CalColor Academy reviews

2.7

42% would recommend to a friend

(20 total reviews)

Lan Liu

46% approve of CEO

43% positive business outlook

CalColor Academy has an employee rating of 2.7 out of 5 stars, based on 20 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The CalColor Academy employee rating is 28% below average for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

20 reviews
1.0
Jun 17, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

One of the few art schools that offers full time positions with benefits

Cons

Only work here if you really need the money. Terrible hours, heavy work load and low pay. Management is overbearing and expects you to work extra (unpaid) and offers little to no support. One of the worst companies I have ever worked at.

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CalColor Academy Response
1w
Thank you for sharing your feedback and for your years of service to CalColor Academy. We appreciate your recognition that CalColor is one of the few art education organizations that offers full-time teaching positions with benefits. Providing stable career opportunities for art educators has been an important part of our mission from the beginning. We are sorry to hear that your experience regarding workload, management support, and compensation did not meet your expectations. Teaching is a demanding profession that requires dedication, creativity, and responsibility, and we recognize the importance of ensuring employees feel supported and valued. We would also like to provide additional context regarding compensation and career growth. CalColor's compensation philosophy is centered on pay for performance and long-term professional development. Rather than treating teaching as a static role, we encourage educators to continuously develop their skills, expand their impact, and take on greater responsibilities. Through our structured career framework, teachers have opportunities to advance into senior and leadership-level positions with increased responsibilities and compensation. Many of our long-tenured educators have successfully progressed through this system and built rewarding careers with CalColor. We also take concerns regarding workload seriously. Over the past several years, we have continued to improve scheduling, staffing support, benefits, and employee wellbeing initiatives. While weekend teaching remains an important part of serving students and families, we have introduced additional planning time, greater scheduling flexibility, improved leave support, and enhanced benefits to better support our team. Finally, we would like to clarify that CalColor expects teachers to complete their responsibilities within their scheduled working hours. We recognize that teaching requires planning, preparation, and classroom management, and we continuously work to improve staffing, scheduling, and operational support so employees can perform their work effectively and sustainably. We appreciate your contributions to our students and community and wish you success in your future endeavors.
1.0
Jun 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

not that many pros x

Cons

really low pay and extremely overworked. no leave and no days off. some other teachers are really rude and think they are in competition with you to get themselves a better pay

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CalColor Academy Response
2w
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We're sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. We take employee concerns seriously and continuously review our compensation, workload, and workplace culture to ensure we provide a positive environment for our teachers and staff. We would also like to clarify that CalColor provides paid time off and holiday benefits for eligible employees. Under our Time Off Policy, full-time employees accrue PTO, and employees may carry over unused PTO or request cash-outs in accordance with company policy. Teachers are also able to request approved leave through our established time-off process. While individual experiences and perspectives may vary, we remain committed to fostering a collaborative, respectful workplace where employees can succeed and grow professionally. Feedback such as yours helps us identify opportunities for improvement, and we appreciate you taking the time to share it. We wish you the best in your future endeavors.
1.0
May 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Some coworkers and the kids

Cons

too much work/stress, not enough pay

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CalColor Academy Response
2w
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback and for recognizing the positive relationships you've built with your coworkers and students. Creating a supportive environment for both our team and the children we serve is something we value deeply. We understand that teaching can be a demanding profession, and we appreciate your honesty regarding workload, stress, and compensation. Over the past several years, CalColor has made significant investments in increasing teacher pay and enhancing our overall compensation programs, and this remains an ongoing priority for our leadership team. We are committed to continuing these efforts as we grow and as our resources allow. We also continuously evaluate staffing, scheduling, and operational processes to better support our teachers and help create a sustainable work environment. Thank you for your contributions to our students and our community. Feedback like yours helps us identify areas where we can continue improving, and we wish you continued success at CalColor Academy.
Viewing 1 - 3 of 20 Reviews

Glassdoor has 20 CalColor Academy reviews submitted anonymously by CalColor Academy employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if CalColor Academy is right for you.