Los Gatos High School

Some outstanding teachers and lots of choice (languages, woodwork, ceramics, metalwork, journalism and more). My two boys are kept busy with water polo and swimming, as well as doing some AP classes. There appears to be a significant drug problem. So far I'm not seeing it with my kids, who seem to have their feet on the ground. There's a lot of parental involvement, which I think helps in creating a support network among the parents. In my experience the teachers are caring and motivating. My kids find the level of homework very manageable (although it steps up in 11th grade with college prep), still having time for sport, socialization, and their own interests.
—Submitted by a parent

A lot of bullying and tight cliques. Snobbery at it's finest. Hard to make friends and the school administration does not get involved. Prefer Leigh High, more down to earth
—Submitted by a student

best school in the us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! your kid will love it here. It's so nice also it's so fun to leran here. so much better then Leigh high school
—Submitted by a parent

We have one student here and more coming. We have been very pleased with the level of instruction and the opportunities offered both academic as well as extra curricular. Every instructor we have met has been engaged and very competent. We have been overwhelmed with the efforts to include parents. The advisers are easily reachable and stay with the student throughout his or her gestation from Freshman through Senior year in a "house" type structure. Overall we couldn't imagine a better opporuntity to learn for our children.
—Submitted by a parent

Particularly not a good choice for transfer students - tight cliques that may be intolerant of differences in opinions or mindset, and resort to exclusion on purpose and spreading false degrading rumors. Be very very careful. In spite of serious consequences, school administration does not take real action when that happens. (Perhaps things are fine if your student has grown up in the school district -- is it really?)
—Submitted by a parent

Emotional Bullying (Situational aggression) is practiced in this school by some cliques of female students and surprisingly (and quite unfortunately) tolerated by the school administration.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a wealthy enclave of Silicon Valley. The teen center recently closed and the fight to offer suitable playing fields for sports rages on. It's not the most child friendly area due to the overall lack of support for services outside of the school system. That said, should you seek out only how things look upon the outside and rely upon AP scores for your decision this might fit your script. Drugs, entitled kids driving BMW's are the main negatives. Charming town with a a short commute to any where in the valley leads the pluses.
—Submitted by a parent

moving to Los Gatos, hearing mixed reviews about this school. interested in knowing updates about this school

I agree that it's really about the parents at LGHS. Those kids with parents who are involved do extremely well. Those with parents who think LGHS is a daycare center, tend to have a lot of problems with motivation and drugs. BTW: The drug problem is no better or worse at LGHS than other schools. The kids who attend are from affluent families and oft feel very entitled. We only had one bad (Spanish) teacher; the math and science teachers are outstanding.
—Submitted by a parent

School is okay for motivated and focused kids. Some teahcers are good, but many are wholly inadequate. Many tenured teachers have little motivation and do little to interest/help their students. New, younger teachers with good attitudes that connect with the kids are frequently laid off or are the first to leave. The substance abuse problems at tthis school are largely ignored by the administration.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is a member of the 2011 graduating class. She attended all four years at LGHS and is graduating with a 4.5 GPA, a 2210 SAT score, 800 on her Calculus SAT II, and 5's on AP Physics, Calculus and US History. The school offers a terrific environment for learning. The teachers have all been extremely supportive, but also demanding. The campus is very safe and beautiful. The only downside at LGHS is the parent involvement with their own kids. There are a lot of wealthy "slakers" at the school who are clearly left to their own devices by their parents. For kids who have ambition and also parental support, LGHS is without a doubt one of the best schools in California.
—Submitted by a parent

If your student isn't self-motivated and needs a little extra attention, this isn't the school for you. Kids like that get lost here. Most of the teachers are caring, but there's only so much they can do. Substance abuse is a huge problem here, and the administration is ineffective against fighting it.
—Submitted by a parent

We moved here from a high performing school in Cupertino. Our previous school had marginally higher test scores than LGHS, but test scores don't tell the whole story. The kids in Cupertino are stressed to the max, with an overwhelming percentage of the parents being of the pushy and obnoxious type, where every move carefully calculated to boost the kids "resume". LGHS is much more sensible and balanced, with more rational parents and great extracurricular activities. IMHO, the typical kids at LGHS learns a lot more than his counterpart in Cupertino (I've been a college professor for a long time so I have some relevant experience). If you want your kid to be an anal-retentive jerk who can't think his way out of a paper bag, but can score a couple points higher on the SAT than he might otherwise, then Cupertino is the place to be. On the other hand, if you want your kid to actually learn something and be prepared to think, then it would be difficult to do better than LGHS.
—Submitted by a parent

My husband and I both went there, now our daughter does. It's a big part of the community....it's beautiful, and has great spirit, and earns great scores!
—Submitted by a parent

This school is great for the percentage of kids (mostly caucasian) who are highly-motivated and university-bound but it fails those students who are not the top performers and don't have parents pushing them. These kids are underperforming, acting out, dropping out and there is no plan for them except to get them out of the district so they don't skew the numbers. If you are white and wealthy with supportive parents, this is the district for you.
—Submitted by a parent

Los Gatos High School is the place to be for motivated, hard working students who want to find out what they are capable of accomplishing. Teachers are excellent, and Math and Science departments are especially strong. I transferred to Los Gatos High School mid-way through my high school career, and now I feel glad that I took the step. Physics and Calculus teachers are unparalleled in dedication.
—Submitted by a student

This is a great High School. So lucky to be involved in the activities.
—Submitted by a parent

A school with a great sense of community. Having moved to this school mid-way through my high school career, I have had experiences at other high schools that didn't even compare to Los Gatos. It's one of a kind.
—Submitted by a student

I've been to three different high schools, including lghs, and this one was quite simply, the best. The staff is excellent and the students I knew were awesome. While the pressure to donate to the school is annoying, the money it gets from donations is amazing. The school is so well kept-up and the teachers have so many materials and media things that really enhance the learning experience. When I was there I was very motivated to perform, which is something that made this school stand out as the best. Students who are there are there to learn.

The teachers and admin care, the prep for college is excellent, and they have great extracurricular activities. The community actually comes to the games and the performances.
—Submitted by a parent