Trabuco Hills High School

This is a great school, I have two boys going there right now. My oldest is a senior and he takes honors and AP classes. He has been challenged and is well prepared for college. My other son is a sophmore and has some learning disabilities. Their RSP program is great and everyone works together to accomodate the student.
—Submitted by a parent

My son transferred into this school to take advantage of an award winning band program, but found academic teachers who seemed more interested in showing movies than actually teaching. From other parents, I have heard that the teachers of the higher level classes are great, but in average classes, my son did not get the help or instruction he needed. When he tried to get math tutoring, he was told it was not available for his class. When calling the front office, it is difficult if not impossible to speak to a human being, and my son's guidance counselor seldom returned calls, explaining when she did call back that she was "too busy". If you have an academic over achiever, this school may be great for your family, but if you have an average student - forget it. Your student will not get the help and guidance they need to graduate.
—Submitted by a parent

I speak as a proud, successful alumna. Most of the instructors were competent and seemed to genuinely enjoy the stimulating questions my peers and I provided. Most were willing to take time during lunch or after school to give extra assistance, and if they weren't, then there were always other teachers of the same subject who would gladly take in students that weren't theirs. If students were smart enough to take advantage of the numerous guidance programs, they would discover an abundance of resources to assist them post-graduation; I went the four-year-college route, and the counselors provided me with all the information necessary; the process was simple. While the sports teams are diverse and competitive, (I played four years at the varsity level) athletics are extracurricular and should not be the most important factor in evaluating a school. THHS has a stimulating curriculum and good staff -- I recommend it.

This school is amazing, simply put. The teachers are absolutely wonderful, the academics are very satisfactory, and the student body is diverse. I recently had to switch schools, and I miss Trabuco so much. I very highly recommend this school!
—Submitted by a student

The curriculum may have changed, but the teachers and staff that make up the school are never-changing. Due to budget cuts, the school has been deprived of its true potential. Trabuco Hills High School is one California's distinguished schools, and has been many times before. Our athletics departments are some of the best, especially the Track and Field, Girls Soccer, and Boys Varsity Swim, and girls JV swim. Out of the four main high schools (El Toro, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, and Trabuco Hills) Trabuco has the best spirit, the best students and staff, and is overall a worthy school in itself. I enjoy being at this school. We have many different programs and clubs, special classes for average students, such as the Pre-MedSci (sophomores only) and MedSci (juniors and seniors only) programs, which students share three classes with the same students and teachers. Overall, I love this school.
—Submitted by a student

This school really exemplifies the characteristics of a good high school. The sports programs push one to the limit, while the academic programs are top of the notch. Everyone knows each other, and not to many cliques and gangs are formed. There are many things going on all the time, and always a way to find out about them. Their school site is really great, telling everyone about what is going on... Overall my favorite school in the Saddleback Valley Unified District.

Not always easy to contact teachers. Poor integration and guidance of freshman.
—Submitted by a parent

Great school. Happy with staff, coaches, etc. Office staff is great! football team is great!
—Submitted by a parent

great school. i really like it there.
—Submitted by a student

Great school it is awesome... Great Academic programs and extracuricular... High test scores
—Submitted by a parent

This is a top quality school in many aspects. My son currently goes to this school and his teachers are fairly easy to contact and usually respond in a timely manor.
—Submitted by a parent

I just read a review by a parent who says that the school has a poor athletic record. That may be true if you are talking about football, or even basketball. But take a look at other programs. The Competition Cheer Squad which my daughter is a member of is currently National Champions, and State Champions for three years in a row. The drama department has put on numerous shows which have amazed me, and the music department is outstanding.
—Submitted by Nancy Wilkey, a parent

I have been extremely disappointed with THHS. I have read items written by teachers and find many of them cannot compose a simple sentence. Their credibility as it applies to teaching children is definitely arguable. The biggest disappointment has been the sports programs. My child has participated in several sports, and we have discovered they are lacking in several important areas. They force athletes to perform weight lifting and excercise programs that are known to be dangerous to the child and refuse to listen to experts' advice on this, feeling they 'know better' than doctors. They alter results of fellow athlete's voting when giving awards, and use the results to favor their own pets, or to penalize a child or a parent that they don't care for. Parents know they cannot speak to a coach, and indeed are told they should not, for fear their child will never play. This year we were sent a letter warning the parents to not criticize or talk about the coaching with other parents! I felt we were in Iraq, not the USA. The sports programs at THHS consistently drive away good athletes who no longer wish to play under these coaches. Students regularly transfer to other area schools to escape our programs. I feel it is a travesty to allow these people to so negatively affect our children. As I know this could appear to be merely sour grapes, I offer that the school's athletic records will bear out my contentions.