Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies

This school was my second home growing up. Went there the whole 9 years (4th-12th). From the beginning it was an amazing school. I loved almost all of the staff, the teachers, the students and anyone else involved growing up. They made me feel safe and they seemed to care about my education. That was before high school. But once entering the high school years I started to realize that much of the staff didn't care about all the students as much as I thought they did. They buttered up the younger generation while turning their backs on the older. It got to the point where it seemed as though the staff just didn't know how to handle the older generation, and with that they were scared of them. Because of this, the staff and school went downhill. And to this day I can almost watch this downward spiral of the school continue, as all of the teachers and staff who cared are slowly transferring to other schools, whereas those who don't are sticking around, getting complaints from various students. As a verdict, my opinion is this: If you are young, go to SOCES and use the opportunity to transfer yourself into a good high school magnet or charter school, so that you have the opportunity to get into a good college through a school that may care about your grades and results more when they really matter (which is in high school). Only stick around if you're participating in the arts programs (band, drama, etc.). Lastly, don't rely on the sports teams to get you grants for college (except for girl's basketball maybe, or you are EXTREMELY gifted and invite scouts yourself). Don't get me wrong. I am proud of the years I spent at the school, and don't regret it one bit. But I worry that those in a younger generation may not be able to say the same. Sadly, the school does not deserve the reputation it built up over previous years at this moment. I'm hoping that with the couple staff changes that have been taking place the school can pick themselves out of the hole that they initially dug in the first place. But at this moment in time, find yourself another location for high school.

omg I just love this school! im currently in 6th grade and ive been there since 4th grade. I love all my teachers and this school is just awesome. I've never had a problem at this school. I want to stay here until 12 grade!!

They need to transfer out soome of these teachers. Teachers that clearly don't know how to teach to young kids shouldn't be there. This is 4th grade to 12th grade. Place the teachers in the grades they can actually teach.

My best friend goes here and she says it's great. I wish I could get in, but there's this long waiting list I don't think I'll be in anytime soon

Good school, people are not. Thieves go here. I just got 2 things stolen from my backpack during the P.E period

Our daughter attends SOCES and loves it. She is in 5th grade.

A good education is hard to come by nowadays, but not when you go to SOCES. GO KNIGHTS!!

Hate this dumb school i dont even live near it

This school stands out for its commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment. Its dedicated staff goes above and beyond to ensure that every student feels valued and empowered to succeed. With a focus on personalized education, the school embraces diverse learning styles and interests, tailoring instruction to meet the individual needs of each student. Moreover, a strong emphasis on holistic development extends beyond academics to encompass social and emotional growth, nurturing well-rounded individuals prepared for the challenges of the future. The school's vibrant community fosters collaboration and empathy, instilling important values that extend far beyond the classroom. Through innovative programs, extracurricular activities, and a culture of continuous improvement, this school equips students with the skills and mindset to thrive in an ever-changing world.

This school has been very disappointing. My brother has clearly needed additional help in school because he has a difficult time concentrating. The school counselor (Ms. Donna Lee) never reached out to us about our concerns and what methods we could take to help him. I then reach out to the principal who refers me to the special education counselor (Ms. Berman) who promised to set up a SSPT plan for him and also meet with him once a week. Never happened... very disappointing

Worst school in the valley. I was forced to go there from 4th grade to 12th grade. Please listen to your children and don't send them here. I suffered so much trauma from this school and the faculty was trash. Ms. Lim was an awful dean and told another student my personal family problems and told me if I was her child she'd beat me like my parents did. They don't do anything about bullies. They don't help you. The teachers are average. I'm an adult now and there's not one day where I don't resent my parents for never listening to me and for the faculty not doing their job. You don't get a real highschool experience from being there. There are so many things I wish I could've changed in the past but unfortunately, I can't. Please don't send your children here.

I went here, was sliced with a razor blade by a fellow student during drama 6th period, got 2 restraining orders on them which SUCKCES refused to inforce and had to go to two other schools to skip a grade and without any help from ces got into ucla full ride. worst school ever, referring American horror story to it at present

Here is some of the information I have heard about SOCES... - about 80% of the kids take the bus to and from school - about 50% qualify for free lunches which usually qualifies the school for Title 1 funding - the orchestra, drama, and choir programs are amazing. Best kept secret in the valley! - about 50% of the kids are gifted - there is a brand new principal who is fantastic - an online program called Jupiter helps the parents keep an eye on the kids' grades - there is an informal middle school sports program run through Beyond the Bell - the high school sports seem fun but seem to be in less competitive leagues than other area high schools - the kids at SOCES seem to be more polite than kids at other schools - there is a Booster Club and a PTSA that is run very well, but overall there isn't as much parent involvement as there is at the elementary school level. - high school students have the ability to take a bus to Pierce College for college classes For more information check out their websites: ShermanOaksCES.com http://teamsoces.org/

I have has many ongoing issues with this school. I live in the apartments directly next to this school and it's nothing but headaches trying to negotiate any sort of peace with them. I understand this protest is for a good reason, but is it REALLY necessary to have teachers ALONG WITH STUDENTS yelling, banging on drums, blowing horns, and getting the passer-by cars to honk their horns as well, while some of us in this apartment building work overnight, graveyard shifts and only have a small amount of time to sleep and this is nothing but disturbance of the peace. The children shouldn't be used like this. They should be in class getting the education these protestors are proudly standing behind yet they are being used as leverage in a sense to make people feel bad when they should be in class getting the education you're all supposed to be providing. Can ANYONE tell me what these people honking their horns does for your protest ..... how does a car horn benefit your cause ??? You're disturbing the peace for people that LIVE HERE Not to mention you're putting these objectified children behind in their schoolwork/education, which you're all supposed to be providing. Protest your cause. But don't use innocent children to make yourself look better. It's looking quite opposite. What the hell is wrong with you guys ?? You're not the only ones with jobs everyone works different jobs different hours ... etc..... have some respect for people other than yourselves. I cannot believe last week i calles 13 .... THIRTEEN TIMES and ended up having to walk IN THE POURING RAIN with my two dogs in order to talk to ANYONE and the lady claims she's answered every call when i then showed her the 13 calls over 30 seconds each in which she answered 0 of those calls, she almost cried because i was so upset. Absolutely outrageous and beyond ridiculous. Boycott this place. Do not send your kids here. Not to mention : The protestors are not even allowed on campus, yet they have students with them.... That's kind of mind boggling. Just saying. Can't wait to hear what anyone else has to say.

As an LAUSD graduate I believe I have some say in these issues. I have been to my fair share of poorly run schools due office staff or administration members treating other human beings with little respect or dignity but SOCES takes the cake. From lazy administration members who cannot take three minutes out of their day to speak to a students family member to office staff giving contradictory information to guidance counselors who cannot do their job, this school has countless issues. Let me give you a few examples so you get an idea of my experience with this god forsaken school. For context I am a graduate from 2016 and my younger siblings now attend SOCES though I did not (thankfully) 1. At the beginning of spring semester, my little sister came home and informed me that she was placed into the same elective as last semester. (She was suppose to cycle into a different one). No big deal I thought. It can happen sometimes when counselors have to program hundreds of students at once. So I went in to inform her counselor of the mistake. Her response? "Yea I know. Most of my students have that problem because I emailed their teachers for a roster and they never emailed me back. So I just put the students wherever. She'll just have to retake that class." Wow...talk about being lazy and taking the easy way out. I was so dumbfounded that I did not know how to respond. I can see the work ethic the school wants to promote and instill in its students. 2. Have you ever sat in an office for 20 minutes to just to speak to someone for 2 minutes? I had to because I needed to pick up my younger brother who was visibly sick and coughing up a lung. I waited patiently for 20 minutes for a administration member to inform him of the situation. At which time I inquired an office member for how am estimate of how much longer I would have to wait. He told me I could go next door to see if I could talk to said administration member. So I did. Come to find this admin station member in his office. He may or may not have been doing anything. I don't know. Anyways I see him in his office. Door open. But I still inform the ladies in the front that I am here to speak with a certain person. They are confused. So I repeat myself and they say "I'm not sure if he's here right now"( ...um...I see him...right there...with his door open... but whatever I don't make it a big deal). What bothers me most however is throughout this 45 second exchange, I look over at him, we make eye contact, and he then acts like I don't exist continuing with his menial task. Look I get it if he was in the middle of writing a sentence or something but at least a quick gesture to acknowledge another human being who has called out your name would be great. A quick "be there in a minute" or something. This is again 20 minutes after another office never has already informed him that I was waiting to speak with him. 3. A year or two ago my family and I had the unfortunately opportunity to interact with another administration member of this school. In short it did not go well. The situation came off a tad discriminatory but guess what. We were informed by other teachers and office staffers to not press the issue as "we did not want to get on the bad side of this administration member." Apparently this person was known to make the experience of students and families uncomfortable as she was basically in charge of the elementary students at this school. We were warned to be careful as we had two students at the school under her authority. This school has cause a lot of headache and trouble in my family. We are constantly running back and forth in attempts to solve simple issues and the staff treat people with such little regards it's ridiculous. It seems to be in a constant state of disorganization and confusion. I'm sure there a lot of great people who work here, but the ones that you have to interact with on a regular basis (nurse, attendance, guidance etc.,) aren't stellar. If you plan on a to send your child to this school, you better be ready for a roller coaster.

This is a very good school, I am a parent of a senior, my son attends this school for 2 years and I am very happy. All teachers are doing a great job, the school always keeps in touch with parents. My son has good grades and was recently accepted to a college, and yes, school definitely helped him to be prepared for college. He did attend another school in Los Angeles, which had a greatschools rating of 5/10; this school has a rating of 9/10 and I can easily see a difference. There are only a few schools with that rating in LA. I noticed that he became more responsible and spends more time doing homework which is IMHO a good thing.

Nine years I spent here, Learning the fundamentals. Better than college.

This place definitely got me ready for college, and as hokey as it sounds, really is a community. Sure, there's always the shittiness that goes with being 17, but I had a good experience here.

I've only been at this school for 4 years and all my teachers seem to care and teach us what we have to learn in order to succeed in life and the seniors are nice to the younger kids in school and the staff is friendly. I would give it 5 stars but I still feel like I haven't fully experienced the school. But overall I love this school so far.

The school had a couple hard years with a challenging principle that most teachers had a hard time with. Today there is Mr. Price and he's great. Very attentive, responds quickly, spends time with people and is well connected in the school district. If you have a child that likes science, music, drama or engineering design, culinary arts... you can't beat SOCES. They just won a 2 million dollar grant for their design class and their design teacher is excellent. Mr. Johnson, the band teacher, is said to be the best in the valley. SOCES is one of the highest rated schools in the valley. The campus is a bit run down and they recently received 90+ million to renovate some of the campus including the gym and dozens of classrooms. This will take some time. Parking can be a bit challenging for drop off and pickup but not as bad as some other school. Friendly office staff, good counselors, hard working teachers and with the principle they are really back to running on all cylinders.

I am so surprised this school has only received 3 reviews on Yelp. Maybe because everyone writes a review using greatschools.com. I heard so many parents saying how they want there child to attend SOCES, because it's the best school for your child. I'm am certainly not sure about that anymore. I agree with the reviewer below about this school, but budget cuts or not, teachers and parents are teammates. Are they not? I would twice now about this school.

Worst school I've gone to! I went to this school and it's horrible there is no paper towels in the bathrooms, the school is always dirty, and from the amount of books I had to carry everyday gave me scoliosis! The teachers don't care about anyone besides a few of them but the rest only care about getting their paycheck. And don't get me started about the administration, it is horrible. I have never seen a group of administrators as unorganized as this schools i.e Ms.Aguilar.And finally one of there teachers got arrested for sexual harassment!