Briskin Elementary School

7300 Hollywood Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90046

17 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-6
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on May 23, 2023

Each of my three children thrived at Briskin Elementary School. They made lifelong best friends, and, as a testament to the community, our family remains close to many of the families my kids were in school with. The Briskin teachers' approach to education is dynamic and creative which results in students who love to learn, debate, problem solve, and are comfortable sharing their opinions and asking questions. Not all of my kids loved taking Hebrew, but each of them took pride in doing well and learning another language. They all matriculated to excellent secondary schools and thrived. Briskin was the best possible place to grow our family. The care and support that went into every interaction--the academics, sports, spiritual and social emotional--made a permanent impression on them and we are so grateful.
Submitted by parent on February 07, 2023

This school is a hidden gem and been an incredible academic and community experience for our entire family.
Submitted by parent on March 29, 2022

Both of my young children attend TIOH and we absolutely love it. The community is so welcoming. The kids adore their teachers and are excited to go to school every day. We receive daily emails and photos from the teachers describing the kid's activities that day as well as the plan for the days ahead. The teachers and entire faculty are incredibly invested in both the students and their families.
Submitted by parent on October 10, 2019

We love this school. We wanted a school that had family diversity and Briskin is the most welcoming, warm, accepting community. We have all kinds of families - LGBTQ, solo parents, financially diverse and mixed faith families. The education is incredible. Also, I'm not religious, but to me now, Judaism is about the community; celebrating life together, feeling grateful for the love we have together, remembering that there are people out there who don't have a voice and we can help them, questioning, sharing and respecting. My child absolutely loves his school. He gets excited for the special days - dress up, Jewish holidays, 6th grade bake sales, field trips, Israeli dance parties and even school projects - even though he is the kid who likes PE the best (PE at Briskin is stellar because of Penny,) but his enthusiasm for learning and knowledge has exceeded my expectations!
Submitted by parent on September 14, 2019

Temple Israel of Hollywood is an excellent elementary school. All 3 of my kids have attended or are currently attending. We have been very happy here. This is a true community! My oldest was admitted into one of the most prestigious middle schools in the city and all of the other kids in the graduating class were also admitted into top schools. Not only do the kids come out prepared for these schools, they thrive in them.
Submitted by other on September 09, 2019

this is actually a seven word review
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2019

Temple Israel has been the ideal school for our family. Our kids wake up every morning excited to go to school. They are challenged academically and feel supported by their teachers. Their friends are sweet and funny. Best of all, it's a true community of families who want the same thing for their kids -- we all just want to raise nice, smart, happy people. At TIOH, we are able to do that. The families are down-to-earth and lovely. It's such a special place, and I'm grateful this is where our kids are getting their start in life.
Submitted by parent on February 19, 2018

The teachers dont care, my child learned nothing in the time they were there, half of the day is taken up by jewish activities, most of which are unnecessary, in addition to their ridiculous tuition ask, they also beg, not just the parents, but the students too for more and more money. Also, they require an additional 10000 dollar temple membership to be a part of the school. You end up spending 50k plus on absolutely nothing.
Submitted by parent on March 02, 2017

We were called at home two months into the year, and told that our son couldn't return to school without a full time aid. Rachel used the phrase 'special needs'. The aid they recommended had him in time out on a chair in the corner of a room, with a stopwatch which she restarted every time he moved his legs or talked. The rest of the class were staring at him. The school were in support of this. I have yet to meet a therapist who described this as less than 'borderline abuse'. When we asked to bring in a developmental aid instead who could actively help him, Rachel said 'we're not a special needs school.' My son's teacher said, in front of my son and classmates, 'you shouldn't bring him to the Thanksgiving show, kids with special needs don't do well at these things.' He was sent to the principal's office 'for a chat' regularly. After extensive therapy, full developmental pediatric review by Dr Mandelberg and a total upheaval of our family's life to accommodate all of this, I am delighted to report that our son is a happy healthy child with no developmental issues whatsoever. He was traumatized and ashamed by his daily school life. He is now thriving at his new school (without an aid or any kind of extra therapy). I ran into his old occupational therapist who I love. She still sees around 50% of the TIOH kindergarten class.His teacher said to his therapist that it didn't matter how much they tried to fix his problems at school, if it wasn't followed through at home. We had no idea what was going on at school. I checked in regularly with all of the teachers and faculty. He was always a delight at home. There were many insinuations as to the root of 'his problems' being in his home life.We attended the TIOH nursery school for three years and I was an active member of the temple community. As another parent from a different school put it, I'm not sure how they are still in business.
Submitted by other on October 24, 2016

I taught at Temple Israel for many years and I am very familiar with the different administrations (There have really been two significant administrations, for the most part). I can say with complete honesty and sincerity that 98% of the staff at TIOH are very highly invested in meeting the needs of the students, above all else. They care a great deal about children and how they impact their lives. Like most teachers, they sure aren't doing it to get rich. If you take a tour, talk to other parents. They have no reason to lie or exaggerate. During my tenure at TIOH, values, citizenship, fairness, and responsibility were recurring, prioritized themes when mapping out the year. As for the parent with the special needs child who was disappointed or offended by her experience, I won't pretend to know the administration's reason for wanting that conversation to be private, but it's certainly not because the school turns away special needs kids. The school has had deaf students, a student with dwarfism, a downs syndrome student, countless students with processing issues, Aspergers, Anxiety and OCD issues, language problems, and more. The reality is that special needs can take 100 different forms and it would be irresponsible for an administrator to public agree that a shadow for the child is sufficient for the child to succeed in the school's environment. The school isn't set up to necessarily provide the necessary resources for any kind of special needs kid that comes along. That's probably why the administrator preferred a private conversation on the matter. Any kind of attitude, rudeness, etc. I can't defend without being witness, but I can say with confidence that the staff as a rule is very professional, considerate, and emotionally invested in doing their best for parents and students.
Submitted by parent on July 13, 2015

Unless your local public school is terrible and there is no better private option then you should consider this school. My son's teacher had a bad attitude, missed so many days of school, and had very poor communication skills.People working at the school pad themselves for doing a good job but I disagree. I found it to be a waist of money and received no benefit for what I paid for.
Submitted by parent on January 08, 2015

My kids attended this school for two years and were very unhappy. I don't recommend sending your children here!
Submitted by parent on June 09, 2014

Where to begin about Temple Israel of Hollywood - the teachers of course. It all begins with the teachers. My two sons have been there now a total of 9 years (my oldest K-5, my youngest K-2), in that time we've had 12 different teachers, each more amazing than the next. Academically both boys, though wildly different in temperament, have thrived. But more than that, Temple Israel's teachers create a family environment so full of love and respect, school feels more like a home to them than just a school. I remember the tricks I used to pull to get out of school and either my kids are not nearly as clever as I was or they simply love the place - I almost never hear "I don't want to go to school today." Throw in a top notch administration and a super-involved and cool parent community and you have the makings of greatness. My oldest is headed to Larchmont Charter next year, he'll miss Temple Israel so much, but one thing I know for sure - he'll arrive at his new school confident. educated, and loved. Thank you Temple Israel of Hollywood Day School!
Submitted by parent on April 07, 2014

An amazing school -- warm, nurturing and academically challenging! They really get to know your child. My daughter went all the way through 6th grade and transitioned easily to a rigorous 7-12 private school.
Submitted by teacher on April 04, 2014

Our academics are rigorous and our students are joyful. Our approach to learning is holistic and developmentally appropriate; it is anchored in Jewish values and ethics, and build upon a culture of living Jewishly as our rich foundation. Our graduates are highly prepared for and accepted to LA's top private middle schools, public magnets, and charter schools. Middle schools love our graduates because they report, "Temple Israel kids know who they are and what they need to be successful."
Submitted by parent on April 04, 2014

An amazing school and community! The kids never want to leave- that sums it up!
Submitted by parent on November 09, 2011

Had great hopes for this temple/school but found the principal to care only about money, not about parents involvement at all. As I was unable to contribute as much money as other of my child's classmates, I was shunned and the teachers became less friendly. They are interested in reputation, not people.