Balboa School

We live in Fallbrook, CA and this is our daughter's first year at Balboa School. I am so pleased we have access to such an amazing private education in North San Diego County! She is enjoying a well-rounded, individualized curriculum with dedicated teachers, staff and experts in their specialties such as Art and Music. Everyone goes the extra mile for the kids which fosters a strong sense of community. And, oh by the way, I heard they have a pretty good Basketball team.

We've had an amazing experience at Balboa School. The teachers are friendly and have high expectation of students. With the small class size, my child always receives the attention necessary.

I've taught STEM subjects in several private schools in San Diego County the past three years, and recommend Balboa School for its student-centered approach to instruction. Balboa School has a low student to teacher ratio (10:1), providing a diverse educational environment emphasizing high academic standards. 80% of the teachers have advanced degrees and offer 8 AP courses Physics and Calculus. Physics, chemistry, biology, and environmental science classes are conform to NGSS. The music and art programs promote exceptional creativity and are enthusiastically attended by all students. The boys basketball team, coached by former professional players, won the McDonald's Basketball Classic "CHAMPIONS BOYS" El Paso, Texas the past two years. Students receive individualized, differentiated instruction that insures academic growth and achievement.

Balboa School has been an excellent choice for my child. The teacher to student ratio is excellent and allows for a lot of individual attention. The new Science class with Techbook and Chrome Computers are phenomenal.

Balboa School is an amazing environment for any students who wants that individualized attention from their teachers and staff. Additionally, the school culture at Balboa is extremely welcoming. We have a great group of students from all over the world, which allows for a diverse educational environment. I highly recommend this school without hesitation.

Everyone at the school was very welcoming and created a feeling of trust and caring about the student. My son also had the same feeling during our first visit and throughout the school year. He would always come home and tell me about the great day he had at school and how much he loved school. The teachers at Balboa School are just outstanding. I could go on and on about them but simply put - they care about their students. The commitment from the staff and teachers is evident from the beginning. It's obvious that this is not just a job for them and the results from the graduating classes from the past few years shows that. I just want to end with a thanks to everyone at Balboa. If it wasn't for the dedicated staff at Balboa School my son wouldn't be going to a great university now. Thanks!

While preparing to teach American Literature at Huashan High School in Korla, China this Fall, I have a had the unique opportunity to do my prep work at Balboa City School, a college preparatory K-12 school on the western border of Balboa Park in San Diego, California. Each day I have observed students engaged in small classes, working with their peers and teachers who do not just disseminate information or "teach to the test", but are emphasizing the importance of questions such as "....how, why and what if...". This type of teaching encourages students to expand their minds and critically and think about how to arrive at logical solutions. In my opinion, this style of teaching is becoming more and more rare these days, with many schools focusing on test results only. Balboa City School encourages its students to use their Critical Thinking skills to solve real world problems such as which engine to use in a rocket and bookwork too. This higher form of critical thinking is very important for the future of our children as they navigate through their school career to college and into their chosen careers. While working in many schools for the last 12 years, I have seen the decline in using interesting education activities, such as Balboa Park, Old Town, local museums, etc. At BCS the students are exposed regularly to Balboa Park, Old Town, museums, the world famous San Diego Zoo among other educational resources that enhances their education experience while at BCS. Examples of this "think outside the box" teaching is seen everyday, the BCS classroom doesn't stop at the four walls of the classroom, the typical BCS classroom extends beyond the four walls. Going into the community and using all that San Diego has to offer, whether its studying in a museum about an era in history, or observing animals at the world famous San Diego Zoo, in a way much like Socrates taught his students. The students study for the SAT, build rockets for national contests, study robotics, develop original video games, among other many interesting and compelling subjects. BCS is a uniquely different school, it focuses on the student, not only as an individual, but also as a team member in the classroom, the classroom experience extends beyond the brick and mortar of the school building. The staff constantly is encouraging the students to explore "outside the box" in their way of thinking, which better prepares them for the world

We searched and searched for the perfect school, and we finally found it! I have one child enrolled currently. I love the small class sizes! My child can't wait to get to school. My child is in 5th grade, and in addition to their amazing classroom teachers, they have robotics, computer classes, a science teacher that makes science so interesting and fun. They get to go to a great science lab! How many elementary students get to do that?

Many students in the graduating class have been accepting to top universities. Students of all grade levels earned numerous awards and accolades. Our curriculum is now being used in several schools in China. Younger students are often working at above grade level after just a year in our program. STEM programs include rocketry, where our team was a finalist in TARC, and robotics taught as part of the curriculum. Our new website is balboaschool.com

I have taught (substitute) all over San Diego and Riverside Counties. I have been to many public schools, charter schools and private schools, but the culture, student population, teaching approach and leadership at Balboa City School is unique and effective. The class sizes are small, giving the teachers a lot of time to learn about their students as individuals. The access to technology is top of the line. There is a sense of community that I have not seen at other schools, clearly the atmosphere is not lost on the students, because they are all highly motivated young adults. The diversity of the student population is interesting because it gives students from different types of backgrounds a chance to intermingle in an intimate setting without the judgement of peers that often comes with larger public schools. Overall, this is a great environment both academic and social.

The academic programs thoroughly prepared my child for college. They have music classes, art, and do sports every day if you want. They have 1,700 acres of Balboa Park which they use as extended facilities. They should be called School in the Park. They have EXCELLENT multimedia programs.