Academy of Richmond County High School

For one the last comment made on here was racist. I have two teens that go to this school and we are not African American . For two my husband and I are both highly educated. We are both collage graduates with degrees. Neither one my children are IB students. Both my 10th grade and my 9th grade are getting exceptional grades. I have never had teachers call me after hours to discuses my child's IEP. I have had teachers as well as JROTC instructors help my children before and after school. The teachers and the staff care about the students. Yes the school is old, how ever if you took the time to look at the history in the area it was built in 1926 and before that the original Academy of Richmond County was established in 1783. It is fifth oldest existing public high school in the United States and the oldest existing public high school in the South. There for where someone may see dirt I see beauty and history.
—Submitted by a parent

I went to ARC in the years of 2004-08. I must say that I had trouble when I first got there, but as time went by everything grew on me such as the environment and the curriculum. They have some of the most excellent teachers that you may ever run across in the education department. I miss it so much! It was a great deal for me to attend ARC. If I could go back I would.

my son wasnt even intrested in school until they offered guitar classes now you cant keep him out of schhol unless there is a death or illness in the family..
—Submitted by a parent

I went to ARC as did my father and I was pleased that my daughter would as well. However, I'm afraid my husband and I made a bad decision. She was an average student, not academically gifted enough to be in the IB program (which is excellent), and was thrown in with the general population. With the exception of a few teachers, she did not have very good instructors or receive an acceptable education in the basics. Her writing skills were poor and we had to pay for tutoring to get her ready for college. Thank goodness the college she attended was prepared to help the freshmen with needs and get them caught up with students with stronger backgrounds. As a junior in college, she is doing quite well now but it would have been nice not to have to play 'catch-up' for two years.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a student. And i have been very blessed to have some of the best teachers, outside of IB, at Richmond. I agree that Richmond is very over crowded, and that we have many problem students, but you must understand, when these 'problem students' were not present its not like Richmond was all sunshine and roses. Simply because there was, and still is a lot of so called students at Richmond that do not care. I have been to meetings with the county to try and voice my opinion, and all I here is that Richmond's teachers are to blame. I must stress that is not so. A lot of the parents and members of the RCBOE have not stepped foot in a classroom. If a teacher does not spoon feed your child it is considered as them not doing there job. Please.
—Submitted by a student

how are all these parents saying its over crowed, because i swear i never see any parents come in. But yeah it is over crowed and the teachers well most of the teachers are pretty good but we get all the trouble students from schools like laney and josey
—Submitted by a student

ARC is overly crowded and cannot give their students the attention and criteria needed to get their education.
—Submitted by a student

Great School, I commend the Vocational Dept (Ms Lofton) and her staff they are a great team htey have contributed to the success of my son's academics. Although the school does have a large student population they have taken the time to ensure that my son's educational needs are priority!
—Submitted by a parent

This school is completely overcrowded with the troubled students of schools not meeting AYP. Sure the schools are at some fault, but until the parents of this area decide to take control of their children at home we will continue to be baby sitters and not educators. ARC is one of the most historically recognized schools in the state and is being ruined by a core of students that are not in school to learn.
—Submitted by a teacher

Richmond Academy needs serious improvement in the classroom and learning facilities. To the parents, I strongly suggest that you put your kids in either the IB Programme or Advanced Placement classes because they will not receive the best education that your tax dollars can buy. It is so over crowded that some kids can not even get into their required classes. None of the teachers are underqualified to handle such a working environment yet a lot of them are sloppy with their grades and have overly demanding attitudes towards their students. A lot of this negative energy is stress induced from having non-educational matters to deal with. Such as the dress code and having to check identification and the constant updates on websites most students can not find let alone use. None of these things have created a positive,or should I say significant, influence when it comes to graduating these kids.
—Submitted by Anderson, a parent

A.R.C. is over crowded, dilapidated, and should be a cause for concern. Yes, the housing market is great, however there is a huge disparage in Georgia's educational standards.
—Submitted by J. Mitchell, a parent

Richmond achademy is a great school i am a student who attends this school and the education is great i dont think we should have accepted so many problem children from other school because that is going to bring our school testing scores down this year i think they should have checked out there file before accepting the out of zone children richmond has great family and student support which is needed we have great teachers who try thier best but parents need to focus on thier children more.
—Submitted by bionka h, a student

This school is old and not well preserved. It is over-crowded as well. Because of the attitudes of the faculty and staff, the kids don't care either. The students in the IB program are receiving an entirely different education from the rest of the school population.
—Submitted by a parent

Richmond Academy is a great school. It has a real world mix, being that it is diverse. There is something there for everyone. My child is in the IB program and has excellent teachers. They are always in communication with me and are always eager to help, but they can only do so much. Some of the other parents need to take some responsibility for thier child's education. The school offers many opportunities for parents to get involved. I've been asked to chaperone trips and provide snacks for study sessions. I've seen many parents complain but they have never been involved in thier child education. Overall, ARC is a great school.
—Submitted by K Lott, a parent

First and formost, I must say The Academy of Richmond Count is a great school.. But for all the wrong reasons. This school is best at some sports.. Sports over education? That is something that no school should do. We need to focus more on what the students learn over what they do for extra activities. Most the teachers who are also coaches seem to be making favirutes (I'll give u two guess whom) I believe over all this is a great school, but needs to focus more on the teachers and the way they teach other then everything else.. Oh yeah.. And back off the dress code alittle bit.
—Submitted by Keith West, a student

This school does not focus on what should be focused on. they care about dress code more than there education. i understand it's for safty but heck they have metal detectors and use them once every three months. Some of the teachers are only there to sit at there desk and make money rather than teach and help the kids pass. The teachers just go over the stuff breifly once and expect the kids to learn it. Then some of them are unorganized and misplace the work and the students have to fail and get behind because of the teachers mistakes.
—Submitted by Paul & Jake Anderson & Murphy, a student

I love Richmond Academy. My child was in the IB program. We relocated to another city, and now she is at another school and she is well equipped for her classes. She will be taking college courses her senior year. She also participated in athletics at the school. The study hall provided made it easier to stay focused on her school work, and still be able to participate. I'm very glad she attended this school.
—Submitted by a student

It is understandable why this school was one the list of schools that did not make the grade. It is over populated thereby causing the staff to deal with many more students than is desireable. If the school once again comes out on the list of schools in need of improvement I will remove my child from there.
—Submitted by a parent

I do not credit my success in school to my teachers however. In many cases I believe they are too broad in their teachings. Many do not challenge the student and some are not even concerned with the students' needs. Regardless, the IB program will turn this school around and Larry Bagwell, the IB Dean, is their most coveted asset.
—Submitted by a former student

This is my sons first year at ARC and it was a little overwhelming at first as it is a large school. My son loves it! I am so happy and the staff are all great! The ROTC program I feel is the best in Richmond county and has been a great help for my son. Thank you ARC!
—Submitted by a parent