Chatsworth Hills Academy

This is a great school with great student-​to-​teacher ratio. The early childhood program director, Miss Paulette, is probably about as attentive and caring of a educator as I can recall. Their focus is on nurturing your child into an extremely decent human being who is inquisitive and a «risk-​taker» in the best sense. I only wish that they went beyond grade 8. Hopefully, by the time, my son is in middle school, they will have extended their program to high school years.

My daughter is attending her 5^th year at CHA. We have experienced lower school and middle school. We have been happy every year. The faculty are deeply connected to the students and families. Every teacher knows all the students. The one-​on-​one attention is a key piece to what makes CHA so outstanding.
The setting and campus are beautiful. You don’t ever feel like you are in a «stale» school environment. You are surrounded by large trees, lush greenery, a vegetable garden and farm animals. It is a treat to visit this campus.
The children grow and mature into lovely citizens. As we near the end of our time at CHA we are so pleased to have made this choice years ago. The children gain admittance to the elite high schools in the valley and Los Angeles. Our daughter is prepared and ready due to the staff, curriculum and development that has been given to her.
The new principal is warm and inviting. In a short time he has implemented positive changes. He is a great addition to continue to improve on such a great school. Children are happy at CHA. If you are touring schools, this is a must see.

Over a decade ago, while touring every private school in the North Valley, I turned the corner at Rinaldi and found an oasis. Settled on 16 acres of pristine and preserved land, the CHA campus feels like a year-​round summer camp that you would find in the mountains, so far away from the urban world of LA. My wife and I fell in love with the school, not only for it’s natural feel, but for it’s outstanding program… and to this day, school has far exceeded our expectations.
It has been eleven years, three kids and lifetime of memories. At CHA, we found not only a top-​tier program and the best faculty in the Valley (hands down), we also became part of a close-​knit and supportive community of like-​minded parents who only want the best for our children.
With small class sizes and a caring faculty, no child is overlooked or left behind. Every student benefits from individualized attention, whether they need a little extra help to catch-​up, or greater challenges when they get ahead. The faculty communicates and grows with the student. Every teacher, regardless of grade, knows every child, resulting in the student firmly supported from pre-​school, through lower school and on to middle school. The Advisory Program in Middle School helps the student structure and organize life (in prep for high school), while supporting the emotional development of adolescence. The Middle School also provides plenty of opportunity for expression, whether it’s music, sports, drama or mock trial (which was an incredible unit). When you see your son argue a court case in front of a real judge in a real downtown courtroom, you realize how the entire school curriculum (beginning with that same little boy sharing a book with his class in kindergarten) brought you to that moment. Everyone is encouraged, and has the opportunity, to try everything and anything. The result is a wealth of experience — and an increased confidence — that supports the student in the big wide world of high school.
I currently have a 3^rd grader and a 7^th grader. My oldest is now at Notre Dame HS, where he is an athlete (swim), an artist (band) and an academic (maxima cum laude). I credit the incredible faculty at CHA for instilling in him the confidence and ability to soar wherever life takes him. The CHA program reinforces core values of respect, integrity, friendship and citizenship. It is not only my son — his peers are all responsible young adults, and while they each matriculated to top schools like Viewpoint, Buckley, Campbell Hall, Chaminade, Crespi and Louisville, they still stick together. I like to say that at CHA, we make good humans!

I highly recommend CHA! This school offers a very caring, nurturing and small environment for your child. The staff and teachers take time to know each child’s strengths. Everyone succeeds at CHA. The campus is beautiful and like no other. I adore this school and would suggest it to anyone.

My daughter has been attending Chatsworth Hills Academy for four years now – pre-​school into 1^st grade. I cannot say enough about this school and have been a supporter since we first toured. I am fond of the classroom/​learning environment, the teachers, the campus, and the community (kids, parents, faculty).
I have always felt included, communicated with and respected by her teachers. More importantly I know they are aware of my daughter’s strengths and weaknesses and work with her to help develop confidence where she’s insecure and thrive and grow where she excels. Most importantly she loves going to school and loves learning.
When my daughter walks across campus — middle school kids yell her name and say hello. There’s a great buddy system that links a young student with an older one throughout the year which builds social confidence, trust & generational learning and teaching.
The specialists — the athletic director, the librarian, the music teacher, the art teacher — are all gifted and passionate about their subjects!
Lastly, the same community that is created for the kids is helped along by the same community of parent volunteers. A very involved PTO with dedicated parent volunteers!
I highly recommend a visit to the campus and a tour.

Beautiful Campus, good teachers.

I can’t say enough about this wonderful school! My daughter attended grades 5 – 8 at CHA and is now finishing up her freshman year in high school. She developed a solid education base and tremendous amount of confidence while attending school here. The teachers genuinely care about each and every student and their future. We both enjoyed her 4 years at this school and it’s serene campus. Thank you CHA! We miss you!!!

My son has been a student at Chatsworth HIlls Academy since preschool. He is now graduating from middle school this year. I researched many schools before placing him at CHA and have no regrets. The class sizes have always been small and the teachers know how to teach to different learning styles and incorporate experiential learning in their curricula. The campus feels like an eternal summer camp versus a brick and mortar jail. The administrators run a tight ship but maintain a sense of humanity all the while. The arts are emphasized as well as all of the core subjects and I’m confident that my son has had the encouragement to develop his character and his intellect at this fine school. On many occasions, teachers, staff and administrators have demonstrated to me that they are keeping a close eye on my son’s education and his well-​being. The families at the school are very involved and give generously of their time to make special events memorable. Thank you, CHA!

My wife and I had done quite a bit of searching for elementary schools across the Valley (everything from the local public school to charter schools, to private) before coming to CHA. After a 1 year stint at Highland Hall (Waldorf) where our daughter attended kindergarten, we still weren’t satisfied.
All it took was one visit to the campus of CHA to know we had found the right fit. Not only is the campus amazingly beautiful and serene, the administration and kids themselves go out of their way to make you feel at home. I was somewhat surprised to see young children enthusiastically waving hello to the head of school on my first visit as I remember trying to avoid the administration as a child. Moreover, I was delighted to see that during a free play time on the sports court that it was so inclusive… there weren’t any kids sitting off to the sides or any type of cliques. I’m sure it helps that the school size is so small… everyone really knows each other.
Both of our children (grades 1 and pre K) are attending the school and LOVE it! We are looking forward to the next phase when the CHA campus will evolve with a new design that incorporates all the best elements of the surrounding environment while providing 21^st century facilities for learning. I can’t say enough about this school!

I spend a lot of time here and enjoy the benefits I receive whenever I get to interact with the faculty and parents. A great community with a great legacy in place for an exceptional future.

As a parent at this school, I have nothing but terrific things to say about this school. The community is so warm and welcoming and all three of my kids have had great teachers and were really prepared for high school. Everyone knows my children and our family and that really adds to sense of community. The curriculum is also challenging and really is college prep. I also like the small class size. It also nice because my kids get opportunities to try everything, whether its sports or drama, or mock trial. I would seriously recommend CHA to any family looking for an independent school.

We have 2 kids that have graduated from this school and have gone on to Sierra Canyon High School. Our third will be graduating in 2012.
We are extremely happy with this school. It is a great setting, students are always friendly to each other and the teachers are great. There are many parents that are involved in helping the school, so it just shows how much everyone believes in their child’s education and experience.
After my daughter and son graduated and started high school, a couple of things proved to me that Chatsworth Hills Academy really prepared them well. Both of my kids took command of picking their classes, when they needed to make changes they did it all by themselves. They were responsible and confident. My daughter was even signing up for team sports. Basically, they were turning into adults that my wife and I could be very proud of. We know it was from the education and experiences that they had at CHA that made them prepared for the challenges of High School and so to be College.

I just started working here in January and I LOVE it. It is an amazing school with a wonderful staff. When I have children of my own this is where I will send them. The campus is beautiful tucked up in the Chatsworth Hills. If you are interested in sending your children to camp they also have a very cool summer program. You should check It out for yourself.

I haven’t created any mini-me’s to date but a close friend of mine has a child who has attended Kindergarten and 1^st grade at this private school and never stops raving about it so I figured I’d post a review in her honor for my big 1−0-0^th Unilocal review.
Chatsworth Hills Academy is known as «The school at the top of the hill.» I visited the campus once and it feels more like a fancy park or summer camp than a school. The academy is on 15 acres of protected Indian land… very scenic, very green and very pretty. I wish I’d had the chance to go to a private school like this as a kid, the environment is definitely conducive to creativity and learning.
Class sizes are small and intimate (preschool and K-​8), the admissions director is charming, kind and knowledgable, and the faculty is extremely caring, talented and devoted to the kids. Parental involvement is high (my friend gets EXTREMELY involved and is also really close with other parents of kids at the school) and the school has no religious affiliation. It seems like a very close-​knit and caring community and if/​when I have kids one day I’d definitely consider sending them here.

As a part of the staff at this small private school situated on protected land, I can say that this school has a lot to offer. Offering from preschool (2 ½ to 5) all the way up until 8^th grade, this liberal arts college-​preparatory school has it’s share of education, sports, and character. CHA is a part of the National Association of Independent Schools, and as a result, you get small class sizes with more attention aimed at the student, as opposed to the class as a whole.
The kids are all well behaved (for the most part) compared to public schools where violence is common. Through my eyes, the majority of kids display early levels of more advanced thinking processes.
The EDC, or afterschool program (all ages), is great too with staff that truly care for the child’s safety and at the same time exert a great amount of fun. The EDC staff members help with homework, play basketball, board games, or soccer with the kids, color pictures, and make sure they are behaving properly. Kids are supplied with snack oriented at a specific time each day. Extra after school programs are also available, including but not limited to: cooking, animal invasion, dance, drawing, and chess.
If you’re considering your child enrolling in this school, I highly recommend you look into it. The campus is beautiful and the people are great.

i went to this school for a good amount of my life. i went here for every grade from preschool through 8^th, but i went to the local public elementary for kindergarten and 2 years of 1^st grade (long story). up until middle school, i loved this school and loved most people here. everyone knew each other and the campus was so beautiful. i had amazing teachers and really liked how i got to get my hands on doing stuff with the creative arts like music, drama, and art. come middle school, i changed my mind. overall, these were tough teachers and one in particular hated my guts and other people knew it and would say things about it to me! she took my nsync book too when we were told after we were done taking a test, to just sit quietly at our desks! she was the only teacher who had a problem with me, when every other teacher loved me and said how much of a model student i was! anyway, skipping the teachers, i had a very good education here. i swear i had harder work to do in junior high than in high school, college, and graduate school! cha expected so much out of you, that i was so stressed here! they were extremely strict with the dress code and i got in trouble for showing a tiny bit of bra strap, and for wearing makeup… I’m sorry but in junior high, you have bad skin and you don’t want to not be able to cover it up. i remember i was «allowed» to cover up my zits, but i couldn’t wear the fun stuff like lipstick and eyeliner. that killed me! overall, i had wonderful memories more of the students and the great campus. i hear the school has changed a lot since i left here.