Straight From the Bottle

It's like I'm reading my own life here ;)  I thought when we moved into our house that my son would be going to this awesome school... WRONG!  The cut off line is the street over *smack my head moment*  and lo and behold the school he was heading for is soooo not what I wanted for him!  So after much stress (including considering homeschooling) we finally were able to find out info on how to make him a transfer student, we knew a lady at the admissions office who gave a good word (luckily) and he got accepted!  From a year to year basis and it hasn't been a problem.  Dun dun dun here it comes two years later and we are still unable to move and his younger brother is scheduled to start kindergarten this fall. We were told that they aren't accepting any new students UGH!!!  I feel your pain... here's to hoping things fall in place and life with kids can go back to being only mildly stressful at times :P

I went to Arlington Heights for the first grade and I'm pretty sure that if I had been old enough to notice, I would've seen the metal detectors. Luckily, my teacher convinced my parents to send me to a magnet school (I stayed in the magnet program all through high school). This was in the 90s and they had no idea what a magnet school was. They sent me to Brentwood (http://bit.ly/cic5V) and this is going to sound really sappy, but I'm pretty sure it altered the course of my life. All of a sudden I was in a high performance environment taking oceanography, music and physical science classes. It was amazing. So take your time and pick the right school!

Why don't you just get one of your fancy friends to pretend lease you a fancy pretend suite with the proper fancy address to get you into the school. That's what we did... shhhhh.

Amazing! Thanks for the link! This school looks fantastic! We will absolutely look into this (as well as all other recommended schools.) Especially those specifying in Science! Archer is very interested in all things Science and music so... Thank you!

Well, if any of your friends living in the school's zone are down with it, you could use their address as your mailing address and you shouldn't have a problem. I went to school with kids whose parents used other people's addresses to get them into the schools they wanted them to go to. No one really looks into these things. If that doesn't work for you, you should definitely look into applying to magnet schools. From third grade on I was in magnet schools and they are a hundred times better than normal LAUSD schools. And FYI, once you get into a magnet (say for elementary school) you have a much easier chance to get into a magnet for middle school and high school.  

Dude, I have no help on LA schools, but just wanted to say I feel your pain.  I'm already worried about it and we're years away from even being able to put in applications.

I know that there are lots of folks who go the fake address route, and I think it's true that usually no one cares.  However, there is one school here in Denver that got pretty crowded, and so some of the "real" address parents got all pissed and started a witch hunt for the "fake" address parents, meaning that they do actually look into that now.  But that's Denver, not LA.  

oh no what a pain in the butt. i have no advice for you.

i know that schools in nyc have a lottery based system for kids to get into the few 'good' public schools, where you live doesn't even matter, it's out of your control no matter what.

and of course super rich people have no problems as there are hundreds of super (expensive) public schools around...

My parents lied about our address (they used a friend's address) to get me into Santa Monica schools.  Fortunately, we were able to move to Santa Monica when I was in 2nd grade and no one ever found us out--that I know of.

I never went to the Brentwood science magnet, but I used to work across the street.  Great school, nice families.

You're the ignoramus? I had to look up what a magnet school was!

I really feel you on this one. I paid $750/month for my daughter to go to an amazing school for kindergarten, and I though that was expensive... $1000 for preschool is rough! Strangely, her school only charges tuition up until first grade. It was a struggle, but it has definitely paid off. Don't get discouraged. My daughter's education is totally superior to most kids her age. The school makes a HUGE difference! Perseverance definitely paid off.

It was really hard to afford without any child support and my family telling me it was a waste of money regularly. (Some months we had dinner at my parents regularly to get by). I am so happy I worked hard for her education, and you will be too. Hang in there :)

so we are homeschooling- the public school system gives me some scary goosebumps but i know a ton of people with kids gus age who will be gong to public k this year and hearing about it makes me thankful am not going thru that. anyway, we are still in l.a. county in long beach. they have mini conventions for the districts where all the schools get together and you can check them out. they have the "lottery" type system here and you just sort of put your name and wait it out. here in long beach the schools are 50/50 and everyone we know wants spanish immersion schools and those seem to be fab but have a long waiting list. find out about your lottery system there, charter schools. etc. i know quite a few people in l.b. that are sending their kids to private but that is pretty much a joke in itself anyway but another issue, ha. or you can always do the lying address thing- hey, you can be living in someone's back house. it's funny cause i don't think i remember my parents even thinking about it- just schleping us to the nearest school- which is probably why people stress now and choose homeschool-best public and private- us education blows.

We have a couple charters in our neighborhood but I have not heard good things... Le sigh... And Private is out of the question. Even if we had the money we would move as opposed to sending to Private School although when Middle School comes to play? I don't think we're going to have a choice -- I should probably be looking into scholarship programs now. Ha!

As for the fake address thing -- I couldn't do it. It would make me feel like I was cutting in line or something.

Okay, I had this whole long, well thought out response written and the interwebz nom nom nom'd it up.  Shit. So I'm starting over.

This is a tale of how to get into a good school. But instead of heroic deeds of goodness, it requires trickery and lies.  Not my first choice of action, but desperate mamas do desperate things for the good of their babies.

We were in this exact same situation right before we knew we were moving from L.A.  We had been congratulating ourselves on living in a really good neighborhood of Studio City so Julian was going to go to The Good School when we found out that were one street away from the cutoff, and were really slated to go to The Bad School.  The congratulations for our smart thinking quickly ended, and turned to mourning for our son, who we knew would get stabbed in the 3rd grade if we let things stay as they were.  He was only 3 when we started thinking about this.  And also, same boat as you: couldn't afford to move to a better place since we were already maxing ourselves out at $1700 a month for a shithole of an apartment, and definitely couldn't afford the $25K a year that private school (Oakwood, which is set up in trailers) costs.

While we never actually had to do any of these things, some friends in our neighborhood did (their kids were a year ahead of Julian) and had no problems. So, when they realized that they were also in the same shit situation, they found a loophole in the system that allowed a child to go to The Good School if his/her after school care was in the zone for T.G.S.  These friends realized that several of their friends lived in the zone, and asked them if they would lie on the application and say that they were the after school care providers.  That yes, little Susie would be spending her days after kindergarten at the home of Mr and Mrs. Blabbitybloobity because mommy and daddy are busy after school and can't be there to take care of her.  That was it.  Put down the phone numbers and addresses of the friends, submit application, done deal.  Little Susie would not become a tiny gangster, because she goes to The Good School now.  

Awesome post. I have a one-year old we're currently raising in West Hollywood and are considering sending her to preschool next year, so I have some of the same issues. I'll be interested to know what you end up deciding.

Btw, your kids are beyond gorgeous.

Since you have friends that have children is the awesome schools, you should see if they can pull some strings and have your case presented to the school board.  If that doesn't work, you can look into charter schools.  They will probably cost less than if you moved, so maybe you will be able to afford it?  

And if he has to go to the school you're zoned for...  well, thats life.  I think its better to have him in a not-so-great school as a kindergarten student rather than a junior high student.  So if you have to sacrifice a nicer school in the beginning, at least you can be making preparations for a better school later.

We hit the same problem here. And trust me, Guatemalan public schools SUCK! So, we`re homeschooling. So far, so good . . . I was also homeschooled, so it`s old hat. :)

I used to work at an after school care center, and there were several kids who faked addresses to go to that school. There were at least two that were found out, and were pretty much kicked out of the school even though it was in the middle of the school year.

I grew up going to Long Beach schools (which as it was mentioned earlier is in LA county). While there are some not so good schools there, the majority of them are really good. And for high school there is open enrollment, you are able to apply to any of the schools in the district. I'm not sure the same applies for elementary schools there though.

I'm afraid I don't have much advice though Sandra Tsing Loh has devoted an entire website to this topic:

www.sandratsingloh.com/index.php

In the LAUSD, you can apply to a magnet school. There's a weird point system so it's probably best to apply for preK on the next go around just to start getting some points. The next deadline is Jan. 9...

The Web site is sfpc.lausd.k12.ca.us/.../prog-opt-4.html

There are several Web sites that will give you data on your choices. One of them is http://www.schoolmatters.com/

some charter schools are very good too, but they tend to cater to low-income students, rather than the middle class.

good luck.

I love you, Jarad. Thank you for the great tip!

we are *hopefully* getting ready to move soon the areas we can afford do not have really super awesome great schools. a friend told me that the crossroads school in santa monica, which is insanely expensive, actually has a really generous tuition reduction program based on financial need. it is supposed to be a really amazing school for arts and sciences and we will def be considering it when the time comes! good luck to you!!!!

Sigh....hate to bring it up, but...

Ever thought about crossing over the Orange Curtain? I grew up in Placentia/Yorba Linda school district and went to some of the best public schools in the state (for free).

I know, I know. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

I was just about to bring up Sandra Tsing Loh, too ... she has an entire (very funny) book on the topic: Mother on Fire: A True Motherf%#$@ Story About Parenting!

Rebecca suggests the OC, but I grew up in Newport Beach (NHHS class of '90) and I always laugh out loud when I hear people talk about how great OC schools are.  My schools in Newport were awful ... no metal detectors, but there were some really old textbooks and some scary, abusive teachers that the principal swore he "really wanted to fire but couldn't"), etc. etc.

we went through a similar ordeal with my daughter when it was time to start school. We lived on one side of town (the newer, go figure) and wanted her very badly to be in the elementary school across town. We tried to inner-district her but that didn't work because of overcrowding as it was. So...shhhhh....we did bad things....shhhh...we just used our friends address on that side of town. My daughter is now in the 6th grade. She has attended that school since kindergarten without incident...and its been the best thing we have ever done!

I say you go full-on Andrea Zucker and list one of your fancy schmancy friends' address as your own to get Archer into the good school!! Also have you read Sanda Tsing Loh's book, Mother on Fire? She had the same issue and if you're looking for something to make you laugh while you stress I highly recommend it!!

Would any of your Fancy Friends be willing to let you and Hal use their address to enroll Archer? When my mom moved my sister and I slightly out of our school district, we used our grandmother's address to stay enrolled and not have to switch schools.

I'd be careful using someone's address to fake residency, especially with all the budget cuts coming from the state. The districts are going to get more savvy about residency, because they'll only want to service those kids in their attendance area.

Hal and I spent last night on Craigslist and were able to find a couple rental properties in our price range on the right side of the tracks so THERE IS HOPE! Especially since we don't plan to move until next year.  Fingers crossed then when the time is right for us to move we can make it happen. (And toes!)

As for the fake address thing (like I said above) I couldn't do it. It would make me feel weird.

www.ed.gov/.../opencharter.html

i went here in the 90s. AMAZING!

things that stand out in my memory:

-singing EVERY day, often accompanied by live musicians.

-spending a year building a class "city" out of found objects

-having friends from every walk of life therefor being exposed to all sorts of cultures that i wouldn't have otherwise been exposed to in my west side white bread town

i seriously cannot recommend this school enough, although, i'm going off almost twenty years ago. check it out girl. if i lived in la still, i'd try and get my kids in there for sure.

good luck to you!

Yay to finding digs on the right side of the tracks!  Hey, can I ask a question from long ago?  What happened after you gave up speech therapy?  When did he "turn it on" so to speak?  I'm currently going through speech therapy insanity and flake teachers and I think it's all pap but need to hear about anyone who gave it up.

Hopefully this won't come across as judgemental or offensive- I just want to offer another perspective.  Keep in mind I teach in innercity Nampa, ID, not LA...  I'm sure I have no idea what the schools there are really like...  

The problem with a lot of these "problem" schools is that there are not many (if any) families who are able to help make them a better place and to serve as role models to other families.  All the well-rounded families flee to other places, leaving just those kids who are so needy and struggling.  The school has less resources to help those kids, and the cycle of poverty continues.

I taught at a school with 90% free/reduced lunch for the last 5 years.  There was no PTA because parents didn't care or were working 2 or 3 jobs just to put (some) food on the table.  This year, I work at a school with a small pocket of middle class families.  We have a PTA, parent volunteers, and just plain involved parents.  They show up at functions, celebrate with all our kids, and just set the example for our other families.  There are still all the same gang issues, drug issues, violence and abuse issues, but there is a huge difference.  They fight for all the kids of the school, promoting safety and helping out the administration.

My friends and I have often discussed whether we'd take our own children to the schools we teach at (they really are the toughest schools in the district).  I think yes.  I believe it's important for my kids (though we're a long way off) to be in diverse settings (including SES).  Now, safety, I realize is important.  I know in our school, anytime something happens that is not safe (and it has) there are parents rallying to get things changed to fix it.  Obviously Nampa isn't the same as LA and probably none of this is relevant - but for some of your readers in other areas where "really bad"  isn't really that bad... it's something to think about.  We can't change the system from the outside, only in...  

And now, I apologize for writing so much, can you tell it's a passion of mine?  

Oh, Los Angeles schools.  Ugh.  

I've never known anyone in LA to send their kids to public school, rich or poor.  It is not pretty.  You can make it work, without lies, and hopefully without going massively into debt.

It sounds like you love your part of town.  Would you be open to moving to Mt Washington?  We lived there.  My husband is an editor, and did not have a bad commute, at all.  It is a beautiful, cool, and affordable neighborhood.  There is a super fabulous elementary school there, www.greatschools.net/.../2259.  

The Hollywood Schoolhouse was very very good about making sure their student body was diverse by including children from all incomes.  (This may have changed, but I would check it out.)  Their teachers are bad ass, too.  

Also, there is always Financial Aid for private school, www.nais.org/.../index.cfm.

Good luck & thanks for sharing!  More people should be talking about how to find a school for their kids that does not, um... have to have metal detectors.

I'm so sorry you're in this situation.  I was in the exact same boat last year in LA.  We lived just north of Culver City between La Cienega and Robertson.  I had such mixed feelings about the school we were zoned for.  On the one hand, I wanted my kids to go to a diverse school... on the other hand, our neighborhood school was less than 1% caucasian.  I would be knowingly sending my kids to a school where they would be the only non-hispanic kids in their class.  Would that be hard for them?  Would they get teased?  Or would they become stronger because they were different?  I felt extremely conflicted  - was I being racist, was I being elitist?  I don't doubt that in many ways I probably was... We couldn't afford private school so that wasn't even an option, and we tried to get in to Ocean charter school and a couple others but did not make the lottery.  I hear there's a new german language school called Goethe International school that might not be filled up yet.  I think it's on the westside though... not sure where you live.

The epilogue for my story is that due to layoffs we ended up moving to Berkeley where all the schools are pretty good (and also diverse).  LAUSD sucks though - I'm sure you'll figure it out but it's so stressful.

My niece & nephew went here homepage.mac.com/opencharter.  They seemed pretty happy with it, and both are doing exceedingly well academically in Jr High & High School.  

Instead of moving to the other side of the Orange Curtain (sorry, schools there aren't great either), you'd be better off to move up north to Santa Clarita where the schools are pretty good--if moving is an option to you at all.  I teach in one of the districts up here, and all the public schools here are decent.  It's a little bit Stepford here, but it's also a kid-friendly community.

Your best option might end up being home school, at least for a while.

Heck!  Give up on CA and move up here to Oregon!  I know you want to!  :o)

So I do not have kids, or live in the LA area. But here are my recommendations, since I was stuck in the shitty district that barred kids from leaving the district short of them accusing teachers of sexual assault. I'd recommend "Moving" to a better address, having all your mail forwarded to your "new" address. Be sure you roommates at your new house know that you and your kids live there, be sure to spend a couple nights having dinner there.

Unfortunately unless you can make a lot of noise with money, they usually won't listen to you.

Or you could just lie and say fuck you, what are you going to do to stop me.

I went to a bad Charter here in OR. the only thing I can say about that is that I'd recommend checking out a school that's been around for a while, as in at least 7 or 10 years. Sit through a days worth of classes, pour through textbooks. I know that doesn't really apply to Kindergarten, but it's something to keep in mind for the future. Also be sure the school is accredited otherwise your kids will get shafted in the HS years.

That Open Charter sounds like an interesting possibility.

Good Luck with it all.

I totally feel your pain, but have to ask if you have thought to even visit the supposedly bad school?  Maybe its not as bad as you think, and to chime in with Katie, I think its a shame that so many caring and involved parents opt out of the public schools that they are legally zoned to.  Don't mean to chastize you and its totally not fair to expect you to set the example, but it's worth making the decision for yourself rather than just listening to what other parents, who conveniently don't live in the same district, have to say about your school.

I honestly wish you good luck Rebecca... I'm sure you'll figure something out... You're thinking ahead and that's a great thing.

And not to be snarky or anything but after reading all the comments from angelenos (+ my BFF who lives there and says the same), I was just thinking that great public schools is apparently the one thing LA doesn't have... Unfortunately...

Hey -- Check out Kaya's charter magnet school.  It rocks and we loves it!  www.communitymagnet.org.

Well I dont know how the school system works over there, but here in Tx, my friend used my address to send her son to a good school close to my home. All she had to do was show a bill, so she changed the address on her cell phone bill, and poof he was in!

I was scrambling through the interwebs trying to find a link to an article that I read by this woman who went through the similar freak out with her kids.  I forget what area of LA she lived in but ended up sending her white kids to a school where they were drastically the minority.  She decided to become super involved in the school, PTA, volunteering in the classroom, etc and got other parents involved also.  This ended up being the solution that fit best with her morals while still ensuring the educational outcome she wanted for her son.  

It was super inspiring... However, not everyone has the luxury of that sort of time. Also, I don't know that I'd be able to be that courageous.  We live in West Oakland and I can not fathom sending my kid to our local school.  We've already been talking about the private (with fa) vs moving to Berkeley debate and our son is only 21 months old!

this book is supposed to be helpful, and cheap: gomamaguide.blogspot.com

Honestly, schools are schools. And while private, charter and other options tend to have better class options, you'll find pretty amazing teachers even in the crappiest school systems. I'm convinced it's about being a dedicated parent, which you clearly are. If you seek out the best teachers in the school you fall geographically into, and keep up on his work, his homework and supplement it through family activities, Archer will be an amazing student. Kids learn better from those they trust. This way you get a mix of home school with the fantastic advantages of public school systems. No lying about addresses, no extra cost, just lots of love and devotion which you already have at your fingertips.

I no longer live in Los Angeles, but I do live near a really great magnet school that always has a waiting list. However, they have a loophole- if you are within walking distance, you are automatically in. Since school districts are so weird, you could technically be in a different district, but still able to easily walk to the school. There's some reason for it- neighborhood schools or something or maybe they just want to cut down on bussing as much as possible. Anyhow, I would check if they have a walking exemption. It can't hurt.

Don't try the fake address thing.  If you ever get caught, the kid is the one who suffers for it, and more than that, you have to teach your child the fake address which is teaching your child to lie.  And if that weren't enough?  Sometimes you have to show electricity bills and the like, which makes the whole fake address unnecessarily complicated.  I know someone who got caught recently.  Ugh.

I don't have much to offer, sadly, since I grew up four houses away from the house I now live in and I've always known where the district lines are around here.  The suburb schools are much easier to get into and arrange transfers for, I think.  Maybe moving to the suburbs would make it easier?  Good luck!

Dude, I got nothing but hugs. Hugs?

I no longer live in Los Angeles either, but I did attend high school there (private--I went to Marlborough, I am more than sure you have heard of it). I knew people who went to public school in LA, though, and who were all VERY smart and were at a magent/charter. I had friends whose siblings went to the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies--which is a magnet I believe. And then I knew several VERY talented and now successful people who went to Hamilton--but it's just a (public) high school (for the arts), so fortunately you still have a great deal of time before that.

My father was determined not to have me go to a public school when we moved back to LA when I was 16, so I managed to get into Marlborough & then my dad bankrupted the family paying for my tuition. I knew people who had scholarships but man, it's just not for everyone! I get it. I really do. My husband is VERY against private schools and we live in another large California city with terrible publics--SF. Not sure what we'll do when we have kids...unfortunately, probably move out of the city.

Hey Rebecca~ Im just wondering what is the $1,000/month preschool related expenses you stated in the article. I am not from California but still for the life of me cannot understand what would cost $1,000/month for public school....? Anyway Im a teacher and was just wonderin....I hope you are finding what you are looking for. A good school makes all the difference I agree. :)

As far as I know there are no such thing as public preschools in Los Angeles. In fact, I don't know how common they are in California. We pay close to $1000 a month for Archer's school and that's on the low-end of cost for Preschool (8:30-2:30. ) We have friends who pay nearly double what we do. There are co-op schools that are much cheaper but parents have to participate in teaching the school. That wasn't an option for us with a new baby and jobs but I do know people who have managed a cheaper educating by utilizing co-ops.

I just found this: www.laup.net/index.php

So it looks like one day preschool might be public here? As for now...

Schooling. Quite the dilemma. I don't really have any suggestions for you other than try to move into the district you would like.

Also - props to you for not wanting to lie about your address. I know that parents are willing to do such things if the ends justify the means. Hell, if I were in the same situation I probably would too. I know I would at least consider it  - but I don't know how I would justify the lies to my children. I'm not trying to flame anyone - I'm just saying "Good for you!".

Oy! I'm going to be following what you decide to do closely and combing through any tips you get. I must live pretty near you, because I know exactly what schools you're talking about, but I live north of Melrose and have an even iffier local school. My baby is only two months old (I know -- I'm a worrier), but we'd really like to stay in our place for the next several years. I've been fretting about the school thing. We can't afford private school, but we're zoned for an struggling school and my kid would be radically in a racial, ethnic and linguistic minority at our local school. I'm a big fan of diversity, gently (not adamantly) against private schools (even if I could afford it) and I refuse to leave the city, but what's the cost of my politics on my kid? I wish I had a suggestion or knew something to pass along, but gosh, i guess moving across zone lines might be the best solution to you and me both. Of course, this is the kind of thing that perpetuates problems, but who wants to force their kid to bear the burden of forging a new path? Gah! Well, all I have to offer is empathy.

It's been a while since I was in your boat, but I was.  I checked into starting a charter school in my district (there weren't any, then, and the ones we have now aren't doing well) and found resistance in the strangest places, including the local realtors.  Their line was that if our town had a good school, the Chinese would take over the town.

There is public preschool in some districts.  Pasadena has them.  They are income-based, so low-income families get first dibs, and families that don't meet income requirements have a reasonable pay option (less than $400/month, for a 3-hour day).  I think the LAUP program is going to create a lot more public preschool spots for families of all income levels.  I am working on an LAUP grant to create a program for children on the autism spectrum as well as typically-developing kids, but it's not in your district and it won't be up until the Fall.

The address thing -- I've seen kids followed home and outted by school districts.  Traumatic.

Sandra Tsing Loh made it work and you can too.  I saw her one-woman show on the school process and absolutely howled with painful recognition. ("The Catholic schools teach evolution, but that costs $8,000.  The Baptist schools are only $5,000 but don't teach evolution.  Is it possible that we can't afford evolution?  Is that possible??")  We ended up in private school through 8th and are now in a public high school that admits students based on audition / portfolio www.artshigh.org.  With only one kid, this has worked out really well for us.  

Some people say school is school, but I disagree.  Another thing school is, is a peer group for your child.  Kids whose parents have radically different ideas about parenting may not make the best playmates.  Just sayin'. We have ended up with families who are racially / socioeconomically / religiously diverse, but have in common progressive ideas related to parenting (and often, politics).

Good luck!  School years are amazing and there is so much good out there.  You and your kids will enjoy it!

I don't have much memory of my elementary school years, but in high school (in LAUSD) I went to a better school with a child care permit, so if any of your friends that lived in the neighborhood of the school you wanted to send Archer to would be willing to be listed as his child care providers, that's one way to do it I think, and it's not like lying and using their addresses, it's totes cool.

notebook.lausd.net/.../ptl_apps.renderfaq.viewquestion

There actually is a tutorial about magnet schools here called "Martinis and Magnets." This is the only link I could find and it's a little dated-

askamagnetyenta.wordpress.com/martinis-and-magnets

-but maybe you can use it as a jumping off point. The very little I know about it is that magnet eligibility is determined by points, and that you can ONLY apply to one magnet per year. The good news is that Archer will probably go into the system with some points (12? can't remember) because the school in your district is so bad. You should definitely apply for his kindergarten, knowing he probably won't get it, but then you'll have a better chance (more points!) for his first grade.

I know it's very confusing, but I had a friend explain it to me so it made a bit more sense. If you want more information, I'd be happy to provide.

You can also get him into a better public school with a permit. I'm not sure how that works, exactly, but I don't think you're limited to the amount of permits you can apply for. Don't forget to check out Ivanhoe and Franklin Elementary, two other good schools not too far from you.

Also, does Hal work at home or at an office? Because if there's a good public school near his office, Archer may be eligible to go there.

Last, there are a couple private schools that may not be as insane as you think. Probably on par with Archer's preschool. One is the Lycee, the french immersion school, in Los Feliz. It has a great reputation and (I think) hovers around 10k a year. Also, maybe a religious school? Believe me, I'm just as horrified as you are at the thought of that, but they are cheaper, and a lot of them are pretty liberal, this being LA, what with the fruits, flakes, and nuts.

Whew! I didn't think I had so much information in me. I hope it helps.

My bro and SIL live in L.A. with my niece who is 9. They sent her to Montessori. Seemed to work out well.

We used to be in LAUSD but just moved to a different school district last year, just in time for my daughter to start kindergarten. We were in the same boat you are. Some options we had been looking into were different basis for requesting an intradistrict transfer - seeing if the better school had a program or option that our zoned school did not (longer kindergarten day, different after school program, emphasis on a ceratin subject, etc.) If your zoned school is an underperforming school (look up their test/API scores) that is also a basis for a transfer.  Also, many schools have a lottery you can register for if you live outside their zone. My friend who's a kindergarten teacher told me to start visiting the school up to a year in advance, schmooze with the kindergarten teacher and the principal, let them know I REALLY wanted my kid to go to their school, and usually there would be a way they could make it happen. My friend had pulled strings before, even though this is not really on the up and up. Fortunately I never had to actually try any of these ideas, but they're worth a shot if you're desperate. Good luck!