Sherman Oaks Center For Enriched Studies

18605 Erwin St.

School District

Los Angeles Unified
Grade

4-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:28
Type

public

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 16, 2024

My daughter started at SOCES as an incoming 4th grader in Aug ’23. 5 months in, we pulled her. Everything about SOCES felt disorganized and ill equipped to support the younger kids. There were so many questionable things, from the way orientation was run and the lack of promised playground equipment to the chaotic mess that is drop-off and pickup, but with a character limit for this review, I’ll focus on what we felt was most important. SOCES is a high school that happens to accommodate elementary and middle school children. My 9 yo would walk in with teens who dress, speak and behave like teens. Initially it didn’t bother me to see my daughter walking into school alongside 16 year olds in crop tops but, I didn’t consider that this would eventually work like a TikTok or IG account for a 9 yo. She gradually became less confident, adopted a certain attitude and tried to mirror what she saw with the older kids. Activities were another mess. We paid $50 for what was marketed as a Junior Cheer program. On the day of the game, I asked the coach to confirm when the next game was, she said that it was a one-time experience. Listen, if I knew that I was paying $50 for a cheer shirt, single pompom, practice and halftime show, I still would have enrolled her but call it what it is - a cheer fundraiser or “day of cheer” experience. Myself and the other parents felt lied to.The final straw was my daughter’s Math/Sci teacher. She was extremely hard on her from day 1. Her communication style was abrupt and unfriendly. When I brought this up to SOCES staff, I was told that they were aware of complaints from other parents. I felt heard but it also meant that this person was supported by the administration and that they knowingly placed her into a role in 4th grade, working with the youngest children on campus who are most in need of a supportive environment.What I found is that the school has a ranking to be proud of and a huge vinyl sign to lean on but it ends there. If you decide to consider sending your child to SOCES, ask a lot of questions to both parents with experience AND the administration. Find out what the $50 is for. Find out how they prevent teens and younger kids from being alone in the same restroom together. Find out why there are so many recorded calls from the principal notifying the parents of vague incidents occurring on campus. If you are looking for a healthy, supportive transition from elementary school, this school is not it.
Submitted by parent on March 13, 2024

My two kids attend this school and have since 4th grade. This school is not for everyone, especially for the elementary grades, as the experience at SOCES is unlike that of other elementary schools. If you prefer the smaller community feel, this won’t be the school for your little one. However, because of the block scheduling and being integrated elementary, middle and high school on one campus, my children had to be more independent and motivated to figure things out. This helped tremendously for my child transitioning from elementary to middle. In fact, there was little to no transition since they were already used to the block schedule and campus. This school’s academic regimen, even in elementary, is rigorous and requires focus and self-motivation. My first born had an easier time adjusting to this than my second born who needs more hand holding especially because all the teachers utilize Schoology for assignments and grades. The school offers tutoring and homework help which we’ve never utilized but good to know the option is there. I’ve needed to contact either teachers, the counselors and/or the principal at the school and I’ve gotten my needs addressed by all of them. I got the sense they were concerned about my concerns and I appreciated that.
Submitted by student on February 16, 2024

My time at soces has been marked by a profound absence of emotional support and respect from the staff. Students feel unheard and unsupported, with little attention paid to their well-being. Additionally, some staff members display unprofessional behavior and disrespect towards students, particularly towards female students. This toxic environment undermines the safety and security of all students and must be addressed.
Submitted by parent on December 12, 2023

Wow where to begin! If you have a child that needs emotional support, don’t even bother. You go to the counselor & they will tell you that they are there to support the teachers. You don’t have to worry about bullying from the kids because the teachers take care of that! Certain teachers will bully kids if those teachers find out that the child is going through things. If a child is being bullied, teachers & counselors are too busy to be bothered. The school wasn’t always like this. Years ago when the principal was Robert Weinberg (RIP) it was run so smoothly & none of this nonsense was not tolerated. This school used to be well respected & has gone downhill with the number of principals that have come & gone in the last 5+ years.
Submitted by student on January 19, 2021

I have been attending this school for over six years now and I feel as though it is necessary to write a review. This school is academically standard, but it is promising that most of the students here will get to a university or college of their choice.Homework: Some teachers take it upon themselves to assign endless amounts of homework, giving students barely enough time to get the amount of rest is needed. There are 3-6 classes a day and we are given so much homework from each of them, it’s no wonder why we’re exhausted. Teachers (and staff)In addition, the majority staff and teachers rarely provide any care to problems such as bullying or a problematic teacher/sub assigning the most ridiculous work. Even negative online activity isn’t even being looked upon simply because the staff “isn’t being paid enough” to do anything about it. Now, with online learning, the teachers are assigning work that they don’t even teach. Why is the synchronous class time so long then?LeadershipI don’t have much to say about leadership but there are activities where students and parents can be involved in. The new principal shows promising leadership but we’ll see what happens. CharacterRegarding character, SOCES has a lot of rules but they’re not really enforced so we are mostly free with what we do, kind of like what happens if you were out in town. It develops who we are as people in the world outside of school. Learning DifferencesAlthough we go over learning differences in many classes, there just isn’t enough that teachers do to support all of them. They just want to get over with the classes but occasionally they help. BullyingThe staff “isn’t being paid enough” to give much regard to bullying, especially cyberbullying. In cases that there is bullying, both parties get sent to the counselor and get a measly warning.
Submitted by parent on November 01, 2019

Overall Good - ...The administration need to have better customer services with our kids and parents. The teachers need to not give out excessive homework, classrooms should be formatted smaller on the student to teacher ratio and the school needs a make-over, which is occurring now.
Submitted by parent on April 04, 2019

The school didn't meet our expectations. It seems like the perfect school with high ratings, but there's lots of bullying and the administration buries all their issues. There is always some kind of problem that no one ever fixes. There are some amazing teachers who care about the student. I can't say the same about the other staff.
Submitted by student on March 18, 2019

This school is wonderful in learning and character and I give it 5 stars!!! I am in 5 th grade and my math and science/ health teacher is one of the most amazing, kind, and inspiring educators ever!! Her name is Mrs. Gibson and all the kids in my class love her! We do a lot of fun and educational projects.
Submitted by parent on April 10, 2018

My daughter loves it here. I love it overall. They have great programs and electives. The school's booster club and PTA needs to back off the staff and parents for money though. I get it, the kids need money for field trips. But my kid has been in the school for 3 years and has taken only one trip, so where is the money really going? Aside from that. LOVE THIS SCHOOL!
Submitted by parent on June 07, 2017

In our experience, it was ok. Its a safe place but its not the 'private' school of the public schools like it once was. The well being of the students does not come first at this school. Its all about what is convenient for the teachers.
Submitted by parent on February 27, 2017

There is a new principal who has made some positive changes. More needs to be done to offer better support for it's teachers, students and parents. When a parent comes to the school administrators with a problem it needs be addressed. It is this reason I would give this school lower rating.
Submitted by parent on February 29, 2016

This school has in all honesty fallen apart. My child is so stressed out (in 8th grade) and all of their friends are trying to get out of this school too. This school has come to be complete trash and is very dissapointing. There is nothing interesting anymore and I was told by many of my childs teachers that you should get them out of this school ASAP!
Submitted by other on June 11, 2015

We were excited when we received a place in SOCES. Almost immediately we were underwhelmed. I wish we'd followed our instincts & pulled our child from SOCES. The 1st breakfast w/ the principal was abysmal. She had no charisma which can be overlooked if she's a good leader. She isn't. (Many of the teachers speak freely about this). She went on about her lack of tech knowledge & how the school needs to update the computer systems, etc. Yet, she seemed disinterested. At Back to School night the school was a mess & bathrooms dirty. One of our child's teachers painted a very sad picture of the state of affairs at the school. She openly said she'd never been to a school w/ such horrible facilities. We were told it gets better in 5th grade. But it was worse. The level of teaching from one teacher to the next was shockingly disparate. One teacher lectures the kids (5th graders) during class time and sends home ridiculous amounts of homework not even considering what the kids get from their other teachers. Our child was stuck doing a state report that lasted over 6 months and was 42 pages long! Other classes had to do a poster board and a short report. One class even did a MOVIE for their state report. This was not lost on our kids who had to work for months. Other teachers in the 5th grade complained to our kids about the above mentioned teacher. "You think you have it bad? We've had to work with her for 15+ years?" Yet this is the teacher from SOCES who they nominated for teacher of the year? We were shocked to hear she was nominated until the principal said she was nominated because they were hoping it would finally get her to retire. Excellent leadership! The one saving grace at SOCES is Mr. Johnsen. Can't say enough about how much he loves his job and really cares for the kids. Here again the principal lets the school down. Of all the concerts we attended throughout the 2 yrs NOT ONCE was the principal in attendance. If by chance I missed her, she should've gotten up on stage & sung the praises of one of her best teachers. This is NOT a place for elementary kids. They lose the last two years of what little fun school still is. All their friends will be doing fun things at their elementary schools, and your child won't. Maybe if we'd stuck it out until our child graduated we'd sing a different tune. We're not willing to take that chance.
Submitted by parent on March 17, 2015

SOCES teaches your children to be independent, self reliant, hard working children. It is a huge adjustment for 4th graders and their parents who come from a small elementary school, but it really clicks some time in 5th grade. The transition to middle school is seamless and my children are now thriving. SOCES is not for every child. However, it is great for independent children who are looking for an academic challenge.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2014

My kids have been attending SOCES since 4th grade. They are now starting their 10th and 8th grade. I'm very happy with the administration and teachers. I'm very supportive of teaching your kids to be independent. if you are a parent that is always babying your kids, this may not be the school for your kids, look somewhere else. I agree with another parent comment about classes being big in all LAUSD schools but SOCES is amongst the best so far. Parent, Teachers and volunteers try their best to provide and meet student's educational needs. SOCES is the best next to a private school.
Submitted by parent on August 18, 2014

My child got in for 4th grade and we were so excited for this experience. This school should not have an elementary school. They get completely lost in the size of the school. They are expected to move from classroom to classroom and carry all their books with them. My daughter could not carry hers and left it at home and the teacher got mad at her. The class sizes are huge and the teachers are not energetic about teaching. She had 4 teachers and did not like any of them, and my daughter likes everyone. She was not getting an of the attention she needed and the teachers got upset when she came to the desk. One of them, she said, was at her computer too much. We took her out and put her in a charter school with small classes. I don't know much about the principal but have heard that she is not approachable. The counseling office had a line down the hallway and my daughters counselor was no help, but basically said 'she will get used to it'. I don't want my daughter to be 'used to it'. I want her to love school.
Submitted by parent on May 17, 2014

We are finishing up our first year at SOCES. It's taken a bit of getting used to, although I'm very glad my son has gone there. Making close friends can be hard at first because of the commute, but some time after Christmas, he began to enjoy his experience there immensely. The main complaint I hear from disgruntled parents is that the admin here is horrid. I'll admit they can take some getting used to. The attendance office can feel a bit like talking to someone at the DMV, but the school's aim is to teach students to be independent thinkers and doers and perhaps this approach is necessary to chase off the hovering parents... When anything important has actually come up, the school has immediately become responsive. They just don't cater to demanding parents, which can be hard for those used to babying their babies! My son has already begun to show more responsibility and pride. Classes are large everywhere in LAUSD and while a school of 2000 kids sounds huge for a 4th grader, 200-300 kids per grade is tiny compared to the 1000-1500 kids per grade at most public middle and high schools! All in all, the school is doing a great job and we feel fortunate to be there.
Submitted by parent on May 04, 2014

This school is way too big for its own good. With 5 administrators you would think that this school would be safe and that your child would be cared for. This is not the case. My child became a number here. This school is not what it was 7, 8 years ago, academics are weak and bullying has become a huge problem.
Submitted by parent on May 02, 2014

Had my son at SOCES for 4-8th grade. In his time there he has only had one teacher that truly demonstrated that she cared about the students. Mrs Lincke. I kept him there and pushed him to do better but this school is not for the kids that "fall through the cracks" as one of the counselors put it. Just happy he got accepted to VAAS and Northridge academy. Were they don't fall thru the cracks.
Submitted by parent on October 22, 2013

SOCES is a great school. I can send my child anywhere and I choose to send him where he can not only acquire a tremendous education, but be in a real world setting where kids come from all different backgrounds - socioeconomic, race and ethnicity, culture, etc. My child has learned that he might have to work a little harder to stand out, but hey, that's the real world. I love that there's just the right amount of parental involvement and the right amount of feeling of community (for the parents). My child feels a strong sense of community. Great academics, great academic and social community, great school.