Oak Ridge High School

A great school. The campus is a bit undersized for the population of students attending, but we love everything about it.
--Submitted by a parent

Pros: School message system is fantastic! The teachers seem very qualified, friendly - some are "adequate". The campus is nice, albeit a bit outdated. My child's classes seem solid, & the options for languages is great! Cons: Homework - & for this I give the school a 3 star rating. The amount of homework is insane, unnecessary, & exhausting. Our child, an "A" student, has NO down time, even on most week-ends. Drop-off & pick-up traffic at the school is not only chaotic, but it's dangerous. Have seen many close calls. Disorganized, unsupervised. ORHS has met & exceeded our academic expectations, but the homework level is beyond "average", & traffic flow needs to be addressed for safety reasons.
--Submitted by a parent

As a parent I have to admit that Oak Ridge High School definately keeps you up to date and well informed. Not only with testing but with anything that happens to be going on.
--Submitted by a parent

My learning experience was amazing. The most dedicated teachers teaching the hardest subjects a school can offer.
--Submitted by a student

As an alumnus who has since moved on to a top-tier college and law school, I'm still finding use for the lessons learned at ORHS. Oak Ridge taught me how to LEARN, something that has helped me in every subsequent endeavor in life. I look back at my time as a student at Oak Ridge fondly; I must say, the guidance counselors were always the weakest link in the chain for me; outstanding administrations; devoted teachers; active and supportive parental community. The Dec. 1st post sounds like someone who didn't make the Honor Roll and is upset about it.
--Submitted by a student

The post written on December 1, 2008 is one of the most dogmatic and closed minded reviews of a student who appears to think liberal and then call the community and Oak Ridge 'conservative'. What does that have to do with the calibur of the students if it is even factual? The fact of the matter is that Oak Ridge is recognized (among others in the community) as the best in the state and nation. I have two daughters and both have received outstanding education at the high school. Both are/have been AP students and one is a sophomore at a well respected private College while the other is a junior and is positioning herself to gain admission at the top Universities in the country. Oak Ridge teachers and the community should be proud of their academic standing and reject the December 1 Post as simply a disgruntled student.
--Submitted by a parent

The community of El Dorado Hills is quite unfortunately conservative, which undoubtedly affects Oak Ridge. The environment is completely bubble-wrapped, so to speak. The entire system is based on competition and a point-by-point system wherein students study to pass the test and promptly forget most of what they learn by the next test. Of course there are exceptional students who retain the information they learn. There are two kinds of people at Oak Ridge, the academically-motivated robots, and the vanity-motivated robots. All in all, it is a group of myopic adults leading hoards of teenagers down their myopic path. Teachers are unaware of basic student needs and how inefficient their processes are. Guidance counselors generally provide no guidance. The gifted students are punished for being gifted, in that they must spend HOURS a day at school to be given HOURS of busywork to do at home. It's ludicrous.
--Submitted by a student

I am impressed by the dedication of most of OR Teachers...less impressed with guidance...moved here 3 weeks after school commenced and was not given course outlines to choose from...were only told what they should take not what was offered...found certain guidance very condesending...wondering if this was the right choice after all...have 1 more entering HS next year.
--Submitted by a parent

Great school. Great teachers. Great AP program, the teachers are A+.
--Submitted by a student

All four of our children attended Oak Ridge High School, and we believe it is an outstanding school in every way except for the physical plant, which probably needs to be rebuilt. The student body is exceptionally talented, producing top scholars, star athletes and outstanding musicians/artists every year. Parental involvement is high, discipline is good, the social atmosphere is positive and there are many caring and gifted teachers. The only complaint I have is that a few teachers bring a politically liberal bias into the classroom. This bias is easily counter-acted by a good home environment, but nevertheless causes discomfort for many students and is out of place in a high school setting.
--Submitted by Jeff Pudewell, a parent