Open Charter Magnet School

5540 West 77th Street

School District

Los Angeles Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:23
Type

charter

School Map for Los Angeles Unified School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on August 29, 2024

We have had such a positive experience with Open. Our child feels safe, valued, and seen. We see the intention behind everything they do at the school. Also, the parent group is active and involved. Could not be more pleased!!
Submitted by parent on October 18, 2023

We have been at Open since K and one of my children is in 5th and the other 4th. They have had the most amazing teachers, incredible learning opportunities, and extracurricular activities such as garden, music, art, and performing arts including a school wide musical. The school runs well and the staff and teachers seem happy and enthusiastic and are highly communicative and when you walk through campus the children seem happy and engaged. Parental involvement is tremendous and creates a strong community. We love this school and are grateful for the opportunity to have attended.
Submitted by parent on August 28, 2023

Open Charter is a great school with wonderful teachers and staff.
Submitted by parent on May 19, 2021

Amazing all around. We love everything about it!
Submitted by parent on September 11, 2019

Excellent. The school is very diverse and there are high levels of parent involvement. Thanks to great leadership and tremendous parent support, the school runs well and it's generally a happy place to be. My children are happy and advancing well academically.
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2019

If you "win the lottery" and get in, accept the spot. But...be vigilant about your child's education.This school has great kids, families, as well as arts & music programs. Unfortunately, in my experience, around 3rd grade with the large class sizes, kids start slipping through the cracks with basic language arts & math fundamentals. There's no schoolwide communication system that allows teachers to let parent know what their kids are working on, how they're doing and things that need to be reinforced. Some clusters are better than others with newsletters or apps about what is happening in class. Twice a year parent/student/teacher conferences are quick & generally, always positive because the child is present. As a parent, you will not get "flagged" about academic issues unless you are proactive. 4th and 5th grade cluster class size was especially concerning - 60 kids, 2 teachers and no dedicated aide.
Submitted by parent on August 02, 2019

Amazing. It's like I won the lottery.
Submitted by parent on August 02, 2019

My daughter just graduated from Open. She started in 1st grade. It's been a terrific experience for her where she has excelled academically, but also Open has helped support her love of learning and freedom to express herself and her feelings. She has made strong friendships too. The teachers are exceptional. They truly care about their students and go above and beyond.
Submitted by parent on June 25, 2019

This was my first year at Open. I look forward to continuing on until my child graduates.
Submitted by parent on June 09, 2017

Post re: input from families who switched from an Independent school to Open. Get ready for a major wake up call. While a good LAUSD school with art, music, garden, everything will change - teacher communications & responsiveness, facility, naughty kids, etc. On the flip side, we have used the tuition savings to enroll in after school enrichment classes, tutoring, and other activities, so it has worked out.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2017

Open school has been an absolute treasure for our family. My oldest daughter went from K through 5 and is now in middle school and constantly talks about how much she misses Open. My youngest is now in 2nd grade and having an equally wonderful experience. The sense of community is so strong - the teachers have created such loving and nurturing and academically interesting environments for the kids. The two years in one cluster worked so well for us - my kids were able to be grouped with the older kids so they could have more challenge, but then were able to grow socially by staying with the same teachers two years in a row and taking on a leadership role. The freedom at the school is so refreshing. And the intellectual depth of much of the instruction is so inspiring. Each cluster (classroom) offered something unique for my children. What is most evident is how happy the teachers are to be working there - they truly love their creative freedom and their passion for the curriculum they develop and the kids they love is amazing! I'm also so impressed by the community of parents who come together to offer the kids so many great opportunities -- art, music, garden, violin - such opportunities that are few and far between these days. The newest thing the school is doing is focusing on values -education across the school - last month everyone was focused on "gratitude. " This month, it's "perseverence." The kids are so enthusiastic about this! I could go on and on -- My children have completely flourished and my daughter entered middle school completely ready for a more structured academic environment. She was extremely well prepared and while she's happy at her new school, she loves the cozy feeling of her elementary school that will always be her first school home. Thank you , Open!
Submitted by parent on May 19, 2016

Open has an amazing, diverse, and engaged community. My family has been at the school for 5 years; both kids started in Kindergarten. By no means is every teacher or every class perfect, but parents who are committed to project-based, constructivist learning will find Open to be the right fit. If you're seeking a traditional environment that focuses heavily on academics, then it won't be your ideal situation. Throughout the years, the teachers we've had have paid keen attention to my kids' social/emotional learning - in spite of the large class size. Parents: get involved, if not in the classroom, then in the leadership committees at school. You're not going to love every parent/teacher/principal you encounter, but it's an opportunity model collaboration for your kids!
Submitted by parent on October 20, 2014

I entered this school as my choice for 2 years before she got in. Even though she came from a school that is WELL KNOWN for academics and that had a state API score of 991(the highest in the state) I still wanted her here in an atmosphere of FUN and ACTIVE learning. However, now my daughter s current homework is the same as last year s kindergarten homework that was at her previous school so she gets bored. I had to incorporate workbooks at home and try to keep her fresh with her reading. I've been to a few of the Council meetings just to know how things are done/ran. My husband's daughter went here in the early 90s (she is now a senior at SF state). I have volunteered in class and looking forward to the first conference next month. I talked to a few parents who ve expressed some cons but nothing so crazy that made me think twice. Her teachers call me just to clarify issues and it feels good to know that they KNOW my daughter. There is something for every parent to be involved in and I just love the diversity from ALL walks of life. The activities so far with families have been stellar. I m happy with the decision I ve made to keep putting this school as my first choice.
Submitted by parent on June 29, 2014

The best thing going for Open is its diverse community (love it!) and parent support. Other than that I don t find the school to be all that special. Yes, we are fortunate to have gotten in as Open is a huge step up from our home school. In regards to "middle finger's post" My child was in green cluster this past school year and I must admit I was shocked at the lack of supervision and chaotic environment that students were subjected to on a daily basis. The teachers are very nice and nurturing, but do not prepare the students academically to be ready for first grade. I am not sure if all the parents that came to Open s defense had a child go through green cluster, but middle finger's mom has some valid points. I get that kids will be kids and will pick up inappropriate behaviors anywhere. My gripe is making sure my child is prepared for the next grade level. I have spoken to former greenie parents, and they say it does get better (3rd, 4th, & 5th). By third everything clicks and students are where they need to be. My child will return to Open, and I will continue to supplement her curriculum based on what I feel she is missing. Middle Finger's mom, I suggest you do the same.
Submitted by parent on June 21, 2014

Open School is an absolute gem in the landscape of LAUSD! As a parent of 11 years at Open I feel compelled to rebut some of these negative reviews. We had all 3 of our kids at Open school and I cannot begin to say how grateful I am that we were lucky enough to be at such an amazing learning environment. The staff and teachers have an unparralled dedication and passion to make this school the wonderful community it is, and they are always striving to make things even better. Criticism is one thing, but wild and untrue accusations need to be responded to. The very idea that kindergardeners are learning curse words and playing violent video games unsupervised in the classroom is simply ludicrous! The yard supervision is caring and proactive. Maybe things aren't always resolved the way the child thinks it should be but they are kids, there are two sides to every story. And yes, things happen on the yard-these are grade school kids for pete's sake!! But I and many families I've known over many years know what a great job staff and teachers do to go above and beyond to support our kids! Love this school and grateful for it's impact on my children's lives.
Submitted by parent on June 17, 2014

Overall, this is a school that cares about student education and offers something that we do not get at other schools, which is the ability for our kids to learn in a constructivist environment. I agree that no school is perfect, nor is Open, but given this people should not be chastised for giving their opinion. Office and outside yard school staff should monitor and censor their inappropriate and non-solicited comments on email listservs and social media. Taking two comments posted on social media about the school and posting a dissertation about it shows the lack of respect for parents and students. Outside and inside staff should have a smile on their face to have a job, and should have a smile on their face that they have a principal who they can run over. The school could improve by having a stronger leader, with stronger organizational leadership skills. Yes, I am referring to the principal. She is quick to shut parents down when they approach her concerning difficulties unable to be resolved on the parent-teacher level, which is my major problem with her.
Submitted by parent on June 15, 2014

We have loved our experience at Open School. And as my daughter prepares to move on to LACES in the Fall, we are so grateful for the education she received during the 5 years she attended this gem of a school. Though the class sizes are large due to the Team Teaching model the school employs, my child always got the individualized attention she needed. Her teachers were kind, enthusiastic and nurturing, the work always interesting and inspiring. And the best part for me, were the families that you meet here. The parents are super involved and motivated to create the best possible experience for their children and come from all areas of the city, all socio-economic backgrounds, all orientations and ethnicities. It is such a diverse school community! And it is filled with kind children that are taught respect for themselves, others and the environment. I had high expectations coming into Open and it definitely delivered for our family. Is it a perfect school? No. I still wish class sizes were smaller and there was more money available for even more amazing projects, but you will not find a better public school in LAUSD. We are grateful for our time spent at this lovely place.
Submitted by parent on June 14, 2014

My daughter attended another public school for kindergarten but has been in Open for two years. There is an incredible difference between her old school and Open Charter. Parent involvement and parent teacher communication is so much better at Open. I have seen first hand the difference between Open and another LAUSD school and it has little to do with the charter status but with the attention and caring of the staff, teachers and parents. Last year my daughter had some "bullying" issues within her friend group. I brought it up to the teachers and they immediately called all the girls in and worked it through with the teachers and staff. I was so amazed at how quickly and easily they took care of the problem. Prior to the meeting is the only time my daughter has not wanted to go to school. She cried almost every day at her previous school.
Submitted by parent on June 14, 2014

How can I possibly tell you what the Open School has meant to my family for the last nine years . I could easily start off by writing about my oldest son who learned that he was a writer under the guidance of his teachers who encouraged him to "take a seed idea and to devolope it into a watermelon moment" or to write field guides, and fairy tales while remembering to edit. Or perhaps I could share stories about my youngest son who learned the truth in the statement "that it takes a village" when it came to overcoming his vision, speech and spelling dificulties while under the loving care of the schools resource department. What I can't possibly do is name all of the positive roll models who have touched their lives and have natured their abiltities to be kind, resourcefull, and independent thinkers. As students this has translated into them both recieving high honors in their gpa in both junior and senior high school. But as young men, they have a respect for nature, a love of music, and an abilty to look beyond a persons outer appearance and see a potential friend that I as their mom will be forever grateful to the Open School for.
Submitted by parent on June 13, 2014

Open School is one of the most creative, invigorating, caring educational environments I've ever been exposed to, both during my seven years as a parent there, and during my own time as a student anywhere. The two principals who've run Open School during our time there have been gifted leaders who work tirelessly to create a cooperative community in which all voices are heard, even the dissonant ones. These principals constantly reinforce the fact that everyone at the school - staff, administrators, teachers and parents - are on the same page - the page that reads: "Our kids deserve the best education possible." The school has a zero tolerance for bullying and, when conflicts arise, solves those issues with such a fair, even hand that not only my children have learned from the school's methods, I have too. The teachers are unparalleled - smart, hardworking, creative and dedicated. Both my kids, who are extremely different learners, got an equally wonderful education that was tailored specifically to them with incredible caring and attention to their needs. If you're lucky enough to get in to Open Charter, go. You've won the lottery.