Porta High School

Porta is not a very good school. My child was struggling in Spanish last year. The teacher did not offer any kind of help since he said he was 'overloaded'. Although my child was earning A's in all of his other classes, the principal and Spanish teacher told me that my child was not 'intelligent' enough to take Spanish. My son was able to finish both semesters with a C. At the beginning of this school year, during the first day of Spanish II, my son was pulled out of class by the Spanish teacher and told he should really drop the class because he would probably fail!! What kind of a teacher does not encourage a child? What kind of a teacher encourages a child to not try? A teacher at Porta!
—Submitted by a parent

I find the PORTA district to be excellent. Caring teachers, administrators and staff. The curriculum is diverse ranging from AP courses through vocational courses still housed onsite. Most smaller schools in this area bus their students to vocational centers and waste a portion of the students day riding on a bus. PORTA offers a large selection of extra-curricular opportunities and encourages students to be involved. I must also point out that I am impressed with the vision demonstrated by the administration and board with their energy project that will save the district hundreds of thousands of dollars in the years ahead.
—Submitted by a parent

PORTA High School is a great school considering how small the community is. My education was extremely adequate in preparing me for college. I look back fondly on my days there. More funding for better technology would help PORTA immensly, but with funding the way it is, that may not be possible. Hopefully the arts at PORTA won't suffer as they were my favorite part of the school. So many students in Petersburg and surrounding areas are so talented and to lose the arts at PORTA would be like amputating a limb to these students. Support the arts!
—Submitted by a former student

School shows a heavy bias for student athletes but fails to support and reward academic achievement. The appearance of students, according to apparent administrative opinion also seems to count more than the actual capabilty of individual students coming from an array of different backgrounds. Thus, students who dont fit this pre-conceived notion of what the 'preferred' student should look and act like tend to be left out of the support structure. This problem stems mainly from a lack of Principal leadership.
—Submitted by George Atterberry, a parent

PORTA is a very judgemental and unfair school. I can't complain about the teaching staff for the most part, they help as much as the administration will let them. This is a school targeted on teaching the 'smart' students and not worrying about the ones having problems learning, or understanding a certain subject. I would never suggest someone send their children to this dead-end place.
—Submitted by Natasha, a former student

My son attended Porta Schools from preschool to high school. It seems the higher grade level the worse help, especially with questions of homework. The discipline offers no encouragement to do better. I've often heard, 'If you're not affluent in this community, these schools aren't for you.' I wish I had heeded these words years ago.
—Submitted by a parent

Porta Schools offer a good education. I have been in numerous other school districts and there is no comparison. Porta Schools are much much better. The staff and administration strive to offer the students the best education possible. There have been numerous staff meetings analyzing test data to identify weaknesses and improve on them. Every teaching department has thorough meetings to close any loopholes that exist in the curriculum. The use of technology in the classrooms have increaased every year. Porta Schools must be doing something right. They have prepared numerous successful students. Doctors, lawyers, nuclear physicists, engineers, authors with published books, teachers, and the list goes on and on. Porta has also preped kids to go to the Illinois Math and Science Academy. As far as discipline goes, that starts at home. Go ahead and pay thousands for your private schools, me and my children will be happy at Porta!
—Submitted by a parent

The discipline in this district is based on negative punishment, not positive reinforcement. It is also rare that a teacher goes out of their way to ensure that a child is taught in the manner that they can learn. One teacher said her job was just to 'dispense information'. Parent involvement is discouraged. I sure wish I could afford better for my kids.
—Submitted by a parent

The administration lacked leadership in the area of discipline and holding students accountable for their actions. There was no respect noted throughout the high school. Some teachers were very good but there were several who were role models for the disrespect.
—Submitted by a parent

The smartest thing I ever did was move my child to a private school. This school offers bare bones education and discipline is non-existent.The drop-out rate is high. My child's kindergarten class was 110 as hs students, that class now has around 90 due to drop outs and quite a few people deciding to pay for private. No education, no discipline, no safety and the board wonders why people are leaving.
—Submitted by a parent