Elise P. Buckingham Charter Magnet High School

SCORES ARE INFLATED. TEACHERS ALLOW STUDENTS TO TURN IN WORK LATE. SEVERAL TEACHERS BULLY STUDENTS AND GET AWAY WITH IT. DOESN'T PREPARE KIDS FOR THE REAL WORLD. DON'T RECOMMEND THIS SCHOOL FOR ANYONE.
--Submitted by a parent

I am currently a student attending BCMHS. I used to go to VCHS but for financial reasons i do not attend anymore. Since attending Buckingham i have been called names to my face of which i have not heard of before. Being sheltered in such a great private and coming to a charter school I have had great difficulties. Bullying is an every day thing i deal with at Buckingham. The staff is great and i have no complaints of the academics. Everything great and set up for a high school experience. It just happens that such a school close to perfection has a flaw with the type of people there.
--Submitted by a student

BCMHS is a small school with roughly 400 students in 9-12 grades. That's slightly over 100 students in each class. If your student does well in a small, personalized, college prep environment, then this is the school for him/her. If they want a football team, lots of dances kind of high school experience, then they are probably better off in another school. Personally, I love it here at Buckingham. My son feels safe, none of that 'gangsta' vibe you get from walking down the halls at other schools. The kids appear motivated and if you have parents that were willing to camp overnight to secure an application to the school... well, you have an idea of what kind of families this school attracts. The population is mixed, some came from public schools, some private, & quite surprisingly, some were homeschooled (at least in my son's class). Excellent school & teachers!
--Submitted by a parent

My twins came here from a private school, and feel right at home! It has the same close-knit community of parent/teacher/student, GREAT teachers and admin.
--Submitted by a parent

My son has been a BCHS for two years. Teachers are always allowing him to turn in assignments late and/or giving him extra credit to boost his grades. This is undermining us as parents as we are trying to teach him about the real world and deadlines. He has also been allowed to drop classes without parental permission. Teachers have web pages where parents and students can keep track of student grades and assignments, but I have found that many teachers do not update it in a timely fashion. Even the school website itself has been grossly out of date. Overall, I am not impressed with this school. If your student is a high achiever and very motivated, he/she can really do well at BCHS. If your student is average and unmotivated, it is not the right school for him/her.
--Submitted by a parent

Excellent school. Small class size. Large AP choices. Soccer, volleyball, basketball competitive sports, high academic goal for students, low disruption at school.
--Submitted by pat weller, a parent

Little teacher assistance, just grading. Student must complete 100 percent of assignments (even if he doesn't understand assignment), or is kicked out. Not for average student.
--Submitted by a parent

Elise P. Buckingham Charter school is a marvelous charter school. It offers a different type of education that allows the student to learn. It has self studies along with your teacher/manager and on site classes. I know this next year it has changed but for the better. With the class leeway and schedule it also allows the high school and even middle school students to attend community college if they want. I feel that the charter way of education is the sign of the future.
--Submitted by a parent