Laurence School

This message is for ALL prospective parents!

I have heard about this school from my patients who's kids attended this school when the previous administration was in charge. This is a family run business and when Jackobson's were in charge, it was much different. They used to look and pick for truly bright kids to built a strong foundation. Now their daughter, Laurie Wolke, is in charge and it is all about money and connection.

Upon applying, I truly believed in all fairness that this school is all about the "whole child" as they keep claiming it to be. But with all honesty, it is ALL about "connections": who you know, how much you donated PRIOR to your admission application.

Let me explain to you how the admission process works:

1. You apply and you get interviewed by the ATHLETIC coach. He was a great enthusiastic man. I never had any school to have their athletic coach to interview the prospective parents. This was surprise to me.

2. They did kid's evaluation with group of kids. I thought this is a good practice to see how kids interact with each other. But apparently, this was a fake formality too. They (the owner and the administration) had no clue who your child is and what their potential or ability is. They did NOT care how bright and social your child is. They had already decided who to accept at that point. Unlike other top private schools, they do not do separate individual evaluation of your child.

During kid's evaluation day, the owner, Laurie Wolke, approached a prospective parent and hugged him. Later, I found out that some prospective family members had been donating money and backscratching them for years prior to their application process. Some families knew exactly how many applicants they had and all the specifics that were not known to honest prospective parents. Then I found out, those connected family's kids got accepted. Talk about favoritism.

3. Then you get an email that your child is on "wait pool". Letting you know that they do not offer "wait pool" to everyone. Supposedly, you should feel excited that your bright child made it to the "wait pool".

4. What motivated me to apply to this school was their ability base group since my child had been reading and writing since he was 3 years old.

My impression was that the administration does not care if your child is well-rounded, reads or writes, plays multiple musical instruments or speaks multiple languages.

Obviously when applying you know the tuition is over $30K. So, money was not an issue for my family. We have only one child and invest all in him. I just never wanted to believe that you need connection and donation PRIOR to admission process. I always believed that good manners, hard work and intelligence is the way to fairness in this country. But these good qualities do not apply to this corrupt school. If you search, you will find other genuine ability based schools other than this one that claims to care for the "WHOLE CHILD".

Bottom line, if you really truly want to be part of Laurence family, pull some connections and contribute money way ahead of time to get in. Don't be naive and believe in fairness when you are dealing with Ms. Wolke.

Although I found this school to be academically superior than others, the administration is inferior to all. My child attended kindergarten through second grade until I decided to take her out of the program to relocate to another state. Upon our arrival back to Los Angeles, we wanted to re-enroll her. Keep in mind this was the same academic year in which all dues had been paid. Mr. Jacobsen wanted to charge me again for what had already been paid. It was a very low thing to do and enrolled at a better school.

Laurence is a very special school. From our first meeting with the leadership and teaching/admin team during the admissions process to every day over the past two years (our child is finishing 1st Grade), we have seen firsthand how this is a school community like no other. The teachers create incredible bonds with the students and balance a purposeful and disciplined approach to academics while making every class extremely engaging and fun. Our daughter has learned so much in all her subjects and has also blossomed in terms of confidence, independence while learning the important attributes of kindness, integrity and flexibility ... adopting to new ways of problem solving. The teachers are endlessly generous with their time - whether helping a student at lunch, or meeting/speaking with parents outside of regular hours. They are very invested in our success. Most importantly, this is not a one type of student/family school. The families of Laurence are one of the most diverse, in all aspects, relative to other independent schools in LA, and the individual/small group instruction to the array of enrichment classes reflect that. It's a powerful blend of a strong, authentic community that pays special attention to each child's individual and holistic education, growth and development.

The experience overall was disingenuous and left me feeling like this place has all the worst qualities of what the private school world has to offer. Better places to spend 30,000 a year on an education.

I LOVE my daughters school. She just started Kindergarten but everything about this school makes it a perfect fit for us. The families are wonderful and welcoming. The administration really wanted to get to know my family. The teachers are happy and professional. Most importantly my daughter loves going to school every day and when all is said and done that is what counts most for me.

If you are considering a private school its a must on your tour list. Laurence is a K-6 Elementary school only, it makes it unique in the area but also exactly what we needed. ENJOY

We are entering our 5th year at Laurence School. Laurence is a very special place, and it has become our second family. We have watched as our very shy and quiet daughter has blossomed into a happy and engaging 9 year old. The adminstration and staff are the most wonderful dedicated team of people. The environment is beautiful, loving and kind and the academic enrichment is challenging yet truly fun for the children. All students develop a passionate committment to learning and being kind.

My son went to Laurence from Kindergarten through 6th grade. The teachers are kind, professional & always have time to talk to parents. My son developed socially as well as academically. He had a very easy time transitioning to middle school & high school.

By far the best private elementary school in Los Angeles. Extremely dedicated admin who care about the success and growth of every child. Wonderful curriculum exposing the children a wide and interesting array of subjects in addition to the essentials.
Challenging academics that are taught at each child's level. They all receive the same education but some at a slower pace if needed. Wonderful sports, music,drama,public speaking and community service program. Admin is always looking for ways to improve the school and lastly a stellar transition to the best middle schools in Los Angeles.
Great community of caring and down to earth families.
You will not find a better school.

This fall will mark the beginning of our seventh year at Laurence School. The school's core values of kindness, global citizenship, and leadership are evident in every aspect of the curriculum. The integrity, wisdom, and dedication of the administration, faculty, and staff is unlike anything we've ever experienced before. Everyone at Laurence is passionate about the work they do, and it shows in how happy our kids are when they leave for school in the morning and when they return at the end of each day. The Laurence community is truly a family, where each child is celebrated for their unique qualities and encouraged to learn, stretch, and grow. Both of our children have blossomed in ways we could never have imagined when they entered Laurence School as a kindergarteners. Now, our daughter prepares to move on to middle school next year, we are certain she has received the absolute best education, in both academics and character, in an environment that has been loving, nurturing, and inclusive.

Laurence, with its caring and dedicated staff and administration, has both challenged and nurtured my two children in academics and athletics. Can't imagine my kids having gone elsewhere.