Reagan High School

Reagan is an excellent high school. It is a place where kids do not have to be the most popular to be successful, where the arts programs are very good, and the Advanced Placement courses are outstanding. Prior to moving to San Antonio, we lived in Fairfax County, Virginia, and the Cerritos / Cypress areas of Southern California. We have high academic expectations. Our son will take a total of 20 AP exams at Reagan. He not found these AP classes overcrowded, and he has always received the level of attention and support he has needed to be successful. The reasonable level of homework and the more balanced lifestyle here in South Texas means that he gets more sleep and has less stress than he would have in Virginia or California. Since the athletic programs are strong at Reagan, I was concerned that there might be negative stereotypes for academic kids. Not true. My son has a wide range of friends from the athletes to the artists. As I write this review,, our son has been admitted today to 2 top Ivy League colleges, and he is very well prepared to be academically and socially successful. I can think of no better place for him to have attended high school than Reagan.
—Submitted by a parent

I moved to the area from Schertz so my daughter could attend Reagan when she decided she didn't want to stay in her private school. Great school and I think it's just as strong or stronger than private schools (academically). It is tough though. You need to be in AP courses with high A's if you want to have a chance to be in the top 10% of the class. I think it will prepare my daughter well for college, but she isn't going to be in the top 10%, which may keep her from attending the school of her choice. At any other high schools in the San Antonio area she would be in the top 10%.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a school for the masses. Academic competition is so high that my son feels bad for having a 92 average and poor class rank. Teachers clearly encourage the competition to the point where it is only a competition to see who can cheat the most efficiently, or who is willing to run themselves ragged, losing hope of a well rounded high school experience. The student body as well as faculty/staff are quick to judge/profile. Don't expect individualists to thrive here. Fine arts programs are not up to par with Texas standards, and have fallen from what the once supposedly were. School leadership was essentially non existent in my experience. If you are looking to give your child a useful high school education, instead of a forced competition unrealistic numbers, alongside almost no personal attention (due to massive student population), I would recommend looking elsewhere. The "AP" classes are so full, the teachers are unable to teach to critical thinkers. Reagan high school is a prime example of the need for reform in the American educational system. A strong football program and flat screen TV's in the cafeteria, on the other hand, seem to be the schools essential strengths.
—Submitted by a parent

The Best H S in San Antonio!! Excellent staff & Challenging academic programs. That prepares students well for college. My son graduated in 2011 and is attending to UT Austin. And my daughter a senior this year.
—Submitted by a parent

When we moved to San Antonio in 2007, we were looking forward for the EXCEPTIONAL characteristics that Reagan H.S. has advertised nationwide, statistics are excellent every website searched on. Yes, it has full academic curriculums, all kinds of activities, athletics very important for those who are competitive by nature; everything you're looking for your child, they have it. Our experience is with Special Education; not quite exceptional as I expected. My child experienced a lot of bullying every single year he attended, academically my son didn't progress; he even forgot all multiplication facts due to lack of usage in the class, assistant teachers were too busy taking care of the regular students than the ones with special needs. Oh, don't expect regular students hanging out with yours if he has a disability. Labeling is quick! Other than that, they do have great football team, they have a huge PTA where the same parents are involved all the time, no room for others to take lead, competition is high in all areas.
—Submitted by a parent

Reagan High School is a well rounded school with something for everyone. If you are considering this school I would HIGHLY recommend it. Other schools in the district are nice yet none stand out as much as Reagan.The acdemics are great. You can have a 100 average and not even be in the top 10% because everyone is so smart. Also football was amazing this year from being district champs to making it into the 4th round in play offs. Reagan has pretty much every sport you can think of from volleyball to lacross. And they are very good in those sports as well. The Reagan campus is quite pretty for a school.This year they passed a bond for them to build a new wing / building and redo the athletic building. I'm not sure when they will construct that but it will be very nice. One of the only cons of Reagan is that the school is so large with 2600+ kids. But it is nice in ways because there is so many people to meet. Reagan tends to get a repatation that they are rich snobby kids but I go here and trust me everyone is normal. Also stone oak is an amazing area to live in. Everything is pretty much new and beautiful. I hope that you will choose to live in stone oak area and attend Reagan:)
—Submitted by a student

I moved to SA from Houston. My children entered Reagan based partly on what many had sid about the school. As a teacher myself, I was shocked to see how far behind it is from other places that we know. I found the staff, parents and students very resistent to new ideas. When presented with new technology or teaching practices, I seaw that the staff would actually refuse to accept that things could be done any better than at Reagan. We ended up moving back to our old school. I feel Reagan could be so much better. But there have to be many 'upgrades.'
—Submitted by a parent

Reagan High Scool is an outstanding school with excellent teachers that care about students. The principal leads a school that is built around the needs of the students and parents and truly cares about what happens at Reagan High School. Parent involvemnet is outstanding. We have the largest PTA in the state. It is rare that you are lucky enough to have a child in a school as good as Reagan. My son is a senior this year and will attend the college of his choice all because of the preparation he received at Reagan High School
—Submitted by a parent

Our daughter graduated from Reagan in 2003 and our son attended Reagan 2006-2008 and we've just moved out of state so he won't be graduating there. I've said many times if the incomes of some of the students bother you and bother your child,then maybe Reagan isn't for you. But certainly most of the students come from middle income families and they don't live in mansions. Our experience is that those with the means open up their homes to everyone- have the teams come over and the parents for BBQ's and they share with everyone. My kids never had a car in high school and no one thought anything of it. There are 3000 + kids and you will find all kinds there, but generally kids there do well and are expected to do well from college educated parents. I recommend the school for anyone serious about a good education.
—Submitted by a parent

My child transferred to Reagan in his junior year after spending 10 years in a private school. I was very pleasantly surprised at the level of professionalism and the eagerness of the staff to do all things with excellence. Reagan offers academics for everyone -- basic courses with daily tutoring and an ever-present resource center as well as AP and dual-credit courses that will challenge the smartest of students. There are gobs of extra-curricular activities and terrific sports programs that lead to many college athletic scholarships. My son just graduated from Reagan and I can say that he wholeheartedly loved it. The only caution is one I would give the parents of students at just about any large public school: get acquainted with your child's friends and the friends' parents. Some parents shun alcohol, many look the other way, and some actually provide it for kids at parties.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent academic facility. Although involvement in extracuricular activites is based upon financial status, the school's triumph rests in the ability of the majority of its faculty. The English and Science departments are second to none.. Mrs. Richards, Mrs. Lippincott--- wonderful student/teacher interactions.
—Submitted by a student

RHS is the best high school in the San Antonio Area, not only in athletics, but it is also very strong academicly

My daughter is a senior at RRHS. She has been accepted to her 1st choice private university and has done very well there. As in all HS, you must be an involved parent, know all your child's friends and their parents and never think they have it all under control. They don't! Keep your child in a Bible teaching church and make sure they have support at home to stay away from all the bad influences in the world. These are teens we are talking about, they need all of these things to keep on the right path no matter what school they go to. The teachers are awesome.
—Submitted by a parent

This school focuses on promoting wealthy children, their extracurricular interests, and stroking their parents. If a child is not as affluent as the rest, they will be lost in the shuffle, ignored, and labeled, with no chance for an academic future, nor a chance to participate in spirit groups since they can't pay for daily dance/cheer lessons at a neihborhood studio. The spirit program is unfair, academically a broad range of courses is offered, but success is dependent on affluence, not intelligence.
—Submitted by a parent

This is one of the most challenging high schools and prepares students extremely well for college and AP exams. The teachers are concerned for your success and the students are motivated.
—Submitted by a student

Ronald Reagan High School has accomplished a lot in the few years it has been open. Most of the kids are over achievers, but they support and encourage each other. The teachers and programs are great! My son is a Junior at Reagan and he says the students really do not care about the overcrowding. The high quality of the education makes up for the crowded classrooms and hallways.
—Submitted by a parent

We were very disillusioned by Reagan's academic attention by the teachers. When attention was needed, few teachers seemed to step up to the plate. The extracurricular activities are excellent. We removed our student from Reagan in the middle of her sophomore year.
—Submitted by a parent

Reagan is one of the best schools our child has attended other than the Department of Defense School System on a installation. We regrettably have to leave the area and the city where we are going doesn't have a school to compare to Reagan. Yikes.
—Submitted by a parent

Reagan High School is the best in San Antonio. The teachers are very involved with school events and there is enough extra activities for everyone.
—Submitted by a parent

This is my first year at Reagan, and I love it. There are countless extra curricular programs, even more eager and helpful teachers, and great food. My only complaint is that the student enrollment number is rising higher and higher. It's almost 4000 right now, so the halls are rather crowded.
—Submitted by a student