Laguna Beach High

The truth as I see it. Most parents feel at ease reading high ratings based on a very rudimentary collection of data but fail to look more critically at the curriculum, culture and mission. It would be very cavalier to say Laguna Beach HS is a country club but my observation has been that parents don't seem to internalize that their children are in fact being prepared to be very successful...FOR THE 1970s. Unfortunately, it's 2023. Water polo is the driving force here. Don't think so? Ask anyone who lives in LB about the schools. You will get a positive response, but if water polo isn't in the first sentence I would be shocked. No big deal? I think it is because parents seem quite content that this is what the school is known for rather than tech prowess or a powerful critical thinking based culture and this is coming from a hyper-competitive person who loves sports. Try the same experiment, see if tech comes up in five minutes, let alone the first sentence. Of course this school enjoys way above average rankings. We live in a very affluent, highly educated 2 parent household community, but if we collectively stop patting ourselves on the back for a minute and realize that we are as a group mostly on 3rd base (no guilt) to begin with competing against those who can't get a base hit who are living in school districts where 1 parent households make food vs gas decisions every day, then we should be a little harder on ourselves. It is our responsibility to lay the tracks that lead our children on this astronomically fast moving train to their next location so that the next generation has a vital role when it comes to addressing tomorrow's problems and feeling that they have value in that world. This is based on the, “plant a tree today, knowing you yourself will never to enjoy the shade it provides personally” idea, only you are planting what you love more than anything in the world. Your children. I think this beautifully situated school underperforms miserably and frankly, it produces precisely what is demanded of it. Conversely, if this is the culture parents want, great, but then the school should have a competently run tech and real word based curriculum that is enthusiastically supported. Not a smiling, no worries, do just enough to pacify and redirect parent awareness strategy. 5 of the students would thrive if a more vigorous curriculum was offered 9th through 12th. Not forced, but offered, exposed to. Why is this group any less important? NO worries? Guess what... it’s ok to worry a little, and for the record, I think water polo is great for the fans and participants.

Laguna Beach High is really nice. the teachers are always trying to make sure each student is doing their best, and is very helpful when they are struggling behind. the kids are mostly pretty nice, but since Laguna is a very rich place, they all kinda show off in a way. lunch is average, same as many other schools but the prices are a little over the top.