjoy learning Spanish more than the Chinese. I like how there is structure and visibility into curriculum, in contrast from the play-based preschool they were previously in, but they strive to make learning fun and my kids never seem stressed or pressured to learn. I appreciate that the kids are assessed for the appropriate level, and have adjusted the learnings for my children to make sure they are continually being challenged (previously my kids were lumped into classes and curriculum strictly by age even though my child was ahead of her peers). I had a few issues with the school in the first few weeks, but when I brought it up to administration, they were transparent, responsive, and made the appropriate corrective actions. In fact, the openness and frequent communication with parents is one of this school’s strengths, in addition to the great teachers and personalized instruction. I recommend being an active and engaged parent to get the most out of this school, as the teachers and staff always have great learning ideas and suggestions, and the parent community has been welcoming as well.
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2016

We switched from RSI to Frontiers this school year and just 2+ months into the program, I can clearly say, without any hesitation, that Frontiers has the best tri-lingual program around. Hands down. First of all, we were pretty happy with our previous school, and switching school was the last thing on our mind. However, through a friend's recommendation, I decided to check Frontiers out. I was immediately blown away by the professionalism, the nice, clean, and organized school environment, but most of all, I was impressed by the educators at Frontiers. As a first time parent, and not being Americans, we really don't have any experiences with the US educational systems. In short, we love the school, and we have only wished we came to Frontiers in pre-school. The only real complaint about RSI was the weak Spanish program. My son learned pretty much the same Spanish vocabs for two years in pre-school, and RSI has no Spanish program for kinder, despite being a tri-lingual school. In Frontiers, we get a longer day as school starts from 8 am to 3:15 pm. We get all around education with Chinese, English and Spanish, for the same amount of tuition we would have paid for RSI. On top of that, there are PE, Music, Art, Science, History, Literature, etc. We clearly see the huge difference between a school run by educators vs. non-educators, after we switched to Frontiers. It's really night and day. Frontiers' principal was a pre-school principal at the prestigious Challenger Private School in San Jose. She is very solid and her credentials and experiences are manifested in the enhanced curriculum and the way Frontiers is run. Our children are being developed in advanced academics but they are also being challenged to think and express themselves, and to be creative. Our son's teachers are Phd. in Education and Masters in Education with tons of teaching experiences. We are so pleased as our son has made great strides after he switched over. We can rave about Frontiers all day but at the end of the day, it's all about the little ones. My son missed RSI in the beginning. However, we asked him a few weeks ago if he wanted to go back to RSI, and he said NO as he thinks that Frontiers is a much better school. He said he is being graded every day on his progress and he is having so much fun learning new things now. So there it is, his words speak louder than ours.
Submitted by parent on April 07, 2015

The program is highly transparent. At any point in time you could place your hands on what your children are and will be working, should you wish to know. No secrecy about the test scores on the evaluation exams either. The classrooms are bright and very clean. The preschool classroom has direct access to the sinks and the bathroom. Hygiene and social manners are highly encouraged. The teachers are not just educators they actually know about children s psychology. This is what made the real difference for us, as we have a very compliant and studious daughter and a very rebellious, strong-willed son. He is thriving now and showing all he can do (reading level 2 books in English at the age of 5, singing in Chinese) whereas at his previous school they could not get him to share his knowledge. Both kids find Frontiers more challenging but also like it more. Therefore we do as well .
Submitted by parent on February 12, 2015

Our children have been attending Frontiers Academy since last year. We actually transferred from another Chinese/Spanish immersion school to this one. First, we were a bit skeptical because this school is very new, but now we are very happy that we have chosen Frontiers. Most of all, my kids are really happy here. We have sent our kids to many different schools before coming to Frontiers - two different immersion schools, one Christian school and one English only "top-notch" private school. Like previous reviews, language immersion is the route we chose for our kids for many reasons, but Frontiers actually offers all around education (including exceptional English education) that far exceeds the education my kids were getting at a so called "top-notch" private school in the area. So, here's MY ADVICE TO PARENTS LOOKING FOR PRESCHOOL/PRIVATE SCHOOL: you DO have to pay for preschool and private school, so why not immerse your kids into different languages and cultures from excellent Chinese and Spanish teachers while getting the exceptional English education as well for the same money.
Submitted by parent on February 11, 2015

My daughter was 5 when I put her at Frontiers. I was nervous because we don't speak any languages at home so I wasn't sure how she would adopt to an immersion program in Chinese and Spanish. Even so, I did it because I know exposing your child to languages and arts early opens other cognitive doors for them, so I did it. And I am amazed. She comes home singing songs in Chinese and Spanish, and her math skills are out of this world. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who wants their child to be able to compete to get into good schools for higher education.
Submitted by parent on October 30, 2014

We have our kids attending this new school. We are very thrilled with our choice so far! Besides the wonderful tri-lingual immersion/advanced academic program they're offering, the teachers and staffs at this school truly care about all the kids. Kids not only focus on being good students daily but also learn about being a good person to others. We love how nurturing and friendly the school environment is and our kids look forward to going to school every day. The classrooms are clean and spacious. School is gated in a quiet neighborhood in Anaheim with private entrance/exclusive code access to get in as well as finger print check in system...Safety is definitely well thought-out. Highly recommended to check out this wonderful school!
Submitted by teacher on October 29, 2014

Dear Parent, Thank you for your concerns with safety! Our TOP priority is the safety and security of our students; all teachers are highly trained, we have very low ratios, and many security measures are in place, including having no public access into our school. Although our current building is older, our program and teachers are what sets us apart from other schools! We are eagerly awaiting finding our permanent location in the North Orange County area soon!