Florence High School

very bad school, i hated going there. had to move schools

I transferred to Florence High School the spring semester of my junior year from an out of state college-prep blue ribbon High School. I relocated to the area due to domestic issues that were causing my grades to drop. (I started as an A average AP student frosh & soph yr to being a B/C average student jr yr) Upon arriving, I was greeted by Mrs Page, the guidance counselor charged with producing my class schedule. We went through my transcript where she inquired about my drop in gpa. She asked if I was struggling with the coursework, I answered "no". She then reconfigured my AP schedule & said, "let's see how things go in these classes." & like that she placed me in all basic classes except for AP Spanish, as it was the only course available in the language that I had not already taken. While I did not agree with her decision, I started classes. The coursework was material I had previously covered in middle school. By the end of my first week most of my teachers questioned my placement. I also had verbal support of my core teachers to move me into 'college-bound' classes, if not AP. Mrs Page refused to change my schedule. I ended that school year with 5A's (above 95) and 2 B's in elective classes at Florence. I also passed all subjects of the state graduation exam that semester with little to no prep.When I returned for my senior year I was hoping to get a new counselor since they are assigned by grade, however, I soon learned they are assigned by class & follow you for your whole high school career. Mrs Page refused to change the level of my classes citing my improved performance as evidence she had fixed my academic slump. My senior year was filled with nothing of substance. My schedule consisted of bs electives, office assistant periods, basic 12th grade english, & econ. I truly believe that had I not tested well on the ACT that my college acceptance & scholarship offers would have been heavily impacted, instead of just impacting the very competitive schoolsThis is just my experience & I agree with previous reviews stating if you are not AP or a sports player, the administration seems to care less.

We go out of our way to provide an appropriate education for all students. The campus is active from about 6:30 AM until 9:00 PM. The school offers programs that extend classes until 8:00 PM to provide instruction for students who have issues attending during the traditional day. We have a partnership with the Southwire company that allows some students to work a 4 hour paid shift during a portion of the school day. We offer a number of AP classes, participate in dual enrollment classes with the University of North Alabama and a partnership with Fame Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals as part of the Florence Academy of Fine Arts. There is something for everyone at Florence High School.

I have been in a number of school systems, and Florence seems to genuinely care about their kids more than any other system I've seen. My students have so much personality and are so quirky sometimes; I absolutely love them. There are many programs that cater to a wide variety of interests, and there is a huge amount of accountability to try and ensure that no students fall between the cracks. Overall I feel that Florence High School does an excellent job with our young people and any student would be well on their way to succeeding by coming through here.

Florence High School is the by far the best school in this area. I am so proud to be a part of a such a fabulous team of caring teaching professionals. The teachers at FHS go above and beyond to ensure student success.