University High School

I am impressed with the way University High School (Tucson), keeps approximately 73% of it's student body population throughout the four years. To begin with 245 students, and end up with 178 graduating students (see above) is great. However, some schools, like Basis-Tucson, keep only 35% of it's population; using the same formula I used. Stats came from USNews Reports. This should matter to parents; the level of support your child will receive over their 4 year journey. Will a school really stick by your child when times get tough, or will they sell them out for rankings before they are seniors? I look forward to sending my child to UHS-Tucson this next year, the #1 high school in the state, with a low attrition rate.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter just started August 2nd and I am already very impressed. She has attended both private and charter schools and never been challenged like she is here, and it is just the first week. The parents get homework too. Every teacher sent home a class syllabus(including drama) with very clear rules and expectations for the students that had to be read and signed by parents as well. My daughter has done nothing but rave about teachers and curriculum and always wants to be there an hour early to take advantage of the multiple advising opportunities available. For the first time in years she is excited about school and eager to get there every morning.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent school with great teachers and students. Good balance with a difficult curriculum, but not overworked to allow time for extra-curricular activities.
—Submitted by a student

I have just attended my child's graduatioon from this school. After the ceremony I asked every graduate I knew if it was worth it, and without exception the answer was a resounding "YES". It IS competitive, and it takes hard work, but I feel it is likely the best education in a city where education quality is poor. The teachers do a good job with minimal financial help, and my son and I are grateful for the opportunity. The graduates (176 I think) qualified for over $26 million this year. That is a wonderful accomplishment so stop complaining!
—Submitted by a parent

I am a student and I have to say that this school is an amazing idea that was poorly executed. Gifted students DO need a place to go, and this school works for that, however academically they don't care about what you want. Just because we are gifted doesn't mean we want to be forced into several AP classes every year. Also the entrance exam only lets in smarter students. Smarter does not mean they enjoy busywork... we want challenging work. It's a better deal to go to the local high school and get easy A's than be forced to take intense classes to get C's which make you ineligible for scholarships.
—Submitted by a student

As a student at UHS I found only one good teacher. The other teachers were some what rude. The students (with only a few exceptions) are also rude and think they are better than everyone else. The curriculum is challenging but I found that I got a good, if not better education at the school I switched to. Also they keep expanding the incoming class size so the standards for the school are dropping.
—Submitted by a student

UHS is an excellent school, with exceptional an exceptional fine arts program. Most of the teachers are hard-working and committed, and all the students are extremely bright. Not to sound elitist, but if you do not screen the entrance program to a school by IQ tests and grades, the students will not be top-notch like they are at UHS. The minority proportion unimportant, as it is not biased either way. It is very fair in this way the students who test in deserve to go to a school much more then a person who scores lower than a child just because they are a minority. Students should be accepted based SOLELY on the intelligence level and grades. About the classes, they are very intense, expecting high school freshemen to be able to cope with final exams, midterms, and a large homework load. This is good though, because it challenges students to the maximum of their abilities. The only problem that I can see is that the lecturing and taking notes aspect of the entire program is a bit much. Extremely creative and very artsy people may find that this is not the school for them, whereas academic students will be very pleased with both the curriculum and the other students.
—Submitted by a student

UHS students are a bright, hardworking, dedicated group, which unfortunately allows some pretty lazy uncaring teachers to skate by on the laurels of their students. My son often relies on other students, or us, to help him understand the material. He has teachers who spend the class period on the Internet rather than lecture. Teachers have written condescending remarks on his papers when he hasn't performed as well as the other students in the same classroom. Because there is only one french teacher regular french students are thrown into the same class with AP students and all are expected to perform at the same level. The admin is so over-burdened they can't remember who you are even while you are exchanging emails one day to the next. If all the teachers were dedicated to helping these kids succeed they could do so much better.
—Submitted by a parent

As a first year parent all I can say is-"It's about time my student has been challenged!" Hooray for UHS as a whole!!!
—Submitted by a parent

The school is nothing spectacular. The leadership sees students only by their test numbers and not by their potential. I worry about our future generation when schools that have the resources to really reach out and support kids, like University High, decline that right to teach affluent A students. All students should have the right to attend a school that can prepare them for college and university. I hope that with the crushing recession, University High lowers their Elitist ways and teaches students as students, not AIMS Exceeder hopefulls. There is more to say about a school than just their test scores.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a currently attending freshman at UHS, and let me tell you, it is a huge change!! I have to keep telling myself that I only have to make it through one more week, and then I'll know everything there is to know about how the school works, and every week I am wrong. Most (nearly all) of the teachers are very kind and understanding and willing to help. Some are simply overloaded with too much stress. The campus is nice (nothing spectacular) but the fine arts are amazing!!
—Submitted by a student

I am a parent who had 2 sons attend University High...I consider the Education they received and their College preparedness excellent!
—Submitted by a parent

University High School is the best school to meet my children's needs. I have had three attend. The faculty are great at working with the student's unique learning styles. There are a wide rage of extracurricular activities available. It has been described as a community of learners. Almost every graduate goes to college.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm another UHS grad. It's a truly great opportunity. It's true that some of the teachers are less than excellent - which will remain the case until teaching is valued more and those who would love to teach are paid enough to afford to live on the salary. For the most part, the students' intellectual equals are college professors if they are teachers. There are those outstanding, motivated teachers who make their classes amazing, too, though. The real benefit is in the students around you. Every student is extremely bright. I went to an Ivy League school after UHS, and was the only one I knew who was unimpressed by my college classmates. Their SAT scores were lower than my high school classmates' and they had fewer sports championships. My friends were diverse both racially and economically, regardless of the supposed racial breakdown of the school. I am grateful I chose UHS.
—Submitted by a student

Best high school education I have ever experienced and heard of, the teachers are outstanding and the students are truly dedicated to learning and pushing themselves to their fullest.
—Submitted by a student

This is a excellent school. Some of the other reviewers say that the teachers do not care, or the students are mainly white and do not accept those of different backgrounds. I believe that this is not completely true. Of course at EVERY SCHOOL there will be a teacher that isnt as good as the others. Majority of these teachers are some of the best educators I have met, in these classes, the students are mature enough to talk about mature topics, be worldly aware and focused on their life ahead. And looking down on people? There are many minorities, i personally am a minority, and NO ONE has ever looked down at me because of it. I have friends who are brazillian, hispanic, african american, european, indian, etc. As a mature group of students I do not see the level of racial slurs and such as that of other campuses.
—Submitted by a student

I have mixed feelings about UHS. Great opportunities to strive there; then again I see the flip side too. Some teachers think the kids made it into UHS they should know everything so they teach very little. You have your teachers that really teach & love to watch their student flourish. Elite group of students that get into UHS if that was true my child should not have made it into UHS, we re not from middle/upper class as one poster expressed that the UHS students were from. I believe UHS has a tendency to add undue pressure to students especially the freshman. High school is a great change & with some of the pressure that is added it can make the change rather overwhelming. Not all the UHS students are extremely motivated or bright. There are students there for a lack of a better word of normal intelligence.
—Submitted by a parent

I have to agree that there are, unfortunately, a number of uninspired teachers. About half of them are smart, dedicated, and devoted to teaching students something more than they'd receive in a conventional classroom. The other half range from 'mediocre' to 'flat-out angry.' UHS does not handle 504 plans well. My chronically-ill child was promised all kinds of assistance that never materialized. His illness was treated as more of a behavioral issue than an actual disease, as if it was his fault that he was sick or at the doctor's office so often. We didn't ask for compassion; just for compliance with the 504 plan. We received neither.
—Submitted by a parent

This school can prepare you for college and increase your chances of getting a scholarship, but in other aspects it's not a great school. In a school district where 30% of the students are white, UHS is 60% white; 'minorities' are only 40% of the student body while the district is 70% non-white. Most of the students are smart and work hard, but so are people at many schools. It seems to me that many in UHS look down on people that don't share their background, and they don't understand the great opportunities that have allowed them to get to this school. Not everyone in this school, but many people nonetheless, are here because they come from a relatively stable, supportive, middle- to upper-class background. It seems that going to this school gives you the opportunity to meet a certain kind of people, and I think it's important to experience more.
—Submitted by a student

UHS is successful because it enrolls bright and extremely motivated students. Sadly, this pool of talent is badly served by many of the school s faculty. To achieve real greatness, UHS needs to hold every member of its teaching staff to the same high standards expected of its students. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Many of the faculty members are mediocre and uninspired. They resemble plow horses trying to teach thoroughbreds to race. Most students learn early on that their peers can often provide more assistance than most of their teachers will offer them. The real tragedy rests in the missed opportunites that a first class faculty could provide.
—Submitted by a parent