Pinnacle High School

Overall the school is a bit above average. I currently have 2 students attending it. Both have had experiences with their respective science teachers quitting or getting fired mid school year and not having a good back up plan. My Freshman's science teacher was originally just a substitute but was made the permanent school teacher since Nov 2023. Feedback from my child who typically enjoys science is that the teacher doesn't do a satisfactory job. The campus is large and seems well funded.

In general, I think what a student gets out of school is that student puts into it. There are plenty of opportunities to move up to Honors and AP classes where the teachers and curriculum are fantastic, otherwise the education for regular classes are okay (no motivation, teachers fail to hold respect, etc.). This applies for nearly all schools, but what I think makes this school better than some of the others nearby is that when a student pushes themself, they get rewarded.This is my experience as a student who took a couple regular classes the first year then never took one again because there wasn’t enough discipline in the class. I could easily ask my counselor for higher level classes and even got the opportunity to take 2 semesters of Pre-Calc over the summer (despite how I should have only been allowed 1) because I wanted to get ahead in math. That example is what I mean by a student gets what they put into education—all we ever need to do is ask, or else who will know how to help us?However, I do believe this school struggles with discipline. In my first year, there were a few homophobic kids who would yell and my friends and I and post videos online of them trying to humiliate us. This only lasted a month before they eventually got bored and stopped bothering us. In that time, we went to the dean, our councilors, anyone who could discipline them, and all that happened was a ‘stern’ talking to and one student was suspended for 1 day. Honestly, it sucked. It seemed nothing could be done so we just held out until they eventually stopped. This lack of discipline is the only problem I have with the school, however it seems that the last 2 years they’ve made an effort to do better on that aspect as well as make an effort to help the mental health and well being of students.I have no comment to make on special education as I’ve no experience with it. Neither to I have a comment on safety—unfortunately no high school fills me with a feeling of safety when far too often schools are shot up.My review is really just my experience, others may feel better or worse about our school. Overall, I like my school, and I’m thankful for all the opportunities my teachers and counselors have given me.

I got a lot out of my three years at pinnacle. There were a couple less than stellar teachers but the staff far exceeded expectations. Coaches and administrators were very kind and invested in my success. Lots of opportunity to pursue my special interests and strengths and encouragement to get better in other areas.

We left to go to Cactus Shadows in the Cave Creek Unified School District. Pinnacle is too big and kids fall through the cracks.

Do not enroll your child here. As academic performance in its students has plummeted, the art department solely relying on the paycheck of its teachers, this school focuses attention on its sports department as it is the only department that can bring in funding, to which they feed their funding back into. The lack of diversity is astounding. The attitude of the administration is nothing short of disappointing, some staff possessing characteristics that are downright disgusting. The only thing about this school that I could attempt to promote is a handful of wonderful teachers that CHOOSE to go above and beyond for their students WITHOUT help or aid from the school itself. Your child will simply not be ready for any kind of real-world experience. I advise you to find elsewhere to enroll your child.