Muscle Shoals High School

This is one of the very few public high schools I have ever seen teach at such an accelerated level. I am an alumni and having had my high school education here, I was fully prepared for college. I appreciate the attention to instruction and excellence at this school.

MSHS is concerned about all aspects of their students lives. Not just their education. They provide a great education.
—Submitted by a parent

Great leadereship at this school
—Submitted by a parent

I am a graduate of Muscle Shoals and received an Honors Diploma. My oldest child is a student at MSHS and is working toward receiving an Honors Diploma. My youngest is attending MSMS. While there are always cliques in any school system, the education received at MS far outweighs any drawbacks of this. If a child is brought up to respect themselves and take pride in their work, the sky will be the limit for them. Every school has peer pressure and every year that peer pressure seems to get worse. The teachers and staff at the Muscle Shoals School System are great at motivating and challenging our children to achieve their very best. I feel my education at MS prepared me for a successful career in finance. I know it will help prepare my children for their life's dreams as well. Keep up the great work MSHS!
—Submitted by a parent

Where does one begin? All I can say is WOW! MSHS is one of the finest institutions in the state of Alabama and the whole Southeast. As a graduate of the school, I feel fully confident to debate anyone who downsizes or has a negative opinion about it. I entered my first year of college on a bright note after earning an Honor's Diploma. Universities jumped on the 'MSHS Honor Grad' caption and asked how some of the legendary teachers are doing. They called six by name. That, in itsself, exemplifies how wonderful the teachers are. Almost anyone can find his or her's niche in the school, whether its the award-winning band program, or the awesome athletic team, MSHS has a place fro you. Again, all I can say is wow, everyone was loved or apreciated at the school, and that's what counts!
—Submitted by John, a former student

As a graduate of MSHS, I can say nothing but positive things about the school. I transferred in during middle school from a county school and the difference it made in my life is amazing. The teachers pushed me to do my best and encouraged me to go on to bigger and better things. After graduation I went on to a large state school and graduted from there with a degree in engineering. The teachers in the high school and middle school are very caring people. Even now when I run into a former teacher or administrator, they remember me and ask how I'm doing. By transferring to MSHS, I had so many more opportunities to learn and further my education. I would not be where I am today without the guidance of the staff of MSHS.
—Submitted by a former student

I used to go to MSH til I transferred to another school. I can personally say I hated it and I wouldnt go back if my life depended on it! If you dont have a lot of money then you are screwed. All Muscle Shoals is full of if preps and money. Half the people in there dont know each other cause they are to snobby to give anyone a chance but there friends. The teachers..well they choose their favorites and stick with them. They are like the students also if you dont have a lot of money they dont like you and give you a hard time. Academically they are way behind schedule. If any students from there make it through their life then more power to them. I learned absolutely nothing and found out instead of learning on a freshman level I was learning on a 6th grade level.
—Submitted by a student

I am currently a student at Muscle Shoals High School. Some people talk about how Muscle Shoals is run by politics, Well I have realized that mainly the people that say this are the lower class trash that Muscle Shoals doesn't want any way. Some people say that only people who have experienced other schools would be able to tell you the truly disturbing truth about Muscle Shoals. Well, I have experienced other school systems and hated them. I attended two other schools before realizing that I was better off in Muscle Shoals where the academic challenge is greater than a first grade level, like many of the county schools. I make a 20 drive every day to attend Muscle Shoals High School. SO if you feel that you didn't fit in or were put down at MSHS it was probably because you didn't put out any effort to fit in
—Submitted by a student

i would not recommend sending students to this high school. It has a great reputation, but one needs to realize that many of the students that help achieve those high test scores do no live in the city limits. MSHS is not for a student whose parents have no money, The school is controlled by politics. As a students there, I held many offices, and represented the school well during my four years. In spite of graduating with an honors diploma, i was not prepared for college. but most people think you are soo prepared by attending MSHS.
—Submitted by a parent

I attended this school my 9th grade year, and I believe that out of all of the places I have went to school, it was the best school I ever went to. I did so good until I was forced to move.I knew the princible Mr. Noah very well. He even called me by my nickname. It was great. I wish that I could go back to that school because now I make failing grades at my other school when I was making A's and B's there. I love that school. I believe they have a great thing going there as well. The teachers actually do care too, unlike other schools.
—Submitted by Elisa Agee, a former student

Parents, teachers, students at Muscle Shoals it is a great school. My daughter was attending sheffield and was almost flunking they said she couldnt read but when she came to Muscle Shoals she became and All A student she is currently in the 11th grade and is taking classes for the honors diploma. So the person who gave Muscle shoals one star is maybe its because you didnt try. If I had to do it all over again being a parent of two Muscle shoals students I would. Muscle Shoals is a great school and I pride myself and my children for attending this school. I wouldnt have it no other way. Keep up the good work Muscle Shoals for you are great!
—Submitted by a parent

As a former student and college graduate, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to attend such a fine institution. MSHS prepared me for college and the workplace. The teachers there make you accountable and responsible for you education. They are not there just to pass you along to the next grade. There were extremely helpful. I always wondered why I had to learn Algebra and Trig and Calculus, even though I knew I would be a business major in college. I found out later that it is not the nuts and bolts of the material but the process of thought and the concepts that are the most enduring. If you read bad reviews about this school, ask yourself this question. Have I raised my child to be a responsible, serious student? Or do I just drop he/she off and hope for the best?
—Submitted by Eric Aycock, a former student

I can't not express enough gratitude toward Muscle Shoals. Since moving here from a large county school in East Tennessee, my grades have improved (due to the motivation and guidance I recieve from my teachers) and my ACT score rose 4 points in less than one year (into the 98th percentile) and my PSAT score went high enough to give me National Merit Semi-finalist. Also, the wonderful guidance counselors here have made my college search much easier and actually have experience with sending kids to schools other than State U. I now have the option to attend many of the best schools in the nation like Vanderbilt and Rhodes. I would recommend that anyone moving to the Shoals seek out a home in the wonderful Muscle Shoals community especially anyone with school age children.
—Submitted by Wesley Rich, a student

Parents, do not send your kids to Muscle Shoals High school! This is simply a school that does not care about it's students. It's all politics. Many people have been fooled into thinking this is a great school to send their kids to. I know because all I heard when I entered was how great Muscle Shoals was academically nad financially. I entered thinking I was in a good school, but I had no idea what was to come. Within the first week of school, I could clearly see that the classes that I was taking were weeks behind the ones that I had been taking formerly at a little County School that wasn't suppose to compare to great Muscle Shoals. I learned that the kids could barely read or write. A very disturbing surprise was just how horrible the teachers were. These were not qualified teachers. The majority of the teachers would just hand out worksheets, tell you to finish them by the end of the period, and they would sit behind their desk for the entire time and not teach once. They were also gone from the classrooms for long periods of time. The teachers would harass students if they answered a question wrong in class. Looking back to when I first entered that school, I don't remember a single teacher or student welcoming me. I became sick that first year of school and had to miss about a week all at once. When I was able to come back, the teachers were angry and cruel to me because I had missed a lot of their assignments. They never asked if I was feeling better, or why I missed in the first place. This treatment occurred nearly everytime I missed school. Over the years attending Muscle Shoals, my parents and I learned that we had all been fooled. It turned out that the biggest mistake of our lives was transferring me from a county school that cared about kids to the highly regarded Muscle Shoals that prefers to intimidate rather than educate kids. I wasted a lot of time and education at that school. My parents and I had finally had enough when they decided to let me finish high school by homeschooling. It turned out that I receive more education that one year of homeschooling than any of the years that I attended Muscle Shoals. I just want parents to be aware so they can save their kids and themselves the stress that my parents and I went through. If any parents are considering sending their kids to Muscle Shoals Middle or High School, I strongly suggest doing a lot of research first. Ask kids who attend the school what goes on there. The kids who have attended only Muscle Shoals and no other school are less likely to realise the poor quality of the school because they have had no others to compare it to. Ask kids who have attended schools other than Muscle Shoals, and they are likely to tell some very disturbing things. The worst thing a parent can do is send their child do a school that does not care and chooses money and politics over the childrens education. When that happens, you get harassment, degradation, and violence in schools which is not an uncommon thing these days. No child should have to suffer that.
—Submitted by a former student

I am a first year college student, and I can't say enough good things about Muscle Shoals High School. Teachers are very best, they are very knowledgeable, helpful, friendly and supportive. The school challenged me acdemically, and prepared me very well for college.
—Submitted by a former student