There are private K-12 schools in Irvine?
Anyway, my thoughts on schools for the kids. . . If the school has a solid academic track, and you make that a priority for your kid, it's gonna happen for them. I went to Foothill, in the Tustin District. Basically, it's a segregated school-- with respect to class. I did my honors and AP, got into UCLA-- it worked out well. My siblings both went Ivy League. The North Tustin money contributed funds earmarked for academic purposes. True, there were kids there that were basically just warehoused, but you didn't really interact with them. There are complicated social issues with this, and you can get as political as you would like with that.
When I saw the campus of Northwood, I thought it was amazing. I really would have loved to go to a school that looked like it was out of a TV show. Purely anecdotally, I feel like the Irvine Schools are a little homogeneous. Yeah, you get the high API scores when everyone is working so hard, but I don't know, I think there's more that matters than that.
Again, my prediction about a school thread becoming a discussion about Asians has come true. So, yay for that.
Bottom line, I'd just say look for a school where there seems to be a solid academic track. . . high numbers of honors and ap courses offered. . . community involvement., parents caring. Be a good parent. Get the kid a little therapy-- best investment ever. Those things are going to make the difference. If you think you're gonna get the kid in anywhere because of the school, you're barking up the wrong tree.