Gaspar De Portola Middle School in Los Angeles

Category	Rating	Details
Test Scores	9/10	The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) data from California Department of Education, and using 2025 California Science Test data from California Department of Education.
Student Growth	8/10	The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student growth data from California Department of Education.

Posted: November 17, 2025

there are pros and cons about this school. i recently graduated after being here for 3 years and i was apart of their aiat program.

pros:
-if you go to the aiat at portola, the teachers here are very good and they support their twice exceptional kids!
-they have a wide variety of electives and clubs
-everyone is loved and supported by other staff
-the dance class here is so much fun and its very easy to mingle with others and make friends

cons:
-multiple fights occur here
-some kids pressure others to do uncanny behavior
-lots of bullying occurs
-some people pull pranks, such as pulling the fire alarm during class

as a person that went there herself, i did have a few issues here and there, but it was overall a very memorable experience.

Posted: December 27, 2024

After years of dreading middle school as an elementary parent, I now marvel that my 7th grader is having such an incredible experience at Portola. Starting in 6th grade in the Academy, the class sizes were smaller than our elementary school. My kid is academically challenged, has developed social emotional awareness, met many kind friends, and learned important life skills from dedicated teachers in an inclusive, diverse setting. The free enrichment classes, like the afterschool musical theater program, are outstanding. The admin and teachers are super responsive and available. The Principal, who genuinely cares and listens, is one of the most open, down-to-earth folks youll ever meet. The school is also well-funded with a competitive robotics program, new instruments for the orchestra, top of the line equipment for the video production elective, and great field tripsthis year the entire 8th grade saw Hamilton, and soon the 7th graders will see Wicked at the Pantages. The parent community is also very supportive, grounded, and active, helping with Portolas Renaissance Faire, Fright Night student-made film festival, or off-campus socials for parents and kids. All in all, we are very grateful. Who knew you could feel so good about middle school?

Posted: December 27, 2024

My son is finishing up his 8th grade year at Portola. He has been there since 6th grade. We have had a great overall experience all 3 years there. Some of the reasons why we love this school:
1) Teachers and staff are experienced in their field, treat students and parents with respect and are very approachable. We love seeing principal Tapia on the corner of school everyday during pick up and drop off saying hello to everyone
2) Socio-economic and ethnically diverse campus. Just like the real world, we must get along and work along side people that may be different from us.
3) Friends of Portola (their PTA) are very active and welcoming. They are open to new ideas and community events. There are opportunities to donate to the school for fundraising but there is no pressure
4) Staff members who are extremely knowledgable in grant writing and obtaining funds for school improvement and learning opportunities. For example, Portola is able to offer after school enrichment classes FREE to students. Such as robotics, theater, screenwriting, digital art, anatomy and physiology, Spanish, football clinic, homework help/tutoring... just to name a few. Funds were also obtained to purchase new band instruments and sound system for the theater.
5) We feel safe at Portola and trust the staff in the event of an emergency.
6) Academically challenging and well prepared for high school.

Posted: December 27, 2024

I believe in the importance of open and respectful dialogue, and I want to share my experience as a former teacher in a constructive way.

During my time at Portola, I was passionate about my work and dedicated to supporting my students. However, as a teacher with autism, I sometimes felt there was a lack of understanding and support for staff with diverse needs. This made certain aspects of my role more challenging than they needed to be.

I also recognize that no environment is perfect, and mistakes can happen on all sides, including my own. Accountability and reflection are essential for growth, and I hope that by sharing my perspective, it encourages a culture where everyonestudents, teachers, and leadershipfeels valued and supported.

My intention in sharing this is not to criticize but to provide transparency for parents who might want to be aware of these dynamics. Schools thrive when they foster inclusivity not just for students, but for educators as well. By creating a more supportive and accommodating environment for all staff members, Portola can continue to build on its strengths and serve as a model for equity and understanding.

I share this feedback with hope for positive change and wish the school continued success in its journey toward inclusivity.

Posted: December 26, 2024

8th grade parent. My son went to Wilbur Elementary which we also loved and has been at Portola.
Hes had a great experience, being in the middle school band, having taken a video production elective where he learned Adobe Premiere and Final Cut. His teachers have taken an interest in getting to know his interests.
Portola has a lot of student-led / teacher moderated clubs and after-school enrichment activities. Music, art, robotics, theater, tutoring.
My son is high-functioning on the spectrum and the school has done a good job finding appropriate adaptations for him.

Posted: December 26, 2024

My daughter is currently in the 7th grade at Portola and participates in the Special Day Program, which supports students with learning disabilities. Our experience at Portola has been exceptional. My daughter, who has both intellectual and physical disabilities, requires various accommodations, and her support team truly embodies the essence of teamwork. Her teachers, with over 20 years of experience in special education, adapt their methods to help her meet her common core goals, while the paraprofessional staff address her physical needs with dignity and respect. She has taken part in three semesters of the school's district-renowned after-school musicals, receiving accommodations without hesitation. In the halls, my daughter is greeted with fist bumps by her peers, and any emails I send are responded to promptly and personally by the staff when needed. Our principal is a familiar face, often seen greeting students and parents daily before school, and I've even spotted him picking up litter! This shows true commitment to personal care. The parents are friendly, engaged, and contribute to creating an inviting school community. Although no school is flawless, Portola ranks high, and we feel incredibly fortunate to be part of the Phoenix family!

Posted: August 29, 2024

Our children's experience at Portola has been truly exceptional. We left a private school to come to Portola and we find that Portola has first rate teachers and provide an elevated educational experience. They have resources that are not available to many other schools. Portola teachers, faculty, and staff are companionate, kind, and supportive. We have only the highest level of gratitude for what Portola offers to our children.

Posted: June 7, 2023

A great school with very nice teachers and staff would highly recommend it.

Posted: May 2, 2023

My child was in the highly gifted magnet program in Portola. There are very good teachers and there are teachers who demand respect without considering the child's condition. The school will not give my kid an IEP unless he fails all of his classes. Even though my child has shown behavior difficulties. The administration has told me , "our kids don't fail. We will not let that happen." So, instead giving support , they changed his grade. We have an on IEP now. High school did fail him. LAUSD wouldn't give IEP even when Mr kid was diagnosed level two autism. Student must to fail first. How would any kid feel about that? No kid wants to fail. This is punishments before support. Zero preventative measures. Portola, to your English teacher who punished my child do work outside while the Santa Ana wind was blowing all his papers away, get some training in compassion and understanding. The kid was autistic, you didn't need to show authority to mask your fear of not knowing. To the other English teacher who praised the honesty in my child and gave an extra day for the work, thank you. For the rest of that year, my kid made sure English homework was completed everyday. To the history teacher who made the rules clear and upheld to the same rules all year for every student, we appreciate your kindness. Often my kid told me what a relief it is to have an extra text book in class so the backpack is lighter. To the math teacher who dismissed his questions in zoom class and gave out confusing instructions during tests, please find consistency. Telling kids tests is over, so kids click the submit button. Then tell them they have 10 more minutes. Did you know how many of them were upset because they followed your instruction and failed the test? And you did nothing to mend your mistake. To the other math teacher who gave out many examples so all your students will understand, we miss you. To another math teacher who supposed to know how to teach autistic kids, you have failed mine. Just few more math examples, why did you deny that request? To the science teacher who felt disrespected, please understand that being on the spectrum means the kid thinks different from you. The answers were different from yours does not mean they were wrong, and you didn't need to argue back and forth. To the other science teacher who pulled him out from hating science to love science, you are a miracle worker. To the multimedia teacher, thank you, he loved everything in your class.

Posted: February 21, 2023

Physical exercise in this school is really poor and most kids skip classes. It could be a bad influence for other students. This school has been going down-hill and most of the good teachers have been retiring. Mostly, this school has high academics, but bad teachers are flooding the school. Kids don't behave and teachers don't care about their students anymore. Kids are not under control and have several reports of assault and weapons in this school. This school isn't as safe as it looks. While they try their hardest to improve this school, nothing is under control. This school aims for equality, but is a little bit sexist towards both females and males. Females get more time to complete assignments, also in P.E, Females get more time to finish their laps around the track. For example, Males have to finish in 10 minutes and 30 seconds to get an "A." While Females have to finish in 13 minutes to get an "A." Now, this may sound like it is a small problem, but P.E is a massive part of your grade and it is poorly made. From the parents perspective, this school seems great, but kids go through tons of issues.

Posted: December 22, 2022

My son is in Portola Highly Gifted Magnet program. There was no a day when he did not want to go to school.

Posted: December 20, 2022

The school has a good blend of nationalities. The teachers, principal and staff are very cooperative. The teachers are very energetic and always helpful. They have adopted healthy teaching habits- teachers help and give students space to cope up with their homework. This way kids feel less stressful. Its a second home for the kids we are blessed to have this school in our community. Please keep up the good work.

Posted: December 20, 2022

This is our first year and we are happy. The academic curriculum in HGM is challenging, we have found our community. Sports definitely could be better but few HGM kids usually have sports interest. I wish they had sports teams from school etc.

Posted: December 20, 2022

My son has been attending Portola HGM and we could not be any happier with the level of education he is receiving in this school, all staffs and teachers are wonderful.

Posted: December 6, 2022

I love his school, for the most part. He has really good teachers who teach well and don't overload him with homework. He does have to do it, and there are no "Oh it's late but that's okay" exceptions. They have integrity around it and my child is learning to have that, too. So that's good. I like the principal and adore the Magnet Coordinator! Most of the administration seem great, in fact. The after school program is awesome, and the "coaches" are really nice to the parents, but firm with the kids. It doesn't keep some of the kids from stealing the other kids' things, so make sure your kid keeps an eye on their stuff. But my kid has been really happy after school other than losing some things.

My HUGE complaint is the other parents in their cars. There is NO system to drop off or pick up. Kids will wander in front of your car in the middle of the street without even looking up... some on their phones. People will park in driveways and in no parking zones. They stop in the street to let their kids out, even though we've been asked several times not to do that. It's ridiculous. But if you can brave the driving and parking and craziness, it's actually a really good middle school!

Posted: October 5, 2022

The administration and many of the teachers are terrible. We had an issue where my child was disqualified from 8th grade activities but NO ONE would meet with me to tell me why. I asked to meet with the teachers over 10 times over the course of 3 months and not a single teacher would meet with me because they were all too busy. Sorry I am an educator myself, meeting with parents and students is PART OF YOUR JOB. I reached out to the principal who said she would get the teachers to meet with me, but it never happened. If you are going to have a grading system to determine activity involvement based on behaviors then make an objective system not I dont like that student. Overall I was very unimpressed with the school. My child was not challenged and was treated horribly. The Afterschool theater program is run by people who frankly should not be working with kids as they love punitive punishment and have no patience for anyone different. My child is now in high school where she is thriving, being challenged appropriately and got all As with positive with the teachers actually taking the time to respond emails without being too busy I wish I could go back in tie ad chose a different idde school

Posted: September 5, 2022

I currently have my youngest child at Portola MS and my 2 older ones have culminated from here and are now in high school. The school have a variety of programs for different interests. Teachers are friendly and personable.

Posted: September 4, 2022

I have emailed the Principal and called to her to leave a message. She never got back to me. This Principal makes over 150,000. and can not return a concerned parent messages. I can not say a school is good when an administrator will not return a message.

Posted: May 20, 2022

Some of these good ratings are from parents. Who don't fully understand what's going on. This school is not a great school for your child. Many reviews had said that "kids sell drugs" and many more other horrible stuff. Staff at this school are absolutely horrible. As well, as the children at the school. Some students are even capable of being at this school. This school has been on the news for the horrible stuff as well. One of my friends had been to school, and was telling everything if one what needed to know. Absolutely disappointing. People would even smoke at that young of age, and start fights. I would NOT recommend.

Posted: April 8, 2022

Great school! The highly gifted magnet is incredible, the teachers are amazing, electives fit everyones needs. Im a student in the HGM and its been an incredible experience. The people are amazing in the HGM and from what Ive heard, the Academy is really good too.

Posted: January 29, 2022

My son is currently in 6th grade at this amazing school and to be honest its one of the best decisions I have made. The teachers are highly educated and know a lot about their subjects he is taking honors and the teachers all work with each other to better the students achievements . Homework can be overwhelming at times but is can be manageable, classes are rigorous and challenging so kids dont ever fill bored. Amazing school clean and beautiful all teachers are dedicated to students.

Posted: October 24, 2021

If you love for your child to get harassed and bullied this is the perfect school

Posted: October 24, 2021

Posted: September 17, 2021

If you want your child to be bullied, assaulted, and harassed with zero justice, this is your school. If I could give the bullying criteria a 0, I would. Some friends and I were sexually harassed, shoved, threatened, screamed at, and called slurs, and the school managed to do nothing about it. No detention, no call home, nothing, even after reported. This school makes me and many others feel incredibly unsafe.

Posted: September 17, 2021

Posted: June 9, 2021

The school is clean, the teachers are well educated, the staff is friendly. The roses are beautiful.

Posted: June 9, 2021

Posted: May 15, 2021

Horrible school! It simply is just too large and the administrators and instructors, just dont care, especially if your child is slipping through the cracks and has special needs. If your child has an IEP, better get a lawyer because that is the only way to get anything done here, sadly.

Posted: May 15, 2021

Posted: January 22, 2021

I am compel to write an extremely positive review of how AMAZING the staff and counselors are at PORTOLA MIDDLE SCHOOL in Tarzana.

But first, a bit of background.

My son for 6 years was taught primarily in Spanish since he was attending an Elementary Spanish Immersion School. While both his parents are Native Speakers and his first language that he spoke was Spanish, in Pre-Kindergarten he soon learned English and then it became his most dominate language.

When it came time for him to attend Middle School, his State Scores in the different subjects were poor. We were obviously concerned because Portola Middle School is recognized as the ONLY Middle School with a Highly Gifted program and the teachers are geared for high expectations from their students.

Joshua was placed in Academically Enriched classes that he soon realized were below his potential and desire for higher learning. His teachers observed the same dilemma and requested a parent teacher conference along with his grade counselor, Ms. Castillo and most importantly, Ms. Miller, the Gifted Program Counselor who has been highly instrumental in his educational goals and success in his Honors Classes. She has taken an avid interest in making sure that he continues his educational pursuits and academic promise that he became an honoree of the California Scholastic Federation that now we have registered him to a Prestigious Preparatory High School.

He has made the Dean's Honor Roll every semester and consistently has earned the 4.0 Gold and Citizenship merit Awards. Beyond his hard work and determination, it has been the attentive, caring and high expectations of academic achievement that makes PORTOLA MIDDLE SCHOOL in a class all of its own.

Great Kudos goes to Principal Jenifer Yoo and Assistant Principal, Becky Garcia for continuing the legacy of Portola Middle School High Achievements in Learning!

Posted: January 22, 2021

Posted: October 6, 2020

Amazing gem for the highly gifted child.

Posted: October 6, 2020

Posted: September 5, 2020

The academy is an inclusive program that highlights everyones unique abilities.

Posted: September 5, 2020

My child has not seen or experienced any bullying.

Posted: September 5, 2020

Excellent! I also appreciate that theyve gone out of their to offer a daily zoom help desk for students and families! Thank you!

Posted: September 5, 2020

Our program believes in quality of work over quantity!

Posted: September 5, 2020

These are some of the most talented and dedicated teachers that weve encountered.

Posted: September 5, 2020

I love that the kids can develop and lead their own clubs.

Posted: September 5, 2020

Im so impressed with the consistent communication. The roll out of materials and pick up for our large community was smooth, efficient, and friendly!

Posted: September 4, 2020

This is my fourth year at Portola, son just graduated, daughter just started. I have always been very happy. The counselors are great, the teachers are great, the leadership is great! Since COVID-19 started in March, the school has been on top of everything, my son was prepared for high school, and doing very well, and I am confident my daughter will be as prepared.

And the Musical Play Production enrichment is absolutely amazing!

Posted: September 4, 2020

Its a great school that treats every kid great

Posted: September 4, 2020

Yes they do. The teachers and faculty all help do attend to all childrens needs.

Posted: September 4, 2020

Have not had any experience in this area so cant really comment.

Posted: September 4, 2020

Five star out of five stars! Very happy with Portola.

Posted: September 4, 2020

Due to covid I want to thank all the teachers and the faculty support for doing what they do every day for our children.

Posted: September 4, 2020

They are responsive and attentive to all our childrens needs.

Posted: September 4, 2020

I personally want to give Mrs Yoo a special thank you for her daily involvement and making us all feel that the school is running under normal times.

Posted: September 4, 2020

I like my experience at Portola they always make sure that you feel safe and they are all kind.

Posted: September 4, 2020

The nature of the HG population is that many students have learning differences, and social differences. The teachers are keenly aware of this and try to make students feel special and worthy. Faculty and administrators are trained to work with this population and recognize and support students who may have needs that fall outside of the norm.

Posted: September 4, 2020

Within the magnet program you will not find bullying. However, it is important to note that this is a large school and phys ed, lunch and passing time take place with the population as a whole. Mostly kids get along with each other. Historically there have been some difficulties occasionally with some students in the main school making students in the hg program feel out of place. Ive heard of backpacks being pulled off, verbal teasing, refusing to allow access to lunch tables. It is my understanding that the new principal is working to improve this dynamic, and I want to say it isnt a catastrophic situation. We all experienced bumps in middle school- they are tricky years. But I would definitely say that there have been (in the past) sometimes some issues but my child seemed to weather it without too much fuss. I have younger students attending school there now and when Covid ends, I hope to find that things are continuing to get even better. My eldest child who attended the program weathered the middle school dynamics by keeping a low profile during lunch etc. Mostly they do a great job with so many middle school kids and so many hormones. If there were more lunch tables, it would probably help. These kids need to be able to spread out and not be on be on top of each other.

Posted: September 4, 2020

I have always been impressed by Portola HG Magnet school, and the efforts of teachers and administrators to make things work during Covid is further evidence of the strength and heart of this programs. Even back to school night was surprisingly good in an impossible situation. The teachers are so on top of this that I feel totally confident that they will make anything work.

Posted: September 4, 2020

Teachers understand the students in the HG program shouldnt merely be assigned more work in order to challenge and fulfill. They use HW as a way to supplement class work and many assignments allow for a differentiated expression of their learning: through collaborative projects, art, experiments and research, creative writing, digital platforms etc. all of my children were able to handle the work load and rarely of ever complained that it was busy work. They knew the work was advancing their Learning. Furthermore when large projects or due dates loom in one class, other teachers take note and balance their assignments.

Posted: September 4, 2020

The teachers at Portola HG Magnet show a level of passion and commitment rarely evidenced in many overburdened public schools. Many of the faculty started reaching out and meeting with students and families this year well before the school year started, knowing that Covid would make interactions more complicated. The teachers are highly responsive to parents and students. And the HG parents population can be, frankly, demanding and high maintenance at times. The teachers are enthusiastic, patient and supportive. They push their children in order to get them to do careful deep thinking. Mayb teachers regularly make themselves available to children outside of teaching hours. When my eldest attended Portola, lunch could be a difficult and inhospitable time for the magnet students. Many teachers had open classrooms where kids could come play games or work on science or do puzzles. History teachers would stay after class to engage in dialogue and science teachers would allow students to assist them in order to help these kids fit in and acclimate. They are an amazing group of teachers.

Posted: September 4, 2020

Portola HG magnet is not strictly focused on accelerated academics, even though the students are definitely accelerated. They recognize that the whole child must be educated. They recognize the social and emotional development of the population is key. Classes will often steer discussions to topics that relate to values (both individual and societal). They encourage collaborative work and demand that students respect the differences and of their peers. They do not expect cookie cutter high performers and recognize HG can take many forms. They demand integrity in academics and do not take violations lightly, recognizing that the pressure to perform must be mediated with a recognition that children and still children and cannot be expected to always succeed. They nurture and develop.

Posted: September 4, 2020

As a parent of a 7th grader, I can not say enough on how well this school is run. The. The principal is organized and communicates. well. This virtual world is hard for everyone and she has put out informational videos on how to long-on, the website is organized and information comes to parents in many different avenues: phone calls, emails, texts, and Schoology.

It is clear that the teachers care about the students and are working hard to connect in this virtual space.

My son is extremely happy there and so am I!

Posted: September 4, 2020

Posted: September 3, 2020

My child is new to this school so I cannot comment on teachers or academic quality. However, so far my experience with principal and the way this school is being managed has been TERRIBLE. I have children in 3 different schools. All three school had zoom meetings prior to school starting to explain the process of Zoom learning etc'. I attended the zoom meetings of all three schools. Two of the schools (not Portola) had a very effective meeting and the principal explained the process very efficiently. The meeting for Portola was absolutely useless. The principal bubbled some technical terms and simply read of the LAUSD website. I understood ZERO of what she said. They then had a fundraiser at a restaurant, but they emailed everyone the wrong date. I appeared at the restaurant to get dinner, and was told by the cashier that the fundraiser was actually the following day. A few hours later I received an email from the school that they had the wrong date. Then, there's back to school night. The other two schools my kids attend have notified me of the date and time a week before (one school) and 8 days before (second school). Portola gave us the time 2 days before the scheduled back to school night. by then, it was too late for me to reschedule a meeting I have that evening, so I will miss the back to school night. Notwithstanding, the instructions Portola sent to the parents to attend the back to school night are worthless. I'd be surprised if more than a handful of parents will be able to figure out what they have to do in order to log in. School only started 10 days ago, but so far, I am extremely disappointed with the way this school is being run

Posted: February 28, 2020

The Academy of Integrated Arts and Technology has lots of opportunities for kids with learning disabilities.

Posted: February 28, 2020

Yes, but only for serious matters. If it is serious then the dean gets involved and he is a really scary guy but for small forms of bulling such as teasing there is no involvement and the child has to figure it out.

Posted: February 28, 2020

Eh, its okay. Im in the magnet, and honestly I expected better. Most of the the 6th grade HGM teachers are not what you would expect to be teaching at an accelerated school, and I honestly think I could have learned much more at one of the numerous private schools I could have been accepted too. They call the magnet an accelerated program, but what they mean is that they pack you with homework. It is honestly ridiculous. Most of my friends report staying up late nightly in order to complete the vast workload we have been assigned. The only reason Im staying is because I have good friends here.

Posted: February 28, 2020

I am currently in the HGM, and they assign so much homework. Almost none of it is necessary. The science and English homework in particular is outrageous. I have only been here a few months and have had enough homework to last my entire middle school experience.

Posted: February 28, 2020

It honestly depends on who you get. The 6th grade magnet math teachers are great, and one of the English teachers, but thats about it. The history teacher is lazy, the science teacher is extremely strict and gets you in trouble for the stupidest reasons, and dont even get me started on one of the English teachers. Classes are complete chaos, he tells us completely random stories about his personal life, and I havent learned a thing in English class my entire time here. However, I really like the music teacher, Ms. Calkins. Not crazy about most of the other ones.

Posted: February 28, 2020

Like I said before, kids are rude, disgusting language, skip class, cheat on tests, and even in the Highly Gifted Magnet kids act like animals.

Posted: February 28, 2020

Kids are disrespectful and rude with absolutely disgusting language. Nobody has any respect for the rules, most kids I know cheat on tests and neglect their homework.

Posted: January 26, 2020

this school has done nothing if it suspects bullying and only does something if been told as many middle schoolers tend to be insecure it is right to always ask them if something is going on

Posted: January 26, 2020

I do not recommend this school at all.

Posted: January 26, 2020

I am currently a student in the HGM program and they pack you with homework, most of which isn't necessary.