Gig Harbor High School

As a parent, The total lack of leadership is the most frustrating...there is no leadership..Parental input is not only discouraged /ignored it is penalized. Incident after incident is mishandled at every level..math program is still very weak..Sport teams are very political..the majority of kids that give the teams a try walk away feeling inadequate.....quality of programs..some good ..most well below what would be expected at this size of a school that has the tax base it has to draw from. Given the opportunity I would without hesitation send my child elsewhere.
--Submitted by a parent

I'm another former student of GHHS and I'm now a sophomore at the University of Washington. For the most part, I had a very positive experience at this school. However, I think that there should be some major changes in the curriculum to better prepare students for college. Watch out - the math program at this school sucks! I went all the way through caculus (the furthest you could go), but I can't apply what I learned to anything. From what I've heard, other GHHS students have struggled with this as well. They also do not give their students finals. Yes, this seems great when you're a high school student, but it's a rough awakening in college. The athletic programs are mostly fantastic (XC, Volleyball, Track, Soccer, Football), however, there are the occasional horrendous coaches that the district has refused to let go after multiple problems (Girls Bball) . The sports can be very political as well. Good school, but like any other it has its positives and negatives.
--Submitted by a student

I am a former student of GHHS and current WWU student, and I must say what made me what I am today is GHHS. With few exceptions, I was offered a wide-variety of course choices and I had good relationships with all but a few teachers. By far, GHHS' greatest asset is its staff: any attempt to seek assistance was always met with a great deal of help and it was obvious they wanted me to succeed. Three teachers in particular, above and beyond the regular scholarship notebook program, took time out of their schedules to help me achieve a full-tuition scholarship for two years: this staff is like family to the students.

As a 3x mom of very different kids, here's my input: English - Very good, prepares well for college Science - Good - miss Mr. B tho Math - with the exception of one (Mr J) it's terrible; one great teacher can't possible prepare 1500+ students Choral Music Dept: simply the best, great director - probably the best thing about GHHS History - Good Extra Curricular: Athletics - strong programs, (Track & XC consistant championships - terrific coaches) but sometimes political; Theater & Arts - terrific plays, talented kids and director; diverse Clubs, pretty much something for everyone Staff - depends on the teacher; agree about the liberal slant (keeping personal views out the classroom is a problem); VPs - both helpful and committed to the kids; Principle - pretty much avoids controversy, but gets no support from the District Office either (what a joke there - overpaid, clueless and lazy) all three had good experience
--Submitted by a parent

Very disappointed in the staff and their lack of communication with parents. Unhappy with the way an important incident was 'mis'handled by faculty and staff. Would not send my child here if I had another choice.
--Submitted by a parent

We are very impressed with GHHS, we have two students there, and although we are interested in purchasing a different home, we absolutely decided that GHHS was the school we had to be in for the years our children were still in school. This was both because of the School newspaper program, and because individual teachers worked with our children to help them realize their potential and their skills, particularly in the writing skills. In regards to the math, I know at another school (CA) there was a lot of students that had to repeatedly take the Grade 9 math & that was not considered an anomaly. We had a problem that required an interview with a Vice Principal and a teacher, I was totally blown away with how supportive the VP was with my teenager and how totally well he handled the whole situation. It was really excellent!
--Submitted by a parent

I just graduated from this school. I have been to other schools and this one by far is the best. It has classes that many other schools don't have and allow the students to broaden their horizons to other opportunities to pursue in college.
--Submitted by a student

My daughter is going into her junior year and she has grown up so much in just 2 years. I give credit to her teachers especially who wouldn't let her be lazy. Now when she talks about college I am not so nervous!
--Submitted by a parent

Like any school, what you put into it is what you get out of it. GHHS has been a good environment for my kids both academically, sports-wise, and for extracurriculars. There are opportunities at GHHS for kids to travel competitively for debate and for cultural exchanges with Germany and China. Overall, this is a safe school environment with caring staff and I think GHHS is doing a good job at educating our teenagers. That being said, there is always room for improvement. If I had to point a finger, it would be that the math department is weak, but that is also a fallout of the math curriculum the district has chosen to adopt. The kids have the convenient option of doing Running Start if this is a problem for your student.
--Submitted by a parent

I have had four children attend GHHS. It has been a constant struggle to get help from school officials. The math program is an absolute disaster. When my son began to have trouble in math I requested the teacher send weekly e-mails updating me on his progress. This lasted about three weeks and stopped. I had no idea he was flunking math until I saw his report card. My children have been harassed for their religious beliefs and their communication difficulties. When I complained about this the typical answer was 'kids will be kids'. The teaching environment is extremely liberal and my children have come to the point of simply not commenting in class over liberal remarks made by faculty members. My children have attended three different high schools in WA, I would rate the faculty by far the lowest. If I could afford a private school I would send them.
--Submitted by a parent