Tupelo High School

Has been on academic probation for a while. Teachers who don't care, parents who make excuses for their children's bad behavior instead of helping straighten them out. HIGH TEEN PREGNANCY RATE, HIGH DROPOUT RATE, just not much good to say. The buildings are pretty.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm a current student at THS, and the only reason I stay here is for the band program and my friends. I don't enjoy Tupelo, my parents don't like it, and I don't think that It's a good school for my younger sister. You won't be accepted with most students unless you're rich, play sports, party hard, or don't care. I don't feel accepted with the majority of my classmates. Also, the amount of classwork given by some of my teachers is ridiculous. I am in band with takes up so much time, and I also have a job. All that along with homework leaves me up late every night trying to finish just so I can pass. And most of the teachers aren't lenient on homework and projects, even if you're in my situation. Which is a downer. I wouldn't attend Tupelo if I wasn't already sucked in to it.
—Submitted by a student

There is a trend in theses reviews that people should note. Outsiders have a difficult time coming to Tupelo, school or otherwise. If the student is not very outgoing or involved in extracurricular activities, they will struggle. I believe the tough review written on Dec. 8 2011 brings up some real concerns.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a current student at Tupelo High School, moved here 3 years ago, and am absolutely not recognized for anything here. Unless you are rich, play soccer, are Baptist/Christian, and have known everyone since elementary school, then you are not considered someone worth recognizing. Teachers of the arts (Art, Theatre, Chorus, etc.) constantly complain about poor funding and half of your school year is filled with ridiculous amounts of fundraisers! I mean, does the school not have funding? Also, the administration is like an old bridge: unstable and unpredictable- you never know when you're going to be thrown off, either. We've had so many teachers quit/be replaced in the past two years, and the replacement of our new principle who only wants to boost his reputation is a recent situation conveying the educational failures of the TPSD. The teachers are horrible, not caring whether you pass or fail, and will absolutely not come up to you and ask if you personally need help with anything if they even recognize that your grades are falling in the first place. One last thing: fights. The security is tight but float in the background, not bothering with some fights. I wish I could relax.
—Submitted by a student

Definitely a great place for "all stars" and "straight A" children . This school is not interested in the middle of the road kids.
—Submitted by a parent

I have gone to school here for two years and what most people say is definitely not true. This principal is gone, the curriculum is intense and designed to work you . Teacher are all very open and great teachers with the students. The principle is always to be seen around campus, I in fact, see him every morning while going to one of my classes. So to sum up the teachers are great, principal is open and fun, and the extracurricular activities are in such great they have two buildings dedicated to the activities.
—Submitted by a student

I am a current student at Tupelo High, i moved from out of state and lost a few credits so my senior status got knocked down to junior status. I am not satisfied with this school at all. The material i am being taught i have learned my ninth grade year, the teachers at the school are nice but they hold your hand. In college the teachers/professors dont hold your hand through the process of a paper or an assignment. There has been many personal belongings stolen on campus that in the times of this economy they are not easibly replaceable and the administration refuses to do anything about it. Advice coming from me, if your not born here or didnt grow up here then you wont be accepted. This school is not that big, but students here are completely stuck-up and full of themselves
—Submitted by a student

If anyone is thinking of transferring a child to this school, I would strongly advise against it. While the academics are sufficient, the atmosphere of the school calls to mind that of a prison, and there is a snobbishness that is appalling. If your child didn't grow up in this school system, prepare them to be treated as an outcast.
—Submitted by a parent

I graduated not long ago, and I can't say enough good things about THS. Sure, I complained while I was there, but I was incredibly lucky to have some of the best teachers in the state. Yes, a few were sub-par, but that's true anywhere. The majority were great and a special few were amazing. I'm glad I was able to attend a public school with so much community support. I'm now attending a private college with many considerably wealthy students; some of them attended the 'premier' prep and boarding schools. I'm mentioning this because I feel I'm just as prepared, if not more so, than the kids who attended those schools. Most THS teachers treated all their students as individuals; they genuinely wanted to know about our interests and opinions. Some reviewers wrote that students are easily 'overlooked.' But if you need help or involvement, they're easy to find.
—Submitted by a student

i am a senior at THS. I have read the reviews of others and agree and disagree with some statements. Yes, THS does prepare you for college but what does one do if he/she is treated like a student at a college? Since the start of my junior year we have had summer projects. Reading books are fine but when one has to do a 10 page journal not to include what i have to do before the start of my senior year( senior proposal, a summer reading assignment, and read a required book). I haven't lived in Tupelo all my life but of all the schools i have attended, I absolutely hate attending Tupelo. NOT because of reasons many may think, I am one of the popular girls, I am involved in many activities, and i do make outstanding grades but because there is no say so for students.
—Submitted by a student

I came from THS, Tupelo High School, and they prepared me for what i was going to experience here in college. They prepared me for the challenges and offered many more before i got out. The teachers i had were great, save a couple with my lower leveld classes. Overall it's a great school.
—Submitted by a student

I am not a parent, but a recent graduate of Tupelo High school. I can honestly say that it prepared me for the next educational level.
—Submitted by a former student

I want people to know the honest truth about Tupelo High through a former student.. The campus is bigger than most colleges making it even harder to fit in due to size. A lot of the teachers are very good and attentive to students. There are some bad eggs as with most schools.
—Submitted by a student

I'm not a parent but I attended Tupelo High school from 1998-2001. Academically the school is great, it really prepared me for college, I had a 4.0 GPA my first semester in college and I think THS had a lot to do with that. As some others have said the size is a bit of a downfall because a lot of great students are over looked and the school is very political and if your family isn't known around town then don't expect to be anybody at school, but the education was excellent.
—Submitted by a former student

I am not a parent by any means, I am a student that attends this school. While this is my third year at tupelo high school and I have ofcourse complained my fair share about this school. I can not say enough about the academics and how well they prepare you for college. Not only do the teachers prepare you but the counselors and students that have graduated before you tell you what you need to do. I definitely think it has it's downfalls but overall it is a great school.
—Submitted by a student

As a former student of Tupelo High School, I feel that I was adequately exposed to an excellent academic program and equally successful extra-curricular activities. But Tupelo High School has been blessed and cursed by the same factor: size. Tupelo's students are given the opportunities to do many great things that smaller schools may or may not be able to offer because of funding, but the school is incredibly political. This may not be a problem to many people (most schools are naturally political), but the average student may become lost in the shuffle and unable to really shine because of the stifling numbers. But if parents are concerned about their children's academic success, I really encourage the Tupelo Public School district. The teachers are typically encouraging and strong in their respective content area.
—Submitted by a former student

I am not a parent, but I was a student at THS. I just recently graduated in the class of 2005 containing 350 graduating students. Tupelo High is a great school acedemically. It offers many different programs to expand the knowledge of the mind. It also have a great athletic program. I played basketball, volleyball, and track/field at Tupelo High, and we excelled in everything we did!! It is an awesome school and is placed in an awesome environment! It's near perfect! Go Golden Wave!
—Submitted by a former student

I am not a parent; I am an involved friend. I know well many THS gradujates and their parents. I know THS grads who have gone to the finest universities in the U.S. and graduated from them with highest honors, and I have to think THS is doing something right in its AP programs and honors classes. THS' great strength is in its parental and community support: Tupelo is a public school town. Private school educaton is not the prefered route except for a small minority. The public schools are the schools of choice. THS is the flagship, as it always has been. It has honor societies usually found only in private schools. It is able to be very good because the communnity provides strong financial support. It's not perfect, but it is exceptional.
—Submitted by Joe Rutherford, a former student

The cirriculum at this school is decent. I graduated with good knowledge in 2004 even though I only attended my junior and senior year. Overly strict on students (no peprallies; restroom breaks frequently denied; Hard to contact principals; cant wear red, pink, green, or blue shirts under a white shirt due to 'gang relations'). Campus badly constructed. Overly spacious while buildings (hallways and doorways) are too cramped. Separate class building as far as 500 yards apart.
—Submitted by nathan walker, a former student