Sage Hill

20402 NEWPORT COAST DR

Newport Beach, CA 92657

14 Reviews

School District
Grade

9-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on June 13, 2024

As a Sage Hill parent, what I value most about the school is the relationships my child has developed with his teachers and his peers. Throughout high school my son has made a tight knit group of friends both through the athletic teams he joined and in the classroom. The student schedule is set up in a way to allow kids from various grade levels to eat lunch together, as well as participate in travel experiences, leadership, and volunteer work together. The small class size leads to each teacher truly getting to know each student. I first noticed the student teacher interactions while on a campus tour and then heard more about it from my son's personal experience. Being a student in a place where you feel supported by teachers and there's a balance between athletics and academics has been the perfect fit for my son. Thank you Sage Hill!
Submitted by parent on December 20, 2023

Such a great school. The teachers are amazing, the facilities are world class, and my kids love it. The classes are small so kids get to do real discussions, labs, and projects...no more just having to listen to lectures. We have found the coaches and teams are also great. Such a great school!
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2018

We chose, as we understand a number of others did, to leave the school after our first year.
Submitted by student on February 27, 2016

The school was made for the wealthy families of Newport Beach. Coming from a family needing financial aid, I felt excluded from the social environment. Needless to say, the school has an excellent academia program that often babys you. The small class sizes serve as a hands on experience but lacks to prepare you for the large class sizes in college. While the school has room for all student in their athletics program, this contributes to sage's lack of professionalism for the real players. I found out the reason why I wanted to go to sage was for the "brand." The school is too obsessed with their image based off of perfection, but forgets to care for the students. If you have money, go to this school. It will be a heaven of connections but know that you will have to sacrifice your real identity to fit in with the school's monarchy.
Submitted by other on September 08, 2015

It gave me the best four years of my life. It's a place where "nerds" are embraced by the "popular kids", athletes and artists are best friends, etc. They love the students feel for their teachers and vice versa is unlike any school you'll ever find. They remain in contact and friends for years. The support you get from all areas of the staff, both coaches, teachers and the administration is unparalleled! We had/have a twice a week all-school town hall meeting in our courtyard and people do everything from make announcements to bring out a piano to play a song. Usually lasts around 35-45 minutes and is a really nice part of the day. Classes are challenging, but everyone is on your side and wants you to succeed. They're now expanding and I hear they've begun building the tennis courts. Our team is wonderful and they deserve it. Volleyball team is unreal and football is really doing well, too. College was fun, but not many people can say they wish to spend another day in high school, and I'd do it in a heartbeat! I ended up at a college on the east coast with a few High School friends which was so great. I still keep in touch with my core friends and would be thrilled to see any member of my class. I couldn't imagine having gone anywhere else for high school. I realize I'm gushing... but your kid would be so lucky to go here.
Submitted by student on November 16, 2014

Couldn't have asked for a better experience. I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend this school. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the few negative comments here (and especially the one with the obvious, purposeful misspellings) were from people who don't even attend.
Submitted by student on October 17, 2014

Greatest decision going to Sage. I transferred to Sage my sophomore year, and previously had only had a public school education experience. I am extremely happy with my choice, and transferring schools was hands down the best decision of my life. At Sage we celebrate really every kind of person, and yes of course there are social groups made up of those with similar interests. That being said, I 100% refute the claim made down below claiming that Sage is a "rich-kid school" that ostracizes others. I myself am not of a high socio-economic status, but I can safely say that I am close friends with probably 99% of my grade. At Sage we receive an academic education, but more importantly we receive life education. Compared to students from other schools (where I know many people), Sage students have a general respect for each other and for faculty and administration, along with a true intellectual vitality. Of course every person, regardless of his/her school has the ability to be respectful and be intellectually invested in something, but Sage Hill is a school that catalyzes these attributes early on. I absolutely love Sage and I highly recommend it to anyone who is considering it.
Submitted by student on June 01, 2014

I'm more than pleased with all of my experiences at Sage Hill. The academics are strong across every department. The teachers are well versed in their subject areas, and some seem to have a ton of knowledge in multiple disciplines. The new science building looks awesome, and my science teachers have been wonderful. I notice some social circles, but I disagree that things are so segregated as described in the other review. There are endless opportunities to get involved and to make close friends. It is what you make of it.
Submitted by other on April 06, 2014

I genuinely looked forward to going to school here. All my teachers were very caring. My classes were VERY challenging, but possible with all the support and help from teachers. There are COUNTLESS opportunities to get involved in things and make friends. The only negative thing is that it is a small school, so socially, you are stuck with anyone you don't like for a while. MANY of the kids are BEYOND privileged and have no value of money or sense of reality, so this can be a challenge for many kids, but overall a great experience.
Submitted by student on November 18, 2013

I have genuinely never looked forward to going to school until I came to Sage. The academic program is excellent, as detailed by the reviews below so I won't go too much more into that. The only problem that comes with such a one-on-one education and hands-on environment is that the small size of your grade can get a liiitttle old sometimes... but it works itself out because the community (yes, I used that dreaded word) is very in synch and members of different grades constantly socialize with each other. I love (almost) everyone I have met at Sage, and it has truly a diverse student body. Not to mention the beautiful campus, which one would think would not make a huge impact on a student's experience, but it DOES. Everyone has those days that are a little off, but when my surroundings resemble something of a five-star resort, it's hard to stay down. I am graduating this year as part of the class of 2014, and I will definitely miss being a "Sager!"
Submitted by parent on August 02, 2012

As a parent I could not be happier with how I have seen my son mature and develop at Sage Hill, in every aspect of his life. He was always a good student but his writing has vastly improved and a life-long dislike of math was completely turned around by one phenomenal Geometry teacher. The coaches inspired him to play sports that he'd never tried and he has come to love participating on Sage Hill teams. Surprisingly he also really enjoyed his experience with the arts program (there is a 2 year requirement), something I never would have expected, and again, it was teachers with a passion for the arts who made the difference. He has also had a great social experience and met friends from diverse backgrounds and all different ages (it is nice to that at a small school students from different grade levels socialize together.) No school is perfect, and Sage Hill has its issues like any other, but they do seem to try to help you deal with problems that arise. Overall, I am extremely satisfied that we chose Sage Hill.
Submitted by student on July 31, 2012

Graduated in June. Lots to say about Sage Hill! Academic program is designed so that teachers and "advisors" are to keep a close eye on every student which is great for students who struggle w/ issues like organization, time management, or simply not keeping up with the rigorous class material. "Conferences" were wonderful because it allowed me to have the option of 1 on 1 teacher help and also forced on me the responsibility of keeping in touch w/them. This aspect shaped a lot of how interactive I will be with my professors in college. In addition, advisors acted as an extra eye to not pamper students but give a sort of extra guidance if needed. As for its college counseling program, Sage is extremely well known for sending students to top schools in the nation (6 of 97 seniors went to Stanford). The program never fails to give students & parents unrelenting support and guidance thru the whole process (a big component is the college counselor to student ratio is 1:37). As for athletics, Sage is in the worst league in the OC (Academy league) although it has 3 CIF team titles and 3 CIF individual champs. Why I give 4 stars: social life sucks. Girls AND boys are spoiled brats.
Submitted by student on July 09, 2012

I love Sage!! Sage has helped me grow as a learner and as a person.
Submitted by student on February 08, 2012

Great campus, but some teachers seem to lack full knowledge of what they know and seem not to follow a specific curriculum, which makes the teaching slightly sloppy. Teachers are not monitored on their teaching and they seem to forget to teach necessary things needed for college. Math is WAY far behind other schools and is very unadvanced with a very slow learning pace. Public schools taught algebra one for seventh-graders and what i learned in one year of algebra one was taught in algebra one and two at Sage, essentially making algebra 2 the second half of algebra 2. The placement test is very inaccurate and will usually lead your child into taking the same math class a second year. Sports wise, all of the coaches are great. Also, the teachers even though helpful at times, seem to run on their own schedule for extra help even though the school "says" the education is oriented towards the student. There is freedom at Sage, but at the same time the staff always over reacts to small situations and makes them big because they are so oriented towards their image. The school is very oriented on getting donations and will do anything to get them even at the expense of their students.