Monte Vista High School

MV does a good job in preparing students for college. Make sure to watch you child, I am a former student (class of 2008), there is a TON of drug abuse. The school is avg. in my opinion. I transferred from a private school in my senior year. I found that the teachers did not care, and some were horrible at teaching (especially science department)! Maybe it was a lack of funds for experiments. Overall, the other classes were great!
--Submitted by a student

We moved here a year ago from another state, and though MV has a reputation as an excellent school, I must say that we have been generally disappointed. Staff is generally unhelpful, downright surly at times. Customer service is non-existent. (I think it's a function of the school being too large -- they can't care about everyone, so apparently they don't care about anyone.) More distressing is the quality of teaching -- for example, we've experienced foreign language teachers who barely speak or read the language they're teaching. And, my student has spent a surprising amount of time watching movies in classes -- all classes, it seems -- many of which have nothing to do with course content. They're just wasting time much of the time. My impression is that the school may have once been good, but is now just sliding by on reputation.
--Submitted by a parent

Monte Vista provides exceptional teachers and a variety of classes to suit the interests of a multitude of students. However, as a current student there, I find that the number of students is overwhelming, and the 30 to 1 student to teacher ratio takes away from individualized attention. However, aside from the vast amount of people, I find that the school does an excellent job in preparing students for what lies ahead in college.
--Submitted by a student

As a former student, I must say that Monte Vista prepared me very well for College. My teacher's told me that they're goal was to make college easy, and they succeeded. I attended the University of California, graduating a year early. The teachers are exceptional, the programs are extensive, and the AP/Honors program cannot be beat. I have seen the education quality in other high schools and have never found one to remotely approach the quality I experienced at Monte Vista. My younger brother is a freshman there this year and he has nothing but good things to say. Excellent job MV!

I am a sophomore at Monte Vista High. As a minority, I find that racism is not a big issue. While the majority of the school is white, there is a huge population of East Asians, Middle Easterns, and Indians that go to Monte Vista and hang out with each other. Some of the teachers are excellent and others not so. If one has a problem, however, the administration is glad to help and very useful. There are a ton of AP classes and it is very challenging to get into them. With the right work ethic, it is easy to succeed but it is just as easy to fail. Monte Vista is a cliquey school, so one should choose their friends wisely and be open to everyone else. There are many different clubs and organizations. Overall, it's a great school
--Submitted by a student

I have two children at this school and I cannot speak highly enough about the teachers at this school. They are awesome. Some of them are demanding and grade harder than others, but they all seem to really care about the kids at this school. We came from an expensive private school and my kids did not get half the education they are getting at Monte Vista.
--Submitted by a parent

this is a good school. that is all there is too it. if you want to succeed you can...but on the other hand it is just as easy to fail. have good friends and youll be ok
--Submitted by a student

School's administrators - some are wonderful, some are trying to earn their stripes and it shows. Some of the teachers are caring and exceed expectations, some are young, inexperienced, and awful with respect to communication with parents and the general way they treat the kids. We've had a mixed experience here. In the three years my son's attended I can only remember a handful of teachers who were good about communication. In spite of attending back to school night and suppling teachers every fall with e-mail addresses and cell phone numbers to contact us at. Communication is the biggest area for improvement I would like to see the administration work on.
--Submitted by a parent

MV is very much glorified, and all to often the school does not live up to its expectations. Administration is extremley lacking, half of teachers and faculty are sensational, while the other half are down right awful. Parents are hit up for money constantly. Overall, Monte Vista is an OK school, but do not let an outstanding API score fool you.
--Submitted by a parent

I graduated from Monte Vista and attend college in Southern California. This school prepared me extremely well for college and created a positive learning environment. The teachers are approachable and always willing to help. They are also great at sending back e-mail for questions or clarificatons. This is a great school and if you are just moving to Danville or want your child to get a great education, Monte Vista is the place to go.
--Submitted by a former student