Polytechnic School

1030 East California Boulevard

Pasadena, CA 91106

20 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by student on May 04, 2024

Wholeheartedly recommend this school! Poly's diverse community is both welcoming and academically rigorous.
Submitted by parent on November 25, 2023

Our experience at Poly is now in it's 7th year and continues to be absolutely fantastic.
Submitted by parent on October 10, 2023

My kid started in middle school and easily made friends. The kids are welcoming and enjoy the new faces. I do belief the kids that have attended Poly since kindergarten are really bored by Junior year.Poly is not for everyone, especially the high school. It is rigorous and it does not slow down for those that struggle. Luckily we never had academic issues and my kid never needed outside tutoring, but it seems several kids do. The teachers make themselves available and the kids have access to them all the time. Everyone has the opportunity to do well, but you will have to work for good grades. Parents are also intense and it's no surprise that they push their kids in all areas. While it is a rigorous school, they also have many clubs, sports and theater. The high school feels and runs like a small college. Overall the experience at Poly was great.
Submitted by other on June 04, 2023

Fantastic students. Great, inspiring teachers. Leadership ok. Top notch overall.
Submitted by parent on May 15, 2023

Excellent school. Great student culture, kind students that welcomes everyone. Diverse kids (in many dimensions). Dedicated teachers.
Submitted by parent on July 02, 2018

An exceptional school! Comprehensive approach to learning.
Submitted by parent on November 17, 2017

As a parent, I can say confidently the quality of education is top notch. The school is appropriately ranked as one of the top few private schools in the county.
Submitted by other on September 17, 2016

As an Alum and a former teacher at Poly, I never seen a community that has suffered so seriously from a lack of community and lack of identity. The problems are pervasive at Poly. The is much potential here for a truly great school, but I witnessed such a lack of ethics, that I would never consider sending my own child here.
Submitted by parent on March 01, 2016

As a parent and alum, I have been so disappointed in Poly. The administration seems to have been dazzled by being on some national top list years ago and have have apparently forgotten what is important in a school, which is developing intellectual, engaged, and decent people. Instead, Poly is curating efficient students who can get the scores and AP credits needed to attend a specific type of university. The end result is a group of entitled, cliquey, and unintellectual students--I have personally seen children transfer to Poly who start as lovely kids and become worse people over the years. At Poly, children learn very well how to follow instructions and strive for good grades, without being engaged in what they are learning. No joy of learning here. It seems as if teachers have stopped actually teaching--they just assign tasks and give scores. The culture is a very competitive one, but in a strangely hidden way, because although the students are not allowed to discuss grades, scores and grades are literally the only type of feedback they are given. There is a huge secret culture of students being tutored outside of school; if your child has any type of difficulty, the teacher informs the parent, who is expected to figure out a solution. Children do not become better people for having attended this school, just more efficient students, with levels of cheating that are surprisingly high. The administration feels dysfunctional, resulting in poor organizational transparency, poor communication, and inconsistent expectations and feedback for kids. There seems to be no overarching plan, regarding character or curriculum, except get kids into the right type of schools. We have had two teachers we thought were pretty dedicated and passionate, but mostly have had an unpleasant experience with what feels like a chaotic, poorly run school with little vision and clarity of mission. It seems to be resting on its laurels and congratulating itself on its high number of applicants, good endowment, and good exmissions. NB: the good exmissions numbers tend to come from students who enter at high school.
Submitted by other on June 02, 2015

Unethical admissions policy. The school accepted applications and made students go through the extensive application process and emotional turmoil despite the fact there were no attrition available at all for the grade level applied!! They should have advised as soon as they confirm there will be no openings available in the grade level and refund the applicants' money.
Submitted by other on January 22, 2015

I am a graduate and a parent. I found the education excellent. The school creates an open caring environment. The lower and middle school provide a reasonable academic emphasis - particularly as compared to it's more aggressive counter-parts in the community. The upper school will prepare one for college with a true liberal arts emphasis while providing quality scientific education. There is a true Poly community not found elsewhere.
Submitted by parent on August 26, 2014

Poly is fine in the lower grades, but not a school for everyone in the Upper School. The teachers are inconsistent in terms of quality. While some are good, most are just acceptable. The students are pressured by their parents (and the school) to workworkwork. And work some more. If that's what you want, perhaps you should ask your child what she wants. Also, if you want your child to attend a highly selective school (and later college), perhaps you should (again) ask your child. It's her life after all. We regret choosing Poly. Based on many talks with friends who also have kids at Poly, it is clear there are many unhappy folks here.
Submitted by teacher on April 15, 2014

Poly is a good school & has an excellent reputation in the University community; it does well preparing its upper-tier students for the next level of academia. It's lower school is good, & its middle school is just okay. The lower school Dir. is excellent & she has done an outstanding job improving the curriculum & weeding out the teachers that were not up to snuff. The middle school Dir. is average at best. Many of the Poly "lifers" are the average students in high school: while Poly won't likely be forthright in its admission of this fact, the major of the higher level students that graduate are not those that started in K. Regarding the athletic program: the AD is poor at best, & Poly is successful despite itself b/c the majority of kids have the means for coaching/teams outside the school. Don't expect athletic development here. If your child is interested in being a higher level 'student-athlete' look elsewhere. The consensus amongst teachers & parents is that the departure of the current headmaster, will be most-welcomed. Poly has had many kids leave the last few years b/c the school is rigid, & does not do a good job accommodating different learning styles or personalities.
Submitted by parent on August 03, 2013

Poly is an academically strong school, but really only works for kids who learn by traditional methods. Any students with learning disabilities are "counseled out" pretty quickly. We watched them vanish over the years. Teachers vary as in most schools, but we were always surprised that so many weak teachers remained at a school that charges a tremendously high tuition. Kids are expected to fit into a mold, catillion style - many of them actually attend catillion. The economically "diverse" population is really upper class to the richest of the rich with a few token financial aid families and some teachers' children. Cultural diversity is really, really limited. Compare to any public school and you will see that your children will miss out on meeting lots of different types of friends. While there our children were happy, but often stressed by the workload. Left after middle school and a whole new world opened up to them. Glad for the academic foundation from Poly and very glad to have moved onto another view of the world.
Submitted by other on May 10, 2013

Polytechnic. Both my kids were Pre K -12. Great experience on all counts. 1000 applicants for 100 openings speaks volumes.
Submitted by other on August 03, 2012

Poly is not for everyone, but those that can handle it will end up with a world class education. All of my siblings went to Poly and went on to ivy schools where they found the work challenging but not impossible due to Poly's challenging work load that requires students to be disciplined and self motivated. In general the students that are staying up until 2 am to study are those that do not mange their time and their work well. Poly teacher LOVE to see students succeed and everyone there is capable of doing so as long as they are responsible. Being a student at Poly has opened a lot of doors for me not only in the college application process but because the name precedes itself. Any successful Poly student is bright and motivated to be the best. But like I said, it's not a school for everyone. My parents have shelled out the money for three PK-12 Poly educations, and they would not have done so if it wasn't worth it in the long run.
Submitted by parent on January 14, 2012

Polytechnic is not for every kid. I have two children, one at Poly and one at another local school. My son who attends Poly has been there since pre K and is currently in high school. He has excelled in every grade level and is a straight A student. However, he is a fast learner, competitive and self-motivated. He never spends more than 1-2 hours a night on homework. It just comes easy to him. His Poly experience has been wonderful. For my other son, the school is not a good fit. He is not as competitive and needs more time to complete his work. He requires a more nurturing environment. He is also doing well academically because he is at a school that is a good fit for him. Simply put, there are different schools for different kids. Poly is a wonderful school if your kid is up to the challenge. Some kids really struggle with the academics and many parents end up paying thousands of dollars for tutors to help their children get through. The bottom line is that you need to find the school that is the right fit for your child. There are so many wonderful schools in this area. With the right fit, your child will excel!
Submitted by parent on December 27, 2011

Pasadena Polytechnic School is a poor fit for most children. The school emphasizes busywork homework to the extreme. The focus on rote learning is disappointing. Bright, creative students don't belong here. It is probably best for the B to B+ level student whose parents are rich workaholics. Be prepared to donate a fortune if you want your child to stay in the good graces of the school administration and faculty.
Submitted by other on September 22, 2011

Poly is by far the best school in the area. I graduated in 2010 and have found the academics of college to be a lot easier for me than for my friends who went to other high schools. Poly prepares us to be successful in later. Some people are giving Poly low ratings because of "more than 4 hours of homework". This rule is a guideline, however in my experience usually followed by the teaching. The only nights I had more than 4 hours were more often than not my fault for either procrastinating or not managing my time right. Poly offers excellent discussion and engagement in almost every class. After coming in 9th grade from a k-8 private school in the area, I find myself better off than my middle school peers and I credit Poly for that. Poly is not for everyone of course, but for students who want a community that supports you and an environment that allows students to grow, Poly is the place without a doubt.
Submitted by other on May 30, 2011

Unsatisfactory. This is school is miserable. I hate it. All they care about is money .. more money... and money again. They assign too much homework as well. Teachers are supposed to limit their homework to 50 minutes an evening per class, about 4 hours a night. This school clearly doesn't follow this rule. Children need their sleep and the students stay up past 1 A.M. almost every night. Is that what you want?