Thomas Worthington High School

My son is starting his sophomore year at Thomas. He had a great freshman year. I was happy with most of his teachers and experiences. He articulated to me he loved his freshman year because of academics/teachers, basketball, and friends. There are a lot of very bright, great kids in his class. I feel optimistic about the rest of high school for him. He has always felt safe there. When I have asked him about drugs, etc. His response is that it's all there, he chooses to "stay away from the bad kids". Overall, I have been happy so far. He had one teacher last year that I didn't think was so great, he told me she really cares about the kids, super nice and that I was being too critical. They really have some remarkable performing arts programs, band and theatre are amazing.
—Submitted by a parent

I graduated thomas worthington in 09. I hated it there. Id recomend kilbourne. westerville north or south. Olentangy but dont go to thomas. Its full of downers. The football team is and forever will be a joke there. the wrestling team never had a full roster so you are more than likely guarenteed a slot in a weight class (very good if u wanna get in shape i recomend this if u wanna go to thomas). baseball was a joke! u dont even train let alone practice seriously. thats all i know first hand on sports. Now as for the classes. If you dont want to learn the subject they simply wont teach it to you. they dont go backwards either. if you are missing something go after school or ask after class because they are not going to help you unless u force them too answer your questions. also if you do go to this highschool i recomend prepping for your degree and future much more in advanced than if you were in a nicer and more academicaly goal oriented school
—Submitted by a student

I just graduated from Thomas, and I am happy to be going to my first choice college! This school has some amazing teachers, who are not only passionate about their fields, but who genuinely enjoy teaching. I became good friends with many of my teachers, including teachers in fields that in general did not interest me. I never had a problem with the administration or bullying, and neither did any of my friends so I can't comment on that, but all in all I really enjoyed my four years here!
—Submitted by a student

Learning? Teaching? Yeah, right. The teachers don't teach, the students don't learn, this school is far too easy. The reason the honor roll is so long is because a middle schooler from any other district could pass any exam here with flying colors. The teachers don't care at all and there is clearly not enough discipline. This school does not prepare for college AT ALL. The only thing this school produces are teen parents, druggies, thugs, and McDonalds cashiers. I expect a highschool to prepare my children for college and help turn them in to well rounded members of society. For my other two children I am going to try my best to find another option for highschool by the time they go there. My son is now in college and is struggling, badly, in remedial classes. He was in ALL honors and AP classes at TWHS, which shows you how "hard" their challenging classes are. It's not just him, either, I've heard the same from many parents of his classmates.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is a joke. The teachers don't bother trying to teach the students. All they care about are test scores and popularity. They also tell the students that they should accept more responsibility while in reality they don't let the students have a decent say in how the school is run. The Spanish department is the worst feature of this school. They force the students to meet with them outside of school in order to receive credit. This is especially frustrating to the students who participate in extracurricular events because they don't have time to meet with them outside of class and the teachers can't speak the language with a decent accent. In short, the school is filled with hypocritical teachers who don't care about the students.
—Submitted by a parent

Thomas Worthington High School does not tolerate bullying. The school have zero tolerance. Ms. Julie King and Mr. Bluvar are awesome employees, and will not tolerate students being bullied by other students attending the school.If this is happening to your child, please report it immediately.
—Submitted by a parent

I have found that Thomas Worthington does not adress bullying or any other problems that have occured. In the last several years Worthington has been getting worse and worse. I have wanted to switch to Olentangy or Hiliard over what has been happening. It is becoming more and more like Columbus public schools, with no real teacher or staff authority/involvement. There has not been any real violence, however there are lots of punk kids with poor atitudes and bad work ethics. Several of my friends have had things stolen and the school hardly acknoledges the problem. The school has also had to cut several teachers, so that means there will be more students in each classroom in the following years. I would recommend not going to Thomas, but possibly going to Worthington Kilbourne. Any other schools outside of Thomas Worthington, or Columbus Public would be a good option.
—Submitted by a student

I love this school!! The kids here are great. It is challenging and fun at the same time.
—Submitted by a student

My child attends Worthington High School. I have been very impressed with her four years of education at Thomas Worthington. The only negative thing I can see about the school is the Spanish department. Other than that, I think the school is great!
—Submitted by a parent

the academic program is very good, except for the spanish program. The music, art, sports are very good at our school. The parents can get involved based on if they want to or not.
—Submitted by Alyssa, a student

Both of my kids go to Thomas and it's a pretty rounded school. The issues I have and have had in the past is the bullying, dress codes & there's a lot of favoritism when it comes to sports. As for the bullying it's never addressed. The dress code is a big issue. I couldn't believe that parents actually let their daughters out of their house with the clothes they are wearing at school. You can see if they're wearing thong underwear and the color of their bra's. What is up with this dress code? The last thing I don't agree with is the sports. There's too much favoritism from the coaches to the 'popular kids'. The purpose of sports in school should be to learn to be a team player and to have fun and this is not what is going on.
—Submitted by a parent

TWHS has a well-deserved reputation as one of the best schools in Ohio. Aside from what you read about in the paper - it leads the state in National Merit Scholars, or has the premier drama department or soccer program, just to give a couple of examples - I can say from the personal experience of raising three children through the school, that Thomas Worthington comes as close to being all things to all people as a top-notch school can. My kids left the school happy, mature and well-educated for top college experiences.
—Submitted by a parent

I graduated in 2000. The only thing bad I can say was that some of the teachers never seemed to care about a student's well being, only about getting through the teaching material. I just think that diminishes the quality of a teacher. That's not all of them, but those are the one's that stick out to me the most. Some of the teachers are a bit unproffesional too, getting just as caught up in popularity as the student body does and only focusing on a student's image.
—Submitted by a student

My son went to Worthington schools from start to finish, graduation from Thomas Worthington. He had learning disabilities and was offered so much help and support from the school. I would refer Worthington schools to anyone who wants a good school for thier children. The teachers are great, the atmosphere is wonderful. Thanks to all his teachers and tutors. He was in the class of 2002.
—Submitted by Brenda McClurg, a parent

I graduated in 1999, and i'm embarrassed to have attended this school. The teachers aren't very good and the school doesn't care about helping a child grow intellectually. Instead the school only cares about keeping high test scores and students who will enhance their image.
—Submitted by a former student

Of all the suburban schools that I visited in the surrounding area, I must say that this is one of the worst schools to send a child. The teachers and administrators care more about a student's 'social status' than they do about a student's classroom performance or conduct. The leadership of the school is also very weak, as many of the employees are 'suburban wannabes' and let the parents tell them what to do. Very sad.
—Submitted by an administrator

I graduated from Thomas Worthington and have a very high opinion of the educational opportunities there! The academics are excellent and it has one of the best Drama programs I've ever heard of. (Also an exceptional Choir program).