University High School

The bad reviews of the school are from people who joined the school without knowing what it isIt is a school for students and parents who are ready to push themselves so they have a brighter futureI have 2 of my kids who have been part of this schoolThey are what they are because of this schoolThe school takes education seriousluYou feel home here and not a just a number

The equity rating for this school is straight cap. There is VERY little diversity. The school is NOT welcoming to POC. A very small % of students are actually socioeconomically disadvantaged. The demographics of the school do not reflect the demographics of the surrounding district in any way. There are TWO faculty members of color in the entire school. If you are rich and driven, this school is AMAZING for you. You will have access to a rigorous courseload taught by highly educated teachers. You will be prepared for college. Great experience. However, if you care about your mental health; if you care about diversity; if you care about having a participatory culture in which students have a say in their learning experience; then this school is probably not for you. Also if you are left-leaning this is not a school for you. You'll have to just take my word here.

I am not speaking academically in this review. I'm speaking about our experience at UHS. My son started as a Freshman. He was having anxiety and depression problems. We tried a 504 plan. But it failed. They didn't have ANY sort of counselor beyond like the academic counselor. They told me they would have to contract out for a psychologist if I wanted one for help with the 504 plan and that would take MONTHS! My son was in dire need and the school need next to nothing to help him. His depression got so bad I had to pull him and he ended up on independent study with NO CREDITS for the previous semester because he left before it was over and UHS refused to give him the credits. The counselor basically blamed me. If your child has anxiety or depression I would really think twice about this school. Yes they have a BEAUTIFUL music program and the teachers are so educated but there is not much help. Another thing is that my son is mixed, half black/half white. There is almost no diversity here. My son was one of very few POC. Also the kids there have a LOT of money. My son got a scholarship because we are low income. But he felt very different from the other kids. In my opinion, UHS needs to focus a little less on the strict rigorous academics and put some focus on mental health and diversity.

I just graduated from this school a few months ago. This school put me through so much. Four years of constant stress and anxiety. If your child can handle stress and challenges then go ahead and apply. But otherwise don't. I worked and studied constantly and still suffered. Many people dropped out.I had to take summer school once and I had to take an online course to make up for credits three times while balancing college courses and high school grades. Teachers expect so much from kids just out of middle school. College classes are added in sophomore year, and in my year half of my class failed. Latin is a dead language yet all students are required to take it for two years, and it's hard. I barely graduated because one of my teachers could not teach but I was able to bring it up the day I got my diploma. Senior year was by far the worst year I've had academic wise, and some people didn't even get to graduate.Keep in mind that I am not a procrastinator or a slacker, so I was diligently working while still not succeeding. This school expected way too much from teenagers. Teenagers deserve to have a high school experience, one with learning and good memories. Not stress and anxiety.One of my teachers (now fired) would make up fake rules when grading after promising the test would have a straight forward grade. (ex: I wrote about a slumlord article, she criticized me for making up articles after agreeing my paper was presentation worthy).I felt like a little kid trying to fit into adult-sized shoes when I sat in class desperately trying to learn college material as a fifteen year old girl. I'm seventeen now and in college and I still have no idea what those teachers were telling me.After a family member of mine had a sudden death I had a teacher make fun of me for it constantly. If the PE teacher thinks you're mildly overweight, he will make comments about it. The only teachers that are amazing is Mr. Jones (music), and Mr. Lapp (choir). Both are the best teachers I've ever had and deserve more than this terrible school.On the upside, it did prepare me for my college life, but if that can be found in any other school then go there instead. Best of luck, your exasperated grad student.

UHS is unique in all respects. If your child is motivated to learn and excell in academics, and has an interest in music, this may be the best place for them. If they just want the Straight A grades to show on the college apps, this is not that place. My son is now a 10th grader. Freshman year is very tough, as only 35% of 9th graders earned all A's . Last year only 10% of all 10th graders earned all A's. All of these students were highly motivated and high achievers. Surviving UHS gives them a feeling of accompliishment few other schools can provide. All students are treated the same and all are expected to do the work. Being in Central California, the student body is very diverse. The teachers are very responsive to the student's needs and the parents concerns. They trully want every student to be successful. Every student knows coming in they will be challenged as never before. That however, does not prevent them from applying. They can only accept 135 freshmen each year, so in the past 4 years there has been a lottery for all qualified applicants, last year about 60 applicants were not chosen. That's a shame, as many motivated kids were turned away.