El Cerrito Senior High School

I went to many other shcools in the district. Hercules, DeAnza, and Richmond. I must say that this is the BEST school in the district thus far. For this poor district, El Cerrito has a lot to offer. It raises it's own money for clubs, and it uses the school funding wisely. For books and "the community project" which is basically a health care place and so much more. El Cerrito has open so many doors for me. I can actually see myself pursue my dreams now. I was a troubled kid, but El Cerrito representative offered me counseling, and I can't tell you how much that helped me. Not only my mood has changed, but also my mindset. I'm not saying this place is heaven on earth, nor saying it's the best school in the world. But to me, it's the best school I've went to so far in the district. Bottom line, education comes first here, teachers are dedicated, campus is safe. I love El Cerrito.
--Submitted by a student

8/26/2010 - El Cerrito High School is one of the BEST school in the district. Their academic classes are very good. My daughter attend this school and she is on her Junior year. The school go by blocks schedule, which makes students focus more on each class. The dance production is amazing! The school is clean and very, I mean very tight security. Some cell phones do not work in certain areas inside the school premises.
--Submitted by a parent

I'm a recent graduate and now a student at UC Berkeley.The teachers here do care about you and want you to succeed.There are lots of help offered by the school for free.The arts program is run tremendously well.There are a wide variety of AP classes taught by the best teachers at the school.Since it is a diverse school, people who come out of this school are more open minded to the world, as I have seen.The school has a rigorous debate team, a great sports department, and a variety of student organizations on campus.There's also a great IT academy open to students to apply.The college and career service center helped me successfully apply to 17 top tier colleges: Harvard, Brown, etc, and helped me get into 12 of them.To succeed in this school, you just have to try. There is help everywhere you look

I must admit that I was a little worried by reputation that other schools in the district have. I spoke to some of my neighbors and found that El Cerrito has a very rich tradition. I talked it over with my son and he said that he wanted to go to EC. He is very happy with the school. The facility is beautiful. The teachers are very nice and seem to genuinely care about the students (which you don't always see). There a lot of great clubs and after school programs. The principal is extremely involved. He and some of the staff even ran a marathon as a fundraiser for the school. El Cerrito is a hidden gem.
--Submitted by a parent

i can't help but say the school is horrible. The security is too relaxed, the counselors messed up a majority of the student's schedules, and some teachers are not doing their jobs. Based on my personal experience the security is not doing their job, every single say i hear people swearing in the hallways even when security is there, and also when i was helping out worker a few days ago i see a group of students just waltz right out of the parking lot with so much ease. The counselors, although their new and all i can't help but say that they messed up my schedule so many times that i had to talk to them and even taking my issue to the principal. i had an experience with a teacher that literally forced me out of her class in the middle of the quarter. That is really horrible.
--Submitted by a student

My son is in his freshman year at El Cerrito. He transferred from a private Middle school and he is really enjoying his first year of highschool. He really likes most of the teachers, he is being challeged in his classes and he enjoys the campus diversity. The staff is very dedicated to the kids.
--Submitted by a parent

The teachers and staff do whatever they can for their students and try bringing out the best in them.

The nicest thing about this school is how so many generations in the community support it. Alumni come back; and want to make a difference. Our principal is an alumni.
--Submitted by a parent

The school does well despite severe budget challenges. Very diverse, solid teachers, a friendly accessible place for students and teachers. The block scheduling is a bonus to teachers and students who both need and enjoy a longer class period to absorb the material.
--Submitted by a parent

My two chikdren transferred from private school this year. One is a freshman, the other a junior. I was pleasently surprised by the culture of the school and its course offerings. I have been told that there has been a lot of improvement within the past two years. Math and the newer English teachers are great. The art and yearbook teacher is also very good. Electives are strong Despite very serious budget cuts, the principal has managed to keep programs intact and school safety is great. One concern is that the district will be closing schools soon. I am not sure how that will affect El Cerrito.
--Submitted by a parent