Lowell High School

I think Lowell is great,there's a lot of opportunities,there's a lot of people who complain about the homework,but you just need to have good time management and not procrastinate.Lowell has a lot of school activities.Everybody is pretty nice,except some teachers.Lowell was actually better than i expected.
--Submitted by a student

Yes, it is true that Lowell has many faults, including some very terrible teachers. However, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. For those who complain about homework load, classes are individually chosen and AP courses are definitely not required. The only students with 4-7 hours of homework a night are taking more than 3 college level courses. Lowell offers so many opportunities for students to learn life skills, meet new people, and excel academically and socially. If you manage your time well, it is easy to join new clubs and try out for sports teams while managing a part-time job and great SAT scores. Lowell is by far the best public school in the city academically and opportunity wise. Go Cardinals!
--Submitted by a student

Lowell is just a school filled with a bunch of smart alecs who think they're all that because they're in Lowell. It's most definitely not the best school in San Francisco, The Bay Area, or California.
--Submitted by a student

My eldest daughter is a sophomore at Lowell and is doing quite well. All though she is not at the top of all of her classes, she still has a real sense of accomplishment and pride at succeeding with her often advanced curriculum. She also feels confident that she s being well prepared for college and really looks forward to going. Lastly, although Lowell has a reputation of being hypercompetitive and antisocial the kids are just kids. After the first month it just seems, well, normal. Still, Lowell is not for every student (due to the high demands) and some classes are just not that great, as other posters have mentioned nothings perfect. If your San Francisco student is academically oriented, and you get the Lowell invitation letter in the mail, please follow up and don't be intimidated by rumor!
--Submitted by a parent

Like every school, Lowell has its share of professional, principled, enthusiastic teachers. But recently, there's been a "disconnect" between teachers and students, as seen in the poor morale of the students, widespread cheating, their grades, and STAR scores. In particular, I'm referring to my two daughters' Algebra and Biology classes. Look up Lowell's recent test scores by grade level and subject-It's on the Calif. Dept of Educ. website. The more parents I speak with, the more I realize that they are sending their children for private, expensive, TUTORING to compensate for incompetent or unfair teachers. Keep that in mind when comparing STAR results! -L.Lee
--Submitted by a parent

Lowell is the best high school in Northern California, public or private. There is a lot of misinformation from the haters. It is hard, but college is much easier and no shock. Also, they send 100 kids a year to Cal, 30 to Stanford, 50 to the Ivy League and over 300 to the UC System, out of 660. Also, you'll get respect in college if you go to Lowell, because it's public. If you go to a private school, people will say you just got into Cal or whatever college because your parents are rich and you're priveleged. From Lowell, they'll say you earned it, and you will have. Lowell has higher SAT averages than any private or public school in SF. The teachers are probably just slightly better than average, but all the students are good, they've had 1 pregnancy in the past 30 years and 60% are girls.
--Submitted by a parent

I didn't want my child to go to Lowell, and was willing to pay for private school. Her grades were such she could go anywhere...with 700 kids in a class how will she stand out when applying to colleges? Plus I felt that many colleges would pass her by because she wouldn't add to their diversity ranks. She fought us on the decision and won out with Lowell. Well, #1 reason for happiness is my daughter just thrived at LHS. #2 she got into the college of her choice, an Ivy. Lowell is not just a feeder for UC's though many kids go. We conveniently live in the neighborhood and I am surprised about how respectful they are. Socially, there is not a drinking culture, like at some schools! Most teachers have been really great. English, History, Drama, and French have been superb.
--Submitted by a parent

it's a great school, with caring teachers and a community with a variety of students.
--Submitted by a student

i think this is a very nice school with many oppertunities for the students there,and a great future.

As a current junior, I just want to address a few errors that a few of the reviews have. 1) Freshman year is probably the least stressful year at Lowell for most students because most of the freshman classes are not at the honors/AP level yet. When considering Lowell as a school for your child, do think about the first year, when your child will adjust to the new environment, but absolutely consider the challenging years following the first year. If you know that your child will want to compete with the most diligent kids in his/her class by taking loads of honors/AP courses later on, then of course, the years ahead after freshman year will become much more stressful. It is all about time management. 2) AP Human Geography is not a class that is offered at Lowell, but students are more than welcomed to take the exam in May.
--Submitted by a student