Parkland Senior High School

As a parent of two students with disabilities, I find that this school has done grave injustices to us. Instead of acknowledging the needs of each individual student, the reputation of the school was first and foremost. Bullying not only came from peers, but from those we entrusted our loved one to. In the end, we moved out of state and away from what we thought to be "the best school district" in the area. Looks can be deceiving and lives can be torn apart. Your children's future is your priority. As the old saying goes "If it's too good to be true, it probably is" was never truer words to describe Parkland High School.
—Submitted by a parent

If the taxpayers in the Pkld District only knew what REALLY goes on within those hallowed walls it would make their skin crawl. If you think that bullying among students is the biggest problem in the schools these days, you are wrong. With Pkld s public image being their utmost priority, the administrators have sunk to an all-time low by covering up for incompetent teachers who have not fulfilled specified requirements and instead forging (yes forging a student s records), with heavy handed bullying of their own. Pkld has good teachers; but the ones who are not should be fired, not protected, while the innocent student is thrown under the bus and has their life ruined. An extremely top heavy (overpaid) administrative hierarchy exists, to do damage control and to make sure no negative publicly occurs. It is outrageous that the very people, to whom we entrust our children, are the very ones who have lost sight of why they went into education in the first place. Through the protection of their union hierarchy, they can so easily destroy young lives, all for the sake of their lack of morals, ethics, and big fat salaries.
—Submitted by a parent

As a former student at the school, know a sophomore in a top 20 school I can Parkland is what you make of it. Opportunities are available everywhere at Parkland, although it takes a lot digging to find them. You really need to have a kid who is comfortable in big bureaucratic structures or be a proactive parent who will fight to figure out what is best for your kid at parkland. There is little to no hand holding, if your kid doesn't take the time to figure out how the classes work or which are important to take early on, Parkland is not the school for you. Parkland is not a nurturing until you've put in the work to find the teachers who will nurture you. Other than that, Parkland give a slightly better than average education. Push your son or daughter to take honors classes, CP classes are a joke and the teachers are overworked which translates to complete disinterest in students. once students reach the AP level teacher really do care and I had great experiences with all my AP teachers. Generally though the academic standard at Parkland is overestimated because of GPA weighting. Despite all I've said Parkland is still leagues better than Emmaus, Allen, or even Central
—Submitted by a student

If you consider academic is most important, Parkland High School is not the right school for you. The average SAT in 2010 was 1596 and was not much higher than national average 1509. The school GPA is really misleading. The honors class A gets 5.0 GPA. Those hornors classes are low standard and most kids can get As. Most universities use not weighted GPA with consideration of APs. Maths are very weak. We have to teach our daughter again in the summer. This is the only high school I know stop recognizing valedictorian.
—Submitted by a parent

The academic standards are quite low in Parkland compare to other states. Lots of teachers graduated from Kutztown University and they seem don't like to use textbooks. My son was a straight A student in Parkland High, but when he transfered to CA, he hardly can keep up Bs. His current high school is also public school, 4000 students. The average SATs is 200 points higher than Parkland High average SAT.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent!!!!! My children have all gone to Parkland and have done wonderful in their lives!
—Submitted by a parent

i am a former student i now attend lehighton high school. this is a great school the learning your kids will get from here is amazing. i know, i learned more than i thought i would and the teachers are very helpful in every way they can be. as far as the students go well some can be very harsh but most mind there own self's. i would deffinetly recommend this school to anyone looking for a good education and prepardness for college.

I am a former graduate of Parkland and my younger brother also attended the school. Parkland is great if you are an academically or athletically motivated student. Both my brother and myself were able to take APs which allowed us to have over a semester of college credit completed before we ever left the halls of Parkland. With it's academic rigor and excellent extracurricular activities, Parkland also helped set us both up to earn academic scholarships in college and gave us the chance to display leadership abilities for a lot of trust and responsibility are awarded to students.
—Submitted by a student

I'm a student at Parkland High School and I have to say, its great. You always know that you are in the best high school in the area and the teachers are really friendly and helpful. No school can compare to this one(:
—Submitted by a student

Although the academic system at Parkland is by far one of the greatest in the state of Pennsylvania, if you parents could spend a week in our shoes, you d be baffled to how this could come to be. The teachers are extremely unprofessional and seem to care more about being thought of as the cool teacher than doing their job. They really could honestly care less about your student and more about the teacher down the hallway who they plan on meeting for dinner that night. They treat us with the lowest amount of respect a decent human deserves, and that is why I have to completely disagree with some of the other people who have written about Parkland. I have been in the Parkland District for five years never been more disrespected and verbally abused by anyone in my life. Teachers are supposed to motivated you, push you, and correct you when you are wrong.
—Submitted by a student

Parkland is a wonderful school. Not only excelling in athletics, we also have amazing art programs as well as endless extracurriculars. It's extremely easy for any student to find their niche. Although the large number of students (about 4000) could be intimidating, it ultimately makes it easier for one to find peers who they are compatible with. Guidance counselors put forth a great deal of effort to communicate with all of their many students, and assess their needs. With many course options, one can more easily figure out what they'd like to do after high school, or decide a possible major. There are many levels of classes, making it simple for you to find the perfect class for you. Teachers push you to do your best, which shines through in our excellent test scores. Parkland is an outstanding school, and I couldn't imagine attending anywhere else.
—Submitted by a student

I have had three children go through the school and school district. It is an excellent school for motivated students with lots of activities. It is also a good school for students with special needs. The students in the middle can sometimes get 'lost in the crowd.' It's a huge school - 3200 students (9-12th) which means the athletics are incredibly competitive.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been a Parkland parent for 10 yrs and are so sad to leave the area due to relocation. I am having a horrible time trying to find the same standards that Parkland has. Parkland is the best overall and is rated 10 or 10 can't get better than that. Parkland is an exceptional school. I commend all instructors.
—Submitted by a parent

Not pleased with the efforts of classroom teachers to provide in-classroom accommodations to students identified with learning disabilities. Although an IEP says one thing classroom teachers want students to bend to their 'style' of teaching, not changing instruction to meet the learning style/needs of students. When you asked for an accommodation or for the opportunity to have a test sent home it was like I was asking for the moon. Accommodations and adaptations need to be implemented to help the student learn. Never saw a single pretest/assessment done by a classroom teacher to determine what a student knew in order to differentiate instruction. No wonder learning support students have not met the PSSA goals in 2 of the last 3 or 4 years.
—Submitted by a parent

Parkland is probably the best school in the Lehigh Valley. They prepare you really well for college and I loved the atmosphere when I went there, teachers are always willing to help students as well as the administrative staff and the guidance staff. Parkland is the best school to send your child to.
—Submitted by a former student

Academically PHS is sending numerous students to Ivy League schools. Availability of extracurric. actvties. is abundant. Parental involvement is moderate to high.
—Submitted by a parent

My child was greatly encouraged at parkland and really enjoys the atmosphere.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has been encouraged to do his best. His teachers have worked hard and cared enough to help him bring out his best work ever. They have a plan for the children. The school has a a lot to offer in the way of college prep or employment prep. As long as your child is willing to learn and participates things will work out fine. My son entered in the 10th grade. He found a lot of assistance from his counselor.
—Submitted by a parent

My children went from a school of 400 to parkland, a school of 4000. They were lost in the system, and nobody seemed to care. My daughter couldn't find the lunch room for the first week! The academic standards seem to be lower than that of the other school. There are vastly more opportunities and classes offered, but I don't know how that will benefit them if they are pretty much passed on whatever they do. My children are presenting sub-standard work, work that would not have been accepted at the other school, and it is getting an A. perhaps that is how they rate high? I think they never should have combined into this huge mini mall of a school, it is just too big and daunting. Add to that that my son has had numerous items stolen, and despite the on site police officer, nothing gets resolved. not impressed.
—Submitted by a parent

Over the past 7 years, my children have grown tremendously through quality teaching and nurturing in Parkland. The music department is, bar none, the finest I have ever seen. The kids are started out on a path of excellence from day 1, and by the time they hit high school, you can expect to be bowled over at any concert you attend. This continuity is evident academically and athletically as well. We are truly blessed to have had this opportunity for our kids. My only concern is safety...no parent wants to see their child pass through metal detctors each morning, but, in this day and age? I wish our senior high had some....are we over-confident or do we have blinders on?
—Submitted by a parent