Elgin High School

Elgin High School is, like any other school, doing the best it can with the little it has. Given the fact that the vast majority of the student body are actually minorities from very low income backgrounds, and the severe underfunding of the school, they do an EXCELLENT job! Test scores and attendance are almost on par with the state averages when funding is not. People who are looking for a top tier HS in terms of pomp and haught had better look elsewhere. But despite the fact that the bathrooms are a little messy, this school can and does provide top quality educations to those who seek them.
--Submitted by a parent

great school. new experiences, make lifelong friends, best time is homecoming week!

I love it here and how people don't define other by their race, clothes, intelligence, or anything. All who go here are kind to eachother.
--Submitted by a student

Great school! I was in the academy there and the teachers were very respectful, fun, and motivating. Administration was a little disrespectful sometimes but sometimes a little bad has to come with the good. Overall, it was a fantastic experience going to that school.
--Submitted by a student

there are alot for teachers at Elgin High that make you want to learn.. it's a good school
--Submitted by a student

I was in the Gifted and Talented Academy which I think helped prepare me for college but in general my experience at EHS was a negative one.
--Submitted by a former student

I am a Senior at Elgin High School now and i could not be happier to be here.everyone questions this school and where it is goin but i know where it could be goin in a few years. A well known place and good leadership qualities.the minority level in Elgin is outstanding there and many different backrounds here and everyone can relate to eachother in some way.I would not want to be stuck in a school where there is only a one dominant race. The athletic program in this school is goin to rise. right now our school has the potenial to bring home state championships.The leadership on the teams is so high that there are no captains.Teacher quality in this school is very good teachers demand respect and passing grades it hard for teachers to control 30 students so give them a break.
--Submitted by a student

I pulled my child out of EHS after 2 years. There appears to be significant gang activity and other criminal elements. The security guards seem to be incapable of preventing fights and racial intimidation. I had the feeling my daughther was just going through a big diploma machine rather than getting a quality education. The majority of teachers seemed to be not motivated at all and a couple didn't even know the students names. The school is over-populated and dirty.
--Submitted by Carol, a parent

After reading several comments regarding Elgin High School, I felt more than compelled to offer a fair assessment of this school. As a 1999 graduate, I was neither a gifted honor student nor a juvienille deliquent. Since coming in as a shy, under developed freshmen, I left Elgin High with confidence, motivation and a pretty decent build. Being the open-minded student that I was, I dabbled in the arts, drama and music classes in addition to being on the basketball team. I even enrolled in a musical at the advice of the school choir director that overheard me singing. The classes I excelled at, I had fun. The classes I struggled with, I got the help I needed. As for being prepared for the real world, EHS was a valuable learning tool. If you as a student apply yourself, then you'll be hanging with other ambitious students that you'll learn from.
--Submitted by Marcus C, a former student

I graduated from EHS in 1999. True, as a public school it must take all who reside in the district and, as it serves a partly underprivileged area, there are problems with crime and violence. And yes academics suffer. But they don't have to. I found the teachers and Principal cared about me and if I requested extra help or if I wanted to advance a bit, they were there to help me. I realized this to late because I, like a lot if my fellow students, decided to write Elgin off as a 'bad school'. But if we would have worked harder we would have seen that the problem was largely with us and not the school. Moreover I think Elgin prepared me for the real world much more than a private High School ever could in terms of having to deal with cultural and economic differences.
--Submitted by a former student