Upperman High School

We relocated from out of state and have been pleased with our academic experiences here. We are enjoying our years at Upperman Schools. There are many friendly & supportive families involved at the school. The creative arts departments (drama, music, art) are wonderful and thriving because of a supportive environment. Soccer is finally gaining momentum in the area! The high school offers career paths which allows students to individualize their academic experiences. The middle school is continuously adding new program that allow students to work ahead of schedule, which in turn opens up more options at the high school level for career or college readiness.

We currently have two students attending this school and have been pleased with the overall day-to-day environment and quality of learning. The building his new and beautiful! The teaching staff is mostly friendly and passionately engages students in learning. Administration is thorough and attentive to most issues. Although, I would prefer to see more diverse opportunities provided to academic high-achievers and gifted students. The current availability of advanced learning is minimal and could use more attention. It is these students who are the most eager and engaged, yet they receive the least amount of focus.

My job transfered us from out of state to TN. Schools were my main criteria on where we located. Baxter used to have high rankings, but those may have fallen due to overcrowding & bad attitudes. Not from here? Be prepared to be left behind. The emphasis isn't on how you preform, but who you are. Expect special privileges for Baxter Kids! I have seen students who are embarrasingly awkward at sports make the team, while gifted athletes get cut! FACT: UHS test scores, & sports stats have steadily been on the decline. Could this be a result of the archaic "good ole boy" system failing them? I have documented proof that my child was bullied by members of his/her own sports team. My concerns were not taken seriosly! My child felt picked-on daily by team members and class mates. I hope that UHS will take a more pro-active approach to bullying in the future! We had hoped to raise our family in a thriving & healthy environment, but it's not beneficial to live among the narrow minded & hateful locals! WE MOVED OUT OF BAXTER & IT MADE A VERY POSITIVE DIFFERENCE FOR MY CHILD!

Extremely disappointed with this school! My child and I moved to Baxter specifically for this school when they had a nine out of ten. The people here are very exclusionary. If you weren't born here, you don't belong! If you are anything other than white, good luck. The teachers are ignorant and lazy. If there is anything going on that reduces the teaching time, they don't teach that day. Funding is a major problem so any teachers that need extra money for supplies i.e. art, mechanics, chemistry find it extremely hard to teach. But interestingly enough there seems to e enough money to strip and repaint the pillars in the front of the school. I am finally so fed up that I put my house on the market and will be homeschooling my child until we can get out of here. My child learned absolutely nothing in two years!!!!!!! This is not a rant, but the God's honest truth! Beware! I want to keep others from making the same mistake I did. BTW, my child is on the honors list! Please check out the drop out rate. It is very high!

The teachers are amazing and even though there are a few hiccups there are far more of them that are amazing and passionate about their career choices.