Pope High School

I am currently a senior at Pope and it really is a great school. I was originally set to attend walton high school, which is also a great school but it seems like unless you play sports or have a GPA over 4.2, they really don't care about you.This is from the experience of my sister. Anyway, over the past four years, I have loved Pope. The staff does everything they can for the students and they encourage us to do our personal best. The music programs are superior and they sports teams are exceptional. The staff and principle also help the students by actually taking the students opinions to improve the school into consideration. Pope is in my personal opinion one of the best schools in the state of Georgia.
--Submitted by a student

This year Pope got a new principal and what a difference!!. The morale seems so much better all the way around. The kids are excited about new adventures and even the sports teams seem more enthuiastic. I will now have to rate Pope a 5 star public school.
--Submitted by a parent

Both my children are graduates of Pope and when my son was in his Freshman year at Georgia he told me he was 'bored' in his Political Science class as he had 'already studied all this stuff'. That says a lot about the high school he came from. He is now an attorney so I think he did okay. Thank you, Pope, for preparing both my children well for their college careers.
--Submitted by a parent

Pope is an excellent school! It has the high academic standards of a private school, but is a public school. The teachers are great at what they do. My older brother graduated from Pope and had no problem with college admittance. I suggest this school to anyone moving into the East Cobb area. It is one of the best high schools in Georgia.
--Submitted by a student

I am going to graduate from Pope next week, and have attended all four years there. As far as academics go, Pope definitely offers the best available if the student is willing to work for them. My high school career has been extremely rigorous and has definitely prepared me well for college. The only negative thing I would say about my school is in the facilities and quality of school-sponsored events. The building is very lacking in quality, and is in fact quite ugly and not well kept, especially considering the affluence of the surrounding area. This probably results from an administration which places no importance on anything but pure instruction. For the same reason, students have fewer physical resources than some schools in Fulton County, and most school events come across as sadly half-baked and underfunded. Still, I consider Pope the best in Cobb County, with Walton a close second.
--Submitted by a student

Pope is such a strong school in so many arenas including student vitality, the courses offered, the quality of the teachers, the choices of clubs and the parental support. My other child went to a local magnet school and I'm seeing that Pope has all she was offered there and more! BTW, there's a new principal and vice principal coming in in the fall of 2008.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a current student at Pope High School. The school spirit is absolutely amazing at all sporting activities. I am in honors/Pre-AP classes and I am an athlete. The balance between the two is great. Cheating is absolutely not tolerated under any circumstances and is strongly dealt with. Overall I have had an amazing experience and look forward to many more.
--Submitted by a student

I've had 2 children graduate from Pope and have moved to Walton district so my (now) middle schooler can go there. I think the education at Pope is what you make of it. You can get a great education there, or you can sleep through your classes, literally. The teaching staff is very good, but the administration is appalling. Do not expect them to listen to you or have any interest in your concerns. I needed an accommodation for one of my children under the ADA and the principal fought me tooth and nail even though it was a very easy accommodation. That is defnitely not putting the student first.
--Submitted by a parent

My child will soon graduate from Pope. Most teachers are enthusiastic and caring, giving a variety of assignments and offering extra help. They truely want the students to succeed. I have encountered just a few teachers who were too busy to offer individual help and attention. Students take academics seriously and there are few classroom disruptions. There is a strong school spirit and a healthy commitment to community service. The course offering is comprehensive with a variety of electives. The major negative aspect is the administration. Communication with parents about important issues at the school is lacking. Emphasis is on negative consequences rather than building a positive environment. Priorities seem confused, Parental involvement is welcomed as long as it does not include suggestions for the administration. Pope is a good school, but with the right leadership could be a great school.
--Submitted by a parent

Academics and instructional time are the most important aspects of Pope. Students are encouraged to take the most rigorous courses, which there are many. Pope recently scored highest in the county on the ACT. All extracurricular are encouraged. Not only does Pope offer an outstanding award winning music program, but all activities are available to meet the needs of studemts. The principal will begin any extracurricular activity as long there is a sponsoring teacher, so students are free to exercise their creativty along with their particular interests. Parental involvement is quite high. Parent volunteers work through out the school Monday-Friday. Pope High School PTSA was awarded First Place as Georgia High School PTA (this is our 3rd time winning since 2002-03 school year), and named National PTA School of Excellence for Parental Involvement.
--Submitted by a parent