Thomas Jefferson High School

Words cannot express our disappointment in this school. Our child has gone from happy and engaged to shut down and dreading every day at this place. The faculty’s response to bullying is next to nothing. Concussion protocol is not followed, and we ended up in the ER late one Friday night after our child was vomiting and losing consciousness. Our child has a teacher who, according to classmates, has “obvious favorites” and “you don’t want to get on their bad side.” I’m afraid this school represents the antiquated and outdated system for producing compliant automatons who value nothing but competitive achievement in math and reading. Kindness and compassion are after thoughts that get occasional lip service here. After stretching ourselves financially specifically to live in this district, it seems that decision cost not only a lot of money, but our child’s confidence and self-esteem as well. We will not be continuing with this district in middle school or high school, where children like ours will not thrive and could very well slip through the cracks. If your child is neurodivergent or likely to be the subject of bullying, I would highly recommend you look elsewhere. If you are the type of parent who teaches a baby to swim by throwing it in the deep end, then this schools district might be for you. So very disappointed.

Pros: Overall I think this is a well run school, Teachers are top-notch and eager to keep the kids engaged. Administration keep this school operating smoothly, at least from a parent's point of view. Parent participation is high. It's in a good, safe neighborhood and I feel comfortable letting my kids walk home on thir own. This is a school where teachers send their own kids. Very diverse populationCons: Morning drop off is a circus, walk if you can. The building is rather small, and feels a crowded. Class sizes are acceptible, but the classrooms are small and music and art classrooms are inadequate. The playground is dated and needs a makover. Speech therapy has a high turnover (but I think that is a district problem more than the school)

Yeas ago this school was a G&T magnet school. It was rated highly and had a stellar academic record. It was one of the reasons that we moved into this neighborhood. Since the change in leadership, that curriculum has been removed and subsequently the academic rigor at this institution has suffered. Currently it is a "decent" school but previously it was better. It was a bit of a disappointment. I would recommend reinstating the G&T program and focusing more on academics.