Sierra High School

I went to Sierra in the 90's. The school decline is based on the closing of the logging industry and other forestry jobs in the early 90's. Total school population in 93, maybe 950. The area became a bedroom community. I'm sure gas has hurt that too. Anyways, I had good teachers. The school offered college prep as well as many trades courses. I did feel the sports programs favored the kids that went to K-8 schools in Auberry and Tollhouse. But if you play a sport besides football, basketball or baseball, you will have no problem being chosen for your skill. Students come from 30 + miles in every direction to get to school. I had a 1 hr. bus ride from North Fork. This can add a challenge to game day transportation if your a parent. My parents came to a lot of my games. But you're child might be 70 miles away in a town that has a school relative in size to Sierra's. You as a parent might be 100 miles from the event. So you can expect late returns if you're going to pick them up at school. But for whatever the reason, I have fond memories of the place(Chieftain Head, Senior Rock, School Year Rock, dances in the small gym, and etc...)

One poster said Sierra has a great drama dept .. they do, it's called "Sports". Another poster summed it up well .. "Sports at this run down school= POLITICS POLITICS POLITICS" This is what happens when you get parents that want to be heavily involved hoping to make their mediocre kid a star. I have to admit that at times it has been amusing and occasionally downright comical watching the antics of some of them.
—Submitted by a parent

Our family loves SUSD! this is our fourth year of our children attending SIerra Unified. We have been involved with a lot of firsts for our district. My son was in the first graduating class of Sierra Junior High. This was a necessary step to try to get our district towards healthy economics. Nervous at first glance, however it went very well and the students really enjoyed the new school. 7th and 8th graders were kept separate from high school students and activities. Foothill Elementary runs very smooth with great teachers and happy students k-6 with a caring awesome leader Mr Brad Barcus. Regardless of negative publicity you may hear, bad news travels fast and unhappy folks like to run their mouth. Sierra remains strong in academics API scores are high, SHS, SJHS and Foothill all well above the 800 state guidelines. Our High School Ag dept is second to none winning many awards. Athletics at Sierra are winning Valley Championships. Students who attend this small mountain community school district are more likely to go on and get a degree than many other districts you maybe considering. Our community has great families with hard working students. Raise your family with us!
—Submitted by a parent

For being such a small community you would expect it to be a friendly enviroment for you & your family to live. But if you weren't born here or your children didn't start Kindergarden here they will always be treated as if they dont belong. Sports at this run down school= POLITICS POLITICS POLITICS. The parents choose who makes the school sports team not the coaches...dont waste your time on having your child tryout for sports because players are already chosen long before tryouts even start! Sad but true. The elementary, junior high & high school are all the same here, ran by the parents. Sierra Unified is a huge disappointment, not only for me but for my children also.
—Submitted by a parent

I think when you give a review you need to take it very seriously. A student posting is NOT going to give a completely thought out, honest review. This school, Sierra High School was indeed rated very high based on their scores, just like all the other schools. It looks like the student had problems but you can't tell exactly what went wrong. The teachers here are teaching so well that the kids are getting very high grades in all subjects. So, it's NOT the teachers. People look to these ratings to find out where they want to move and where they want to avoid. People could very well be put off by this upset student and not ever find out that the school IS doing well. I'm one of those people looking around the area for good schools and a house we can afford. If you have complaints be more specific in what went wrong for you, don't just condem the whole school. I'm sorry you had a bad experience.
—Submitted by a parent

One of the poorest schools in the state, in fact so poor that there will only be two schools in the district one (K-6) and the high school (7-12) The quality of the school has to bve one of the worst in the state. Most of the teachers are all the rejects from down in Fresno and they just hand you a bunch of work and say "Do it" without really teaching you. Doesn't even have a buisness class. atletics are mediocre. Majority of the kids have little to no friends, and everyone classifies you as a loser. If you for some reason have to move to the fresno area, trust me, do not move so your kid can go to school here. The declining enrollment will agree with me.
—Submitted by a student

I love SHS because it is a small mountain community filled with a variety of teachers, students and ways of life. The scenery around is great and it is over all a fantastic school.
—Submitted by a teacher

This school is best school that you can go to the teachers there are the best that you can have!
—Submitted by a student

I am unimpressed. If you have any kid of child with a problem, they really don't know what to do. They lack training and their special educaiton program director is awful and gets paid for doing nothing
—Submitted by a parent

Sierra High is a wonderful school that offers a number of opportunities to its students. The atmosphere is friendly. Counselors actually know the kids they serve; no one is seen as just a number, unlike many larger schools. The teachers are excellent. I am currently in grad school now and I can honestly say that some of the best teachers I have had taught at Sierra High.
—Submitted by a student

I go to Sierra and it's a small school so it's easy to get around and you know everybody. Most of the teachers are excellelnt and it's got a great drama program
—Submitted by a student

My child graduated from SHS and was accepted to top universities. He received an overall good education but the university he is attending would not accept the AP courses offered at SHS for credit even though the test was passed. They do have limited electives compared to the bigger schools. There should be more emphasis on top students and what they are offered compared to all that is offered the struggling students. This would make it more competitive with other high schools. They also need to keep their best teachers and not let them go! Overall, SHS was a good school.
—Submitted by a parent

The school environment is unhealthy especially if you have a student that doesn't fit in. The counselors try very hard but there are just too many violent kids, and no where for the kids to turn to
—Submitted by patricia, a parent

This is a wonderful school that serves a huge rural community combining several junior high schools ranging from madera to northfork to clovis. There are several classes, the art classes are amazing, the computer classes as well. There is a future teachers of america club and class that is college level offered and the choral and band group is absolutely fantastic!
—Submitted by Amanda Avery, a former student

This is a public school in the mountains above Clovis. Being a rural school in a District that spans 3100 square miles, one may think that there is very little to offer the students who attend SHS. This could not be further from the truth. This school boasts very good test scores. The students are offered up to 4 years of foreign language, as well as band / choral music and up to four years of drama. The school has a working 250-acre farm, complete with a working 'meats lab'. Students are instructed in how to properly butcher their show animals in this lab. There is a program for Ag Mechanics, which works closely with the farm. The ROP Program is highly rated, and the core academics are stressed as in any city school. SHS is a wonderful school with a 'small-town' feel. My children are fortunate to attend SHS.
—Submitted by a parent