University High School

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