Manchester High School

I graduated in 1978 from MHS. It was indeed a different world back then. I am glad that the students are blessed to have stable, tenured teachers and class and extracirricular offerings that surpass the imagination. Having lived in California for the last 28 years, NONE of those factors are guaranteed! Out here, our teachers have contracts that are not renewed, classes which MHS required have been cut, such as Phys. Ed. No art, no music. You guys don't know how lucky you are to have what MHS offers! When I went there, I was very unhappy and did not participate as a result. Indeed, like most things, you get out of something what you put in. If I were back there now, going to school, I would be ever so grateful to have available to me what MHS offers. I just didn't know what was available to me back all those years ago. My advise is, kids, please make the most out of this place! You will NEVER have an experience like this ever again in life. PLEASE ENJOY NOW while you have MHS's opportunities.

Manchester provided a great education for my sons, preparing them well for the most competitive colleges.
--Submitted by a parent

I graduated from Manchester High School in 2004 and for me, it was a wonderful experience. It was certainly crowded and sometimes difficult to get through the crowded halls, but the large enrollment allows the school to offer a wide variety of AP and honors level classes. I was able to participate in a variety of activities, from the swim team to drama and music, to math and science academic teams. In recent years, the high school has had students, including my friends, accepted to some of the most prestigious universities in the country, including MIT and Harvard.
--Submitted by a student

Manchester High School is highly overcrowded. Internally the school has numerous violent crimes, gangs (from in and out of town), and poor attendance records. Think twice before sending a child here.

My son has ADD/OCD and has a processing learning disability. He, of course, is a Special Ed. kid. He has been prematurely mainstreamed and most teachers are either unable to handle a child with these challenges, or just don't have the time because their classes are overcrowded. My child has just started Manchester High and so far it has been a scarring experience. It started with a child who maintained honor roll status throughout most of Middle School. His teachers recommended that he be placed in college prep classes -- please remember that this is a special ed kid -- with the previously-stated challenges. I think the intentions are good, but they are so overcrowded that they can't deal with every situation properly. If your kid has no challenges, I'm sure it's a great high school.
--Submitted by a parent

Manchesters quality of academic programs is excellent! Although a bit overcrowded their Music, Art, and Computer science departments are high class! It amazing what they can do!
--Submitted by a student

MHS is a school with incredible social diversity and I believe that to be one of its greatest traits. Staff and students can benefit greatly by learning to interact effectively with each other. The diversity presents great challenges to the school community. In my opinion, these challenges result in lower average test scores, therefore MHS doesn't get a fair rank in test score comparisons. I believe the staff and students at MHS do a wonderful job, and the benefits of being part of the MHS community go beyond just learning Math and Science.
--Submitted by Kevin, a former student

As a recent graduate of MHS I feel that the school is very good at teaching students life skills. Teachers keep students very involved and there is a class for everyone. Extracuricular activies are amazing and if you want to do something you can find it or start it yourself. The athletic teams are very competitive and do well every season.
--Submitted by a former student

Over my last four years as a student at Manchester High, I have always found it to be a safe environment. Our toughest issue is overcrowding, because we do not have funding for another high school in town. However, the school offers a great variety of extracurriculars, from Bible Study to the Breakdance Club. Also, there is an elective class for everyone: fine arts, ceramics, languages, architecture, yearbook...I feel that the large size of our school is an advantage because of the sheer number of opportunities offered.
--Submitted by a student

I'm a student at Manchester High School, and I find it to be a very well managed school. Unfortunately, due to lack of funding, we, as students, do find a decreasing amount of extracurricular activities. Unfortunately, Manchester High has not been spared of the common over-crowding issues among Connecticut high schools. Although our security has been much increased, I don't feel it to be a very violence-safe community.
--Submitted by a student