Fern Creek Traditional High School

This school is the biggest joke! My daughter is a Junior and in all honors classes. First of all, they put her in honors mid freshman year without even asking us. She is smart but not honors level smart. BUT if you never have home work and get to retake every quiz and test you fail I guess it does not really matter how smart you are! My daughter has homework maybe 2 days a month, no joke. Also, she is in the communications program and I just found out last week that they let her leave during tags last period with a classmate to go shopping for supplies. This apparently happens a lot without my permission. Last, so many fights, 3 gun lock downs so far this year. No notifications for 2 lockdowns. Send your kid to Male or Ballard, not here. Unless you want them to be totally unprepared for college.
—Submitted by a parent

I go to this school and I feel this school is a rising star. I'm a freshman (class of 2015) and I will admit I was a little worried about going to this school. I had heard some negative comments about it in the Fern Creek community. However, I now feel great about picking this school. The staff is very enthusiastic and caring toward students. Our recent test scores speak for themselves. We are increasing scores at an alarming rate. I am so proud to be apart of the Fern Creek family. Hopefully in the years to come we can continue this momentum. Please ignore the negative reviews from past years. The school is now in a transition period for the better. It is much different from its earlier years. I encourage all to come be apart of this rising star and help raise it to the top. GO TIGERS! THE CREEK IS RISING!
—Submitted by a student

I allowed my children to attend Fern Creek HS and live with their father. I live in Hardin Co. and the boys could have stayed there with me just the same. But after some research and talking to the boys about what they wanted I agreed to let them go in search of a GREAT education instead of an education that you may have to look for a little. After 1 year at ferncreek I think they would rather go to school where even though they had to work hard to get the education that was handed to them at fern creek. They lost sense of school pride although they both participate in sports and clubs. Bussing students has become a heated discussion. I went to my neighborhood school, with neighborhood friends that I knew. Nobody had to establish who they were and what they were about. Heck! we knew everyone. The stoner, the jocks, the drama queens, skateboarders, and fighters or bullies. Now these kids are around new people every year. They have to reestablish who they are and want so desperate to be. My youngest son is a giant ,as gentle as they come, and often the one they choose to pick on . I now realise what little ole' North Hardin is teaching is what my child needs. Respect for others.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a graduate of Fern Creek High School. This year I will complete my masters degree. I was certainly prepared for college and the teachers who taught my AP classes were some of the best educators I have ever met. I did notice the insane amounts of students who are lazy, disrespectful, and unmotivated. Go there and learn and you will be successful. Go there to sleep and socialize, you will be the underclass of society. Don't blame a school for your own problems.

I went to Fern Creek for all four years of high school. This school is less than favorable and I will tell you why. There are only two things that the administration cares about. Uniform and CATS testing. This school did NOT prepare me for college whatsoever. The school does not adhere to JCPS rules that are stated in the agenda. They will send kids to ISAP for any reason. The staff is lazy and power crazed. They have no problem sending your kid to in school suspension to stare a wall all day because their pants are faded. But God forbid they miss one day of school for a legitimate reason (They get paid for attendance). If you can, please send your kids else where. Really, this school will set them up for failure, I mean that whole heartedly. I know that my education was free, but I feel completely gipped, especially compared to schools in Indiana. We read Alice in Wonderland my senior year. I don't think that it is just Fern Creek. I believe that it is all JCPS schools. When I attended U of L, JCPS graduates were constantly complaining that they had never written a paper over 3 pages long and only knew how to write 3.5 (Which is used on the CATS testing.. no surprise there) .
—Submitted by a student

This school is horrible. Teachers and staff do not communicate. No one know what is going on and they never return phone calls. The office staff is rude to students and parents alike. I have 5 children, 3 of them started at Fern Creek and by their Sophmore year transfered to other schools. I have never had so many problems out of a school ever. I would recommend that you send your childern anywhere else, anywhere. My childs cell phone was stolen out of their office while under their care and no one notified me. They are more worried about the dress code and looking for any little thing that your child may do wrong than their education.
—Submitted by a parent

Fern Creek has an extraordinary faculty and staff. I have worked closely with the administration in the last five years, and you will not find another school in Jefferson County with a more passionate and generous staff. Under the leadership of Dr. Barber and his team, Fern Creek is helping students achieve, learn and believe in themselves. There many exciting new initiatives as a result of the commitment to excellence which embodies the spirit of Fern Creek. Fern Creek has the only student run radio station and state of the art radio and television broadcasting equipment. FCHS receives tremendous support from an active and generous alumni association. I am proud to call Fern Creek my alma mater, and I believe in the current administration and support their efforts to inspire our kids to succeed...now and in the future.
—Submitted by a parent

I am an alumni and now this year a parent of an FCHS student. I am very disappointed with the school. One hand doesn't seem to know what the other is doing up there ever! Dr. Barbour is an ineffective administrator and the by in large the entire staff is unresponsive to parental complaints and concerns. The counselors can't even manage to correctly schedule classes for studenst and blame it on the Tri-Mester scheduling that the administrators think is so 'great' . The day my son came home and said 'we are no longer allowed to use the restroom during class' well considering classes are 70 mintues long with only a 5 minute break inbetween I made the decision my son will not be returning to FCHS next year! I have already visited Seneca and they seem much more competent especially in the area of Advanced Program.
—Submitted by a parent

All of my children have gone to Fern Creek Traditional High School and they have all had wonderful experiences. Fern Creek is a top notch school because of its excellent teaching staff, its business marketing programs, and its communications magnet. Fern Creek has prepared my children for the academic rigors of college. My children were especially impressed with Mr. Baker, Mr. Hare, Mr. Bernard, and Mrs. Polley.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is like most public schools in Jefferson County, the staff is well meaning but overwhelmed by either the number of kids or the bureacracy. The opportunity is there for the kids looking to excel but the school by no means nurtures students to rise to their potential. Very dissappointed after 4 years of poor responses from teachers and even worse from conselors. Send your kids to one of the elite public schools, Manual or Male or spend for a Private school, it is money well spent!

Doesn't have good control over students. Doesn't handle emergencys well or take proper precautions
—Submitted by a student

I'm a parent and I like the positive attitude I see with the faculty at Fern Creek this year. My child always is very happy at this school. I personally don't like the 70 minute Tardy Hall that is being issued by office volunteers (students) or that they issue it in the morning. The Gene Snyder and Bardstown Rd. traffic plays a huge role in tardiness. Why would the Board of Education require our schools to implement a rule that requires our students to stand for 70 minutes without learning?
—Submitted by a parent

I'm a parent who has had a child graducation from Fern Creek. And I still have 2 more going there, I think Dr. Barbour is great, but there are a lot more that can be done for that school. Like getting tardy hall out of the school. It is a shame for kids to stand-up for 70 minutes
—Submitted by a parent

Dr Barbour really cares about the students that he has at Fern Creek. Gunnery Sgt. Dunlap is a great mentor for the students involved in the ROTC program.
—Submitted by a parent

great school!! plenty of wonderful students with good manners
—Submitted by kristin, a student

I am a current student of Fern Creek and I absolutely love it! Everyone feels welcome and we all proudly support our acidemics. Our teachers are pretty good, but kinda bland and they lack a unique style. But our school together as a whole is unique. GO TIGERS!!!
—Submitted by an administrator