Bell Tower School

My daughter has been at Bell Tower School since kindergarten, and it has been nothing short of a wonderful experience for our family. The school offers a truly unique trilingual program in English, Spanish, and Mandarin, which has given her a strong foundation in language and cultural awareness from an early age. One of her favorite parts of the day is the daily dance program — she lights up when she talks about it, and it has given her confidence, joy, and creativity. The two big performances each year are always a highlight, and it’s amazing to see how much the students grow and shine on stage. What I appreciate most is that Bell Tower provides a safe, nurturing environment where children are encouraged not only to learn, but also to grow into kind, considerate community members. The teachers are caring and dedicated, and my daughter has truly loved every single one of them. Because it’s a family-run school, Bell Tower has the warmth and close-knit feeling of a home school, while still providing excellent academics and enrichment opportunities. We couldn’t be happier with our choice, and I feel so grateful my daughter is part of this special community.

If you look pass its unassuming exterior, you will that the beauty and strength of Bell Tower School lies in its teachers and academics. The teachers are exceptionally caring, inclusive, and supportive. They are not too rigid but they can be silly too. While the curriculum emphasizes strongly on academics, they ensure that learning is also fun and engaging. There are plenty of holiday celebrations, potlucks, family-run carnivals, and assemblies. The low student-to-teacher ratio also enhances the educational experience. My daughter has been attending Bell Tower for over four years. When I pick her up from school, she is always excited to tell me about her day. I am amazed with her confidence and growth in Spanish and Mandarin. More importantly, she has gained an appreciation of different cultures. She is nearing the end of her second-grade year and is flourishing across all three languages. I like to keep an open mind to options when it comes to most things in life. So I have taken her on tours of other schools. One school, in particular, was strikingly beautiful and modern. Despite her admiration for it, she surprised me with her insight, expressing that we should prioritize the quality of education over aesthetics. "It looks sooo good and fun here! But mom, we shouldn't go to a school because of how it looks!" She's right! If she is thriving and enjoys coming here, why change it? Bell Tower School's educational framework is effective and a great fit for my daughter. Her creative-thinking skills and well-above-average performance on state assessments are a reflection of that. She loves coming to school, to the extent that I often have to arrange dental appointments around her school schedule, as she is reluctant to miss a single day! The small campus is literally located right on the border of South Pasadena / Alhambra / El Sereno which makes it a quick and easy commute for NELA folks like us. Pros: Affordability / Academics / Location / Diversity / Inclusion Cons: Small Playground / Unassuming exterior might be a turn-off for the visually-inspired / Lack of sports programs (but that gap can be bridged with lessons elsewhere)

We have loved Bell Tower School over the past 3 years. Each of my 3 kids are excelling in 3 languages (full curriculum of read/write/speak, math, and social studies in Mandarin, Spanish and English) and both emotional development and community are great. Cost is very competitive and before/after care (7am-6pm) is included. They also offer tap, ballet, jazz, PE, music, and student shows 2x year. I will be keeping my kids there as long as possible- their test results are high, they’re very happy, and school administrators are responsive when I need them.

My son is 7 years old and has been attending BELL Tower school for two years. The program has amazing teachers for every language. The school is pretty diverse. Small campus but expanding.. Best of all my son is learning to speak three languages.

I just had a tour at Tell Tower School with the director Adriana Spik this morning. As I have toured many schools, this is the worse experience so far. In June 2018 I entered our information on the website of Bell Tower School and requested to have a tour. The school set up an appointment for me on Aug 23rd, assuming we were applying for fall 2018. Firstly, when I met with Ms Spik, the secretary prepared a preschool package for her while I was looking for a Kindergarden in fall 2019. Ms Spik told me their school started the first week of August and this is their 3rd week of school. Ms Spik also told me she would not have scheduled a tour with me this early if she had known I am looking for fall 2019. Secondly, Ms Spik was not feeling well and did not have much patience when I asked any questions throughout the whole meeting. At one point, I asked what was the student-teacher ratio, she replied, "I already told you, it is 12-1 in preschool and 18-1 in elementary school, that's the law". Thirdly, I happened to meet one family of 2 daughters currently enrolled at Bell Tower School at Souplantation last week. The mom old me their older daughter started BTS 1st grade and is at 2nd grade now; their 2nd grade and 3rd grade are combined. I asked this mom why the 2nd and 3rd grade are combined. She replied many students left after Kindergarden. I asked Ms Spike about the combined classes. She told me they have tons of students for their preschool (they accept students at 2.5 years old), but they combine 2nd and 3rd grades as well as 4th and 5th grades because they are not open one grade for just 8 students. She also said many BTS students left Kindergarden because they can attend public schools for free. That is not true. Many private schools are able to retain their students until high schools. Lastly, at the end of the meeting, Ms Spik asked me if I have any more questions, I asked to see the classroom and see how teachers teach their students. Ms Spik said no and led me to the door. This is the first time I toured a school and was not allowed to observed the classroom. In conclusion, BTS is very disorganized and Ms Spik is simply RUDE.