Can anyone compare Sunset HS vs Westview HS? (Hillsboro, Lake Oswego: middle schools, university)

[organicgreen]

They both seem like decent and two one the better high schools in the area for public schools.
The average class size is roughly 30 student per class, which I consider a bit high, but can't afford Jesuit or Catlin Gable.
If you had to choose one of them, which one would you choose and why?
IB and Ab classes are important as well as athletics, academics, low bullying,
low substance abuse use, and overall safe school. Is this possible at these schools.
I love to send my kids to Lake Oswego HS, but will be relocating near Hillsboro.
Any feedback to greatly appreciated.

[The Cactus Leaguer]

Westview has better (newer) facilities, Sunset has (slightly) better demographics. Both are EXCELLENT overall. Not sure who has the better AP courses. Can't go wrong either way IMHO.

[bkk1057]

Westview has AP and Sunset IB. Westview is where all the smart Summa middle schools kids go.

[organicgreen]

Thank you Cactus Leaguer & bkk1057 for the feedback. This does help and my next question would be if you had to choose one or the other which one would you send you kids to and why.
Also which of the two has a better sports program. Mainly their boys soccer program.
Thank you.

[Skippy Weaselpants]

Funny you should ask about their soccer programs, although my knowledge is about their girls programs. My granddaughter is a soccer star and last year, when in 8th grade, she was deciding which of those two high schools to attend. She was drawn to Westview by their outstanding girls soccer program, but finally decided on Sunset because that's where all her friends are going. I don't think she's going to play on their school team but she plays on an AAU U19 co-ed team. She's only 14 and that's how good she is.

Oh yeah, she was also voted a homecoming princess this past week. Yes - I like to brag about my grandchildren.

[organicgreen]

Which is better, Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB)? Do colleges find one more impressive over the other?
In my opinion, both the AP and IB programs are equally valuable, in that the exams associated with those courses provide an external measure of quality. Any student who does well on the end-of-course assessments associated with either program can genuinely claim to have done college work in a high school setting.
The structures of the two programs are very different, however. Think of AP and IB this way: AP is a smorgasbord: pick the courses you want, leave behind those that tempt you less. IB, by contrast, is a “prix fixe” menu: you get all or nothing. There is a range of choice within IB, but the entire high school curriculum is dictated by those initial choices.
The fact is that highly competitive AP students are taking 6, 7, 10 AP courses and doing well on the exams (scores of 4 or 5 out of five possible points). Likewise, highly competitive IB students are not only taking the IB courses, but are scoring 5, 6, or 7s (out of seven) on the diploma tests. However, there are also plenty of students who take lots of AP courses who do not do well on the exams (many do not even take them!). Similarly, there are students in IB programs who are unlikely to fulfill all the requirements of the IB diploma.
As to whether colleges prefer AP or IB? Colleges like them both. Both programs represent tough curricular requirements. But in the end, it’s all about the student’s performance: did they perform at the very top of the scale for either program? Did they pass the independently administered exams with flying colors? If so, colleges will be heavily recruiting those students—regardless of the AP or IB label.
One thing parents (and students) ought to keep in mind as they look at schools and at individual teachers: ask about their pass rate. That is, ask what percentage of students enrolled in these programs take and pass (or get perfect scores) on the AP or IB assessments? The answer to this question will be a better indicator of program quality than the label. I have several clients who are getting very high grades in AP courses, but who will never be able to pass the AP exams. Their teachers are simply not up to the job of presenting such a demanding curriculum and helping students achieve to the standards set by that curriculum.
So to reiterate, both the AP and IB programs are excellent preparation for college, and the colleges seek out students to excel in either environment. Students and teachers should look beyond the labels to ask about the quality of the programs on offer. Just as we don’t judge books by their cover, we should not judge a program by its label.

[Nell Plotts]

Organicgreen's observations are spot on. My daughter attended a high school with an IB program, they also had AP classes. She is bright, I asked her why she didn't enroll in the IB program. She said she didn't want to work THAT hard (dropping out of anything was not an option for her). As a result she had time for swim team, rally squad, dance and speech team - time to develop life skills in addition academic. Her SATs were excellent, she went on to attend a very good university.

She can master any subject matter she puts her mind to but what has made a difference in her professional success are her presentation and people skills.