686 Giannini Dr
Santa Clara, CA 95051

As a parent in the Laurelwood community, I’ve seen firsthand the dedication of many teachers, families, and students who work hard to make the school a welcoming and inclusive place. My children have benefited from caring educators and meaningful classroom learning experiences. For that, I’m deeply grateful.However, it would be disingenuous to ignore a deeply troubling incident that occurred at the school’s recent multicultural fair—a celebration meant to honor the diverse backgrounds that enrich our community. During the event, a parent tore up a map that represented a different culture and identity, a gesture that was not only profoundly disrespectful, but blatantly racist. Shockingly, school administrators who witnessed this did not intervene or address the act publicly, choosing instead a bystander approach.The absence of a clear and courageous response sent a harmful message to students and families: that acts of hate or xenophobia can go unchallenged, even in spaces meant to uplift diversity. Schools should be safe places where every child and culture is honored. It’s not enough to hold events that celebrate inclusion—we must also take a stand when those values are threatened.Laurelwood has the potential to be a model of equity and belonging, but that will require leadership that is willing to act in the face of injustice. I hope the administration takes this as a call to reflect, repair, and recommit to creating a truly inclusive environment for all students.

After 4 years here, I understand that it's a very good school to go to. It's (for the most part) very diverse, but many groups of friends are less diverse. However, I had a very diverse group of friends, which worked to my advantage, and I played sports, which are more diverse. Some sports are very good while others are laughably bad, it really just depends on the sport, but besides badminton, I'm pretty sure most teams have a very good and supportive team culture, especially the track team. This is one of the safest schools around, as there's only a couple of fights per year (and by fights, I mean two people maybe getting in a couple fake punches at each other). There's virtually no physical bullying. Academically, people are all over the spectrum, but it is definitely skewed towards smart kids. In general, people are motivated to do well in their classes (except for those suffering from senioritis), which is reflected in how almost all my friends, even ones who weren't the best at school, took at least 1 AP class during their time at Wilcox. People are willing to help each other if you ask for it and push each other to do well. For the most part, classes aren't too difficult and don't have too much work; if you use your time wisely, you can do sports or clubs and still have time for homework, and I got all A's when I was in high school. There are many people, especially in their senior year, who deal with burnout; while that wasn't the case with me, I know others who were taking 5 or more AP's who were struggling mentally. Counselors do warn students about the potential harm in taking too many classes, but pressure, mostly from parents, motivates many to do it anyways. I chose on my own do 6 AP's when I was a senior, and unlike others, I didn't suffer from mental health issues, which I attribute to not stressing over things. The teachers at this school are for the most part stellar, as I only had 1 teacher I really didn't like and around 10 or so that I really got a close bond with. If you ask someone a grade above you, they can usually tell you what you need to know about a teacher before you take their class. There are a lot of people who open-enrolled instead of going to Santa Clara high, and they all say the same thing: they go to Wilcox because it's "better," which is really true. People here kinda look down upon Santa Clara, just because they're worse at academics, sports, ect, but the students aren't arrogant. It's one of the best schools around.

BETTER THAN CABRIJO (HEHEHEHE). Teachers are very nice, PE is easy, we get ok food, we have a nature center with a bunch of animals, most students are nice and the mean ones actually get punished. They got real good counselors and teachers and learning is fun and easy. They also have special Ed classes for many those who need it. Also they have many socials per year and electives.