Carden Academy Of Huntington Beach

This school is not about the children. If you have money, money talks. The teachers and administrators play favorites and are only nice to the kids whose parents have money. Students are given no room to learn from their mistakes and are not allowed to explain themselves. The administration talks bad about the teachers to the parents and to the students, and refuses to hire adequate substitutes when teachers go on maternity leave or get sick. This school claims to be better than public schools because they are teaching a grade level above, but they don't teach. The children have to read everything on their own and do the assignments without asking questions. If your purpose is to punish your children, then this is the place to send them. They will get negativity and extremely inconsistent treatment here!

Posted 08/14/09 | Report Abuse

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This place is a complete mess. The owner is hot or cold, no one knows where all the money is going (most teachers are uncredentialed, and from what I hear, severely underpaid) while the administration is making bank. There are several good teachers here, but the 5th grade one, carrying on a relationship with a MARRIED father, forced me to leave. That and how much the owner spends on ridiculous "contractors" to help her school. RM is a waste of money....and so is the PR dude, a school should not need a PR rep....just weird

Posted 08/14/09 | Report Abuse

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This is my son's fourth year at Carden Academy Huntington Beach and I do love the foundation of the school. I do wish that the school's interior and playground equipment was a bit more updated and attended to vs. funding going towards owner's celebration and principals but all in all it is a fine school

Posted 06/23/09 | Report Abuse

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I graduated from this school twelve years ago. When i go there now i am greeted by name and they care what has happened in my life. This school is a part of my history and it means a lot to me. Let's face it most kids during middle school don't like their school. Not here, you love it because you count.

Posted 06/18/09 | Report Abuse

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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In this day and age when all schools are cutting back performances, field trips, activities I am grateful that my child is at this school where they are given opportunities to go to plays, museums, and activities.

Posted 06/18/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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This is a great school. I have three children at this school. I know that everyday they are getting an excellent education and are safe. Thank you for this school.

Posted 06/18/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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My daughter Jennifer graduated from Carden this year. She placed in thr 99.9% at Cornelia Connelly High School. She is in all honors classes. I have another daughter at the school now. It is a fine school that is WASC Accredited

Posted 06/18/09 | Report Abuse

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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My daughter graduated from this school this year. She placed in Honor's Geometry, Honor's Biology, and Honor's Literature at Mater Dei. She started Carden from Pre-School, I love the school.

Posted 06/18/09 | Report Abuse

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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There are no words to begin on how bad this school is. There is no consistency, the administration is a mess. It truly is a group of gossiping hens and the sky is certainly falling. Many of the kids here come as a result of being removed from other private and public schools due to behavioral problems. They used to have another campus but due to people leaving in huge numbers they had to close it. This campus will be no different as many students are leaving for other schools this year. The fifth grade teacher is the daughter of the Director and believe me she couldn't get a job even at a public school . She is also carrying on a relationship with a father of one of her students!!!! There so much more but believe me there are other options in the area. Bypass this one. It needs to shut down.

Posted 03/28/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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If you have a special needs child, this school would definitely not be on your list of choices. I accompanied a family member to the school's Open House, and it was obvious that there would be no way that my son could attend that school. The school does not have specialists for learning, physical, or mental disabilities. The building structure and layout does not support accessibility for wheelchairs or other mobility aids . And I'm not sure about their ability to afford or maintain assistive technology. What saddens me is that these students may never reap the benefit of having a special-needs classmate who can teach them so much about tolerance and humanity.

PROS:
CONS: lack wheel-chair accessibility

Posted 12/16/05 | Report Abuse

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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In a Yahoo review, they claimed that the school is "socially stable." If they mean that the school shelters the students on an emotional, social, or mental level, then they're right. But I see this as a problem. Yes, it is the parents' responsibility to properly socialize their children, but remember that many parents still believe that the school they choose plays a large role in that. A well-rounded and successful student isn't about academics alone.
Students from this school are not exposed to real-world issues or problems. They do not take part in causes like Red Ribbon Week or Earth Day nor do they contribute to relief efforts such as those for September 11th, the Asian tsunamis or the Katrina disaster. They also do not participate in local community service projects, multi-cultural events, or leadership programs. I guess it's just too much work for the school administration to take some social responsibility for their students despite the fact that many spend most of their waking hours at that school. Some students already have personal issues that they need to deal with but the school does not assist workaholic parents or disfunctional families with an on-campus counselor nor offer inspiring or challenging after-school activities for students to turn negative emotions into positive actions. During her time there, my daughter had a serious personal issue that interfered with her academic focus. And she felt that there was only one teacher she could go talk to. Surprisingly, it wasn't Mrs. Stanley or Mrs. Van Asten. Is that the type of environment that you want your child to grow and learn in? My future children will not be attending that school because I want them have the understanding, the compassion, and the social skills to adapt to an ever-changing and diverse world in addition to getting good grades in high school.

Posted 12/05/05 | Report Abuse

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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I went to this school for 9 years. It was absolutely the best school I have ever been to. I'm a senior in high school now and am about to go to college. Junior high at Carden Academy were some of the best years of my life. All the teachers are nice and Mrs. Stanley was awesome. The biggest way Carden helped me prepare for college and high school is I learned great study habits and I developed the attitude that now matter what anyone thought, I could do whatever I put my mind to.

PROS: great teachers, great environment
CONS: a lot of homework

Posted 09/10/05 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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This school has fabulous curriculum based on Mae Carden. The teachers are professional and caring. The principal and owner are fabulous and even the preschool director is equally wonderful! I highly recommend this school to anyone who wants quality education in a safe, caring environment, and wants their child to end up ahead at the end! Go check it out!

PROS: Great school, staff, etc.
CONS: None

Posted 06/05/05 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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