Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana, Santa Ana | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

I was a current student at this school during my sophomore year and tried to get out as soon as possible. Some background information is that before coming into this school I had been in GGUSD and was enrolled in the GATE program during the greater part of elementary school. Due to this, I moved schools in elementary and went to a middle school and high school where I was considered the “new kid”. However I was never unhappy at the schools I was at, in fact I have always loved school and would never want to miss. But that all changed when I was transferred to magnolia. My mom was under the impression that Magnolia would offer me an “elite and brightening education”. This was not the case. I was always bored in all of my classes and truly felt that I was not being challenged. I felt as if all the students were being taught the same way at the same level so that the school could have higher passing rates. I understand that not all students learn the same or as fast as others. But I also believe that it’s important for those who show more potential in a subject should be offered the opportunity to further prosper in the subject. Another factor that this school lacked was the “social impact of high school”. As important as education, itself, is to any school, it should also be enjoyable when in it comes to social aspects. Personally, the fact that most students in each grade level basically have the exact same classes isn’t good for anyone really. This only limits them when it comes to learning to interact with different people. This also correlates to lack of enthusiasm that the majority of students have to their own school. The small amount of students, and space, the school has restricts them on the activities that they offer their students. It makes it harder for their students to actually make good memories of their high school years. Most of the students who attend this school are transferred from SAUSD and GGUSD, from experience the most common complaint they have is that their older schools were much more fun. These were all reasons why I was only at that school for two months and two months only. I had already been exposed to a wonderful, insightful and stimulating education in the previous school district. Not only that but I was so involved during my freshmen year at public school with the music program, leadership clubs, and basic school spirit events that MSA drastically lacked. So for all the parents who are looking to send their kids here or currently have the enrolled please just remember on thing: school, like everything else in life, cannot always be all work and no play.

I am currently a senior at this school and am currently having a terrible year. The main reason I came to this school was because of the benefits of having more time with my college counselor to focus on my best plan after high school. This reason is completely negated because of the lack of a proper college counselor. In addition to the poor infrastructure, the complacency of certain staff members, and lack of readiness that this school has that keeps it from feeling like a proper school. I appreciate a lot of the staff and their effort to improve the culture of the school, but in my case, it’s already too late. Also, the combination of having many of the elementary and middle school students, in my experience, being ill mannered and disrespectful towards people and property and them using our facilities, such as the gym, during our free time, takes away from the atmosphere that high school is supposed to have. The only saving graces that this school has provided me with are the now people I surround myself with and the staff that genuinely care and want to help the students and school improve. I would like to see this school become a place where people want and choose to go to, but I don’t see that happening anytime in the near future.