Buchanan High School

If the person who posted on Sept 23 is a product of the Buchanan school system, then their comments helped my evaluation immensely. Obviously, spelling and grammar are not taught there.

Buchanan High Schools is one of the only schools in the state of Michigan to recieve failing grades.
—Submitted by a parent

this school is the best school iv ever seen. everone keeps saying that the art prgram is bad, well is has its own building behind the school,and the choir class isnt bad at all iether the have 3 big rooms for them. the school is really focased on there academents. Like forinstes they take away your drivers prmint if you have more the 2 d's or 1 F. that inculeds the sports. everyone has to ware there i.d because of safty reasons. They are realy into there football progam ,beacuse they are in a football area. and eveyone there is vary smart. the teachers are nice and smart. The schools just a great place and i would incourage you to let your kids go to the school. Buch Pride!
—Submitted by a parent

All four of my children attended and graduated from Buchanan Community Schools. All of them did well in their respective colleges and are successful adults. They use their experiences at Buchanan by which to judge other schools. My daughter has had experience working in elementary schools in Indiana and the one she found most enjoyable and productive was the one she said was most like Buchanan. Yes, it is a small town school and one could perhaps find a more sophisticated setting with a wider range of offerings. However, there would be trade-offs and maybe they would constitute a high price to be paid. We enjoyed having the high quality of teachers who did not hesitate to pick up the phone to call us if something needed discussing. School is what the student makes of it and the bottom line is still the values instilled at home.
—Submitted by Lola, a parent

Buchanan high school is a work in progress the sports are strong and the arts department is growing. The school had to tighten their budget for the year and cut back on some things but that happens in a lot of schools. If people want the drama and choir programs to thrive than it is necesary for more students to become involved in them. Now I'm not saying that sports should get chosen over drama or choir all of them are very important to the social balance of the school. But I strongly suggest people don't bad mouth the school unless they are planning to do something major to change it.
—Submitted by Stacy Borr, a student

As with all things, there is more than one side to every story. Buchanan is a great school. As with all things, they have downfalls, such as cutting choir, which, may I point out, is the only 'ARTS' class that has been cut. Like all small schools, Buchanan Operates off a small budget which forces decisions to be made. For the sake of arts, lets see what Buchanan has to offer: The best Drama Club in Berrien County, A new Art Teacher, who, may I add, has done a teriffic job as of yet, A band who Receives 1 and 2 ratings every year at district festival, etc. Overall, the school has great teachers, many of whom have obtained legendary status. The academics are far above the state average as is the school itself. My son has gone to Buchanan all of his life and would not change schools for anything.
—Submitted by a parent

Buchanan High School is one of the worst schools I have ever seen. My daughter goes there, she is now a senior. Never has she once said anything good thing about it. I don't blame her, I wouldn't say anything good about it ether. As one of the other reviews stated, this school only cares about sports. The arts program is truly on the back burner, which is why my daughter has given up on taking any art programs through the school. She is now pursuing her dream on her own, with the little money she has. I myself would like to provide money for her but we are a very low income family and that makes it extremely hard. I would never recommend any child go to this school, I should have pulled my daughter out years ago!
—Submitted by a parent

This is an aweful school. They no longer have a choir program due to funding cuts, and the arts are on the 'back burner'. Anything that is not sports related is not worth this schools time. I wish i had known that before allowing my childs state aide go this school since pre-school and they he is now a senior. This school has truely been a dissapointment and i would discourage any parent from allowing their child to go to this school.
—Submitted by a parent

This is the classic small town school everyone wants their kids to go to. The teachers are mostly young with a mix of older staff as well. The school is big enough to offer a good variety, but small enough to keep things personal.
—Submitted by a parent