Hazleton Area High School

HAHS is THE WORST school I have EVER had to deal with. We moved around alot, my daughter had gone to 13 schools (with a 3.8gpa) prior to arriving at HAHS in her senior year. Her previous school offered drivers education, HAHS does not. Because of this, she was 2 credits shy of graduating on time. After lengthy discussions with the principal, summer school was not available to her because she did not fail any classes, he gave no option other than for her to complete another year of school. This news came in April of her graduating year. During my conversation with the principal, I was told "You'd better loose than southern accent and learn to talk like a coal cracker if you want to get along in this area" I will never forget those words. Nor will I ever forget the anguished sobs when my daughter realized that after all her hard work and stellar grades, she wouldn't graduate with her friends. She quit school 4 weeks before graduating. Thanks to the principal and Hazleton Area School District. Good job.
--Submitted by a parent

Kids are actually graduating from this school and have no idea who JFK or MLK are. They are not prepared for life, college or anything else except to go to a community college that will take anyone. The students that do get into Universities and Colleges of mediocre standards, do so because they were bright kids to begin with. Those bright kids if given a proper education could have gone on to an outstanding university and have done great things.

I am finally entering the year I have to deal with this school and these people. Although most of the teachers are good, forget it when it comes to guidence counseling for the most part it doesnt exsist. Dealing with these people is like dealing with the teens them selves , They only answer telephones when it doesnt interfer with their cell phone ringing, They are rude to just about everyone except their own kids. Unless your child doesnt speak english or is severely handicapped ,enabling the district to get more federal dollars , he/she doesnt matter. In the Hazleton Area High School average and better then average teens mean nothing to the bottom line. Thank God for school taxes, because if these people had recriut tuition they would all be hungry.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is one of the worst. It is overpopulated and understaffed, yet it pays the highest salaries in the area. The school district pays preference to politics over education. And it is the only public high school choice in the valley.
--Submitted by a parent

I attend this school, and I absolutely hate it. Everyday I walk in the school I cannot wait until the minute I walk out. The teachers are nice, but they rarely ever give one-on-one attention. If you want extra help teachers tell you to come early the next morning, as if they're entirely too busy to do it at that moment. It is entirely overcrowded as mentioned in every other post & there is a lot of harassment taking place. If you are not in a club, sport, or honor roll student you are not helped out at all. I've learned the hard way. I would not recommend sending your child here. It is so overcrowded we had to change an elementary school that was by the highschool into the '9th Grade Center' - how pathetic. For highschool students some can have classes in 3 different buildings ! HAHS is terrible.
--Submitted by a student

Overcrowding is a huge problem. The teaching staff is very good for the most part but you always have your slackers. Most care about the students very much. Constant principal shuffle is a mess. The new superintendent does not seem to be doing a great job. Graduation this year was a mess!! From wrong names of students being read to the nice day on tuesday only to have the ceremony changed to a downpour..

I felt like a number and that the teachers only cared about the 'in' crowd while I was there. The teachers didn't help anyone who they didn't favor themselves and that hurt my education.
--Submitted by a student

The school is overcrowded and I am a mere number. I am 7th out of 865 in my 11th grade class and feel my only puppose for this school is to get funding with standardized test results. The white and hispanic differences are huge and there is apathy towards communication. Athletics is the most important things to this school, even over grades. The teachers are corrupt and if your not a varsity player then you are nothing. The district does not care about our views and is broke because of their stupidity. Half of this year's 9th grade failed their 1st semester. It is going downhill and thank god I'm leaving soon.
--Submitted by a student

This school is overcrowded and most children are merely a number. Community involvement with the school is nonexistent and the student and teacher morale is low. Too much emphasis is placed on athletic programs and not enough on educating our kids.
--Submitted by a parent

The school is way too crowded, but that doesn't explain some truly awful teachers and administrators. The Science dept has some good teachers and English is strong in the higher grades. For being so crowded the security is good.
--Submitted by a staff