New Fairfield High School

I have two children in this school system and not only are they both happy kids but also on the honor roll as well. My oldest was behind in reading and with the extra help they received they are now top of their class. I find it comical that students are commenting. Considering they do not have the maturity to know the difference between this school and others. I did not grow up here nor did my spouse and we agree that this is a great school with a great community atmosphere.
—Submitted by a parent

I highly recommend not sending your child here. As I went through my education there i found many of the bad reviews here to be quite true. Much to my dismay i found teaching myself was more efficient, and if your not disabled or a genius there is no support or programs for you, your either dumb or smart... black or white. there is no diversity, teachers don't care with the exception of two in particular. Teachers choose favourites, drugs are rampant with no effort to stop that, if your not in a sport then your nothing, and there are next to no real extra curricular activities. The technology is sub par as is their history/global studies program. in the end your student will graduate with the ability to ace every test you hand them.. except the one we all face in life.. real life outside school, all your child will be able to do is what the administration wants them to.. and that's make a school look good
—Submitted by a student

NFHS is a great school. Strong, caring principal/leadership, excellent teachers and challenging programs for college-prep students. Better than many expensive, private schools in the area.
—Submitted by a parent

I am 14 years old. I recently moved from CT and I went to NFMS. Fantastic school. Really nice teachers. Great Spanish Program.
—Submitted by a student

My two children have just graduated from NFHS. Great teachers, great staff, great athletic facilities and programs, great parent involvement, and relaxed SAFE atmosphere.
—Submitted by a parent

We've moved here recently from an upscale Westester County community with great school system and were delighted to find the New Fairfield HS to be just as good if not better especially with their fantastic facilities, faculty and sports programs.
—Submitted by a parent

I attend this school, sadly. For our junior year we have the option of taking 2 AP's , AP United States History, and AP Language and Composition. You would think that we would have the option of taking one or another, but we don't, which shows clearly, how messed up the school is. For those who didn't take AP European History last year (decent teacher- hard class) it's incredibly difficult many of my friends are unable to stay afloat, and ask 'How do you do it', and I respond, I already had AP's. This is unfair to the average student who merely wants to push themselves. NFHS has done nothing for me, if my mother hadn't decided to move to the 'country' out of the city then I would currently be attending a private school, which would prepare me more for college. But nonetheless, I am stuck here learning nothing.
—Submitted by a student

Recently, a student lost a phone in my Word Processing class because she had left it out on her desk. She complained to the assistant principal and the entire class was called down during our next period class and we were put in a room. The assistant principals then left the room, telling whoever had taken it to leave it in the room and no one was going to be punished. Clearly, no one was going to admit to stealing the phone and nothing happened. What my main concern is, why did I miss a half hour of my AP Spanish class because a student left something they aren't allowed to even have in school out on a desk? This event convinced me that the new administration have no idea what they are doing.
—Submitted by a student

If you have a choice, do not send your children to this school. The administration is only trying to make itself look good, headed by one of the worst, self-involved and oblivious principles to grace the education system. Granted that most schools are under pressure to have standardized test scores that meet system requirements, which she manages splendidly, but if you talk to the majority of the students, they will know little to nothing beyond the boundaries of their little town. Students are encouraged to take AP classes just for the sake of it, and there is little offered in between.
—Submitted by a student

I think it is rediculous that this school should have such a low rating. NFHS is a terrifuc school. The faculty cares a great deal about the well-being of the students, and they put a lot of effort into making sure students are actually learning and are prepared for their future. Having gone there myself, I saw no problems with the school, and any student with the privilege to attend there should consider themselves lucky to have such an opportunity presented to them. There are some horrible schools in CT, and NFHS is not one of them. The administration deals well with conflicts, rule-breaking, and they all make attempts to relate to students and help them in any way they can. This school has an excellent teaching staff that helped me immensely during my time there, and I find it disgusting that anyone would not appreciate how good NFHS really is.
—Submitted by a former student

In 1988 the school won a national award for excelence in education, and the town has cut the education budget almost every year since. Teachers are paid below average salaries for the region. Most well-off families in this town send their children to private school. Those who go to this public high school deal with an institution which has had its accreditation threatened and frankly does not perform its function.
—Submitted by a former student

I hated New Fairfield High School so much that after my freshman year there (1996) I paid tuition to attend Danbury's public high school for the next three years. It was worth every cent. NFHS had no diversity, apathetic teachers Their arts program (if you could call it that) was severely lacking as well.
—Submitted by a former student