Pleasanton High School

I graduated from PHS in 2004, my experience there is incredible.... to succeed in life, one can only challenge themselves. There are teachers that don't care for the students that don't care. Teachers are willing to teach if the students are willing to learn. I was involved in every organization and tried to excell to the best of my ability. My parents and friends' parents were constantly involved...it's not the school that has problems...it might be the students. The athletic program is what drives the city's pride and the extracurricular activities are there for the students that want to be involved. I graduated from college in 3 1/2 years and employed with an incredible future ahead. It's not up to the school how well the student excells, it's the child's choice. I am proud to say I graduated from PHS and can say that it helped make me who I am.
--Submitted by a student

I have 4-children in this school district,we come from a big city and this school does not provide what these children need to prepare them for the real world. This school cares more about football,basketball & the cheerleaders. They do not focus on the students studies and they push the child to focus more on TACKS testing. These teachers and staff are all too lazy to study and help the students with their work. The staff is old school and the whole school systmen in general needs a fresh clean start with new teachers,facultiy,ideas,etc. These children 'my Children' need a challenge, a new clean start. These students are often discouraged and let down by many of the school faculty members. And they know who they are. Like they say, 'if the shoe fits, than by GOD wear it'. I hope to see better parent envolment in coming years and a new principal.
--Submitted by a parent

Three of my children graduated from PHS. I feel that they were not adequately prepared for the challenges they faced once they reached college. Academic requirements at PHS are not geared toward major university standards. There are a handful of teachers that truly work with the students in regards to college goals. The worst memory of PHS was what one of my children experienced due the horrors of special education. This past experience follows him and me to this day. The Special Ed. Department worked fully with my child, but regular teachers and the school principal proved to be lacking in understanding my child s needs (ADD). It was an experience that no child deserves to have in their memories of high school. I feel that principals and the regular staff at PHS need to be educated in the needs of special ed. students and to keep their comments about students to themselves; especially to others students and community members. Unfortunately, our experience with PHS in this regards was traumatic and unnecessary.
--Submitted by a parent

Pleasanton High School and PISD overall are almost entirely driven by TAKS results, daily attendance, and dropout rate numbers. The teachers here are very capable but cannot teach in many cases because of the paperwork, time needed to prepare to pass TAKS, and time required for discipline. This has made our school 'exemplary', yet parents and employers notice that our local graduates educations are lacking. Teacher morale is very poor and parent apathy is extreme. When parents are asked to participate in a steering committee or action team they learn very quickly that the committees are 'stacked' and that the meeting times are not convenient for the normal 8-5 working parent.
--Submitted by a parent