Venado Middle School in Irvine, California

“This school is horrible teachers hate us when we are inside including the library and the principles (including VP) don't help instead they get you into more trouble and most student will harass your kid. Don't go to this school I have moved to Lakeside after this.”
This review was posted by a student.

“Good GATE program but too much stress on kids because of the high amounts of homework. The student have at least 5 to 6 hours tof homework each night. Many of these kids sleeping 5 hours the most day of the week. Do you think this is correct?”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Yes, the homework load might be a little strenuous, but the results speak for themselves! The staff truly cares about our kids!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“To much stress on kids because the high amounts of work and homework. Worst school I'll ever register! Lakeside is so much better”
This review was posted by a parent.

“To much stress on kids because the high amounts of work and homework. Worst school I'll ever register! Lakeside is so much better”
This review was posted by a parent.

“the homework had my child up very late at night. there are some good teachers, but still many bad ones.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“This school was in me and my husbands opinion, the worst school we have ever been to. The homework overwhelmed our child; and the students picked on him, but if your child likes being picked on and worked for many hours, then venado is the right school for you.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I am a parent of a child at Venado and I think that it is the best school that I have ever been to.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Amazing school. My kids went there and they gained excellent study habbits.Try It”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I have had two children attend Venado and my experience with this school is if you can find another middle school, do it! I will say that their resource program is great with great staff. As for the teaching staff, while there are some good teachers, it is surprising how many poor teaching staff are there.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“From my experience with my 2 years at venado I was very happy. It is an excellent school with great programs and excellent teachers.Dont get me wrong the school is not perfect. If you are going in as a 7th grader be lucky becuase the best teacher at the school just moved to 7th grade. I would recommned teachers such as: Mr. Angel Mrs. Delvac Mr. Loyd Mrs. Johnson (the science teacher) The homework is alot! and the school is challenging....but the best middle school in Irvine! -a former happy student :)”
This review was posted by a student.

“Venado has been under new leadership for the past couple of years, and things are looking up. I expect that things will continue to improve as long as the current principal and assistant principal stay. However, there is still a lack of flexibility and high amount of stress on the students. There is still an exaggerated workload/learning ratio, which, in turn, hampers extracurricular activities. Parent involvement in Irvine is always high - the new administration seems much more willing to listen to parents' input. Teacher quality is mixed: there are some truly outstanding teachers and some truly awful ones (why don't teachers change careers if they don't like kids?) Definitely ask around, and believe what your kids tell you about their teachers.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Venado Middle School is blue ribbon school and thouroughly deserves that award. The principal leadership is apparent throughout the school. The teachers are mostly experienced and provide a great and interesting place to learn. Its assortment of extracurricular sports activities make sure al the kids here are well-balanced. Parent integration is lacking but the supportivness is shown in the students. Speaking as a student, this school has provided a lot for my education. Its advanced classes are very challenging which brings my only major contreversy of the workload on students. On some nights the work can pile up to approx. 4 hours not excluding weekends. But overall this is an excellent school and place to grow.”
This review was posted by a student.

“It has been my experience that the staff and teachers at this school will assist students and their parents in any way possible. Our child has done better in this school than any other school to date. The students at this school are given every chance to succeed. Our only concern is the amount of homework that is assigned. There are occassions when out child will do homework util very late at night. Overall, we are quite pleased with this school.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I am new in knowing this school.I have noticed that this school has a hi/deaf program aside with the regular prigram. Every one signs and most speak as well(except deaf). I was told that the school is challenging, which is a plus in my book! But, what I was concern that the hearing impaired students who are verbal might lose their speech due to extensive signing at the capus. The signing is an elective to take for the hearing students to encourage them to interact with deaf students and there are a lot of understanding of this deficit.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“We are not very happy with this school: the classes are too big, children do not get enough attention.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Venado claims to be a 'blue ribbon school.' However, this is at the expense of children who don't conform to their rigidity. If you are a conformist and willing to subject your children to immense pressure in order to boost their test scores, Venado is probably right for you. However, if your child dares to be a critical thinker or otherwise doesn't fit their mold, watch out.”
This review was posted by a parent.