Parents and students wanting information on a certain Californian high school had little more to go on than the advice and experience of those who had gone before them. Getting an accurate assessment for any Californian high school was never easy. Thankfully, this is not the case anymore. Transparency of information, and the ease of access to such information, has meant that parents can make much better evaluations of local high schools before enrolling their children. Californian high school options are the same, but the ability to choose the right school using online school finder tools, is much easier in 2011.
So the Californian high school is no different to any other state schools in that some are fantastic, others are good, a few more are not quite so good, and a minority will be darn right lousy, with the latter having pressure on them to pull their socks up all thanks to the transparency of the transparency system.
As a community college instructor, who taught at-risk students from the “feeder” Californian high school in the summer, I would like to focus on the quality Californian high school institutions—using the same information you can find on a number of websites.
WHICH ARE THE HIGHEST RANKED CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOLS
Do you remember the 'No Child Left Behind' program? Schools then were being ranked by the then California Department of Education. Each Californian high school was marked (form want of a better term) on a scale of 1 to 10. There were many variables considered when grading the Californian high school, but it was a transparent system that helped a lot of Mums and Dads make better informed decisions on where to prepare for and send their kids.
Okay, so let us now take a look at some of the Californian high school options for the San Mateo and San Francisco County districts. Please note that this is not a static review because schools are being regarded and reassessed constantly. At the time of writing, this list of Californian high school choices were amongst the most popular picks.
At 9 are Aragon High School, Burlingame High School, and Carlmont High School.
At 8 is Hillsdale High School, which is in a more upscale neighborhood, by the way.
At 7, in primarily working-class surroundings, are El Camino High School, Capuchino High School, and Half Moon Bay High School.
And at 2, in the heart of San Francisco on Mission Street, is Jefferson High School.
There are others too worth a mention, and one person wrote into the site saying that John F Kennedy High School is worthy of a mention, so here it is ;-)
You can of course check out all California High Schools using an online High School Directory, also useful for teachers looking for unified school district jobs.
MOST MANAGABLE CLASSROOM SIZED CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOLS
It's always been a cost effective way to teach to big classes, although perhaps not the best investment in student tutoring overall. Without doubt, those who study in a class with fewer pupils generally fair better than those taught in large groups. Therefore, class size, might be something you want to consider when seeking out the best Californian high school for your kids.
The department of education would love to be able to announce that the maximum number of students per class would never exceed 12, but obviously this would not be possible in real world mainstream schooling. Exceptions to the rule are of course classes for kids with special needs and gatherings for lectures.
Although classes of 35 and over can still be very productive in producing successful graduates, there is not question of doubt that smaller classes fair better overall. At just 25 students per class, Jefferson is a prime example of this fact as they enjoy a good success rank. Close behind with just 27 students per classroom is Hillsdale, and they're tightly followed by Capuchino and El Camino who have 28. And with 30 per class on average are Carlmont, Half Moon Bay, and Burlingame. Aragon has 31.
CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOLS WITH SPECIAL SUPPORTIVE PROGRAMS
Might affordable nourishment also account for highly ranking success?
At Burlingame and Aragon high schools, 2 and 5 percent of the students reportedly participate in the federal free and reduced-price lunch program(s). 8 percent do so at Hillsdale High. Respectively, 13, 14, and 17 percent participate in the program(s) at El Camino, Carlmont, and Capuchino. And 24, 25, and 26 percent receive free or reduced cost lunches at High Tech High, Half Moon Bay, and Baden. And again, Jefferson High sees 44% of the students taking the free or reduced-price lunches.
Other factors are important in the assessing of California high schools, but classroom size reduction, the institution of affordable lunches programs, and the relentless devotion on behalf of parents, teachers, and high school administrators clearly contribute to the student’s successful futures.
The days when a university degree would almost guarantee you a high paid income with lots of employment options to choose from are long gone. With so many students getting higher education these days, the competition is huge. So it's not the degree or educational qualifications themselves that give you a leg-up in a modern day employment environment, but the quality of your achievement and the schools and universities from where you achieved them. So yes, which Californian high school your kids go to is important to help them get the best from their education and also to add to their educational portfolio.
Don't forget the kids and what they want!
No one ever said parenting was an easy job, but it could be easier if only the parents listened to the wants and needs of the child a little more and stop this 'we know best' attitude. Although parents are adults, they do not always know what's best and sometimes the kids themselves know what they will excel at and what they won't. Listen, this is not about giving in to the youngsters but just remember one thing, a happy child has a better chance of excelling at school that one that's not.
Force the kids to go to a school they really don’t want to attend, and try to make them do extremely well in subject they have little or no interest in, will do you no favours at all. Worst case scenario is that your kids might even grow to resent you for pushing them in a direction that YOU want them to head.
So, it's better to send your kids to a schools that they wants to be and let them excel there, rather than fail in a place of education that he resents every minute of attending. This doesn't mean parents should give into children's every demand, but when it comes to education, sensible dialog and compromising is essential to the youngster's future. Remember, these school years are not a dress rehearsal.
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