Mayfield Junior School

405 South Euclid Avenue

Pasadena, CA 91101

6 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on September 11, 2023

This school is incredible! Not only are they very academically strong (phenomenal teachers), but they build very powerful and nurturing bonds with children. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. They also have an incredible summer program to teach skills of all kinds. My kids go every years. I have two children in Mayfield. It deeply saddens me to see the past views on bullying. I don’t know if those were unique cases or if something has changed in the school’s response to bullying since we started attending in 2019. I can tell you though that they take bullying extremely seriously. Since 2019, I’ve seen 2 kids expelled for bullying and 2 others intervened and stopped. Bullying is a very difficult problem so I sympathize with parent and the school that has to deal with this. From what I can tell, whatever they’re doing is working. My kids love the school, look forward to it everyday, feel safe, and are thriving. What else can a parent ask for?
Submitted by parent on March 18, 2023

MJS is a wonderful balance between tradition and innovation. So grateful my children got to experience it from K-8!
Submitted by parent on August 03, 2022

I have two children who have been at this school for several years. As a non-religious family, we found this school to be incredibly accepting to families of all faiths and walks of life. There are strong in supporting children where they are. Both of my kids have learning differences and the Learning Center/Independent Study track has been helpful. If your child requires 1 to 1 assistance, this is not the school for you though. The school is not as academically challenging as Poly but it does provide a solid foundation in arts education and provides a culture of treating each other with respect. We have only had one instance where one of my children was being called names by one child, and I found the teacher receptive to working with me to empower my child and also keep an eye on the situation. All of the teachers we have had except one, were incredibly respectful and supportive of the children. Like any school, the individual teachers have the greatest impact but we have found the large majority of teachers incredibly well trained and educated and "current" in terms of best practices. The school's tuition has increased a lot in the past several years but, we are happy enough with the environment and community that we are staying until 8th grade with both children. We appreciate the annual program celebrating family cultures, and each grade has a social justice project starting in Kindergarten. The school has also created a committee that works to address and repair and educate staff and students on racial disparities/racial equity. There is still plenty of work to be done on racial equity and, historical school practices since its beginnings, but it feels like MJS is making true efforts in this area which aligns with their motto, Actions Not Words. But ultimately, it's a private school with many wealthy families so that comes with its own inherent disadvantages.
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2019

Awful, go anywhere else but here. All of the good teachers have left
Submitted by parent on May 13, 2017

All of my kids attend this school, and I am entirely impressed by the school. I attended a public school growing up, and I can compare the education I got vs. what my kids are receiving. I went to a public school that in hindsight provided a great education. I must say that MJS's attention to the "whole-child" is comparable to what i had growing up: English, math, science, foreign language, art, music, and P.E. It is the education and curriculum I wanted for them. The school avidly supports continued growth of their teachers and sends them for continuing education, which stokes their passion for teaching. It is wonderful to see teachers with passion. On another note, I learned my child was being bullied. I was upset, and all the painful memories of growing up being teased as a kid came rushing through. I do believe this is a part of the social dynamic of growing up that won't go away, but I didn't want my child to feel the pains of being teased that I felt when I was that age, Nevertheless, we opted to discuss this with the teacher. When the issue was brought to their attention, it was clear that they have a no-bullying policy. They dealt with it with all seriousness, promptly, and professionally. The school has the best intention for educating kids by providing them with the most time-proven methods and by providing a caring, safe learning environment They have proven to me that they live by their values. Actions not just words.
Submitted by parent on April 03, 2016

I typically do not review, but I feel an ethical obligation to do so with MJS. The school has positives such as nurturing staff, beautiful facilities, small class sizes, & some nice families. Our main concern, was the the BULLYING experience our child endured which included verbal insults on the daily & physical abuse/ bullying by another child. The physical included slapping, pushing, spitting etc.. MJS is very negligent, in that they do not have a clear anti- bullying policy in their handbook, & therefore discipline is spotty/ inconsistent. Despite our best efforts to remedy the situation, & we were not alone in these concerns -we pulled our child out after one year. Over the year, we talked to the Teacher, Head of School, brainstormed with school Psychologist, & some parents and found our experience was not isolated. Our child is easy going, but the soft discipline style coupled with monied families, some narcisstic children/ families, high tuition, & lack of rigor academically we left MJS. We know attend our local public school that we had demonized & realize we appreciate the professionalism & clarity when it comes to security/ safety of our child. Academically we found our public school to be more rigorous, & paid a tutor to bring our child up to par with the local public schools in Math/English. Public schools have standards with common core & rigor with testing/ accountability. I am shocked that I never sat with the parents whose children were abusive & that there was never a real consequence, this was a disservice to us & the bullying children. In a monied environment, lack of clarity of consequence/ overly nurturing environment -children learn to manipulate & get away with bad behavior. I have a spiritual approach to life & regret not talking to the Mothers directly about their children's behavior , because the school is paralyzed in dealing with bullying, but we were a new family & we were trying to fit in & navigate the environment. My son is resilient, loving, smart, and sweet and he know has learned about bullies, how one should be treated, and how one should treat others. We want our children to be happy, relaxed, joyful, and look forward to school everyday and today we have that gift. Just because a school has prestige, be critical, and realize you have other options. A safe & happy child will make for a successful school career.