West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South

As a current student at High School South, I would urge any prospective attendees to pick another school instead. South was and always has been an amazing place with tradition, spirit, and a magnificent student body and faculty. The problem is the administration. In the last couple of years, the School Board and principal have begun destroying everything good and magnifying everything bad. The poor leadership in place means kids are being suffocated in a prison-like institution. I know high school would have been fantastic without the current administration, and it's a shame that cold, detached officials are ruining something beautiful.
--Submitted by a student

Graduated in '08. When I hear from my friends at college what their high school experience was like ("miserable, but isn't high school supposed to be?"), I am completely blown away, as my high school experience at South easily made my years there some of the best in my life. Yes, the academics are superb, and everyone excels (I myself go to a top 5 university). Yes, there is an extracurricular activity for anyone, with significantly more options than I've seen in any other high school. But the most incredible thing about South is the wonderful student body. In my years there, I have never seen bullying or violence. The students were always friendly and got along well with one another with a minimum of cliques. Although there is a high pressure to excel, it's mostly internal--you see your peers succeeding and you want to, too. And the level of diversity in this school! I find that I'm more open to and more knowledgeable about other cultures and nationalities than even friends from diverse, metropolitan cities. You never realize how valuable this experience is until you see the racism from other parts of the country. I loved and I love South. Hope I can send my kids here one day.
--Submitted by a student

This school is a bit of a pressure cooker, full of highly motivated and competitive kids. But 30 or 40 kids each year get into the country's top colleges. The top 20 or so go to Ivy's and another 20 or 30 go to the next level of colleges, the Georgetowns, John Hopkins, Northwesterns, Tufts, etc. It's probably the kids, rather than the school or teachers, but having your kids surrounded by bright and motivated peers can be a good thing. The AP courses have some great teachers.
--Submitted by a parent

In response to the previous reviewer, I'd just like to point out that minority students are some of the top performers and shouldn't be seen as a supposed liability; instead, we have wonderful diversity and people from all walks of life. I love High School South. Most teachers are excellent, classes are well-paced, there's plenty to do after school, and the student body is overall good. It's making high school a great experience for me.
--Submitted by a student

Our school is doing a great job. Think of how many minority students there are at this school, yet our school is still doing a fine job. With over 10% of the student body not speaking English at home, it is remarkable as to how well we can compare to other schools such as Montgomery High School and Princeton High School. Furthermore, let us not forget that each and every year, more and more students transfer to this school from poorly performing school districts such as the Trenton Public School District. These transfer students lack solid foundations in core curriculum classes. As a result, their HSPA test scores may be lower than that of their peers. This does not adequately reflect the performance of the School nor the district.
--Submitted by a student

I love my school because we are so diverse. Our students are all competitive and we strive for the best. I believe that our school is overall very friendly and has a good environment. We also have a very good english as a second language program.
--Submitted by a student

My child is doing very well at this school! I love how the teachers are there to always help a student out after school
--Submitted by a parent

An excellent school where there is a huge emphasis on becoming a well rounded student--strong academically, socially and athletically. Can't ask for a better school.
--Submitted by a student

My daughter is a senior. Very good school. Curriculum competitive. Guidance Dept. and teachers very good. Kept updated on my child's performance. Very satisfied.
--Submitted by a parent

Great school. i am currently a sophomore and love it!
--Submitted by a student