[dazedandconfuzed]

I attended Westside High School and honestly I would never send my kids to that school. Its not really that I was picked on so much but my mother is a single mother and we lived paycheck to paycheck. I didn't have a car, good clothes, or money. I didn't play sports and my grades were just average. All of these things mattered at that school. Not only Westside High School, but District 66 has treated my family and I poorly since we opted in. If I could have changed anything I would have never left OPS.

[star_gazer]

At least 1/3rd of District 66's students are option enrollment from outside the district... they have among the highest graduation rates and ACT composite scores (with 99% of students taking the test no less)... they must be doing something right. Sorry you had a bad experience.

[dazedandconfuzed]

And you show me a great example of what's wrong with the world today. Arrogance. A test score is just a number, as well as a grade. Being treated differently than students with money and athletic abilities shouldn't be happening in school especially by teachers and other staff, which is where the majority of this is coming from

Wow, I got off topic but honestly my overall point was that I would just rather have my children going to a school with people of all sorts and get treated like everyone else.

[star_gazer]

Okay, I'll qualify my recommendation then... if you're not some sad, vulnerable **** suffering from self pitty, having placed a target on your back... District 66 may not be for you. If, on the other hand, you're not that person and looking for arguably the best education for yourself/your children in the metro (by the way, a much more diverse student demographic than when I graduated in '84)... I highly recommend Westside schools.

[dazedandconfuzed]

Westside Demographics
Latino - 2.8%
White - 88.8%
Black - 4.8%
Asian - 3.2%
Native American - 0.4%

Central Demographics
Latino - 13.3%

White - 46.7%
Black - 36.9%
Asian - 1.3%
Native American - 1.8%

Comparing to OPS, thats ridiculous. You graduated in 1984, things are different now your not going there anymore.

[star_gazer]

No doubt, OPS wins in diversity, hands down (and as lacking as District 66 appears today, it's much more diverse even than I was attending in the 80's, and remains more diverse than Millard schools).

Unfortunately OPS wins in all too many other categories...

Lowest graduation rates, lowest assessment scores, highest incidence of gang activity, etc, etc, etc.

Now I guess if you can weather all of that and become a stronger, more culturally sensitive person because of it... more power to you. For me however, that's an experiment I'm not going to embark my children on.

[DTO Luv]

Going to school in OPS is an expiriment? Thousands of students go to school there and are fine and go on to do great things.

[star_gazer]

True... again, more power to those that make it. Unfortunately, nearly HALF of them don't graduate. 45%! That is unbelievable... and a statistic I sure as heck wouldn't want to test my kids against.

The numbers... I was actually surprised to see CB was still worse yet.

• Millard 97.5%
• Bellevue 91.8%
• Papillion-La Vista 91.0%
• Kearney 86.4%
• Westside 83.9%
• Norfolk 82.9%
• Grand Island 77.0%
• Lincoln 76.7%
• Sioux City, IA 67.2%
• OPS 55.1%
• Council Bluffs 42.5%

[billiefan2000]

can someone explain to me, other than possible racism and hatred and jealousy of

Omaha North High and Omaha South High


why those 2 schools are stereotyped as "gang schools"


and yet Omaha Central High and Omaha Benson High

(which is within 2 miles of many of the crimes you hear about on the news in North Omaha or South Omaha


is never refered to as gang schools (when they could easily be called it as much as Omaha North High or Omaha South High




anyone else (particually graduates of Omaha North High and Omaha South High think that is a double standard


when it comes to Omaha Benson and Omaha Central

vs.

Omaha North or Omaha South when it comes to being labeled a "gang" school



I mean, every school to some extent has bad people and good people in it.


Just cause a shooting happens in North Omaha, it shouldnt be blamed onto Omaha North High




http://www.classreport.org/usa/ne/omaha/nhs/


http://www.classreport.org/usa/ne/omaha/shs/

[DTO Luv]

I went to both North and South. I never really got caught up in any gang stuff. It was around more at North but it didn't seem to affect me personally. Benson I guess could be a "gang" school but since "North" and "South" are both related to locations I think they get the brunt of it.