Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad | Military Town Advisor

Posted: February 5, 2026

Pacific Ridge has been an excellent environment for both our children's education, social growth, and extracurricular interests. The staff is highly engaged and accessible, the teachers very dedicated, and the facilities are high quality. The smaller class sizes and harkness approach facilitates strong group collaboration and helps more introverted children find their voice. The campus has been nothing but inclusive, and welcoming from day one. We have made friends with many other families through the events and many out of school get togethers encouraged by the school. This has also expanded the children's social group. The administration is top notch, supportive, and quick to act if needed. We have never had an issue receiving a prompt response via email or phone when a concern or question arises. Both our kids have played sports and really enjoy the pressure free fun approach of middle school and even tried sports they may not have otherwise. The robotics program is especially engaging with one of the best teachers we have worked with making it fun and leaving an everlasting interest. Transitioning from middle to high school was fluid. We continue to be impressed with the quality of instructors. We have not experienced what many of these negative reviews have described, and can only surmise there is more going on with those situations. This school has been a breath of fresh air and we are very thankful for the staff and the community. Our kids love Pacific Ridge and enjoy getting out of the car everyday- that speaks volumes to us.

Posted: September 15, 2025

Our family has nothing good to say about this school. Its original roots were good and proceeding leadership rotted them. This school is the most intolerant place to exist. They proclaim tolerance and acceptance, when in fact, it is just the opposite. The environment here is traumatic. And the education is horrid. Upside down knowledge here is all youll leave with. The public schools are a better choice than Pacific Ridge.

Posted: June 30, 2025

As a former student at PRS I really don't understand the negative reviews. I have gone to this school from 7th-12th grade and have loved every year so much. The grades and classes are small which allow for you to get to know everyone very well and feel connected with your whole community.
The campus itself is beautiful and open, sometimes when it is nice out my teachers would have class outside on the grass or lunch area. I have always felt safe as well. The community is built on trust and nobody is worried about their things getting stolen if they accidentally forget them. Yes the school is expensive but they provide large amounts of scholarships and financial aid to students who need it. As well as pay their staff a livable wage. The school has top notch programs such as the great musicals, competitive robotics, 3-d printers and laser cutters, good gym equipment. Students do not care about social standings or showing off expensive clothes. There are also used uniform sales to get uniforms for $5-10. The uniform is just a PRS t-shirt and any solid color bottoms, its so easy and stress-free. Teachers are very passionate and deeply care about their students. They want the best for their students and treat them with respect. I never felt talked down to just because I was a student or younger. I always felt like my voice was heard and actually valued. Whenever there has been an issue it has been dealt with very urgently. The community is very accepting and has many outlets for all times of expression through clubs. There are many affinity and alliance spaces that have provided me with great community. The harkness style allows for open conversation and I have felt like I have learned about so many different outlooks and perspectives from this. Overall I loved my experience here and would for sure recommend it to others.

Posted: May 6, 2025

Overall, Pacific Ridge School has been a good school and I would recommend it.

Posted: July 16, 2024

My experience at Pacific Ridge School has been nothing short of fantastic. I unfortunately only got the opportunity to spend my last two years of high school here, but my techniques in all subjects had a rapid incline. In my English classes, I was supported completely and I could genuinely see my writing grow; after comparing my first and last essay written here, the change was tremendous. In my science classes (AP Enviro, AP Bio, and Marine Bio), I was consistently taught subjects that I could tell the teachers were passionate about, which only made them more interesting to learn about. In my math classes, I was able to build on prior knowledge and absorb the new information that was given to me in a productive manor. In my history classes, I was met with storytellers, teachers who cared so much about what they had to share that it made me, someone who doesn't generally like history classes, fall in love with the past. The arts team cared so much about me as a person and fostered students to release their inner artists, both in a performance and visual setting. The student support staff on campus was there for me at my lowest lows and helped build up my confidence again, and college guidance is the reason that I'm going to higher education. I consistently felt safe on campus with constant security at all entrances and exits. There were many events on campus that families were invited to, including Ginger Bread Breakfast and Showcase of the Arts. Also, there is talk about PRS being a liberal school, which is true, but it is also important to note that all viewpoints are heard here and listened to. Not once have I seen a student or teacher yell at another student or teacher about a certain belief that they have because this is a place where intelligent people can have educated conversations. All in all, Pacific Ridge School was worth every penny, and students that speak against it don't realize how much they have gained here in comparison to a public school education (trust me, I have gone to public school).

Posted: June 18, 2024

I went here for two years and let me tell you guys dont even bother wasting your thousands of dollars on this. First of all not only do you have to pay tuition but you also have to pay for uniforms. A jacket costs more than fifty dollars. You also have to buy a hundred dollar calculator that public schools in my area with a lower budget provide for free. Second, they dont care about your mental health. I tried to go to the counselors and they gave me a dirty look and said they werent available. They dont care about teachers either because my teacher broke down in class about a racist student and nothing to my knowledge was done prior to this at all. Speaking of teachers, I was probably gaslit and treated like a prisoner more times than I can even keep track of. Its hard to talk to teachers at all because of the fear of being turned away. It was like they disliked us. Teachers should be helping us, and if you teachers cant then you should find another job. This isnt the way to be treating MIDDLE SCHOOL students whose brains are still developing. Of course that isnt all of the teachers there, some of them I had a great experience with. Overall, I got what I needed academically from this school but it made my mental health way worse and I wouldnt recommend kids who struggle with mental health issues to attend this school.

Posted: June 11, 2024

Pacific Ridge used to be community minded, but the school has taken a turn away from its service learning and purposeful intention mantra and has headed towards STEM. It has little diversity and the tuition has become out of reach for a lot of talented kids. The outcome vs the cost is worth exploring if you are considering having your child go here. I do not recommend if your child has any special needs.

Posted: November 14, 2023

As former students we believe that this school is trying to gaslight their students into believing the narrative that staff and administrators believe is correct and that only. Anything but what is taught is shut down faster than students can share their viewpoint. Students are taught that individual opinions are not welcome which teaches them to be incapable of forming their own unique opinions throughout their young adult lives. Not to mention how the teachers, admin, staff, and students will collectively harass your child. If thats not enough for you the curriculum is devoid of all educational content and leaves alumni completely unprepared for college level courses, particularly in the science department. Middle schoolers are aggressively indoctrinated with liberal agendas and schooled on gender and sexuality rather than the summary of the book they read in social studies! If you want to best prepare your child for the real world we recommend you look elsewhere!!!!

Posted: August 15, 2023

My daughter attended this school and experienced many major issues. For the last 2 years of her time at the school she was constantly bullied and harassed and the school refused to acknowledge the problem. She also was held back in one class and no matter how hard we tried to have her take a placement test they wouldnt even give her a chance to do so.
Every positive aspect this school advertises is a lie, you will pay $40k for a damaging experience.

Posted: July 14, 2022

Extremely disappointed with my experience at PRS. I attended this school for two years and dealt with continuous bullying and sexual harassment from other students. I was harassed at school, online and even had a voicemail leaving me a death threat. Nothing was done about this despite bringing it up to the head of school multiple times. Not only that, but their mothers also harassed me and my parents as a result of these rumors. My grades suffered as a result and I fell into a serious depression. The perpetrators were never reprimanded due to their ties to founding members and large financial contributions. I never spoke about my experience and chose to leave the school instead. My academic performance thrived upon leaving and attending public school instead. I am writing this review after seeing that PRS claims to handle bullying immediately. This could not be further from the truth. To add to my horrible experience here, the teachers also get involved with rumors at this school and will treat you badly as a result. There is a serious problem with cliques here. PRS lacks diversity and the head of school is a victim blamer.

Posted: November 24, 2021

As a parent who had 3 children at PRS from 6th grade to graduation, I have seen a dramatic shift over the years.

While I understand that most teachers in general are typically left leaning politically, I feel that a good administration and staff would put aside their personal views.

PRS has turned so left leaning and "Woke" that they have lost touch with the community and basically shut down any student (or parents) who don't agree with their narrative.

I think the current administration should remind themselves that the school was founded by a small group of YPO members (Business owners) who probably disagree with the extreme left leaning path they have taken.

Very disappointing.

Posted: October 12, 2021

Incredible school with true 21st century learning.
It has a diverse community population with exceptional leadership and teaching.
If I could give the school 10 stars, I would.

Posted: October 12, 2021

Posted: September 7, 2021

We are currently in our second year and can confidently say PRS is exceeding our expectations. Our daughter is doing great. She is engaged, attentive and showing a wonderful curiosity in the things she's learning (something we weren't sure was possible with our cynical kid).

Academically she's been encouraged to extend herself. There have been some (not many) teary-eyed homework sessions, but they always end with a sense of confidence the next day. If she's struggling with any of the material, it's clear that she knows she can talk to the teacher and will get the help she needs. Personalized attention is one of the main benefits that brought us here, and it's clear that the faculty prioritizes that.

Additionally, the Harkness method of teaching appears to have the intended effect. Our kid would be happy to know the material, hide in the back of the classroom, and NEVER be asked about her thoughts on a topic. That simply doesn't happen with this method of teaching, and as far as we can tell, she's speaking up and engaging in the classroom. As parents, we want her to feel confident in her knowledge, especially because we know she puts in the work.

Lastly, the school does a superb job going beyond just academic excellence. Participation in local community, personal integrity and having a global perspective are all a part of the focus in teaching to the whole student. Something we believe is vital to success for someone growing up in the connected world.

Posted: September 7, 2021

Posted: February 9, 2020

We are very happy with PRS for all academic elements.

Posted: February 9, 2020

Excellent. Our son is thriving and excelling with the help of a fantastic structure and exceptional educators.

Posted: February 9, 2020

Posted: February 6, 2020

Excellent school. My son loves it at this school! We have been here 3 years now. The school does a great job fostering community, it offers outstanding academics, and they have a good variety of extracurricular activities.