Anderson High School

Anderson is a great school. The teachers are committed and focused on the kids' success.
—Submitted by a parent

Anderson is a great school.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a challenging high school with approximately 2000 students attending. The theatre and music programs are excellent. Parent involvement is very high. Between 60-90 International students attend each year with an International counselor available to them. Students from Anderson have been accepted in Ivy League schools and have stated that this high school made college easy.
—Submitted by a parent

School is great for those students who are self motivated and bright. Does not work for those students who need any kind of extra help with 'traditional academic teaching'.
—Submitted by a parent

One of the best programs in the county. My daughter loves the teachers and raves about their enthusiasm.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children who currently attend anderson high school. Anderson high prides itself on the high academic standards that are demanded of its students. It is after all, an educational institution. Part of one's education however, relates to health and social awareness. This is a weak area in my opinion, not only on the part of the administration, but generally lacking as a valued part of the anderson high school experience. The small learning communities are trying to address this failing, but the outreach must also pervade the attitudes of the staff and teachers. I wonder how many students at anderson, if asked, feel that there is even one adult there who genuinely cares about them as a person--rather than a test taker. The ib students do have that caring, concerned other--the marvelous ann cowan. But what about the other three thousand students?
—Submitted by a parent

I am the parent of an ADD student entering Senior year in 2004. Anderson's staff has been exceptionally supportive of my son. I have talked to parents from other schools, and they can't believe the level of support we have received. Their schools don't seem to compare. The balance between assistance and challenge is well-managed customized, monitored and geared for each student. He has had a few teachers who were not responsive to the needs of all of their students, and in fact favored some students over others. But overall, the teachers have been excellent, and took the time to presonally contact me whenever they had a concern. He is succeeding, and I don't think that would have been possible in another environment. He has a safe, active social life with really nice kids, and is well accepted, even though he is ADD challenged. GREAT SCHOOL!
—Submitted by a parent

I am a former Anderson student. I know that Anderson is a great school because it has prepared me for college. Most of the other reviews mention that AHS is too cliquey, but I ask 'what school isn't?' Life is full of friend groups, we naturally are closer to the people we are most alike. Although the school does have these groups they are not totally exclusive. I felt that through my high school experience I had my closest friends, but generally our class was very social and all got along well. To this day I can go to a party and see graduates of all different graduating classes and friend groups. Anderson was a great school and I was prepared for life after high school. Classes were challenging and I learned many life skills in and out of the classroom through my experience at Anderson.
—Submitted by a former student

I completely disagree with the prior statements about 'too many cliques' and 'it's all about social status.' I am currently a student at Anderson High School and I have attended many other schools around Austin. Anderson is by far the best. Everywhere has some of the cliques but overall Anderson doesn't have 'the popular group' that makes your life miserable. I wouldn't go anywhere else. Some teachers are annoying but that is to be expected, all but two teachers I've had in 3 years have been great and they conduct their classes wonderfully. Many of the extra curriculars are amazing also, and the whole school is full of amazing oppurtunities.
—Submitted by a student

I graduated from Anderson four years ago. If you are considering this as the school for your child, it can be great academically and athletically. However, there are too many cliques. These people do not care about their education. They are only concerned with the social aspects of life - like where is the keg party tonight and where did you get that shirt. If you don't shop at Abercrombie and Fitch, they can make life miserable for you. The 'popular' students are usually the ones who came from feeder schools like Murchison. Everyone else is automatically looked down upon. Other than the drinking and unruley people - not to say that everyone is - this school is alright. Excellent academic - for those who want a challange - and athletic programs. Many of the athletic teams consistently win disterict every year and most of the coaches are excellent.
—Submitted by a former student

I'm the mom of a Anderson sophmore. My older son went to the school a few years ago. Because this school is in a suburban locale, the high scores that are achieved may well be a reflection of the fact that the kids are drawn from a highly educated, generally affluent populace. Some of the teachers are exceptional. They tend to have the honors students. (But even in honors classes, there are some teachers who are in the wrong profession.) Most teachers are acceptable, and many are good or very good. The social scene is extremely cliquey (sp?). The school has tried to fix this problem, but breaking in socially is very difficult for the kids that didn't go to the feeder middle school (Murchison) or are not blonde gods or goddesses. Alcohol consumption is a real problem here...though the school administration works very hard at addressing this particular problem. The principal, Dr. Kernwein is fond of saying that Anderson is not a good school....it's a great school. While I don't agree with his observation, I suppose he is trying to set a positive tone for the kids.
—Submitted by a parent

The school has troubles keeping up with schedules, grades, and attendance for many students of which I am one currently and it is a rediculous state...I however would suggest more ways of out of school graduation to where the students can work on class work while being at home if they absolutely need to or if they choose to get a job but classes such as delta aren't helping them, also if you allowed for students to do other such forms of work such as more group involved achievements then the students would be more willing to do the work because it affects several people other than that I think Anderson is a half decent school.
—Submitted by a student

This school is very tough for kids (especially the not-so-popular ones) Peer pressure is high and the kids don't seem to respect one another's differences. My daughter really disliked the school and said that everyone there focuses too much on status and fashion and noone really cares about school. As far as the teachers, I thought a few were very good teachers, but not all of them. I would say 50% know what they are doing, the other 50% seem more like kids themselves. The one thing Anderson has going for it is their sports coaches are great. But besides that, this school was too clique-ish.
—Submitted by a parent

AHS does really well with highly motivated, achievment-oriented students. They'll do well no matter what their intrinsic talents & ability may be. That covers about 40% of the student body. Bright underachievers tend to be ignored, at best, especially if they're well-behaved.
—Submitted by a parent

Couldn't have chosen a more positive and great overall environment for my children to be educated and grow in.