Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School

I am currently a freshman at Ida B. Wells. So far, my experience has been good, and it has definitely been my best school experience.So far, IBW has been the one to accomodate me with my 504 plan the best. Most teachers I know also allow students to listen to music while doing work, which is one of the things I haven’t seen in other schools.As for the phone policy, a new one has been made this year, where all students are required to put their phone in the “phone jail” (just a caddy), but some teachers are really lenient about it and just let you keep it in your pocket/bag.The schools prioritization on mental health has skyrocketed! There are many resources for everyone around the building and on the website. The first unit in Health 1 is about mental/emotional health, which is neat to see.As for equity between students, I believe it’s definitely gotten better throughout the years, but it’s not perfect. They have put lots of effort into trying to make everyone feel accepted regardless of race, gender identity, ethnicity, etc. and for the most part it’s worked, but there are still people throwing out slurs in the halls like it’s nothing.The teachers are great, but as for every school, some are better than others. From what I noticed, almost all teachers put in a great amount of effort to teach every student regardless of their level of understanding. There are “flex” times twice in a row every two(?) weeks, where students can go to their teachers classrooms and get extra help. When a student is struggling, from what I’ve observed, it’s not always the teachers fault.Most students are usually engaged in class, but I noticed maybe like 30% of students are struggling in class or just not paying attention at all. And it’s probably something going on with their personal life, but those students are usually not engaged in class unless its a hands on activity or game. I think more teachers should start implementing these into their classwork.IBW has a HUGE amount of extracurricular activities, from 50+ clubs (from BSU to speech and debate to bird watching), different sports per season, fine/performing arts, and at least one elective for just about everyone. IBW encourages you to be active in the community, which is something that I love. Overall, I would reccommend IBW. The college readiness is great (love my cce teacher!), the community is great, and I’m excited to begin my highschool years somewhere I can feel safe and accepted!

One standout feature is the school's prioritization of mental health. This is an important aspect of education that is often overlooked, and its great to see a school taking steps to support their students in this way. It suggests that the school values the well-being of their students and recognizes that academic success is only a measure of successful education. However the school lacks in some areas, For example sports are average to below average. While not every school is a powerhouse in athletics it's still important for students to have opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities to develop skills and teamwork. This should be an area that the school should focus on. Motivation of my peers is very mixed; either some kids are lackluster in the work , or some are very engaged in the work. This is quite unfortunate, as a positive and supportive peer group can be a major factor in a student's success and happiness in school. Some teachers seemed to enjoy their jobs in teaching, others may put out a different output which also may diminish the student's motivation if the teacher isn't proud of what they teach. Bullying hasn't surfaced in Ida B. Wells, everyone mainly sticks to their group and their own business. Overall though, the building is old and hasn't changed in decades. Excited to see how this school can improve in the future.

Went here for my freshman year, it's an interesting school with ups and downs. You just have to stick with the right people. This school validates mental health issues and low income students in my opinion. Most teachers are great and the school is well funded with some really fun classes. It needs to take sexual assault more seriously, but overall its okay. The school itself isn't bad but the students are a bit wack. As I mentioned before just stick with the right people.

This school offers a lot of great education opportunities. Amazing teachers, class options, and staff.

This school is for kids with money. If you're not wealthy or connected expect to be dismissed by teachers and other staff.Is been trying to talk to the school for months about classes and do not even get returned calls.