2451 Simpson St SE
Salem, OR 97301

The school itself isn’t bad. However, based on my experience with a few teachers and the principal. I do not recommend this school.

The teachers are excellent. No problem there. They’re experienced and always engaged in the classroom. I’m a student currently here, and the teachers currently are amazing at helping kids learn, and it really motivates me. The learning experience for me is really good as well, but the other students are disinterested and label it boring, (not that it is.) Many classes are loud, rowdy, and chaotic. The teacher will occasionally have to yell to make the others be quiet. Some of the students really just hate the idea of education and are irresponsible and insolent. Others, more than there should be, seem to enjoy being insulting, disrespectful, and disruptive. The social-emotional part of it is good- they have counselors and learning specialists and such, although I haven’t really experienced that part of the school much as I haven’t needed it. The family engagement is nice- the teachers email regularly about what us students are doing in the classroom, regarding disciplinary action, and that kind of thing. They don’t put our parents in the dark at all. As for the safety- it can be difficult at times. As you would expect, sometimes it can get rough in the halls or locker room, and there have been many incidents requiring disciplinary action by teachers or other staff members. There was a lot of racism previously, although it seems to have gotten better recently. And, a percentage of the students are still getting suspended for hate speech, among other things. Many individuals here are also bullied, including myself. A chunk of them don’t bully but are regularly rude to others for no good reason. It’s not fun when that happens, let me tel you. Overall, I feel like this school has good teachers, good staff, but the students don’t seem to care much about school.

Our three children graduated from SSHS, heavily involved in music, academics, sports, drama, and languages. I've taught in nine colleges and high schools, and this is hands down the place I miss the most. The IB program offers truly incredible learning opportunities and the majority of students take at least one IB course. AP courses are also available. I missed the staff and community, so in my retirement I volunteer here, with college counseling. Design and building for a new Theatre, Music classrooms and practice spaces, and CTECH spaces has begun. We are loyal to this outstanding learning community and look forward to the adventures ahead.