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Since apparently I have way too much free time on my hands, I went to the websites of the two top schools in the article, Manhattan Hunter Science School, and Manhattan Village Academy. I do not see anywhere that an entrance exam is required, admission seems to be based solely on grades in...

Interesting. But what is the algorithm they base admission on? I wonder if it has much to do with academic performance. If it does, why are the great schools.org grades so low? 8, 7 or 6 out of 10. Huge percentage of free lunches. And before someone chews my head off, I do believe free/reduced...

Wow, Veronica, sorry if I came across as some stuck up parent of a spectacular math genius, who likes to complain how the math level n schools is not good enough for them. I just wanted to show that I was somewhat puzzled by the inconsistency between all the stories on all the forums and...

Our schools in FL had tall chain link fences probably exactly for that reason!! I'll take a pack of coyotes over one single freely roaming alligator! We saw the coyote again at the school a few days ago (in the late afternoon, no students on campus). Weird thing is it walked around the campus...

I must admit, my experience with the European educational system is a little old, I was in school there in the 80's and 90's (most of my school years were during Communism in Eastern Europe). The Soviet system was a pretty darn good one, and btw the Chinese did a good job at copying it. I am...

APAAS was suggested to me. Indeed, with the hassle of driving around, it wouldn't work. In FL, there are separate gifted classes at every grade level, and while maybe in K-5 only one out of 3 students should be in that gifted class, once they hit 6th grade (middle school), the difference is...

Yes, but how many of those kids at St. Maragret's are super-advanced and in need of acceleration? 10% maybe? The rest just go with the flow, which is something they could easily do in public school. That is the problem I see in Irvine. With so many capable students, why isn't there more focus...

What is so special about St. Margaret's Episcopal School, that is worth not only the drive, but also the money? It is on average $29k/year. And religious on top of it. I'm not being critical, people do whatever they want with their cash, just wondering if they offer anything that is outstanding...

Yes they move from class to class starting in 6th grade. Although I know that in Irvine 7th and 8th grade are considered middle school years, at our school they include 6th grade too. So in 6th grade they have one teacher for math, one for ELA, one for science etc. They have middle school dances...

It's one of the older K-8 schools. I am actually considering volunteering to start a math club at the school. I am surprised they don't have one. I am sure traditional middle schools do. But I wouldn't change K-8 for anything! It seems like with the K-8 concept, the middle schoolers (who...

I want to add that, outside the academic aspect, students and parents are such nice people, and my kids have adjusted socially so well. There is not a single ounce of bullying, kids are really well-mannered, and you can tell they all come from nice homes where there is a lot of focus on their...

I posted this on a different forum a few days ago, so I am copy pasting. Just some observations for now, things may change along the way. I moved to Irvine from FL two months ago, and really thought, after reading so much about it on different forums, that Irvine schools would be much better...

A lone coyote was roaming around the field at the school my kids attend, yesterday at dismissal time. The students got so excited and the little ones especially decided to chase it, they got dangerously close to it. Eventually the principal came out and led everyone inside and I believe they...

Just an update, we just started school and there was no problem getting into the neighborhood school (which was my number one priority). They did scare me at first with one of the kids, they said sorry, we are full, then they went to check, and lo and behold, there was one last spot available...

It is my kids' first day of school here in Irvine (they did get into the neighborhood school, phew, what a load off!!), 32 kids in 4th grade, the room was packed! And no teacher assistant either, from what I could see. 2nd grade seemed a little better, forgot to ask how many. I guess if the kids...

Looking for a good quality (on the upscale side) brunch on Jan 1, in the Irvine area. Beautiful setting and kid friendly a must. Wouldn't want to spend more than $60/adult. Any suggestions? Thanks

For 30-32 per class, is there a teacher assistant full time?

I am hearing all kinds of rumors about how crowded classes are in Irvine schools. I've done a search on this forum, and numbers are kind of old. I am interested only in K-8 numbers (I'm too far from high school at this point). For those of you with kids in K-8, would you care to share your...

I feel at ease now! From my yearly summer travels, I've noticed more traffic, but hey, I come from Miami, so Irvine traffic is a piece of cake! I've also noticed a larger selection of restaurant/shopping options, probably drive by population increase, but that's a good thing. I'm going to love...

How would you compare your quality of life living in Irvine to that of, let's say, 7-8 years ago? In terms of traffic, schools, education, diversity, people, food options, child rearing, safety, air quality etc. (not real estate, I know that's gotten more expensive). Do you have nostalgia for...