Northridge/Granada Hills
Unconventional wisdom you may not be aware of. . .
Holmes Middle School is HOT!!!!
(See PARENTS SEEKING SCHOOLS, Comment #73)
17 Responses to "Northridge/Granada Hills"
April 4, 2009 at 12:20 am
Hi,
I live in Sylmar, and you are correct – the schools are not all that great, especially Middle and High School. If your child is gifted, Balboa Gifted has been great for us – but it can be difficult to get in. I’ve also heard good things about Vintage.
May 13, 2009 at 4:06 am
Hi yselina,
Sorry I didn’t see this sooner. If you are looking for open enrollment, all three schools in Granada Hills above Rinaldi have open enrollment spaces–El Oro Way, Van Gogh, and Knollwood. Many, many San Fernando and Sylmar parents drive up San Fernando Road to Balboa Blvd and go into the back of Granada Hills to take advantage of the great schools there.
In addition, my son went to schools in the West Valley for years. Lawrence is a great middle school, as is Nobel, and many others.
Good luck!
May 25, 2009 at 3:56 pm
If you are willing to engage in a moderate but not horrible shlep, a place to research for the 2010-11 enrollment year (deadline for enrollment application for this coming fall already passed)is the CHIME Charter schools. I can attest to the fact that the elementary school is a very, very special place.
May 26, 2009 at 3:27 am
Lisa, that would take one very dedicated parent to go from Sylmar to Woodland Hills every day, twice a day. 
May 22, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I am going to try and enroll/apply to Balboa Magnet for the 2010 school year. I know the Choices brochure comes out in Dec. How do they determine who gets chosen? I spoke with the school and they said they do not “test” incoming first graders.
Any advice and or suggestions is greatly welcomed.
Thank you!
May 25, 2009 at 11:54 pm
hi Debbie!
LAUSD magnet slots are awarded strictly in a lottery system. Students are ranked by the points they have (see http://askamagnetyenta.wordpress.com/top-5-faqs-re-magnet-schools/ for more information on how points are awarded).
Students who have the most points get in, until the last slot is taken. Then the rest of the kids end up on the wait list.
In first grade, the most magnet points a kid could conceivably have would be 15 (4 PHBAO, 4 overcrowded, 4 waitlist from being turned down in kindergarten, and 3 sibling points). The computer starts with students with 15 points, and all students with 15 get in (balancing the racial ratio at either 60-40 or 70-30). Second grade entrants could conceivably have 19, and students entering third grade could possibly have 23, but they start at the top and go down the list. When they run out of spots, the rest go on the wait list in order of their points.
Balboa does verify that everyone who has applied meets one of the criterium they use to identify gifted/high ability, but other than double checking with your child’s teacher if he or she meets the criteria for entrance into Balboa, there’s nothing specific you really need to do.
Good luck!
October 27, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Is there a list where I can see if our neighborhood school is considered PHBAO and overcrowding?
Thank you!
October 19, 2009 at 6:28 pm
hi i am just moving in a new home down the street for balboa magnet school that is my daughts home school can i enroll her or do have to wait for the next school year 2010 to be put on a list how would that work she has to go to school and i dont have any points so wher does that leave us out of school
October 19, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Hi Victoria.
Balboa is not a neighborhood school, so you won’t be able to enroll her there. Look for the CHOICES brochure for 2010-11 coming out in the next few weeks. In order to be considered for Balboa, she’ll have to be identified as gifted or high ability. Depending on her grade, she’s going to have a difficult or extremely difficult time getting in with few or no points, but dont’ rule it out completely.
To find the school your daughter will attend this year, type in your address on LAUSD’s school finder: http://search.lausd.k12.ca.us/cgi-bin/fccgi.exe?w3exec=schfinder0 Your likely school is Andasol or Dearborn.
October 19, 2009 at 10:30 pm
hi thanks for the infr but she is only in first and they dont test in first what should i do i would really like for her to go there.
October 19, 2009 at 10:57 pm
They will test in first. You can ask for it. They’ll discourage it, but they have to take your request. And so long as the teacher marks her as meeting the criteria for high ability, she’ll be eligible for Balboa anyway.
The trick will be that it’s going to be tough getting into Balboa. They let in 60 in first grade, 60 in second, and only 30 in third grade. So you’ll want her tested now so you have two chances to get her in.
Depending on how many points you’ll get for PHBAO and overcrowding, it’s going to be a bit of a challenge, but you might get lucky. Just make sure you have some adequate back up plans in case she doesn’t get in.
October 23, 2009 at 6:51 pm
hi i went to my daughters school and said they dont test the dont have funding or staff for that can i go to another school to have her tested
October 24, 2009 at 12:29 am
Hi Victoria.
First off, are you currently in an LAUSD school? They HAVE to test if you request it. The budget cuts might make it take longer, but they have to test. You might want to call the LAUSD’s GATE department directly to get the specifics, but I’m not aware of any school saying they’re not testing at all. The GATE dept. is listed at: http://www.lausd.net/lausd/offices/GATE/res-con-2.html#ResConPg2ContactUs
PHBAO is “predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian or Other” and is determined by the percentages of each group on a specific school campus. Since the magnet program is a desegregation program, they look to provide balance at the magnets by drawing kids from various home schools to the magnet to help achieve racial integration.
(And you’re not clueless, you’re just new to this. By next year, you’ll be helping us explain it to new people)
October 31, 2009 at 5:24 pm
how do i find out the my school now is over crowding and phbao
October 31, 2009 at 8:43 pm
You can ask your current school if it’s overcrowded, but if it’s not a 3-track school (A, B, C) it’s not likely. The office will also know if the school is PHBAO.
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February 21, 2009 at 3:29 am
hi… i may be moving to sylmar. ive done some research and the schools there are not that good. are there any good nearby magnets or charters? please help:)