Rio Mesa High School

I attended this school and it was okay, i was treated poorly by almost all of the staff and was almost always talked down upon, Only 2 teachers actually Taught me and spent the time to teach their students, My guidance counseler was Mrs.F*****ck and she was the most unhelpful, irresponsible, coniving, apathetic, imbellic, prejudice, uneducated, rude,difficult,invidious, rotten, untrustworthy person I have ever met. She had such a bad attitude and gave me the opposite information she was giving the students whom lived in big houses, with nice cars and lots of money in their familys bank accounts. Remove her and bring someone new to that school who actually GUIDES the students in a good direction, and ALL students not just the IB my dad drives a BMW my mom eats bon bons all day and watches GLEE at night cause we're wealthy and have nothing else to worry about. Thanks
—Submitted by a parent

Its one of the smallest in the district but the most diverse and always competitive in academics, sports and the arts.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been very impressed with Rio Mesa. Our son is a sophomore this year and likes it as well. He is an honor student and very active in sports. The sports programs are wonderful and the teachers are fabulous.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is a Freshman here and we are very impressed. The school's culture is second to none. These students will be movers and shakers! They are involved in their school and in their community. The sports teams have a rich history of success. With the addition of the International Baccaleureate program, this is a well-rounded high school program whose crowning jewel is its diversity.
—Submitted by a parent

Rio Mesa provides an excellent, warm. welcoming, fun enviroment. It is a school with diversity. It is also a very safe enviroment and full of great teachers. I LOVE Rio Mesa High School.
—Submitted by a student

Outstanding High School! With a background in Safety, Security/AT, Disaster Preparedness, Management as an evaluator and Professor at the Graduate Level - I have been very impressed. I have independently 'surveyed' the school during numerous functions at varying times of day and night. The School spirit and pride shown by students and staff, as well as the respect shown to each other, is the highest I have ever seen. Academic programs and teaching/coaching staff are outstanding. Any complaints made by parents, I would suggest to them that they might look in the mirror. Schools are not the only factor in the equation for student academic performance and learning. No matter how good a program is, parental involvement is a key to success for any student at any grade level. Our city students utilize two high schools based on residence location and I'm glad this is ours.
—Submitted by a parent

Great school in education, students are very athletic, and we have great staff.
—Submitted by a student

I have four sons and three have gone to RMHS. Although they play sports, and the sports programs are great. Academically the focus is not there. Especially for the student that needs the extra push. I will say the staff is great, the teachers are great, but the school overall lacks in discipline.
—Submitted by a parent

I have had 2 nephews complete school at RMHS and now my child attends. It was a very different experience for all. The one who didn't care about school or sports did not enjoy his time there, and we were not pleased with his education. I don't believe it to be the schools failure but his. My son now attends and he loves his school and has much pride. He continues to excel acedemically and enjoys the sports programs. The counselor has been very helpful. The teachers I have met seem to also have enthusiasum for there school. The spirit at this school is high. The kids say they like that it is not clicky with groups, and over all everyone is nice. Some of my son's friends go to ACHS and don't seem to be as pleased as the kids who go to RMHS. There honor's program is great.
—Submitted by a parent

Great School.I am currently going to be in Senior Year. There is a great athletic team, and a great Parent/Teacher community. Teachers are great, but with the nearing closure of the Rio Mesa Auto Shop, the school will loose a great program.
—Submitted by a student

Good parent involvement, however it is from the more affluent parents. Like many of the schools in the area, Rio Mesa has way too many students. Students with special needs or language deficiencies may fall through the cracks. Too much emphasis on sports and not enough on academics. Overral good teachers. Administration could do better.
—Submitted by a parent

A very diverse school full of all kinds of backgrounds and ethnicities, which makes for great life experience. Overall competent sports programs, with many teams in CIF playoffs, including basketball, water polo, soccer and football. The honors/AP program is strong, with almost all of its students headed to UCs or to renown four-year universities. Parent involvement could be higher, but there are many ways that parents can get involved and help out the school programs :)
—Submitted by a student

Rio Mesa is a good school. They have good programs and the teachers are awesome. They work well with the students. They have an awesome sport program with some great choices.
—Submitted by Aaron, a former student

In a large school as Rio Mesa, my daughter has falling through the cracks. An Honor student in a small middle school (where parents and teachers were allways guiding the students) she feels lost, her gades have dropped to Cs and she doesn't know were to go for help. I, as a parent, feel no conection with staff and teachers which usually don't return calls or if they do they do not know how my daughter is dong in their class.
—Submitted by a parent

My 2 students couldn't be happier to be at RM. They both are challenged to excel, and both are honors and AP students who participate in 3 sports every year. The athletic department, specificly X-country and track, is superb, and the coaches are wonderful. Rio Mesa is a multi-ethnic school and students come from mixed backgrounds, which makes it better in my view. Rio Mesa continues to attract high caliber students, even though enrollment is not as limited as it was a couple of years ago.
—Submitted by a parent

I have just transfered to Rio Mesa and I would say it is not a bad school at all. There are no extreme racial issues like many other schools in the district and the teachers are great. Although the counselors don't take much of the students time, they are a huge help. The sports and music programs are extremely impressive and the school spirit is amazing.
—Submitted by a former student

I graduated from Rio Mesa in 2000. I am so glad I went there. All the teachers were wonderful and supportive. This school is the best in the district!
—Submitted by a parent

I have three students that attend Rio Mesa High and I have mixed feelings. If your student is self-motivated and does well in school, they will do well at Rio Mesa. If your child starts Rio Mesa and has any academic problems, my experience is that the teachers don't care. Only one teacher has made an effort to help my child when they fell behind. My experience has been if your child falls behind, the teacher is more interested in them getting transferred out of their class than tackling the problem and helping out the student.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm a senior(c/o 2004) here and i'm perfectly happy at this school. I'm in the colorguard and I always talk about how my school is one of the best when it comes to extracurricular activities. No complaints here. And to those that don't like this school, your only reason is that you haven't tried experiencing the music dept.

I have found the teachers and counselors to be extremely helpful, approachable, and responsive to the needs of their students. Many of the teachers were previous students, and there seems to be a lot of school spirit. Overall, my son has had a positive experience attending the school.
—Submitted by a parent