Elizabeth High School

Elizabeth High School is not the best place to get an education...unless you want your kid to be getting in trouble everyday. Kids in my building (Edison House) get in trouble a lot. When they get in trouble they get ISS, Saturday Detention, Suspension which never works! Almost every student is immature, selfish, and hot headed. Teachers do try there best to teach but some can not succeed because a student decides to do something dumb. Some teachers that are in other buildings do not speak proper English. It makes it hard to learn. I'm a 9th grader with good grades and I am trying hard to survive. I work real hard every marking period to achieve excellence, but when i wanted to go to the Academies they deny me. Honestly, sending a kid to EHS is a bad decision!
—Submitted by a student

Elizabeth High School is such a bad school I can't stand it I am currently a student right now I am a soft more. The teachers don't care about our education basically some of them just come to school to get a pay check. They really don't take the time to make up excellent lesson plans to educate us the best way they can half of the teacher don't speck english the school I would say is the worst is the main complex Dwyer House/Halsey House the school is like a jail they let you do what ever you want and your locked up there are no windows there is only like a few in the school in mancomplex its so over crowed Elizabeth High all the houses. The bathrooms smell like smoke everyday so many fight breck out threw the school.... Graffiti is outrages and the superindent just siting on his but not doing anything about this situation. He really thinks about the smart and gifted and talented schools. I feel so bad because there is so many kids that want to be educated and they have to go to this kind of school with teachers that have a poor attude .Please parents don't send your son or daughter to Elizabeth High School if you love them don't send them you don't want a drug/gang banger for a son or daughter.
—Submitted by a student

Though there few teachers who seemed to care about our future, there was always one teacher who cared about our education and made me want to better myself. He was my 12th grade English teacher, Mr. Bochenek.

I am a female teacher at the Elizabeth High School. I cannot provide details (subject, building) because I do not wish to be identified. With the exception of the new 'Academy' section, EHS is a bad place to learn. The real problem is not so much that teachers do not care, as one of the reviewers said, or the fact it is a difficult to handle student population (it is !), the problem is that the distraction does not care about the children (yes, it is true !), despite the fact that it tries to show otherwise on paper (NCLB pressure). If it did care, it would have long ago carried real and much needed changes, not the nonsense it does now, and would provide real and valuable support for its teachers.
—Submitted by a teacher

I am a female teacher at the Elizabeth High School. I cannot provide details (subject, building) because I do not wish to be identified. With the exception of the new 'Academy' section, EHS is a bad place to learn. The real problem is not so much that teachers do not care, as one of the reviewers said, or the fact it is difficult to handle the student population (it is !), the real problem is that the admistraction does not care about the children (yes, it is true !), despite the fact it tries to show otherwise on paper (NCLB pressure). If it did care, it would have long ago carried real and much needed changes, not the nonsense it does now, and would provide real and valuable support for its teachers.
—Submitted by a teacher

While attending EHS,everyone worked really hard to make it a better school.It's like everyone else said, if you want to succeed there you will. I knew that there were drugs being sold and gang fights all around us, but we were able to take advantage of honors and AP classes as well as a great number of extracurricular clubs etc.I graduated at the top of my class.My guidance counselor was not helpful but there were others that were.I was lucky that all of my teachers were very well educated & caring individuals who took part in our lives. Unfortunately alot of them have left. My brother is a student there now in the upper academy and he is excelling.I have known many students at EHS to go on to Ivy League Universities.I went on to a competitive college and felt I was more than well prepared by my education at EHS.
—Submitted by a former student

I was a student at ehs i graduated 2005. Its unfortunate to say that those were the worst four years of my life. Teachers instead of focusing on the education were more worried about what kind of the drugs the students used havingconversations about it during class as if others were interested. Some of my teachers would sit kids that they thought wanted to learn in the front and send the others to the back. The guidance counselors were no help at all. My counselor was too busy having lunch all day that she couldn't help me throughout the year.Then senior year i was having problems with my attendance and she said to just drop out. What kind of encouragement is that. The house director was never there and always told me to go speak to someone else when it was him i needed to talk to. Overall horrible school!
—Submitted by viviannette, a former student

All three of my children attended EHS. Through the grace of God, their intelligence and my involvement, they all graduated. Could their time there have been more meaningful and memorable? YES. Could there have been more involvement from the teachers, principal and administration? YES. The teachers who really cared about the students -- and there are a few are left to carry the weight of progress on their shoulders. Could the overcrowded conditions, some of the goings on (i.e. drugs, fights) be a deterrent for those children who truly want to learn? YES. EHS could be a truly great school if the existing conditions and factors mentioned were improved and/or eliminated. Making the school better is contingent upon the work and commitment from everyone involved.
—Submitted by a parent

I am not a parent but a teacher in my 20th year. I have to honestly say that I have never seen this school this bad. Since the old administration was forced out and the new one brought in, there have been major problems.
—Submitted by a teacher

At the present time I am a substitute teacher who has been with the district for the past four years. I personally feel that Elizabeth is a great district to work for... all the teachers I have encountered are there for the well-being of the students. Schools maybe over packed, but we all try our best to reach each student we encounter. I hope to fulfil my dream of also touching and making a difference as a teacher. Teachers who are in the district stay strong and love what you do!
—Submitted by a staff

I am a student in Dwyer house in EHS. I have just completed my sophomore year and i will not be returning for the balance of my highschool years. The reason for this change is due to the fact that i was given an oppurtunity to be transferred to an academy for gifted students who care about learning. The time i spent at EHS was not as horrible as it may be believed to be however, I rather enjoyed my time and learned various things that have no doubt been of use in my life. But the problem i can speak of with confidence is the fact that the school is just too crowded with students who could care less about learning and succeeding in life. That is part of the reason i chose to leave EHS but I cannot say that my former school was a total waste of time
—Submitted by Michelle, a student

this school is a prison I went there hated every minute of it put your kids in private school but dont go here. drugs are sold inide the school . staff does what they can but they dont get everyone
—Submitted by a former student

Great Social enviroment. My son went to Catholic school all his life, when a stint in our finacial status forced us to enroll him in public school. This school turned my sixteen year-old son from an anti-social video gamer to a great father with high self-esteem and a sports scholarship. This here is the happiest 38 year old grandma you can find!
—Submitted by a parent

I am not a parent but a current student in EHS. I attend Jefferson House.I'd say the school is split between students who do have goals and are willing to work hard to accomplish their dreams and students who don't give a care in the world about their education or future. The school itself isn't totally bad. EHS has a large number of programs. The state definately provides the funds to keep these wonderful programs running. I think the problem in EHS is the students attending. And perhaps more than a few teachers aren't of the best quality but I've been fortuate to have all my teachers be caring and attentive teachers. In EHS it's truely up to the student to decide what education he's going to recieve and what he is going to get out of EHS. Nobody is there to tell us to study or enourage us to join more challenging classes.
—Submitted by Cindy C, a student

I'm currently attending EHS and have not had any complaints for the past three years. As in any high school it's the students that make their choices, not the school. The reputation it has does not give credit to all the great life experience you learn from there.
—Submitted by a student

I'am currently a teacher at EHS. I think we have the best school and have the best student's on earth at Elizabeth High. All of our students come from different background and dealing with different challenges in life. As a school we are trying to meet these challenges and educate all of our students to the best of our ability. We have challenging academic programs for students who are willing to take advantage of them. As a school we have challenges like any other schools. I Know we can be a better school if the community and parents take charge and interest at their childs education. I believe all academic programs starts at the pupils home and follow them in the school. In order to have an excellent educational system we as a community and society must reinforce the importance of life long learning at home and at our schools.
—Submitted by a teacher

I am not a parent of an EHS student, I am alumni. After graduating from EHS I learned that it was a waste of my time. Now that I am a junior in college I find it EXETREMELY difficult to understand what is going on in my classes. In high school I learned that if you wanted to learn something you had to transfer to another school. The school is too overcrowded and the teacher are poorly uneducated.
—Submitted by a former student

I think that the problem is not the school, is the students that goes there. If only someone will pay more attention to the students that really wants to learn and take out the ones that dont want to do nothing, just bother the ones that want to do something on life. There is 3 campus if i was the superindent of the school i will rate the students and by their scores they will go to different campus. Another thing i think that the securitys let the little ladies flurt with them so they could go ouside, another think i would not let the students go outside for nothing, sometimes I pass by the school and you see students walking outside like is free time. Please do something with this students that really want to be somebody on life.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm not exactly a parent but a former student. I went to EHS from 2002-2004 or my sophmore and junior year. I have been in four different highschools and this is the worst highschool i have ever known. there is no school spirit it's a racial mess everone makes their own little groups and fighting is also common. i got so sick of it i moved to texas to finish my senior year. All in schools like this make you think 'i shouldve called it quits in eighth grade and gone for my G.E.D.
—Submitted by a former student

Im a sophmore at edison house and i've had a good two years in ehs.I grew up in eastwick and i love it .Unfortunately im moving to florida and i exort the other students in ehs to have fun while your there and not to take ehs for granted.
—Submitted by Luis Artiles, a former student