Palos Verdes Peninsula High School

I regret sending my kids to Pen. I strongly urge parents to look elsewhere.

I am a freshman enrolled in this school, and am (hopefully) going to transfer out. For good reason. Despite this school boasting a great academic and sports program, if you aren't interested in math or science, you are treated like you don't matter. The regular math classes are a joke, and only set you up for failure. Doesn't it seem strange that while the honors classes get the satisfactory teachers, the regular classes get the one that calls you a communist for wearing red? Most of the teachers at this school are jokes, there is one that makes students cry (and is happy about it), and the arts and music program here has been significantly cut back. I really feel isolated in this school, as I am only me, and this school doesn't celebrate the fact that you are an individual. We all have our strong and weak points, and Pen only focuses on the talents the mass of the students have (Of course, Math and Science) As I am most likely leaving this school, I have to say that a lot of the students here are amazing, and while Pen mostly has more downs than ups, if you are a committed, mathematically inclined student, then you'll be fine. If you aren't, then be ready.

This school's teachers in math are very poor. From geometry through Calculus AB we have found 1 quality teacher. The lack of quality teachers applies to regular, honors and AP math classes. In one case, a teacher had no control of his class and students would look up answers to test questions on their phones during tests. When this issue was reported, the administration did nothing. Most of these teachers just flip through a power point presentation and call that teaching. The teachers in other subjects are hit and miss.

Great school academically, but if you cannot afford to line the coaches pockets, your child either does not play or gets cut.