Batavia High School; please tell me about school atmosphere (Chicago: how much, house)

[KagMama]

Hi there. My husband and I currently live in the western suburbs with our two young daughters, and are considering moving to Batavia. I have read all the tests scores, income, and demographic stats about the school, but am looking for some non-factual info.

I would like to know about the student atmosphere at Batavia High School. For instance, (in general) are students accepting, open minded, judgmental, critical...is there bullying...that sort thing.

We are familiar with Batavia, and like the town very much...but we do not know anyone with older children who can share their thoughts on the high school environment.

I know this may be an unusual request, and I thank you for any responses.

[chet everett]

There is similar thread asking about Lisle HS and there are some striking similarities.

Numerically Batavia High is not as desirable as Geneva, which is similar to Lisle vs Naperville. Families do move specifically for the school. Additionally, just as Lisle is home to one of the most respected private high schools in DuPage Co the relationship of Marmion to rest of the Fox Rover Valley draws some of the top students with scholarships, and some of the most dedicated families that vote with their wallet.

Batavia is not a terrible high school, but it is not as academically rigorous as Marmion, Rosary, St. Francis or even Aurora Central Catholic, all which thrive with kids that otherwise would be there...

The atmosphere is harder to peg, as there are some studious kids, and some atheletes (like at any school) and some kids from the more rural areas too.

There are cliques at most schools and Batavia, with the newer more expensive homes so close to the older more rural homes has lots of things to make the stratification noticeable.

I can't say how much "bullying" there is, the school does not tolerate "violence" or overt discrimination, but kids probably see things differently than adults ( a very good friend was formerly a teacher and coach at Batavia, he is now an administrator in a nearby district)...

Again every kids I different, and the pluses of a midsize school works for some kids.

[KagMama]

Thank you so much. I had not thought about the similarities to that of Lisle vs. Naperville. I attended Lisle High myself.

Thanks again for your thoughts!

[westburbsil]

I live in the Fox Valley Region and Batavia has very good schools. The St. Charles and Geneva schools may be seen as "better," but not the an extreme.

As far as bullying, unfortunatly bullying happens in every school in America.

[Milesperhour]

I have to disagree with some of what Chet Everett said. I graduated BHS in 2006. I would never describe our school as clique-y. Anyone could walk up and talk to anyone they wanted; the jock's were smart, the artsy kids well respected. I didn't see any bullying either, which is not to say it didn't happen, but it wasn't prevalent enough for me to notice it in the halls or locker rooms. Five years later (after moving to Georgia for college and then back to Chicago) I still hang out with a lot of my friends from back then.

Regarding academics, I think I got a very solid education. During college I got to compare my high school experience to that of people from all over the country, and more often than not my time at BHS came across as higher quality. My French teacher spoke only French from French III on, my world history teacher taught us about the WTO and World Bank, and I had to write a 22 page thesis for senior year AP English. My art teachers championed an experimental post-modern curriculum, and senior year there was the opportunity to take off campus classes at Waubonsee Community College. During the time I went to high school, BHS ranked very among other high schools in the state.

[chet everett]

Just not that many schools measure up to the tough US News criteria.

While, as I said, there are a range of kids in any school, and the experience of kids taking the tougher classes might be very different than what the data, or even former administrators, see in a broad sense, the fact is there has to be some objective standards. It just won't do to say "well I met some kid from XYZ high and he was a dunce so that must be a bad school". The criteria used by US News look at how many kids take the AP or IB courses that are objective standards for college level work and how successful they are on the tests. Very very few schools are doing well:

Kane Co:
Best High Schools Search - US News and World Report

DuPage Co:
Best High Schools Search - US News and World Report

[sgresident]

I think if you look at the info for st. charles north and see that it is racially, mostly white, very few disadvantaged kids, and if you know the area that the school is located, you will see that it is home to many students from the higher middle class range and you can draw your own conclusions. Most schools in the tri-cities are mostly white, middle class. not too many disadvantaged. Batavia has been growing and just recently added a huge addition of field house and auditorium. They are a big larger, but very well respected academically, artisticly and athleticly. If you like the area, you should be fine. most high schools have their groups of kids and when reading the papers, you don't read of many "incidents" with any from the tri-cities and kaneland.