Topeka Charter School For Advanced Studies

9815 Topeka Dr.

School District

Los Angeles Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:19
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 April 19, 2024

Great student to child ratio. Curriculum is stimulating and engaging. Parent involvement is great.
Submitted by parent on August 11, 2023

This school has a strong community feel. The 5th grade class does a lot of fun events and field trips. A lot of families are really involved in the school and actively participate in the events. The principal responds quickly to e-mails. The kids are high achieving. I would highly recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on January 19, 2023

We decided to go to Topeka based on reviews , parent feedback, and scores. We are so happy we found this little gem of a school. We are new to the school and this is our first experience with LAUSD. All Los Angeles public schools seem to have funding issues and the district seems to be poorly run. That’s why it’s important to go to school where the parents and staff care. Topeka is one of the good lausd schools. My child has made a lot of progress. I have heard other parents talk about how much their children have also progressed. There is a strong community feel.. unlike a lot of the surrounding schools that feel like fortresses…and parent participate is welcomed at Topeka. The families in my child’s class and other families we have met are very focused on their child’s well being and academic success. The principal is very involved and welcomes feedback. The school is extremely diverse which contributes to the positive learning experience.
Submitted by parent on March 31, 2022

Once principal Josie Stevens left, the school went downhill. They have some good teachers but they also have some absolutely awful ones. I literally had a teacher tell me that he wished he would “put his hands on my child”, meaning physically hit him. Like several LAUSD schools, this school lacks the resources it needs to adequately serve its students. The office staff can be rude and I’ve heard them speak harshly to kids. There is not really an attempt to partner with parents. Everyone seems overworked and overwhelmed. Even well intentioned staff seem burdened with too much work and therefore, unable to serve their students the way they might want to. I think the school is in dire need to strong and focused leadership who would benefit from weeding out teachers who are clearly not there to help children succeed. Not the worse experience I’ve had with a school but far from the best.
Submitted by parent on March 06, 2019

excellent. we've loved this school for 5 years. I know my kids are loved and taken care of here.
Submitted by parent on August 12, 2018

Terrible. Traumatizing for my child and several of his peers
Submitted by parent on April 16, 2018

My sons love this school and feel very comfortable here. Been here the last 4 years. Loved our old principal, she was absolutely amazing and hard shoes to fill! A new principal came in last year... trying to figure her way. PTA also changed this year. We love the teachers and some have become good friends. Our kindergarten teacher even came to my sons sports events! Happy we landed here through open enrollment!
Submitted by other on February 13, 2017

Community memberOverall experienceThis school has an appalling lack of accountability. The needs of special education students are blatantly ignored. IEP's are not followed, and the leadership at this school is not supportive of their special ed students.
Submitted by parent on July 05, 2016

I've been very happy with my family's experience at Topeka. At first I was worried because the population is very mixed and many are not able to contribute to the school financially, or with their time. But I soon found that I love the fact that it's multicultural and socio-economically diverse...a true picture of what the real world looks like. I believe this makes it an inclusive and non-competitive environment. The teachers have been wonderful and the academic expectation is high while still exposing kids to music and art, and emphasizing character and community. It comes from the top down with the fabulous principal who pushes to take the school to the next level, but does it with humor and warmth. Many parents think Beckford, Castlebay, or PRCS are the only acceptable options in the area, but if they looked a little closer they would see the gem that Topeka is. Test scores and money are both important, but I'm much more concerned with educating "the whole child". While no public school is perfect, my kids are engaged, challenged, loved, and supported so I'm a happy parent.
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2015

This is my 9th year at Topeka and I still love it!! I’m one of those parents who is in the “inner circle” that everyone complains about—but guess what? My kids have NOT always gotten the “most coveted” teachers. One teacher was absolutely useless, but my son is still doing well. He tested gifted and continues to get awards. This is not a school where you drop off your kids and they automatically do well. Parents need to instill in their kids the importance of hard work and education.The Principal recently “cleaned house” and the teachers left behind are EXCELLENT teachers. They are passionate, patient, kind, and eager to teach. Some teachers are not as coveted because they’re strict and disciplinarians. It has NOTHING to do with their ability to teach! If your kid gets in trouble a lot, it’s not because his/her teacher is bad.If your complaint is you’re “not in the circle,” you have to nudge your way in there. You do that by being present—talk to the teachers and the other parents. Volunteer once in a while. I’m a working mom but all the teachers and administrators know who I am. Topeka offers plenty of ways to get involved---even if all you can spare is an hour here and there. But no, it’s not a guarantee to get your kids into certain classes.Our Principal is awesome! She knows all the kids names. She dances with them, she jokes around with them. She emphasizes character, as well as academics. She is the MOST approachable person I have ever met, as a matter of fact, she approaches and greets you first!! She’s been that way since day 1!
Submitted by parent on September 25, 2014

Overall, this is a great school if you have a smart compliant child. Unfortunately, my son has an IEP for inattentive ADD. Although most teachers were good, including his resource teacher, his 3rd grade teacher was not. There were three specific incidents last year that, I feel, constitute bullying. Here are two. First, if my son didn t write his name on his homework, he got zero credit. Toward the end of the year, my son received, by accident, some of the other work from his class mates. This one particular student didn t put his name on it, so his teacher wrote his name on it. And, she gave him a 100%. How is that even fair? Second, six weeks before the last report card, he received a letter from his teacher that he would be getting three 2 s on his report card. At no point in the next six weeks, did she ask to schedule a meeting with us regarding his progress. Needless to say, we were shocked and upset to see fourteen 2 s and six 1 s on his report card! We have since left this school and his is flourishing at his new school. Be warned if you have a child that may have and IEP, non-compliant or just even extra needs.
Submitted by parent on August 18, 2014

Heavy favoritism is shown at this school. If you are not with the "in" crowd or clique, your child becomes low on the totem pole! There are a group of parents who mysteriously manage to get their kids together in the same class year after year with the most sought after teacher, yet we are told placing is random and you cannot request teachers. BULL. The favoritism is so blatant its disgusting!! You can even get another child kicked out of a class you want to get your kid in if you are part of the IN group! Just wrong in so many ways. Administration ought to be ashamed of themselves for creating divides within the school.
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2014

Topeka is a fabulous school that we feel blessed to have been a part of for the last three years. Tomorrow our youngest culminates, so our time at Topeka is almost over, and we will miss it terribly. The Principal is fantastic! Incredibly high-energy, caring, dedicated -- in short, amazing! Teachers and staff are great. PTA is amazing.
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2014

My daughter is culminating tomorrow and I can't help but feel extremely grateful for her 6 years at Topeka. She has had wonderful, caring, patient, and intelligent educators year after year. They have encouraged, motivated, and mentored her. What makes Topeka great is the approachable principal who is very much invested in the school. You can tell she really cares about the kids and the community. The teachers are amazing! They make learning so much fun! The parental involvement is awesome! In any organization, it's difficult to get people to volunteer. However, at Topeka, so many parents volunteer and we truly give it our best. Our PTA is comprised of both stay-at-home and work-out-of-the-home parents. Everyone's welcome to pitch in as much as they can.
Submitted by parent on May 22, 2014

"A terrible teacher" that's how one of his colleagues described him. Many of his decisions and information sharing throughout the year were questionable but it was overall an ok year, the experience was a little harder on some kids and parents due to some drama created by the same teacher. He would favorite one of the kids due to his mother and he would allow her to even yell at the kids while volunteering in the class. Besides that my child enjoyed kindergarten and I'm glad is almost over. Parents in this school are amazing, a lot of hard worker volunteers. The staff is ok, we noticed a lot of damage control, kids are encouraged to tell on each other which most parents didn't like, sometimes we noticed the staff would tell the parents what they think they want to hear. Overall is a great school, with a few teachers who need better training or be reassigned and a staff that could be more friendly, respectful and committed to the integrity, education and well being of the children, and the peace of mind of the parents instead of just covering each other's backs. There is a lot of room for improvement and I hope I can see some of those changes come to live soon.
Submitted by parent on May 05, 2014

Updated review: Unless you are close to the principal, forget decent treatment by teachers, faculty and staff. Pulled out in December and couldn't be happier! We switched to a private school that treats everyone with respect.
Submitted by parent on April 28, 2014

This school looks to be well organized and heading in the right direction with the positive trend of increasing test scores the past several years. Looking forward to my child attending kindergarten in the fall.
Submitted by parent on October 23, 2013

Topeka is a wonderful school! The Principal truly cares about the students and my two children love going there. The teachers are great and the family atmosphere is one of a kind.
Submitted by parent on October 21, 2013

It's our first year at Topeka, our daughters in kindergarten and is learning so much! their PTA is amazing. School is clean. So far so good. We're very pleased!
Submitted by parent on October 11, 2013

Topeka school has evolved so much over the years for the great of our kids. I am glad to say we are now a charter school and growing in many ways. The staff is wonderful and the teachers really care about our kids. It's a fun and safe place for the kids with so many activities going on all the time.