Which high school is best for my child?

My_Alter_Ego

New member
My daughter is 11, smart (maybe top 15% ranking), and does a lot of activities, but nothing that would help her stand out from the crowd.  Which of the IUSD high schools is the best fit?  I'd like her to get into a good university and that seems to be getting harder and harder every year.

- University HS - highly ranked, but is it too competitive?
- Northwood HS - same as University?
- Portola HS - too new to know much about it
- Woodbridge HS - don't know much about it
- Irvine HS - Seems to be the lowest ranked of the IUSD schools but I'm guessing it will improve
 
none of them.
how can we suggest which is a best fit without more information on her strengths/weaknesses and likes/dislikes?



you should probably move out of Irvine if you want her to stand out from the crowd


 
I agree. My daughter is not going to any of the irvine public High Schools.
I am less that satisfied with the curriculum and teaching. I talk to the kids when the parents are not around so the kids can be honest.

Also, you are reducing your chances of getting into a "top" school (what ever that means).
And as far as technology (I'm a CompSci Grad with 25 years in aerospace plus several startup companies) its no better than any of the surrounding schools.

The so called STEM programs are very commodity level.

Sorry to break the news.
 
srh563 said:
I agree. My daughter is not going to any of the irvine public High Schools.
I am less that satisfied with the curriculum and teaching. I talk to the kids when the parents are not around so the kids can be honest.

Also, you are reducing your chances of getting into a "top" school (what ever that means).
And as far as technology (I'm a CompSci Grad with 25 years in aerospace plus several startup companies) its no better than any of the surrounding schools.

The so called STEM programs are very commodity level.

Sorry to break the news.

Someone in the education sector told me that Irvine and tustin public schools only prepare the kids for UC level.  Ask how many make it to ivy leagues and there aren?t too many.  It?s the curriculum that they teach.
 
This question seems not so much to be about HS but more about the long game.

If it's a handful of colleges you want your child to attend, it's often not so much about the grades but the whole person. A 3.x GPA student from Santa Ana HS who spent their off time volunteering at Homeless Shelters has a better chance of getting in the college they want than many 4.x GPA IHS students will.

Although the bribery scandal tarnished athletic scholarship access, if your child has some athletic talent this may break open more doors than getting top honors in Calculus. Some kids are recruited with zero scholarship $$$ to play sports at a D1 school but never get a minute of game time. Who cares frankly, they are attending Stanford,  Berkeley or USC now because that door was opened by having talent other than high grades.

One of our neighbors children started her education at Cornell, then UPenn, and will soon be working at the CDC as a Virologist. She didn't go to a top notch HS, but built a substantial resume of non scholastic experiences which got her a free ride to each school. Based on her example as well as other stories like hers, this would be the foundation to start with. Try looking first at who your child is, not how good the school might be or how well they take tests compared to other kids.

My .02c
 
I have a friend/neighbor/relative that went to blank. (We all heard this before, but it does not help the reader.
Consider giving examples what the person did. Did that person do the following: go to a third world country to install solar panels, volunteer to tutor kids in the hood, went to China to help find a cure for the virus  ;)
 
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