Laguna Blanca School

4125 Paloma Drive

Santa Barbara, CA 93110

29 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on September 21, 2023

Laguna Blanca sets the bar in Santa Barbara. The teachers are engaged. The kids are kind, in a way I’ve never seen. The academics are top notch. Special highlights: The array of interesting and unique electives. Class trips. Student-led TedX program. Down sides: It’s crazy expensive.
Submitted by parent on May 29, 2023

I graduated from Laguna in '79.I'm sadden to see such reviews. That was not at all my experience. It was such a great teaching, concerned and involved. Not to mention the spring trips which broaden my horizons. I hope at will regain the prestige it had.
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2021

My kid has been going to the lower campus for a while. I thought he will get a great education and I thought the kids are going to be well behaved. Unfortunately, I was wrong on both fronts. There are bullies in this school in ways I have not seen in the public school . I think given it is a private school, the school does not confront the bullies as strong as needed so they continue their acts. In terms of academics, it is comparable with public schools but not better or stronger. I was surprised to find this out. In terms of kids' academic level, it is below top rated public schools in town. Overall, I was surprised by our experience and did expect better. The teachers are good and the principal is a good person but the kids are not well behaved or advanced academically.
Submitted by teacher on August 16, 2018

It is one of the worst places I have ever been to. Do your kid a favor and save all the money for college. The education offered at Laguna is not worth all the money you will be paying for. Teachers come and go. Diversity is non-existent. Some of the teachers are horrible human beings. As one of the parents stated below, the Lower School leadership is a joke. They do not hire teachers based on their qualifications. How come most of the teacher and students at the school are white? We live in Santa Barbara!
Submitted by parent on March 13, 2018

Sadly, our hopes for this School were destroyed after 2 years. The leadership is a pure joke. Lower School has a revolving door and teachers come and quite and get fired in what can only be described as pure negative chaos. Worse, the small class size which we thought would be a blessing became a curse as clicks and bullying runs rampant. Teachers my child loved left, no notice to parents. This is NOT a place for anyone who wants their child to have a great education and to preserve their childhood. Music is horrible, language (Spanish) nearly non-exsistant - my child learned nearly nothing in both those subjects in years. There are much better choices. They do NOT have their act together.
Submitted by parent on March 11, 2018

My son recently graduated from Laguna, and he was very well-prepared for college. From my experience, the value added from Laguna's education compared with local public schools (I also have experience with the local high schools) is that Laguna has small class sizes and a team of 100% dedicated teachers. What I heard over and over from my son and his friends was that the teachers actually care about them and want them to succeed. That is not to say that it was a completely smooth ride. His calculus classes were very challenging and the expectations for college level writing were demanding. But it was worth it! He took the next level of calculus in college and it was easy, and his papers now get top grades. As was said earlier, Laguna is not for everybody, but if you have a young student who benefits from some extra academic pushing from teachers who are invested in his or her success, then Laguna is worth every nickel. Aside from academics, he was able to run cross-country, play in the band, develop life long friendships, and complete a real-world senior capstone project under the supervision of a teacher and a local business owner.
Submitted by parent on September 05, 2017

This school does not recognize gifted children nor is it interested in working with and nurturing them. In order for your child to be successful, they must be average and conformist, which is disappointing for a school in this price range and one that claims to have differentiated instruction. Yes, they do some interesting activities, but the program is not worth the extra $. Heed the negative reviews--there are some issues at this school and you may not be satisfied, especially for the high cost.
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2017

This is a nice school K-8 . But the problem is it just does not work 9-12 for confident kids who want a real High School experience. Laguna's graduating senior class last year was a total of only 20 students! Their college placement was very poor. Not at all what one would expect from a school that costs over $30,000 per year. The problem for Laguna is the local Santa Barbara public high schools are really extraordinary. College placements from these public schools are far more impressive and the students learn the social and real world skills in the the public system that really prepare them for joining large, competitive, colleges. We went from Laguna to a public high school several years ago and have felt our son has benefitted enormously from this change. We feel his college prospects are far better now than they would have been if he had stayed at Laguna. This school is great if your student needs a small, caring, environment and lots of teachers holding their hand the whole way. We know kids like this that have stayed with Laguna the whole way and it's been the making of them! But, some kids definitely do thrive in a more challenging environment.
Submitted by other on February 10, 2016

My son is in college now -- and doing exceptionally well, thanks in large part to the excellent education he got as a Laguna Blanca student.
Submitted by parent on March 04, 2015

We moved last summer from Europe and have our three teenage children at Laguna Blanca. We could not be more happy about the school. Our son is in Junior Year and all subjects are very interesting and he has made excellent progess. The College Counseling team has been extremely knowledgable and helpful in advising him to complete the right curriculum for his applications. Our daughter is a Freshman and is enjoying every subject. She is a straight A+ students and having a ball. Our youngest son is in Grade 6 and the teacher has found the perfect mix of guidance and authority for a rather easily distractable young man and he has blossomed since our arrival. The entire administrative and educative staff has been of superior standard and help, we are "true believers"
Submitted by other on September 18, 2014

this school is good with student teacher relationships, the teachers work very hard for the child to succeed. Don't let these negative posts fool you. A teacher couldn't justify the kids wrong doing of getting a C on a SPELLING TEST, it is just a spelling test - overprotective parent, calm down. Go to lagunablanca.org to get a real sense of the school or talk to faculty members or tour the school. Sure the principals have been changing a lot lately, but laguna is improving - there is a new head that seems to be good.
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2014

My child attended Laguna from 1st through 8th grade and I would not recommend the school to others. My child excelled in all subjects but was not allowed into the middle school portion of the library because those were "not age appropriate books" for a third grader. I was a single parent and this was pointed out to my parents and allowed to be a negative topic of conversation among teachers and students. In 4th grade there was a faculty member that became very upset at the phrase "that's sucks" and made such a big deal about it that many, if not all, of the kids learned what that woman believed the origin of the expression was. NOT the kind of knowledge I expected faculty to teach. When real problems arose it was hard to get faculty to listen. My child received all A's until a teacher gave a C in spelling. I asked for a conference to see how this happened since all the tests up to that point were A's and my kid was upset. The faculty would not justify the grade so I complained to the Headmaster. He would not go against a teacher or require the teacher account for how grades were calculated. That teacher was promoted. I would accept this culture better if I was free.
Submitted by parent on November 07, 2013

High academic expectation. The Board of Trustees and administration are very open and approachable. Loads of parents show up to events. Happy kids. No complaints.
Submitted by teacher on October 11, 2013

Stop basing any of your decisions on reviews, good or bad, on a website. Instead, do the following for each school you are considering: - Visit the school and observe some classes. Talk to the students and faculty if you can. - View the list of college acceptances from previous years. - Inquire about test scores and AP offerings. - Investigate qualifications of the teachers via biographies on the school website. - Attend a varsity sports game. - View all of the school's facilities, including computer labs, library, classrooms and athletic facilities. - Check out student artwork and performances. - Have the prospective student visit for a day with a current student. Do all of these dutifully for each school you are considering or else you are not being a wise consumer. Do all of these dutifully, and you will see why Laguna Blanca has been one of the top college preparatory schools in the region for decades. No need for anonymity on this review, as we at Laguna truly stand by the strength of our school community and the education we provide. Stop by our newly renovated, state-of-the-art library and say hello over a cup of coffee! Blake Dorfman '02 Coordinator, Isham Library
Submitted by parent on September 01, 2013

I have read the previous reviews - believe mine. When we started we were promised "that all classes are taught at GATE level". Not true. In fact, one lower school teacher confirmed that the curriculum is decided by the teacher - whatever that is. There is NO continuity between the grades and the curriculum is quite boring. My child, who is extremely bright, was forced to sit through daily addition lessons (even though he was more advanced) - no matter how hard we tried to make this better; we were shut down. As for the upper school; we had one teacher publicly humiliate our older child and all he received was a "note" in his folder. If you think that by paying a lot of money and viewing the nice campus your child will receive a stellar education; you are mistaken. Don't be fooled. As for "College Prep" - 6 graduates this year are attending Junior College. The college counselor will direct your child NOT to the school in his/her best interest; but, rather to an "affiliate". Both of our "host" families left before us. Sadly, we should have listened and left; but, tried to hang on. Like many families who live close to this school; we send our children elsewhere.
Submitted by parent on August 29, 2013

I am a parent of 3 Laguna Blanca students one of whom recently graduated and is prospering in a top University. Laguna Blanca provides a solid college preparatory educational foundation that is unmatched in other Santa Barbara schools. We are particularly impressed with Laguna's English and Literature programs which provide the critical skills to read with comprehension and to write persuasively. Laguna also provides a safe environment for students to explore and to challenge themselves in whatever academic, artistic or athethlic pursuits that interest them. One of our children played 3 varsity sports in one yea. One of other children plays in a varisty sport and also enjoys the art programs. We were also impressed with the college preparation help that Laguna provides. Laguna Blanca has a terffific reputation with Colleges and Universities throughout the US and the faculty and staff provide much needed assistance in providing college application guidance and meaningful letters of recommendation. A visit to Laguna Blanca is the best way to form your own opinion.
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2013

A once great school is now reduced to a shell of its former glory. I am almuni and a parent of two children enrolled at Laguna. I had high hopes for my children since my education had been so good when I went there a million years ago. Over the last five years or so, Laguna Blanca has fired all their best teachers (or they quit), eliminated all leadership, and now simply hope they will attract families from reputation alone. I am embarrassed that my beloved school has been reduced to a farce of a good education. I don't know how this has happened and I truly regret to have to write a negative review, but someone, somehow needs to bring Laguna Blanca back to what it once was.
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2013

We had our son at Laguna for all of junior high and it is not as bad as some of the reviews say, but it is also not as good as the positive reviews would lead you to believe. We decided to pull our son out mainly because he became so uninspired. Laguna is good for a specific type of kid. Possibly a kid who is very regimented, mathematical, and not too "outside the box" or inquisitive.
Submitted by parent on August 23, 2013

I don't normally write reviews on things but our experience with Laguna Blancta has been so bad that I felt the duty to inform other parents considering this school. I believe it used to be good but now it is terrible. They teachers are burned out and uninspired (except the art teachers), they are firing the headmasters one after the next, teachers are running and quitting as fast as they can. All the best teachers are gone and now the secretary is teaching English! We pulled our child out of there as fast as we could.
Submitted by parent on August 23, 2013

We love this school and more importantly so does our Daughter, we couldnt be happier, from teachers, overall leadership, caring for childrens well being to exciting and impressive new capital improvements, I cant think of another school that has this blend and we looked long and hard when moving to the area. I was shocked to see a couple of negative views on this site and had to read them twice to make sure they were talking about the same school, not sure what happened in their particular instances but couldnt be further from our and hundreds of others expeariance. Our daughter has strugged in the past with keeping up and fully understanding what was being taught but all this became a thing of the past at Laguna, the safety net and support structure is amazing and keeps students on track when they 'slip' or get behind, and more importantly its done in a really suportive and caring way, year after year the graduates get in and excell in some of the countries finest Colleges, the stats are truly impressive...there are always Allum at the school or in the comunity and to a person they rave about how well they were prepared for college and their days on the Laguna campus.