Valley Academy of Arts and Science

I’m currently a senior at VAAS, due to graduate in just a couple months. I was informed of some horribly inaccurate reviews of my high school on this site so i’m here to set the record straight. The following are MY experiences with VAAS and my personal perspective of the school based on what I’ve seen and been a part of, therefore keep that in mind as you read on.
Lets begin with academics. VAAS oftentimes is compared to GHCHS when it comes to academic rigor, and although admittedly Granada has quite a stellar academic reputation, our school’s educational quality has grown and flourished tremendously over the last four years and i’m honestly happy with my decision to go here. You can truly succeed and challenge yourself academically at VAAS. Let me repeat, YOU CAN TRULY SUCCEED AND CHALLENGE YOURSELF ACADEMICALLY AT VAAS. This whole rumor about VAAS being incredibly easy is true… if you take easy classes. So much of this school hinges on your decisions about what to make of it! There are plenty of great options for all grade levels to challenge yourself.
TAKE AP CLASSES. Going into high school all i would hear is, «whatever you do man don’t take AP euro you’re gonna die» …au contraire. At VAAS i took my first AP class in tenth grade (AP european history), i passed with an A both semesters and got a 3 on the exam. AP’s at VAAS get a really bad reputation because of the low pass rate. Granted some of the teachers have room for improvement, but i can honestly say AP’s at VAAS are manageable. The only huge thing is that you HAVE to be willing to do a lot of the work yourself. Its a college-​level class okay its gonna be hard, but if you go home and put time into it you should be fine. Or you could sit there and blame the teachers but you do you.
Sometimes though its quite frustrating dealing with instructors that you feel aren’t doing your class justice and effectively preparing you for the exam. I’ve had teachers switched on me second semester before, and the adjustment was a bit frustrating. And this year is the first time i feel like i’m being adequately prepared for an AP English exam, (highly recommend Ms. Petrossian). English classes generally in my experience have been disappointing up until my senior year. If you can’t work independently and REALLY take the class seriously then don’t take an AP.
Also as former captain of the VAAS Academic Decathlon team, i can truly say that this school features beautifully talented and intelligent minds, skilled in various disciplines throughout the sciences and humanities.
ATMOSPHERE: The atmosphere at VAAS is incredibly unique. Almost everyone is extremely nice here. Theres little to no bullying, fighting, or anything severe like that. You don’t have to worry about stuff like gang fights or racial separation at VAAS, since our hardworking faculty makes sure that our school keeps its stellar behavioral reputation. If you fight here you’re most likely getting expelled immediately, this school just doesn’t deal with that, its a safe place for everyone. Again this is based off of my experience, and of course every school has rude and apathetic students and VAAS is no exception.
Some aspects i don’t like: Theres a certain degree of favoritism between faculty and students. Some kids get away with more because they’re more well-​liked by teachers and staff. The school’s small size sort of makes it so everyone knows your business, kind of like a small town, and secrets aren’t kept very long here. Plus if you have a falling-​out with someone, expect to seem them multiple times a day and make awkward eye contact since your lockers are probably 5 feet away from each other and you have like 3 classes together. Like i said, small school. But just be nice so that doesn’t happen!
More importantly, we have an INCREDIBLY vibrant LGBTQ community at this school (faculty too!), including various clubs for those students and for others who would like to join in support of those communities. VAAS is a very progressive and liberal school for the most part, but i have plenty of conservative friends and they’re welcomed with open arms as well, since this is a student body dedicated to tolerance, cooperation, and respect.
If you’ve read this far then congrats i’m happy you care enough to take the time to do research.
Don’t let people tell you that students here aren’t ready for college. Many of the graduating seniors, including myself, have been accepted into top-​tier UC’s among other premier universities, including a friend of mine that might very well attend YALE! If we can do it then so can you.
Bottom Line: VAAS has room for improvement but overall it is an amazing school and YOUR OWN decisions will determine your success here. The tolerant and friendly atmosphere is unlike any other, most of the faculty truly cares about you, and the academics are perfectly satisfactory if you take the right classes.
Hope this review has helped you in making a decision, good luck :)

My daughter is a junior, and began as a freshman. Both of us have been very happy. She takes AP courses, and is on the varsity dance team. Perfect all around. Just a couple of tips: If your child does not work well on his/​her own, do not send them here. There is no coddling. The teachers are quite helpful, but the overall consensus is to get your child ready for college. It is a small school, so, no football team if that is your thing. They do have sports teams, but they aren’t up to competing with the bigger schools yet. If you decide to take a tour, request a student. They are very honest about things that go on.

This will be my sons second year and I must say that when I first applied I was disappointed he didn’t I can’t express enough how happy I am that my son ended up at VAAS. My prayer was answered when I asked that my son receive an acceptance letter at the school who would serve his highest good!
Vaas has been an excellent choice! I almost rarely have a problem. When there is a problem they work diligently to make sure the situation is corrected immediately or addressed immediately. The only problem I have had was with scheduling classes at the beginning of the school year, but the problem was resolved immediately.

This is our first year here and so far my child and I are very happy. The environment at this institute is welcoming and accepting. I am happy with the way the staff in the main office (in particular, Erica) always greet you and help you efficiently. This is the first impression of any organization and the staff do a good job representing.
The grounds are well maintained and of course brand new so no complaints. My child enjoys most of their classes and teachers and no issues have arisen yet. (knock on wood).
But the impression I get from my child is that this school’s environment is healthy. No clicks, no bullying, respect among the students and teachers. This is priceless because regardless of test results and numbers, a healthy educational environment that considers the needs of the students is so valueable.

My son loves his High School! He has never said this. The approach to learning and their philosophy is like NO OTHER LAUSD. This school is run more like a private school. THEY CARE, the teachers are very carefully, handpicked for this school. They must be a good fit to work here. With that said, they are not sour, burned out and hate their jobs. I have 2 older boys who went though their education in the LAUSD system. All other schools dont have the compassion that this school does. They encourage parent involvement and input and are always striving to improve so your child will love school, learning and succeed. Cant say enough good here. And trust, I have always hated the LAUSD system, always felt like it was me against them. Not here, here parents, faculty and administration work together. If you dont live in the area, apply for open enrollment, they seem to always have openings, call the office and inquire.

Sydney’s first week at her new school has been a good one. Parking aka pick up area is chaotic at times. Bus lane area could be moved to side. Just a thought.