Highland Park High School

Nothing will prepare you for the amount of pressure your child will go through. There is a massive amount of homework, that often requires these kids to be up until 1am to finish. The academic sector operates as if there are no sports, and the sport sectors operate as if there is no academcs. We came from a private school environment that focused on teaching course material rather than teaching college exams. My children no longer enjoy school, and my daughter sometimes gets up in the morning throwing up because of the pressure. Yes, the "Bubble" is beautiful, but this school is the example of the pressure cited in the movie "Road to Nowhere."
—Submitted by a parent

Great extracurricular activities, and fantastic teachers. One of the best schools (private or public) you can possibly enroll your child in.
—Submitted by a parent

One of the best in the nation! It doesn't get any better in public education, and beats many private schools as well.
—Submitted by a parent

I've had three children graduate from HPISD, the last in '07. It is a very challenging environment. Parents are very involved.
—Submitted by a parent

I went to Bradfield,The Middle School and I'll be in the highschool next year. Highland Park is a great school and we learn alot. Sure its hard socially and academically, but if your not up for the challenge go home its tough but we work hard and thats what were known for. I love HP I and I dont want to leave in 4 years.
—Submitted by a student

Fantastic school as long as you have attended the elementary and middle schools that feed students into this school. Most other public schools will not have prepared your children for the demands that the school places on the students.
—Submitted by a parent

I just moved from Colorado to Highland Park, and the students there were so kind and nice to me, it wasn't hard to make friends at all. And the teachers are very supportive and most of the time they are reasonable. HP is a great school and a wonderful learning enviornment. Go SCOTS!
—Submitted by Natalie Dodd, a student

Extreme parental involvement makes for a highly competitive atmosphere. Most students rank very high in academic achievement and are pushed to take honors classes. Very good educational opportunities as well as a great sports program.
—Submitted by a former student

As a former student, I can testify to the exemplary academic side to HP. Many of the teachers have PhDs and the school site offers many amenities. However, the student population is very concerned with fitting in - the right look, the right car, the right clothes, etc. This is true to a certain degree in every high school, but it seems to reach its apogee at HP. If your child isn't one of the beautiful people, be careful.
—Submitted by a former student

HPHS is a great school. Generally the comments listed here are accurate. I am actually a former teacher and I had to leave due to the poor leadership from the Principal and Superintendent. I loved the students and parents in HP, but could no longer be a part of a faculty behind leadership that was so misguided. If you are a parent you really should ask why some of the best teachers have left HPHS. I have a master's degree, 10 years of teaching experience, and taught successful AP classes. I would never have considered leaving HP had it not been for the poor leadership. I hope for the sake of the students and HPHS that the current leadership is replaced soon. If not, a continued decline in state rating, national merit finalist, etc. will continue.
—Submitted by a teacher

Teachers care about the students. They give their best efforts to enhance student learning.
—Submitted by Ron Kern, a teacher

I go to highland park and i am proud to go there... It is one of the top high schools and the teachers make it fun for everybody... I love Highland Park!
—Submitted by john ross, a student

The TAG program is sizable, terrific in HS. Skip JH. Athletics are pervasive and well-roundedness encouraged. Competitive place. Kids who can compete thrive. Definitely college prep. Example, the entire sophomore class takes a dry run PSAT. AP course students must take accompanying exams. Overall, the HS has excellent, dedicated teachers. The best get recruited by State administration frequently. One department head is a Milken Teacher of the Year. HP takes pride in State and National commendations and orients programs and management to retain those. This is not always positive, i.e., catering Newsweek's best HS's list based on AP exam volume, AP courses are now pushed where teachers orient to pass rate instead of best student attention. Still, discount decrease in Merit Scholars. The 2005 class is brainy like 2002. It's about who's in the class. English, Journalism, Debate school par excellence. Not renown for math and science, but opportunity possible.
—Submitted by a parent

Highland Park is an excellent school, even with the State of Texas robbing our district by taking 69% of funds collected and meant for HPISD. Parents are getting hit with a heavy tax load and then constant private fund raising and volunteering to bridge the financial gap created by Robinhood. Even still, HPISD is performing at a college prep level. Go Scots, three more years for my freshman and I know he will be prepared.
—Submitted by James Doster, a parent

The principle puts too much effort on sports. The foreign lang. dept. teachers are all Americans who cannot speak/teach the language, culture and literature of the area. Math dept. is very week. My daughter, who is in TAG Math, complained that the teacher teachs only the easiest materials skipping the higher level concepts. The principle seems not interest in the excellence of the education. No wonder the nubmer of the national merit scholars decreased this year. I am afraid this tendency will continue.
—Submitted by a parent

I found that the school administrators try to water down the curriculum, so that less number of teachers push more students through the system. The principle is trying to introduce IB program. It will make our school less competitive in more competitive world of placing students in higher ranking universities. I want some one to take responsiblity for the declining number of national merit scholars.
—Submitted by a parent

I graduated from HP in 2002 and am a sophomore at a difficult, small, private school. HP prepared me well. In high school, my friends that went to the private schools near us used to tease me about going to a private school. I never realized just how much of a college prep. HP was until I came to college. My university is known for its difficult work load, but it's nothing I haven't been taught to handle. Even the other HP grads that I go to school with still agree with me. I am just now completing an American Literature course in which we read many of the same books I read in my junior English class. Unfortunately, my teacher at HP was far better than the professor I have here. Some students may have difficulty with the competitive nature of HP, but it will only prepare the students for a stronger future.

I graduated from HPHS and am glad to be out. Teachers recieve jewelry for Christmas as opposed to an apple. You see kids skate through school making average grades to somehow be accpeted into prestigious universities. I sometimes wonder if I made decent grades because I was smart or because my father was on the board and employed many, many local workers.

I graduated from HP in 2002, after attending K-12 in the district. I am currently a sophomore in college, and entered college at a sophomore level (by hours) due to the educational execellence I was exposed to while at HP. The school offers many AP courses that transfer to college level, and are taught at a level that surpasses many of the college courses I have taken so far. I was the only freshmen enrolled in a junior level college course at my university, and still found said course to be equal to (if not less) the difficulty of my high school classes. Highland Park HS provides a challenging college prep atmosphere despite its public school status and lack of 'official' college prep title.

I graduated from HPHS many years ago and found the basic education from this school superior to anything I experienced later in college up to the doctoral level in both the U.S. and Switzerland. Highland Park High School is a college prep school par excellence. Focus on the basics seems to have given way somewhat to more emphasis on left wing agendas, viewpoints, and political correctness. Nevertheless, it is still one of the best college prep schools in the nation and I value my hard earned diploma from HPHS higher than any of my college degrees.
—Submitted by Sherman Allen Thompson, a parent