Carmel High School

We moved to Carmel 8 years ago and it was the best thing ever happened to my children. My oldest daughter (now in college) had to adjust to the rigorous academics, but she said this school really prepared her for college. She discovered her passion for broadcast journalism here (they have a student run radio station and cable TV station, CHTV). My youngest, a junior, is involved in theatre and choir. Carmel high has 11 choirs, IB drama and film, a comedy sportz team, drama club, student directed one acts. Applied Music, a course for singers, goes to NYC every year, so does Drama. A highlight for me each year is Holiday Spectacular! Every child in choir participates and it blows me away every year! Carmel High has sports and clubs for everyone. My kids have always felt safe here. I have never had a problem reaching a teacher or a counselor. John Williams is a personable and charismatic principal. I see him at every event! I was impressed when he stopped by summer football practice to tell the players how proud he was of them (he did the same thing for the show choir). No school is perfect, but Carmel has come pretty close for our family.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter is a Junior this year. She is NOT one of those super-students who takes 5 AP classes each year and has a 4.0+ GPA. She works hard at her non-weighted classes (has a GPA of 3.2) and sings in a choir and participates in a couple of clubs. We have been very happy with her education/experience at Carmel High School. Yes, the teachers expect more from the students at CHS than at her previous school, but that's ok. She's getting a fantastic education and will do well at college because of it. No, she won't be going to Harvard or Notre Dame, but she will be successful wherever she does go. The course selection at CHS is fantastic (the reason we chose Carmel over other school districts), and for the most part, the teachers are caring and competent. We did have a problem last year with a teacher (new teacher, very bright, but couldn't effectively pass on the knowledge), but after an email to the department chair, a meeting was quickly set up between the department chair, the counselor, the teacher, our daughter and us. The problem was resolved to our satisfaction.
--Submitted by a parent

Teachers at this school always have the excuse "it's harder because you are at Carmel" In my junior year I was taking 5 AP classes and 2 honors classes so I went to see teachers outside of class for help because I would always have so much on my mind in class. Teachers started to think I was struggling with my grades and they woould say "at Carmel we have a more rigorous curriculum..." They always have that excuse to back their poor teaching. Teachers also barely get to know you. The administration is more concerned with students that do activities and their students as a whole to get higher AP and SAT scores.
--Submitted by a student

I love carmel high school so much! It's such a great environment to learn in. The school has high standards, but it is a great preparation for college. There are so many extra curricular activities to get involved in. The performing arts, sports, student government, and all of the clubs they offer are just fantastic. This school provides so many great opportunities for kids to get involved.
--Submitted by a student

carmel is better than most schools but still has some problems. the reason that the school test scores are so high is not because of the teaching quality but because of the demographics. there are many successful families in carmel who teach their kids how to succeed as well. the main cause of success of standardized tests is not teaching quality. also, it is hard to go to a good school from carmel because the standards in carmel classes are so high. it makes the student look worse than he/she actually is.
--Submitted by a parent

Excellent school, but considering the socio-economic demographics of Carmel, IN, the students would do well no matter where they went to school. My daughter started at Carmel and we transferred her to North Central High School because of her high interest in Performing Arts. Carmel has a lot of cliques and is not very welcoming. We have met several parents who moved their kids because of social problems. Carmel is a great school, but very wealthy and very white.
--Submitted by a parent

Great teachers, great kids!
--Submitted by a parent

Carmel HS exceeds expectaions and triumphs all other public schools in the INdianapolis area. My oldest went to Park Tudor (an expensive private school in the area) and my youngest goes to Carmel, and she recieves as great of an education as my son did. There is a wide variety of academics and an abundance of activities.
--Submitted by a parent

Carmel HS is excellent in almost every regard -- from the outstanding academics to an endless array of extracurricular activities. Their teachers take an interest in each and every student -- whether academically gifted or struggling. The only way a student would not succeed would be by the student's own intentional failure. Ambitious students will find almost every resource available to them to further their studies.
--Submitted by a parent

Carmel High School is the best school ever!!! I just finished my first year at college and I thought my classes were easier than high school where kids from other schools were struggling. I developed great relationships with many of my teachers at CHS and they are almost all really involved and excited to teach. The opportunities are endless from any number of over 100 clubs, to amazing sports teams, top rated performing arts programs, intermural sports, and an amazing student government. It is really easy to get involved the school does not seem too big after your first semester there. It is super easy to make friends and get involved. I would recommend everyone to go here.
--Submitted by a student