McDowell IHS

I am proud to say that I attend McDowell High School for a number of reasons: our educators are superior, our sports programs are unbeatable, our educational environment is realistic, and we're very diverse as a student body. Many parents believe their children would do better at other local private institutions such as Cathedral Prep/Villa or Mercyhurst, but they are wrong. After all, you may think your child is working harder or learning more - but in fact he is most likely doing only busy work given to students to justify the enormous tuition. Education is not justified by money. Students are able to thrive if they try; no matter the environment. Go Trojans and go McDowell!
--Submitted by a student

My daughter attended McDowell starting her junior year. We moved from Michigan, where her previous high school was the same size, but no comparison in quality of education. McDowell was a year behind academically. The daycare in the school was a major turn off to our family when we toured the school. I found the school and faculty to be very complacent and unsupportive with little assistance for a transfer student. The counselors were worhtless! I have a son who is currently a junior at Cathedral Prep and there is no comparison.... It is well worth paying the tuition for a superior education! If I had to do it all over again with my daughter I would have sent her to Colliegate Academy or Mercyhurst. I do not recommend McDowell High School, as a matter of fact you could not pay me to send another child through that school.
--Submitted by a parent

McDowell IHS academically is a good school. The teachers are excellent teachers, they know what they are doing, for the most part, but a lot of them do not know how to control their class properly. The principals are also very good as well. The intire school district and school board however needs a lot of improvement. They say they are trying to make a education difference, well yeah they are, but a negative one. They are not helping the students, they are making it harder for them to learn.
--Submitted by a parent