Shasta High School

Strong academics, excellent vocal music department, beautiful campus, perfect size to provide excellent programs and quality instruction but also small enough so students develop a strong sense of community. In this day and age, I can send my daughters to school with confidence that they have ample opportunities to learn, to be challenged, and to be safe ( no fear of violence or harassment).
--Submitted by a parent

I personally attended a small private middle school and switched to escape the strict and confined environment. Not only has Shasta High allowed me to spread my wings and become my own person, but it has allowed me to be involved with a vast amount of positive activities. The athletic department, though not at its prime, is still equipped with an amazing new football/track field, and basketball gym. the Music Department is absolutely amazing! I am heavily involved with the choir program and I have would not have survived without it. The Band and Orchestra are full of students who e born to create beautiful music. The Teachers and Administration are amazing. This school allows every student to become their own person.
--Submitted by a student

Not only are our academics strong, but so are our sports and arts programs. Mr. Howland is one of the best art teachers in the nation, and while our drama program is lacking, the spring musical and winter Madrigal Dinner thoroughly make up for this loss. The music program is very strong, and though our band and orchestra are not as diverse as, say, Enterprise, our choir program is strides ahead of any other school in the North State. As for the diversity of our academics, any student can succeed at Shasta, whether through the AP program, the wonderful Humanities program, the CP programs, or more specific, the MCM or ROP programs. Anyone who says this school is not diverse in academics is very wrong. Every school has its group of yuppie kids, but countering this group is many other groups, which all students will be able to find a group to fit in with during their high school years. Overall, Shasta High School is a wonderful place to send a student to school, both academically and socially. This is apparent because Shasta High School has recently been nominated in the top 900 schools of the nation.
--Submitted by a student

What? Shasta High is a great environment for adolecents! They have programs to fit every child's needs. My daughter went through the humanities and mcm programs and my son is taking challenging AP classes. They are wonderful. As far as sports go, Shasta has the strongest or 2nd strongest tennis, baseball, swimming, track, soccer, and volleyball programs in the region. It has tested academically higher than any other school in redding. My son is extremely involved in the music program. It is such an amazing program, I simply can't praise it enough. Both Enterprise and Shasta have completely different but completely awesome music programs. Shasta Madrigal Choir and the Madrigal Dinner have earned Shasta wonderful reputations, along with Shasta's stunning spring musicals. I often hear people say they rather see the musiclas at shasta than in a big city.
--Submitted by Jackson McNeill, a parent

Shasta's 'strength' is supposed to be academics, however the only program that truly lives up to this reputation is the AP program; that is where you will find the most prospective students and parents. The problem with this, is that AP is not a program for every student, and for those who are college-bound but do not fit in with the curriculum offered in AP, their alternative choices are limited. There is a big gap between the AP program and the other alternatives. The extracurricular activity programs are limited as well; the only strength being in their choir and musicals, which is usually students from educated, middle-class and up families, making it difficult for less fortunate students to participate in. The music program (such as band and orchestra) is not very strong either. The sports offered in this district and area are limited, it lacks sports such as field hockey, water polo, rugby, lacrosse, gymnastics, badmitton, men's volleyball, hockey, and several others. Both students and teachers have difficulty showing the respect, appreciation and admiration demanded of them by the administration due to some noted hypocrisies in their policies over student body activities. Socially, Shasta indeed is a very 'yuppy' middle and upper class school which makes it difficult to fit in for those who are not as fortunate. If Shasta High School is supposed to be considered the best school in academics in the Northern California area, then I am deeply concerned about the education of our area, because Shasta High School has come up short. It is not the program but the actual students and backgrounds that is mainly to be accredited for the 'good' API scores (Shasta has the highest, yet it has not reached the score of 800) Because so many students come from educated families and are educated oriented, the scores are higher because they are stronger academically in that sense, and would be in any other setting. Shasta is supposed to be the best, and sadly it most likely is, and yet it does not meet the standards of what the 'best' should be.

This school is a very hard place to fit into unless you are wealthy. The academics program is good, however the music, journalism, and athletics programs are not as good as some of the other high schools in the area.
--Submitted by a parent