Barrington High School

As a Barrington HIgh School Graduate and parent of one of the very few BCHS students to not graduate I am surprised to see that none of these reviews mention the alcohol and narcotics problems that plague the school and the teen suicides. Whenever I meet new families to the area, I always warn them of these issues, and stress the importance of communication with their children, and honestly discussing these issues. My son withdrew from BCHS feeling he had more in common with his teachers (and these included some older teachers) than with his class mates. He passed his GEDs started courses at Harper College in September of what would have been his senior year in high school. He got into a technical program and did extremely well. The high school offers a number of wonderful programs, has incredible facilities, has many excellent teachers, and yet a couple of enormous problems exist and must be addressed.
—Submitted by a parent

I think this has been an excellent school in the past, and I hope one day will be again. There are, based on our daughters experience, significant issues that need to be addressed, including an ongoing commitment from the school and the community to fine arts - in a school of this size that they cannot fill the auditorium for productions is very sad, and I question the administrations focus on anything other than academics, and sports A school of this size can also make for a very impersonal education experience, and I'm not sure that is ideal for every kid. I think the staff are a mix of great, enthusiastic young teachers and sad, bitter, tenured staff waiting out retirement. If your child gets the former, great! If the latter, you will be disappointed. We are moving out of district so our younger daughter does not attend this school....it is not the right fit for her, or our family.
—Submitted by a parent

BHS is not all it's cracked up to be. If you are an average student and fit into the 'norm,' BHS is just fine. Anyone outside of the box will have a very rough time at this school. Special Services is absolutely horrible, and are very unwilling to make any accommodations - not to mention most of the staff is incredibly rude and arrogant.
—Submitted by a student

I attended Barrington High School 1st semester of my freshman year. I moved to Leyden high school and i am now a sophmore. In my own opinion Barrington High School is a really great school. I believe it is a better school then Leyden and i would love to go back anytime. I believe that any student that goes there most likely likes that school also becasue it has such great programs. The teachers there are so helpful(: Barrington High School is a really great school(: Oh yeah and the teachers there are really nice to(:
—Submitted by a student

I recently graduated Barrington High School and my overall experience was great. There are so many activities and extracurriculars anyone can find there niche. They also have an outstanding fine arts department and from that i was able to build a portfolio of my art which i then submitted to an architecture program at the university i am attending this fall. I was one of 70 students selected of about 250 that apply. I accredit this to the help and guidance of the teachers and staff at Barrington High School.
—Submitted by a student

I must address a comment made by a parent on this site. The parent said that Barrington High School must address their test scores. None of the high schools ranked above Barrington High School in Illinois have the large number of children from low income families and so many non-English speaking students. All of these students test scores are included in the statistics. I have had three children graduate from Barrington High School. All three said they got a good education and were better prepared for college than most of the kids they met in college. With the variety of classes offered, number of AP classes and the wide selection of clubs and sports available, there is something for everyone there. BHS also has one of the top fine arts programs in the country.
—Submitted by a parent

BHS is a rigorous but friendy college prepartory environment. It seems like every year they make improvements with technology, course offerings (Chinese) and national awards that the school has received. My kids are going off to schools that are in Princeton Reviews top 25 Colleges and they are very well prepared. With so many activities to choose from, they have each found their own niche and the dedicated staff is instrumental in providing them with every opportuntiy to shine and succeed.
—Submitted by a parent

Although our daughter is enjoying and doing well in her first year at the school, the test scores at Barrington are very disappointing and really need to be addressed by the administration; the poor scores of some really effect the total desireability of the school.
—Submitted by a parent

The breadth and depth of the curriculum at BHS is exceptional. There is no category for rating the variety of courses offered at schools. The BHS curriculum presents many options to a diverse and talented population of students.
—Submitted by a teacher

I just finished my first year of college, and I have to say that BHS was excellent! I got into a fantastic east-coast university, and I'm a fairly average student. My GPA wasn't anything spectacular, but BHS offered so many AP course selections, and ACT prep classes that I basically wrote my own ticket. My first year of college was so easy! The AP (and even honors...) classes really teach the material for the first year of college. Extra-curricular activities at BHS really defined my high school experience as well. The teachers are so actively involved in their students lives, inside and outside the classroom, and this creates an amazing co-curricular program for your child to explore his/her interests. Honestly, if you want your child to get the best education, get help at every step along the way, and get into the best schools... BHS is the place to be.
—Submitted by a student

Barrington High School is terrific! The students that I have met thru many of the sports activities have been very polite, nice, and excited about their school and the many activities that are offered to them.I have a daughter in High School, one in middle school,and a son in elementary school.Every experience I have had so- far with all the Barrington Schools,teachers,and staff have been fantastic! I am so proud to have my children in this Barrington 220 School District! As far as I am concerned,this is one of the best school districts in Illinois!
—Submitted by Jim Scardino, a parent

After attending the graduation ceremony for the class of 2005', we were impressed with the overall academic achievements of all the student. Scholarship $$ was high and numerous awards were granted.
—Submitted by a parent

We moved our children two years ago to this school, the teachers are very good, great email coorespondence.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent challenging environment. If you want to offer your child the best opportunity to reach their dreams with great variety, challenging and diverse courses offered. The teachers are excellent and the sense of community is first class. The stars are the limit for your child when they attend Barrington High School.
—Submitted by a former student

while the school has a great reputation, currently, there has been a noticeable decline in the quality of the education. Many teachers have retired early, and there are, in my opinion, too many new teachers. There is also a strong bias torwards wealtiher people, and doing well at barrington has alot to do with parental support, financial and emotionaly.
—Submitted by a student

Great elective and course offerings! The Video Production courses are incredible. My son loved being a student at this school.
—Submitted by a parent

Financial and home location is what counts in this school. There is just not enough concern when real problems arise among students. I had to transfer my child out of this school, to a less materialistic school. This pressure caused my child to do poorly in school.
—Submitted by a parent

There are great things about BHS, but I like many schools, it isn't perfect. There is definitely a drug problem, as my child has said it is common to hear about people talking about getting high. There are definitely great opportunites for clubs, and because the school is so large, it may be extremely hard for kids that might not fit in a club to feel comfortable. There are some excellent teachers, but I don't have the impression that there is a real culture (and was told that by an administrator) that the teachers are trying to convey - e.g. many (not all!) of the classes seem to be straight download w/little creativity in teaching. So what is it specifically that makes it such a great school outside of the clubs and some of the teachers? Part of what makes it good could be the families support of their children.
—Submitted by a parent

My boy Alexander is enrolled at BHS and having a blast! There are a lot of drugs going around the campus, but he doesn't participate. Most of the kids there are very nice that I've met personally. BHS is a non-swearing environment as well, so kids are generally on their best behavior. Faculty seemed very nice. If I could go back to High School again, I would choose Barrington High School! Sean Kirchheimer Scottsdale, AZ
—Submitted by Sean Kirchheimer, a parent

I found the school to be too large. Also the diverse mix of socio-economics can be very intimidating. If you are an AP student, the school is great. If you are a special needs student, the school is great. For those stuck in the middle, it's not so great. The drug problem seems to be getting worse.
—Submitted by a parent