555 Pierce St
Berkeley, CA 94720

We have a sophomore currently and I am so happy with AHS relative to what I hear from friends at the closest two public high schools. It feels very chill during the day (not like a minimum security prison), most teachers do reach out and let you know what's going on in class (and you can get Aeries/Google Classroom updates should you desire), and we have found the PE & math "hot button" subjects to be very manageable. For the most part, the students come to school ready to learn and the average is high - which is good. Not all subjects are equally demanding, but also that's good too - it seems like students have the time to focus on the areas that demand more. Of course there have been two or three teachers (out of 13 our student has had so far) that have been not great. But there have also been three or four that I would say shoot for greatness and come close. It is hard to break in socially because the school doesn't do much (anything?) to have 9th graders mix purposefully. This is not unusual for public schools. It is also an open campus so your child has to be responsible and return to class, LOL. Ultimately, all I can say is I would be happy to have my younger child attend as well, and there's no higher praise, is there?

Social/emotional support was there for us when we needed it -- at the beginning of 6th grade. The counselor set up a meeting including: us as parents, one teacher rep, and the vice principal. We all agreed on a few ideas for supporting my child who was having constant stomach aches, possibly due to anxiety.Verbal bullying occurred during recess one time, and that was handled appropriately. The school has cameras on the area so they were able to go to the footage and see what happened.- All of the teachers, counselors, and other staff are very invested in their students' success.- The principal is accessible and very interested in making clubs and sports available to all students. He communicates well through a newsletter as well as by hosting in-person group meetings twice a month.- There are so many clubs that a student could to go to a different one every day of the month. They usually convene during lunchtime.- There's a Hispanic/Latino X group that hosts a fair on the school grounds, as well as an Asian Pacific Islander group.- The Choir program is excellent.- Our Math teacher is excellent and engaging. He's also coaching.

It's not the fanciest, most up to date school in the district but we love this school. Our kids have learned so much and genuinely enjoy going to school here.

I think Safety as well as teaching ,learning skills are great.

I honestly don’t know where to begin. This school and the entire district have been a major disappointment. The principal lacks the leadership skills needed to run a school effectively—she seems more focused on closing the gate on time rather than on education. If the district wants to salvage the quality of this school, leadership changes are urgently needed.The special education program is in complete disarray. Teachers rarely stay longer than a few months, creating constant disruption for students who need consistency the most. I have seen parents struggling with SDC program and IEP. As for general education, there’s no clear alignment among teachers, and a noticeable lack of concern for actual learning. If you have the option, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere.