Sumter High School

For those parents who have never lived outside of Sumter, this school may be what they think as good. Having lived in other areas around the US, I can tell you that it is very weak in many areas from my observations. On the few times I have come to visit the office, I have seen students wandering aimlessly in the halls and witnessed horrible behavior and profanity right in front of the office personnel with absolutely nothing said to the students! If there were a better option for my son, I would take it without thinking twice.
—Submitted by a parent

I have attended sumter high and i have also been to crestwood high. I must say that Sumter high is a better school by FAR!! The staff, and the overall atmosphere is better. Also sumter high has more to offer as far as extra curricular activities and clubs. On a scale from 1-10 i give it a 15!!

We are a military family and our kids have been to schools in CA, NV, AL, and ID. School District 17 and Sumter High School are the best we have participated in. I disagree with the school not being military friendly. If you explain requirements and maintain contact with the coundelors, they will bend over backwards to ensure your child graduates. We checked out Crestwood, Lakewood, and two local provate schools and SHS offerred the best mix of academics, extracurricular, and teacher involvement. Recommend District 17 and SHS for the best local education.
—Submitted by a parent

This is the best school that has ever been built! Of course it has its downside but hey who dosent. I had the best time of my life at this school. It prepares you for the real world trust me. Im now an Sports Facilitator Director for the NFL and I owe that to my alma mater SHS! Thanks and continue to turn out productive students!

I am a 2008 graduate of Sumter High School. SHS is the best school ever. Some say it may get a little crazy but you WILL get an education. The teachers and students are great people. There are a lot of clubs to get invovled in, and the SHS Sports Program is the BEST! GO GAMECOCKS!
—Submitted by a student

I attended Sumter High for my freshman and sophomore year, and I loved it! Sumter High has so many different opportunities for students. Yea its crowded, but that's what happens when there is only one high school in your district, but other than the large capacity in the classes the school is great. The fact that they have so many options to whether you want to go to college or you just want to get a job after high school you have the choice. Plus, with the career center it helps students figure out what they want to do once they graduate and not be bums. So I just want to say that Sumter High is a great academic learning school!
—Submitted by a former student

I moved in the middle of the school year and now attend Sumter High. It hasn't been a very..pleasant experience as I have had many problems. My dad is in the military and so we had no other choice but to move and, as mentioned before, Sumter is a military city, but Sumter High does not do a very good job of supporting it. Block scheduling completely messed up my credits, forcing me to retake all of my core classes at the risk of failing. Also, I feel the school is too crowded and has too many disipline problems. I don't feel safe at my own school and since I do spend most of my time there, I feel security is a necessity.
—Submitted by a student

I think that this is a awesome school. I am a parent there and my son really does enjoy getting up every morning just to go to school. He says that there's no other place better that he can go except school. I am just so overjoyed about how good sumter high treat their kids. from what I see, this school is the best on the map yet. So like i mentioned earlier, I am truly happy about the fact that my son gets to go to sumter high school and that he enjoy's it. I always look forward to going to the school meetings especially on the first couple weeks of school just to see my son's new teachers. they are so nice and always welcome me in.
—Submitted by Salandria Singleton, a parent

I am currently a Junior at Sumter High School. While I've been at the school, I've participated in many different organizations from Student Council, to the music department(Choir) and I've attended many sports events. Sumter High School is definitely an amazing school for any student to attend. There are many educational opportunities that students cannot get from other schools such as the International Baccalaureate(IB) program, the variety of AP classes, the career center which helps students learn job skills that are applicable to everyday life, and just learning in a large diverse environment. I recommend anyone to send their child to this amazing learning establishment.
—Submitted by a student

My daughter is a Senior this year and she has had a great education. She has had many opportunities to excel and I very thankful of that! I love Coach Robbie. She is such a great influence on the girls! Thank you for a great English department and teaching my daughter German! She has made some great friendships and will miss High School I am sure! Sumter High has definately prepared her for COFC! Thank You! We are a military family and have had not trouble with this school.
—Submitted by a parent

My son transfered to SHS this year from Crestwood. SHS is hands-down the better school. The academics are excellent for all learning abilities. Mr. Jones has the band program doing amazing things with numerous disciplines being taught. Parents can get involved as much as they choose to. There are some discipline problems but those are handled on a case by case basis and not with 'blanket' policies. This is a large but great school to send your children to. Plenty to keep them involved (which is what teenagers need).
—Submitted by a parent

I attend sumter high school and i feel that it offers alot of different things to students who plan on entering the workplace after college and who plan on attending college they have alot of different classes to choose from. Yes we have our discipline problems but what school doesn't its not a serious issue , i feel that the administrators and teachers do a good job of handling the students well .
—Submitted by a student

Excellent school with good ROTC program.
—Submitted by a parent

Discipline is terrible, kids all over the halls, overcrowded classes (except IB which is the pet), good teachers but most are leaving, weak administrators
—Submitted by a parent

Sumter High School has block scheduling, offering 4 classes per semester. This makes the transition for Military families difficult. It also makes moving mid year almost impossible. Considering the fact that Sumter is a town that supports an Air Force Base, it doesn t seem the school is taking the military families into consideration. My daughter has had a hard time switching to the block schedule, as it is much faster paced, completing in one semester what would have been a year long class in other states. Some classes are only offered once a year, again making it hard for the student moving into the area.
—Submitted by a parent

My child transferred to Sumter High School from Wilson Hall. I am so happy that this change happend. My child loves the school and enjoys having alot of friends. SHS has great sport activities and great teachers! My child and I love SHS!
—Submitted by a parent

While SHS has some good points, it was not a good experience for my two children who transferred to a local private school. SHS is too big with too many discipline problems, racial divisiveness, campus violence, and very low expectations. Only a few select students receive positive attention, and the troublemakers receive attention, but the other 3000 students are ignored. I felt the school and the district mismanaged its resources, and many teachers clearly did not enjoy what they were teaching. My children have never been happier since they have left.
—Submitted by a parent