Walnut Hills High School

My son went to Walnut Hills and while drugs are everywhere and at every school it seems , my son made good choices and now still enjoy great success in life!! Walnut Hills really prepared him to be a World Leader!!
—Submitted by a parent

I don't care how good the school is. If they can't get the drug problem under control, people need to think twice before they send their children there.
—Submitted by a parent

Walunt Hills High School is a great school. I graduated from Walnut Hills. They give you alot of freedom,space and choices on what YOU want to do. This school has very great acedemics,very great teachers and staff and,a high expectations of their students. Also they give you the chioce to take AP courses, which will help ALOT on your road to whatever college. The only thing I don't like about this school is some of the people. some of the people at this school is what might set this schools standards a little bit lower. There is about 5-6 thousand people walking at the same time in all different directions,65% of them are 7th and 8th graders. i have witnessed alot of bulliying at this school, because its soo big and people will not always get along but all in all its is a great school

This school is great! You have to be motivated to do all the work there, or else you will not succeed. As long as a student is motivated, the teachers will be more than willing to help. There are a ton of tutoring programs, and as long as you are willing to try, you will most likely love the school. A lot of the time, I don't even feel challenged. Once I talk to my friends who go to other schools, however, I realize that I AM, in fact, being very challenged, and I am actually taking classes that are one or two years ahead of my grade. I think that as long as a student is willing to work hard, and as long as the student WANTS to go to the school, they will do fine!

My daughter entered Walnut in 9th grade, after having been in a private school all of her previous years of education. I have been thrilled with Walnut. My daughter was used to a heavy workload before Walnut, so she wasn't thrown off by the amount of homework her courses entailed, but I know it was a big adjustment for many students. My daughter typically spends 4 to 5 hours per night on homework, but she is taking 4 AP classes (out of a total of 6 classes) in this, her junior year. She has had phenomenal teachers in so many classes, but particularly in her AP classes. The students in those classes are also exceptional, and very dedicated to making the most of their H.S. years. My daughter loves the diversity at Walnut, and appreciates that there's a niche of friends for everyone there. Mr. Brokamp, the principal, is amazing; he is the most dedicated administrator I've ever known. I think I have a unique perspective on the ability of this school to educate well. I am an ACT/SAT tutor, and I work with students from almost every public and private school in Cincinnati. The students I've tutored from Walnut are on par with the very best students from other area high schools.
—Submitted by a parent

My child has attended a suburban school but not a private school and Walnut seems to be a better fit. The suburban school were well organized but you were given many breaks or lets say they were spoon fed. When my child got to Walnut...he didn't get into Honors but the classes he were in were very fast paced from where he came from. I can afford to send my child to a private school but I know for a fact that Walnut will push him because if he doesnt excel in teh classroom, he will get that yellow slip in the mail. At a private school, they will help your child with a tutor or so but you may have to add to your tuition and at Walnut...only the strong survive!
—Submitted by a parent

I have had one child graduate from Walnut Hills and one currently still enrolled and it has been an wonderful experience for my kids. The school's greatest strength is the diversity in the school. There are students of every race, religion, economic status, social class and sexual persuasion all learning together - and it works beautifully. There is a dedicated teaching staff that provides top notch instruction. My only concern is the direction the school is headed. The school ten years ago was more diverse in thought with the school being equally committed to the three A's - Academics, Athletics & Arts. The balance has shifted to the emphasis being Athletics. Walnut Hills was a haven for creative, bright and "outside of the box" thinkers. Those kids today are being made to feel like they have no reason to exist while athletes are celebrated as the highest level of student accomplishment..
—Submitted by a parent

Similar to suburban schools, but it has more AP courses. Best suited for students who are very bright without learning issues. Most teachers are pretty good but a surprising number who are quite bad. Very disorganized as far as anything clerical - lost paperwork common. Guidance department surprisingly poor - my daughter couldn't get appointments and I had to call multiple times to get them to just send her transcripts to her college. On the plus side, when the teacher is good the learning is excellent.
—Submitted by a parent

it is racially and religiously mixed and has a great national academic standard

If you can't afford the suburbs or private school, this school is as close as you will get to those. If you can, this school is here to try to convince you not to utilize those resources. Contrary to what I thought when I first started going there, which is that this is a school for kids who are smart, it seems that it is in actuality a school to keep white people in the city. You only need a 70% to pass the entrance exam, so you don't have to be smart to get in. And you also don't have to be that smart to pass most of the non-advanced classes. So it seems to be more about having a reputation as far as the school is concerned. The day-to-day reality is a big letdown.

My son was not challenged in school, but I didn't know this until he entered Walnut in 7th grade last year. He was given a high school workload and learned quickly that there are no breaks. There are no extra points for class participation, most teachers give a '0' for late work, etc. He was sweating it out, hoping to pass some classes, even though he was an A student in his previous private school! I learned a lot just helping him with his homework. He did have a tutor for year for Latin since I couldn t help him much. I was worried that it would be too much for him, but he was adamant about returning this year. It is a great and challenging experience for both him and my 9th grader.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a student at Walnut Hills currently, and I absolutely think it's a tremendous high school socially and educationally. I'm am a 7th grader there (2015) and yes, it can be hard but it gets easier throughout the year. I love Walnut Hills High School and I hope to stay here until senior year.
—Submitted by a student

Classic college prep- but socially diverse and authentically urban
—Submitted by a parent

Be advised that it is very easy to fall through the cracks at Walnut. And yes, I did take AP's and honor classes. Often the kids there are so intelligent that they can basically teach themselves. Unfortunately this is not the case for all of us. I found myself really struggling in math in science without much help. The teachers could give assignments but they couldn't teach. To my own amazement when I went to college I actually did well in my math classes, because I had teachers who knew how to teach. Now I'm a graduate student at American University with a 3.9. gpa. Walnut is very competitive and favors the rich and well connected. On the plus side there is no 'in' or 'out' crowd. I was well exposed at Walnut if nothing else. It was also the only good option for a Cincinnati Public HS.

Walnut Hills gives the best preparation for college and is a public school. It is diverse and I am a proud alum.
—Submitted by a parent

Walnut Hills is an excellent school if your child is a 7th-grade entrant and is selected for the Honors Program for the 8th (and 9th grades) by GPA, which segregates the top 25% from the rest of the student body academically for virtually the rest of their time at the school. The extra weighting that your child gets from taking 'weighted' Honors-level courses in the 9th grade confers a class-rank advantage that is impossible for those not chosen (the bottom 75%) to overcome. Walnut Hills is an unparalleled experience for the top 25%; a merely above-average experience for the rest of the rank-and-file. All of the honors and choice college offers come to those 25% chosen in the 8th grade for the Honors experience. My D attended Walnut and loved every minute of her years there. She was an Honors Program graduate.
—Submitted by a parent

An alum and a parent of a current student. There is no better school to prepare young people for college and life in general. A well-diversified student population in a school that is still run by the faculty. An alumni base that will answer the call for any need - textbooks, athletic equipment, musical instruments, additional instructors, etc. There is none better.
—Submitted by a parent

(I am an alumna.) As noted in previous comments, Walnut is a rigorous academic institution with a culture that values hard work. I am glad to have attended a school where these values were integral, and where students valued each other for their strong intellects.
—Submitted by a student

From a parent: Walnut is a gem and a reason to stay in - or relocate to - the city of Cincinnati. Newsweek has rated Walnut the top public school in Ohio the last three years (#34 in U.S: 2008). The College Board, which administers AP's, rated Walnut the top public or private!! in Ohio, based on the number of AP's per student, and the exceptionally high pass rate on AP exams. The new (2007) principal, Jeff Brokamp, a Walnut grad, has brought back school spirit. Parents and students adore him... per one 10th grader: 'He shows he really cares about us.' The school is extremely diverse: 35% Af-Am, 5% other minorities, and at least 12-15% Jewish. Gay students are easily accepted. College & SAT coaching by counselors is superb. We still shake our heads at what we get for free at Walnut! Judie L.S.
—Submitted by a parent

My son currently attends Walnut Hills High School and absolutely loves it. He was always an exceptionally bright kid but was never especially challenged. At Walnut Hills the academic standards are so high and my son has to compete on a daily basis with the best and the brightest in the City that he has been challenged to achieve up to his full potential. I would very much like to leave Cincinnati and go to a bigger, more cosmopolitan city with more career opportunities for myself but where am I going to find another Walnut Hills?
—Submitted by a parent