Harry D Jacobs High School

There are some good teachers here, but not enough of them to outweigh the rest of the problems. The school lacks communication to parents and students. The rules and expectations change at the drop of a hat without warning. And if the student doesn't fit their mold, they do not want to deal with them. All in all, frustrating to interact with most administration as they don't want to hear that the school lacking in any way. If your child thinks outside the box, or has any special needs, or needs an organized environment with clear communication and expectations, look elsewhere.
—Submitted by a parent

Terrible if you love your child enroll else were this school is so bad tired of unprofessial teachers who do not teach...day after day pulling children out of class to be searched and by the way they can do that for no reason and they do..... they are all out of line there is more then just bad teachers and staff the employee's which out tax dollars pay there salary I would not hire to walk my dog............let alne intrust with my child/teen
—Submitted by a parent

I have a daughter that graduated from Jacobs and is now a sophmorein college. She took honors and AP classes and because of those competitive classes she got A's in those classes in college. The teachers do prepare the studentsl well for college and don't hand out easy As. My second child is now a junior and taking the same challenging schedule along with actively participating in sports and band. I know that she will be well prepare for whatever college she decides to attend. At Jacobs, even if you are not college boung, they have options to prepare you for anothe type of career that doesn't involve a four year degree. Enjoy those choices while you can, because with the Illinois budget cuts, those class choices will not be available in the future. The coaches are not the greatest as far as sports go, but I rather my child get an academic scholarship like my daughter did than a sports scholarship.
—Submitted by a parent

Teachers are terrible, district is terrible, there is nothing good at all about this school. Academically, they are extremely far behind. They have no control over the kids. I definitely recommend that you need to rethink sending your kid off to Jacobs; and move or send him/her to another school outside of D300! Stay as far away from that district as possible!
—Submitted by a student

This school has one of the worst sports programs available. The coaches constantly change and none of them have a passion for the sport they are coaching. They are only doing it for the extra $$. What ever happened to the days when children looked up to their coaches as a role model? Not at this school. They do not coach them or encourage them. We barely have enough kids try out for most of the teams.
—Submitted by a parent

Teache quality is poor at best. Jacobs goal is to be average.
—Submitted by bob bob, a parent

I graduated from the 'excellent' class of 2006. One thing I can say about Jacobs is if you're an honors student, it's very competitive. However, I went to college expecting to be completely overwhelmed and instead it was a 'this is it?' type feeling...I was prepared amazingly well. I participated in sports and extracurriculars and made great relationships with the teachers. Algonquin can be a bit snobby but overall I had a great experience.
—Submitted by a student

Jacobs is a great school! I graduated in 2006 along side a superior senior class. A few of us were accepted into top ten universities including Harvard, Northwestern, and Berkeley. I went to Berkeley and will be graduating this May! Thanks Jacobs!
—Submitted by a student

My son graduated from Jacobs and now my daughter is a freshman there. I love the school and teachers. Some teachers are very strict but with them you learn most. My kids have only good things to say about the school and all teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

I go to jacobs and love it! teachers are excellent and always happy to help. There are many extra-curricular activities, and very nice people. I would hate to go to any other high school.
—Submitted by a student

Jacobs is a great school, to be in it has great sports and the teachers there are the nicest people. Its one of the best schools around!!
—Submitted by a student

What can be said about Jacobs? Unless you are in a sport or in everyone one of the clubs you are pretty much overlooked. Your best bet is to find a teacher and really impress them with your attitude, otherwise nnobody will know your name. the principal is great, he takes pride in his job and really tried to improve and help the students, the teachers on the other hand... are sometimes lacking. It's what you would expect from a public school.
—Submitted by a student

Jacobs high school is a terrible school! Unless you're in honors courses, every other child is overlooked. Even in the two honors classes I am in, comparing it to other students' courses who are in 'regular' classes, it really is all the same. Honors in Jacobs does not mean anything. You're way better off sending your child to another school. Especially when it comes to college; Jacobs prepares nothing.
—Submitted by a student

Its very over crowded. Its very hard to get where you need to be on time. The teachers are very nice and helpful.
—Submitted by a student

If you aren't in honors classes, most teachers write you off. This includes most advance classes. This school did not help me prepare for college.
—Submitted by a student

Jacobs is a joke, they cater to the top 10 percent otherwise they just push your child through the system. If you have a 'challenged' child run as fast as you can the other way, clear to another district. The sport program is a joke, again, just like the learning program, it's great if you are a favorite of the coach or your parents are on the booster club. I have know idea how Jacobs received the rating it has so far. Believe me, I'm being nice with this review.
—Submitted by a parent

Wonderful School With Terrific Staff!
—Submitted by a parent

This principal is the most amazing young man our family has ever met. He feels responsible for this building both academically and safety! Part of his job is to protect my two children in this high school of 2,500 students.
—Submitted by Matt, a parent

I go to Jacobs and I love it. th eteachers are great, and I feel like they really care about us. I feel very safe there and there are lots of really nice people. There are tons of oppritunities for extra-curriculars and after-school programs. I can't imagine going to any other school.
—Submitted by a student

The school overall is fine learning enviornment for our kids. The teachers (for the most part) really seem to cram the knowledge in. Our son got a 30 on his ACT! But I do have one complaint. The office and principal are lacking. Earlier in the year they did a drug search on the parking lot of our students using dogs and police force. They need to stop worrying about what the kids are doing outside of school and start worrying about their education. Also the parking costs are ridiculous! $125 for a parking sticker! These kids are working part-time minimum wage jobs at best, stop bankrupting our children. Other than that, the schools great.
—Submitted by Drew, a parent