Alpharetta High School

This school, like many others, has good, excellent, and not so good teachers. What I can't get past is the administration's mediocrity of not acknowledging the problems so that they can be adequately addressed. Like another review said, the principal is a joke. I am very disappointed. The three star rating is for all of those really good teachers. Parent involvement is only accepted as long it does not go against the administration's hidden agenda. Very sad!
—Submitted by a parent

Great School. One of the best in the state. Good teachers, lots of AP's, and students get into ivies. Somewhat diverse; lots of wealthy cliques but other than that... this is a superb school.
—Submitted by a parent

I will be a 10th grader at AHS next year. The Academics are pretty good, but the Honors teachers differ very much. It is all luck on which teacher you get. Some are very lenient and have less workloads. And others are extremely tough, so the academics are based on which teacher you get. The Music program is fantastic, the conductors are great and there are many students who are great, hardworking musicians. The Athletics are also another good point to this school. The dress code also depends on which teachers you have. Some do not care, while others are extremely strict about it. Also, this school is very clique-y, so if you are new to this area, then I don't recommend this school. It is hard to find a group of friends. The groups of friends, or cliques, are very prominent in this environment. AHS isn't the easiest place to fit in and make new friends. Even the most outgoing new kids have trouble sometimes.
—Submitted by a student

I am so glad that my daughter will be attending a new school next year. The teachers are horrible, the staff is unresponsive and not helpful and the principle is a joke! There are way too many fights at the school and a total lack of security. Their grading system is a mess and the teachers never update the site so that you know where your child stands with their grades and where they need to improve - why even have a system when they never utilize it!?
—Submitted by a parent

This is very sad that the students are so unhappy at this school. Please get organized and have more parent involvement. This is terrible. Where is the school pride. What is happening here?

A below average student doesn't get much encouragement or help from the teachers. An average student who wants to do better won't get help either. Councelors don't do a good job with schedules or preparing for college. Fitting in at AHS may be tough for some, it is very cliquish. Have self esteem and the attittude, you don't need to fit and you'll be fine. There are a few bad crowds, my advice as a parent, pay close attention to your child and address any issues immediately. Teachers, principles pay too much attention to little things that are typical for teenagers but the big things like peer pressure, obscene language and certain public display of affection is overlooked. There is a racial problem when it comes to teachers toward the student's. Black girls can't do things or wear things that white girls can. Saying all that, if your child is a good child and is an average or above average student with a strong belief is themself will be fine. Look into extra carricular activities. But don't forget to address any issues immediately.
—Submitted by a parent

As a senior at AHS I have mixed opinions on the school. There are some VERY good teachers (mainly in the TAG department which is dying off with the budget cuts) and there are some very bad teachers. I have even had VERY bad teachers teach AP and honors classes which is discouraging. The rules at the school are extremely strict and the administrators get worked up over small things which go hand in hand with high school life (ie. someone throwing a paper airplane in the lunch room gets taken away by the administrators). The school seems to focus on a few students over the entire population. If 6 kids go off campus and 2 other kids get in a fight they close off an entire portion of outside lunch. The counselors are horrible especially in helping to get students into college. They are useless and other students know more about getting into college than they do. The music programs are strong and there are many clubs which would love to have more members which you can join. Overall there are many things to work on but you can get a great education there with a lot of hard work and some luck with good teachers.
—Submitted by a student

As a 10th grade student that attends Alpharetta high school, not because i'm a student saying this just to put my school down but to be truthfully honest the school is sub-par at best. the lit, science, and History aspects of the school are pitiful. The teachers dont support kids that are stuggling in their classes and the kids are failing because of these teachers that dont want to reach out and help the kids that don't exactly do well in school. besides the teaching the administration system, such as principles, vice principles, etc... is just as bad as the teachers i explained earlier. Its almost as if all of the administrators are always out to get kids that make the slightest mistakes. the math department is decent. kids are based around tight cliques as some would say, extremely hard to fit in.
—Submitted by a student

As a 10th grade student at Alpharetta High School i can honestly say that most reviews about teachers and students below are true. The science department most definetly lacks the ability to produce the amount of success that should be produced when it comes to the students. The principles are sub-par at best, none of them look you in the eye when it comes to serious conditions with people or the school itself. However, the musical department and art departments are top notch. Students most of the time can be harsh on one another, i would have to honestly say that this school is one of the hardest places to fit in properly with the other students. when i leave this school i can honestly say i will never come back to visit any teachers..they don't even know my name.
—Submitted by a student

This school has a lot of bad kids, teachers, and is an overall bad atmosphere.
—Submitted by a parent

AHS is a great school. The facilities are good, there is a great racial, cultural, and political diversity among the students, and a great deal of clubs for all interests. For students who want to do well and work hard, the vast majority of the AP teachers are fantastic. I have no doubts in my mind that at least for the top students, the quality of education is comparable to private schools (without the disadvantages of private schools, like expense, limited diversity, social elitism, etc.). The school's biggest asset is the TAG (talented and gifted) department, a group six teachers who are all helpful, knowledgeable, and brilliant teachers who truly care about their students.
—Submitted by a student

My son's 9th grade math teacher (a wrestling coach) explained to my son and husband, 'There are two kinds of hypotenuses. The one you use in math with triangles and the one you use in science with experiments.' Need I say more? (not only are many of the teachers sub-par, the administration thinks they're running a juvenile detention center - guilty until proven innocent.
—Submitted by a parent

Because all the teachers are really nice and they can help.
—Submitted by a student

As a new student coming at the beginning of Junior year from a great school in another state one of the top 10 public schools in the nation this school is sub-par. It looks great on paper but the education is horrible. Most of the teachers hate teaching and kids. There are very few teachers who love what they do. The music and art programs are the only good things at this school they are excellent and really top-notch. The conductors are amazing and the concerts are superb no mosquitoes at the string concerts and the chorus sounds great. The kids are very into cliques and it is very hard to make friends even with the 'geeks'.
—Submitted by a student

The teachers put a clear effort into the student's education. No is not an answer when it coms to Alpharetta High School teachers students and parents.
—Submitted by a student

Wonderful atmosphere at this school, and in the morning the Media Center is louder than the Lunch room. All of the programs are great, the band teachers know how to teach and so do all of the teachers. Everyone has friends and their aren't any real problems.
—Submitted by a student

Many of the teachers at Alpharetta are excellent. The atmosphere is great with tons of kids who really work hard. As a newcomer, it is very intimidating and lunchtime was the worst. Most of the students in the Media Center are NOT there because they have no friends, but because they want to finish their work or work together in a project.
—Submitted by a student

Alpharetta HS has been great for my daughter. My nephews went to the most expensive, pretigious private schools in Atlanta and neither received the quality of education provided at Alpharetta. The chemistry department is terrific. My daughter found a new love of science in honors chem. Her teachers this year are all outstanding, and the AP World class is ideal preparation for further AP classes and for college. I wouldn't send her to any other school in Atlanta.
—Submitted by a parent

These reviews on the first page are wrong. As a parent I'm sure it looks great, however as a student or a new student; it is horrific. The staff are cold and so are the students. The teachers are harsh and the math department and science department are the worst that I've seen--ever.
—Submitted by a student

Alpharetta is a great school. Their music program is amazing, especially the choral department. AHS recieved the Governors Cup Award this year for recieveing one of the highest averages of SAT scores in the state.
—Submitted by a student