Smithfield High School

My son is a Freshman this year and I havenot been impressed at all with the quality of the school. I am actually very concerned for when he goes to college, my fear is he will be well behind students comingout of much better and more caring teachers and administrators. He had a Spanish teacher who was MIA for most of the first semester and the principle did nothing to address. He now has a Science teacher who we believe has been terminated and he has substitute teachers again. He states all he does his workshop and his class has posted no grades (homework, quiz, test) since March 5th, it is 3/31 as I post this. When reaching out to the assistant principal, principle and superintendant, I had to chase them with multiple calls to get answers and to this point I have yet top hear from Dr. MacPherson.
—Submitted by a parent

Many top-notch teachers truely care about students at SHS. If your child is an above avg student, he/she will do very well and will have incredible opportunities at the Governor's Schools (arts or sciences). Avg. students have more challenges. The school and community are very open to newcomers. The adorable downtown hosts the annual Homecoming Parade, full of school spirit. You won't find this anywhere else in the area.
—Submitted by a parent

I am parent of a new student at SHS. The school has many good teachers, but like any other school, it also has teachers that are either burned out or do not care to teach. There are many new teachers this year and that is a plus since we need fresh faces. However, some of the classes are still too large and part of the building is old and it is on dire need of renovation. My son complains about classrooms being either too hot or too cold. There is some technology available, but some of it is old. It would be great to have the old laptops replaced and have SMART Boards, which could enhance teaching and learning. There are many extracurricular activities and sports available to students, which is a plus.
—Submitted by a parent

Smithfield High is a quality school. Look at the numbers. Our students meet or exceed the state average in every category.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is tops - a premier school among similar schools in the region

I am a senior at Smithfield High School, and have been here since I was a freshman. From my experience, I can certainly say that most of the teachers at SHS are very concerned with their students and willing to help both those who are struggling and those who aren't. There are also many options for students who cannot find a certain class at SHS, including a Governor's School for the arts and one for science and technology. Since my freshman year, however, the biggest thing that I have noticed has been the improvement in school spirit. Even though many traditions have sadly been ended due to 'political correctness' and 'safety concerns,' many of the teachers and students, as well as some administrators, have been working to raise student moral. Overall, I foresee a big rise in student satisfaction in the very near future. I just wish it had come sooner.
—Submitted by a student

I grauduated smithfield high school in 2004. The school had its good qualities but overall the school was not good. The teachers have very low expectations for their students. I graduated with an B+ grade point average but when I got in college I came to realized that my Smithfeild high doesnt give a lot of needed skills. Their are many things that my friends learned in high school that my school never even mentioned. I felt left out. The school spirit is not high eihter. A lot of the students have lost their school spirit because of all the problems in the school.
—Submitted by L SMITH, a former student

I was a student at Smithfield High School who graduated in 2003. I thought SHS was a standard high school until my family and I thought about moving and looked at other schools in the surrounding cities. SHS does not even compare to some of the schools in York County. In the summer, I swam on a team, I remember comming back to school my junior year and asking one of the gym coaches if we could have a swim team, he just smiled and said 'yeah, good luck.' There are some outstanding teachers at that school. But the overall attitude of most of the teachers and administrators is the same as most of the students. They are there because they have to be and thats about it. Like I said, there are exceptional teachers. SHS has a very good theater program. Spanish, English, Computer based courses were good as well.
—Submitted by D DeStefano, a former student

My son had a great first year at Smithfield High school. We have been to schools in Florida, and Michigan. Smithfield High school offers a variety of courses and wonderful teachers. For the exceptional student there are The Governor's Schools, art and theater, and science and math. They offer tutoring as needed on Tuesdays. So far it has been a great experience with a caring staff of teachers and administrators.
—Submitted by Cheryl Whitener, a parent

After having a child attend Smithfield high school for two years I have come to the conclusion that Smithfield high school is a very good school with some outstanding teachers and a great girls tennis coach. However there is room for improvement. My child often complains about the lack of moral and school spirit. The administration in some ways is too strict about some things, like dress codes and students not being able to take trips out of the state. Many other schools in the area let seniors and school clubs take trips to Florida or other places with adults supervising. Another thing that affects my opinion of the school is the lack of enthuiasim the school has for the gils and boys tennis team. These kids work really hard to do a good job at their sport , but softball and football seems to get all the kudo's and recognition.
—Submitted by kathy slade, a parent

Moral is poor at this school. A number of the administrators are rude and arrogant. There are 'some' very good teachers, however the administrators at the top do not think they are accountable to anyone---including the parents. The extracurriculars (sports, etc.) are very poorly coached, and the school seems indifferent about it. In fact it seems the coaches don't think they get paid enough, and their effort (or lack there of) is consistent with that attidue. My daughter ran track and cross country, and the coaches literally refused to schedule any significant meets --apparently because then they would have to work 'weekends.' This school also has very few AP courses as compared to other schools in the area. In sum, the administrators seem to be power hungry and they forget that it is the parents, and the community who are their bosses ... NOT the other way around.
—Submitted by a parent

After reading the student's opinion of Smithfield High School, you can see she or he has been promoted not knowing proper English. How did those 'elite' teacher's in Elementary, Middle or High School fail to notice this before the promotions that took place over the years? Also what about the 'gangs' at the schools in Isle of Wight County? I do believe these teacher's are under paid for all they do have to endure with some of the students that obviously do not care. I hope for the faculty and student's that do care things will improve.
—Submitted by - -, a former student

Hello.Im am a student at SHS and I have come to the conclusion that SHS is not a great school if your looking for the best. The teachers at SHS are never concerned with the students passing until its too late and then when it gets to that point when the student has already tried to receive help it is still there fault they were inable to pass the course because teachers are not willing to help them. In my opinion that is totally unfare and it should not be happening that way. Teachers should get there acts together and teach right because thats what there their for anyway. So SHS teachers and other staff members get it together help the students a little more, take more effort in your job, do something Please. Please understand this is not a review to put SHS down. Thank you. HG
—Submitted by N/A N/A, a student