Riviera Hall Lutheran

330 Palos Verdes Boulevard

Redondo Beach, CA 90277

14 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on November 13, 2024

I graduated from RHLS in 1988. The school is largely responsible for my achievements in high school, college and my professional life and played a significant roll in my personal life as well. My younger brother and two of my cousins also went to RHLS (and they all turned out pretty awesome because of it). I love the school so much that I sent both of my kids there. My son graduated two years ago and got an academic scholarship to Chadwick (where he’s an honors student as a sophomore). My daughter is graduating this year and will likely follow in her brother’s footsteps. If some day I’m lucky enough to have grand kids I’d strongly recommend my kids send them to RHLS (though I suspect I wouldn’t need to recommend anything because my kids loved the school too). Academically I’d make the case that RHLS is the top K-8 school in the South Bay and I suspect their test scores would back that up. But much more importantly, the thoughtful and compassionate kids that RHLS helps mold into amazing young adults are the future leaders of our country and we are better off for it. The parents who send their kids to RHLS are also amazing humans and some of my best friends. There is so much parent involvement (from such impressive parents) that the students have almost endless interactions with a host of caring and successful adults. But perhaps the most inspiring part of RHLS is the absolutely incredible faculty and staff. These are teachers and administrators that TRULY care about your individual children and your family. They are not figuratively but literally with you every step of the way from your first day of school to graduation day supporting both the students and the family. I could go on and on about the fantastic things that happen at RHLS from community service to surf club, running club, the entire sports program, the plays, extracurricular activities and the life changing multi day field trips. Or I could talk about how quickly and efficiently Kelly McCabe adapted to Covid first with a legit zoom school up and running days after the shutdown or the on campus learning that they safely executed with out door school and modified campus protocols WAY before anybody else. While most kids were home playing Roblox all day, our kids were at school, learning from their teachers, in person. I could go on and on about this exceptional place of learning. If you haven’t surmised, I highly recommend RHLS. 2 thumbs up, 5 stars, A+
Submitted by parent on October 14, 2024

The principal Kelly is very rude only thinks about herself treats, students, families, teachers, and staff so poorly she never returns. Any phone calls. She hides behind the fact that she is a good Christian but everything that School preaches they go against I would not recommend the school to anyone everyone gossip and that school and they never help a child out when they need it. You pay so much money for a private school, but most of the kids are getting tutored by the own teacher, and you have to pay additional for this which seems like a conflict of interest. I am extremely disappointed with the leadership and overall environment at this school, particularly with the principal. She is unprofessional, dismissive, and seems more concerned with her own interests than the well-being of the students, families, teachers, or staff. Communication is virtually non-existent—phone calls are rarely, if ever, returned, and she hides behind a façade of being a good Christian while consistently going against the very values the school claims to uphold.The school community is rife with gossip, and there is little genuine support when a child truly needs help. For a private school that demands such high tuition, it is shocking how many students are forced to seek additional tutoring from their own teachers—at an extra cost. This practice not only feels like a conflict of interest but also undermines the quality of education that parents are already paying for.I would not recommend this school to anyone. It is a toxic environment, and the leadership is failing its community.
Submitted by parent on March 21, 2024

My daughter has attended Riviera Hall Lutheran School since her TK year and we have loved every aspect of our experience at this beloved school by the sea. The school environment from the teachers, principal, and administration are always top notch as they really take the time to get to know the children, their needs, and instilling the school's core values of love, respect, and responsibility. The opportunity to be on campus and volunteer is encouraged and available to the parents. The principal's door is always open to parents and she loves fresh ideas on how we can make our school and community a better place. The families are a tight knit community that support and encourage their children. Every year each teacher is a pleasure to work with and strive to make your kid's school year a memorable and successful one. If you're looking for a Christ-centered education in a smaller school environment, RHLS is the best out there and we are blessed to be a part of the school.
Submitted by parent on March 19, 2024

I regret to say that my experience with this school has been disappointing on multiple fronts. The handling of assessments and communication with parents lacks professionalism, I paid for my child to be assessed, to get an email just telling me to join a waitlist- not giving a single reason as to why I’ve been waitlisted- which has me question….was there even such an assessment even done on my child?! I question the teachers and coaches, they all seemed to already have in mind who they selectively wanted. Furthermore, interactions with the principal were far from welcoming; instead of embodying Christian values, they were unfriendly and fake. Sadly, the school's commitment to Christian morals seems inconsistent, and academically, there's so much room for improvement. Overall, this school falls short of its promise to provide a nurturing, Christ-centered environment. Although it’s not the experiences I’d had hope for I’m super thankful, I don’t want to pay to be part of a community like this. Listen to the reviews of this place, I didn’t, and lost money!!
Submitted by parent on March 17, 2024

We never attended but only toured so I am only commenting on what I observed. I am only writing this because I think this school lacks diversity and fair representation. I only applied since I had some close friends who had heard “good things.” When I toured I found the facilities to be run down and the principal did not seem engaged or interested in establishing a connection with me. I left thinking this place looks so downtrodden but yet the children seem happy so I continued with the application process. I found the communication I received to be sterile and lackluster at best. They didn’t even spell my son’s name right. Save yourself time and energy and keep searching if looking for a faith based school. They may treat kids that attend their preschool better. I also believe they probably treat the individuals who attend their church better so these families may enjoy this school. I truly think you will feel like an outsider if you don’t attend this church and that this is an extremely close knit community lacking in diversity. So sorry but this needs to be said. When my son shadowed I was in shocked and saddened that there was such a lack of diversity. I think inclusivity is so important in this day and age so i felt compelled to share this. Be careful when applying is all I can say and you can contact me for further details. Wishing you all health and wellness
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2024

Kelly, the Principal, is soooo unprofessional. I had asked for a call back regarding why my daughter was rejected from the school and she didn't even bother to respond to me. The front desk girl, Wendy, had told me my daughter was rejected because there were no slots available in TK or Kinder. If that's the case then why would you take my money for registration and have my daughter go through an "assessment" for an additional $60 when there were no spots available? I honestly don't think this is even the truth as to why she didn't get in. EVERYONE was blonde/white. Zero Diversity. I overheard one of the teachers at the tinker and play comment on how happy he was to see so many blondes coming in for the following year. A friend of mine turned to me and said "we aren't getting in because we aren't white". Guess what? We were both rejected even though we are both extremely educated, wealthy, and live locally. Both of our children are vastly advanced for their age as well so that could not have been a determining factor. I had called to ask for an explanation as to what were the determining factors for why one student was chosen over another and no explanation as to why our child did not make the cut or what the process of acceptance was. It's a blessing that we didn't get in though because I would never want my child in a school where she would be treated less than others for not being blonde.
Submitted by parent on March 02, 2024

This school is highly toxic between staff and principal vs student/parents. The middle school math teacher is a first year teacher ever, and does not know how to teach the subject often yelling and putting down the kids. History is taught by the former 5th grade teacher which is where her strength lies. Many students complain about the amount of note taking, test, and worksheet. They do not enjoy the subject of history taught by the current teacher, which is sad. The principal and teacher are aware but wilfully chose to do nothing. The principal leads the charge in cultivating such poor culture within the school with her leadership style which is backhanded and retalitory. The principal does not take the time to learn who the kids are with such a small school that should be a goal instead favorites are selected and it's made obvious the teachers get together and talk trash about the kids during meetings as opposed to finding ways to lift kids up. Punishment is handed down forever, little thing. Talk to middle school parents about the principal and academics if you are thinking of sending your child to RHLS, the tour the principal gives is smoke and mirrors. This school will break your spirit and most importantly our child's.
Submitted by other on June 08, 2023

We have been at RHLS for 5 years now, and have experienced at least one of our 3 kids in every grade from first through eighth. The school's undeniable strength is its people, from the principal, coaches, teachers, front office staff, and even the custodian, Pastor Mario, who is known to be greeted by the kids with "God bless you, Pastor Mario." Coming from a large public school, I was happily surprised to see how the principal, coaches, and staff know my children and really care for them. When schools shut down in March of 2020 because of Covid, our kids took one week off and then were straight back to school online via zoom. I did not have to homeschool my kids because they all had access to their teachers from the beginning of quarantine. I still remember my then 2nd grader doing yoga via zoom with Coach Marquez for PE. The kids were back to school before the end of 2020 (for those who opted), and this was possible because Principal McCabe knew how important it was for kids to be learning and in person as soon as possible. Please be cautious of emotionally charged reviews that read harmfully and incorrectly. At any school, families may find a teacher whom they disagree with, but the teachers and staff at our school have an undeniably huge heart for the kids. Through the years, I have seen that Principal McCabe is aware of everything that is going on, from Kindergarten to eighth grade. She may not express every plan and step along the way but a resolution is always in the works. It is also a very difficult position to be in to keep every family with differing opinions in every grade happy and unable to defend oneself when a review says otherwise.Our children have been in a loving and supportive environment, where the staff know and care for each of the kids.
Submitted by parent on May 30, 2023

Riviera Hall has been an amazing school. The teachers and staff truly care about their students. They can be seen giving their lunches or break times, helping students with personal needs. While the school doesn’t have the programs and staffing for students with disabilities, the principal and staff meet with individual families to identify ways to best support the students. The curriculum textbooks might look dated but the teachers substitute or bring in outside material to enhance engagement and understanding. There’s never going to be a teacher that pleases everyone but the teachers, while holding students to certain expectations, also have a heart. High school is challenging and the middle school is continuously trying to make the transition to freshman year, as easy as possible.
Submitted by parent on May 16, 2023

The school and church board need to quickly address the problems parents are having to face at this school. The principal has meetings everyday about an emotially abusive middle school math instructor , who cannot teach Math which is demonstrated by A students receiving fails and D! She has told multiple parents that a C in Math is acceptable. She has kids line up and and calls out all of the kids that did bad to humiliate them. Calls, emails, meetings have been had with the principal, after all of this the principal has not set up shop in the Math classroom to make meaningful observations. At least 50-60 parents are actively looking to get attorneys and the board involved . The Math teacher fiasco is just the tip of the iceberg. The principal makes awful hires. The teachers are mean and nasty to the kids and the Christian environment is not something the adults uphold themselves. I'll say it again the principal, and many teachers are mean and nasty to the kids. The school needs a new principal and a few new teachers. It's a toxic environment as of today because of the principals leadership. She comes from Chadwick and doesn't want the parents input on anything.
Submitted by parent on May 16, 2023

Our eldest spent 9 years at RHLS and recently graduated. Our youngest has been there for 7 years and is in the middle school now. We appreciate the small school atmosphere, the kind environment, the family inclusion and how much the teachers and staff care for the children. In our 10+ years with the school we have always felt that our questions and concerns were addressed from both Principal and Teachers. The coaches instill comradery and kindness on the playground. The teachers are able to connect and support the middle school students as they go through those tough pre-teen years. Academics: Every student who graduated with my eldest got into the high school of their choice and most are placed directly into high school freshman honors classes (Biology / English / Math). The MS English teacher has been with RHLS for many years and really knows how to prepare the students for high school. Same can be said for the Science teacher who engages the kids with hands on projects throughout the MS years. The students also take field trips which enrich their program. I have been very impressed with their trips to Astrocamp, Catalina, Pali, Sacramento, Washington DC, etc. The area I scored the school the lowest for is special education. The school is small and does not have the IEP or 504 program support that public schools have.
Submitted by parent on December 06, 2022

The experience at RHLS has been anything that I thought it would be. During the tour the principal appeared kind and genuine, but as soon as I as well as other parents I have spoken to expressed concern provided suggestions, or did not agree with the curriculum the current principal tries to create an uncomfortable environment to make parents leave. Curriculum-In Elementary, the curriculum does not focus on the fundamentals, a lot of common core. Everything is rushed and scratches the surface, kids never get a true understanding of Math because the concepts are all over the place, English is much of the same with diagramming sentences!!! It's a joke. The fifth-grade teacher is not ready, she should not be teaching on her own. Homework-Excessive, busywork, no time for family time. Kids get home from a long day of school and are expected to do 1-2 hours of homework. They say it's 30 minutes that is not true. The kids are stressed out and lack balance. Teachers-They have good teachers spread out. But not great teachers in sequence. Many of teachers do not put in much effort to teach different types of learners. The teachers do not support students when they take risks and fail instead, they give them an "F' they do not reteach they move on. CultureCulture could be better between parents and the principal. It is appalling the way the principal speaks to some parents. The teachers do not interact with parents in the way they should give its a private Christian school. In fact, I would say the teacher AVOID parent interaction. SPEAK WITH CURRENT PARENTS BEFORE ENROLLING YOUR CHILD. THE SCHOOL HAS MAJOR WORK TO DO STARTING WITH THE PRINCIPAL AND TEACHERS THERE JUST FILLING SPACE. THIS IS MY OPINION, IT'S NOT OFFENSIVE, JUST THE TRUTH.
Submitted by parent on May 16, 2022

They have serious work to do. My child has a few close friends, and as an introvert it took him quit some time to make friends. That is THE ONLY reason we have not switched schools, or homeschooled.If things change, I will fairly and gladly update my post.My opinion is based on time spent at RHLS, not just a semester. As a Christian school I Do not find this school to practice what they preach and advertise. The admin and staff at this school are phony and disingenuous, I do not know how else to describe it. My wife and I do not like to feel like we are imposing on people, and the staff makes certain parents feel that way based on conversations with other parents; the teachers make you feel as if they have other things to do. There are times like during 15-minute relay conferences where they "ACT" like they care other than that there is NO open door.Academics-The program overall is weak on every level, in MANY classrooms. Take a look at the textbooks they use, their style of teaching, and ask them to explain how they get kids to MASTER a concept. They will not be able to because they are teaching kids 1000 useless concepts through worksheets and tests. Leadership and Staff-Principal McCabe gossips about parents who speak up, or make suggestions, with other staff members imagine how that emboldens teachers to act towards the students of concerned parents? Principal McCabe acts very moody and inconsistent with parents and students, and instead of taking parent feedback into account her attitude completely changes towards parents. Several families have left the school largely due to Principal McCabe.Social Aspect-The staff is NOT diverse at all, and as a Caucasian I find that to be a major disadvantage. Children should be taught by teachers of all backgrounds so people of other origins are not foreign to them. As well as to ascertain the knowledge that the measure of an individual should be based on thoughts and character not ethnicity, but if you are only taught by one group or around one group your perspective is largely skewed and the kids lose out on the value people of different backgrounds possess. Principal McCabe may be a step up from the former Principal but the bar should be higher. RHLS deserves exceptional leadership, seasoned teachers ,innovation with a Christian fellowship.When looking for a school honest reviews from parents.This school as it stands is NOT WORTH THE INVESTMENT, it's not very different from the public schools.
Submitted by other on November 12, 2016

We LOVE RHLS. The school instills and teaches children to be well rounded which we really love. From the time of Kinder, the children are desensitized of the fears of public speaking. Neither one of my children have the typical anxieties the average person has of public speaking because they have done it for so long and from such a young age. The school instills kindness and to treat others like you'd like to be treated. Coach King instills this great culture into our school. He is the anchor of the school and a exceptional role model to everyone. The children and parents have high respect for him and we are so fortunate to have him with us. Chapel is incredible led by Mr. Brown who is quite talented. The children all sing and really have fun with the songs. Even the "cool" middle school children have a good time with the music. There are too many great strengths to list about RHLS; first off.... the culture of the school, chapel, Experium, STEM, gardening, Hands on Art, Spanish, computer, etc. Though the school is small, it is a great community where everyone knows everyone. Families support each other and it's nice to know the teacher's care about our children. The teachers have excellent communication with the parents and want our children to succeed. We never worry about our children at school. The new principal is wonderful and making great improvements to our school with a fresh eye. Who could of thought it could get even better?! And she even knows every child's name! How did she learn them in such a short amount of time? Every year we think how nice it would be to have tuition costs in our bank account and every year we realize there is NO WAY we could ever leave. Our children have never dreaded going to school at RHLS. Every day they are excited to go. We keep thinking it will wear off and it never does. We love RHLS!
Submitted by other on January 22, 2016

We attended for multiple years and left at the end of last year after being completely frustrated waiting for positive change to be made (along with many, many other families that departed). There is a new Principal this year, who hopefully will overhaul the teaching staff - many of whom are burnt out or dictator-like in their teaching style. Some teachers could teach but were very lacking in their child-development skills. For too long the administration at this school refused to work cooperatively with parents as they voiced concern year after year about staff, math scores being weak, playground issues, etc.. The academics are only rigorous in that they push the kids to constantly be busy. The kids can rise to the occasion, but I can personally attest that many students (even the brightest) were anxious and stressed, causing them to act out and/or need therapy to deal with anxiety. These kids are not necessarily getting in to better colleges than other schools, though they are sometimes learning a year ahead of grade level (which makes high school classes easier). The current teaching staff is still inbred with much of the negative reinforcement/disciplinarian-type culture that have been ingrained at the school for far too long. There are 1 or 2 exceptional teachers and hopefully more will be brought in with the new Principal in the coming years. There has been a long standing concern about math scores declining during late elementary-middle school grades. In hindsight, I think the school is too small; good in some ways, but not good for the kids socially in the long-run after they have been at the school their whole elementary and middle school years with the same small class. After switching schools, I've also realized how weak the computer classes were at RHLS. After school daycare is very unstructured and there are very limited on-campus after school activities. We did love that chapel and religion was a regular part of the school week, and we were very grateful to Mr. Brown for lovingly teaching the kids music & Mrs. Yager for her enthusiasm for teaching STEM. The parents sending their kids there all have the very best intentions and are committed to their children. Hopefully change will come quickly for those who have stuck it out during the transition. For us, the negatives far outweighed the positives...not to mention the increasing cost.