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I would say 11thhour nailed it nicely. Along with the fact it would be nice if Senior Citizens (those that either haven't had children in the schools system for at least a generation or more as well as those that never had children in it in the first place) should receive that exemption. Fair is fair. If you have em be responsible for raising and supporting them. It's a really simple concept that people like some here and Mrs. Clinton(of who I'd LOVE to stick that "it takes a village" and place it where the sun don't shine) seem to think is off base. Any other viewpoint is pure Socialism at it's finiest, a method I would prefer to NOT live under. It's also not what this country was founded on either
But the original question was for high schools. Why do the students do well at the elementary level and then poorly (or, at best, average) at the high school level? The funding doesn't change: all levels of schools are underfunded.
My guess is that for a lot of these high schoolers, the U or BYU are 'the' aspirational schools. Otherwise it's Dixie or UVSU or the like. Performance - at a higher academic level, that would lead on to Stanford etc. - is simply not the norm here.
I hope I'm wrong. I have two small kids, my husband and I both have advanced degrees and have attended Ivies. Education is very important to us, but a nice quality of life is too. We're hoping we can raise our kids in a manner that is not hyper-competitive (a la the East Coast or Austin, from where we just moved) but in a way that challenges them.
I went to Alta, and at the time it was very competitive academically with a robust AP program. Brighton and Skyline were also known for academic achievement. Don't know what's happened in the past decade...
I live in Utah and I wish someone could answer this for me.
It doesn't make sense--an area will have like 6 nicely-rated elementaries and then one horribly rated high school.
Highland High gets terrible ratings, but the elementaries in the area are ok. What gives?
I think this is odd as well. Dilworth and Beacon Heights are rated very well (I think 10/10), Hillside Middle is 7/10, and then suddenly, Highland is 3/10. Huh? I'm assuming it comes down to funding, class sizes, etc.
I think the high school ratings need work. Skyline, for instance, has an excellent reputation, nearly 100% proficiency scores, yet it only receives a 6.
The whole thing just depresses me. My husband and I have worked so hard to make a good life for our kids, yet it seems so difficult to find a safe affordable home with good schools.
I came here from Mass. where there are some crazy competitive top rated high schools. My child goes to the #2 rated high public high school in Utah by US News(which ranks it 1789 in the US, Utah does not have 1 public high school in the top 1500) but gets a 7 out of 10 on great schools. The test scores are very high, it is the high student/teacher ratio and the lack of class choice and extra activites that brings the great schools down.
Older high schools, I would never consider West in SLC or Dixie in St George score higher on great schools because the have more to offer. They might have an old art programs that have a 1/8 time teacher come in or more foreign languages again because of a 1/8 teacher. Newer schools spend money on the building and technology over art facilities, or use a pool at a neighboring school,
High schools here are preparing kids for Utah colleges. My kid's school is more then happy to make sure my child get the right classes if I do the research for out of state schools. basically the high school assumes the kid is on the Utah track, put them in the classes needed for the tution waiver if they get a 3.75 or higher and that is that.
I have seriously considering moving but it is almost like if you start high school here you better finish it here. My child has a 3.91 in regular and honors classes again at a top rated high school, and I visited several high schools in NY/New England and my child is almost a year behind. I also could not believe the sports and extra programs the schools outside of Utah have. I visited a town in Mass that had under 5k residents but a syncronized speed skating team at the high school or a town of 15k people and the high school had 8 different orchestras.
It is very hard in Utah to find a good high school, and by good I mean safe and one that thinks a bit outside the one track box in an affordable community. At least in SLC area there are some private school options, in many areas of the state there are not.
I personally visited every single school in the Utah district I was relocating to before I bought a house. So many people focus on granite countertops and the house and here you need to visit the schools. I lived in SLC for a few years during elementary school years for my kids, buying an older home on the east side so my kids could go to a small older school with experienced staff, lower student teacher ratio, and good programs (rated I believe 6/7 on great schools). Then I would hear all these moms complain that bought brand new homes in brand new subdivisons on the west side about the crowded school and school full of confusion and all new staff. They admitted they never checked schools just loved the house. I had no sympathy for people who pick the new house over the schools in Utah. There is nothing wrong with an older(meaning 20 year old) home. You kids future for 12 years of school is more important them a HUGE closet or an open kitchen!
I came here from Mass. where there are some crazy competitive top rated high schools. My child goes to the #2 rated high public high school in Utah by US News(which ranks it 1789 in the US, Utah does not have 1 public high school in the top 1500) but gets a 7 out of 10 on great schools. The test scores are very high, it is the high student/teacher ratio and the lack of class choice and extra activites that brings the great schools down.
Older high schools, I would never consider West in SLC or Dixie in St George score higher on great schools because the have more to offer. They might have an old art programs that have a 1/8 time teacher come in or more foreign languages again because of a 1/8 teacher. Newer schools spend money on the building and technology over art facilities, or use a pool at a neighboring school,
High schools here are preparing kids for Utah colleges. My kid's school is more then happy to make sure my child get the right classes if I do the research for out of state schools. basically the high school assumes the kid is on the Utah track, put them in the classes needed for the tution waiver if they get a 3.75 or higher and that is that.
I have seriously considering moving but it is almost like if you start high school here you better finish it here. My child has a 3.91 in regular and honors classes again at a top rated high school, and I visited several high schools in NY/New England and my child is almost a year behind. I also could not believe the sports and extra programs the schools outside of Utah have. I visited a town in Mass that had under 5k residents but a syncronized speed skating team at the high school or a town of 15k people and the high school had 8 different orchestras.
It is very hard in Utah to find a good high school, and by good I mean safe and one that thinks a bit outside the one track box in an affordable community. At least in SLC area there are some private school options, in many areas of the state there are not.
I personally visited every single school in the Utah district I was relocating to before I bought a house. So many people focus on granite countertops and the house and here you need to visit the schools. I lived in SLC for a few years during elementary school years for my kids, buying an older home on the east side so my kids could go to a small older school with experienced staff, lower student teacher ratio, and good programs (rated I believe 6/7 on great schools). Then I would hear all these moms complain that bought brand new homes in brand new subdivisons on the west side about the crowded school and school full of confusion and all new staff. They admitted they never checked schools just loved the house. I had no sympathy for people who pick the new house over the schools in Utah. There is nothing wrong with an older(meaning 20 year old) home. You kids future for 12 years of school is more important them a HUGE closet or an open kitchen!
What do you mean, more than a year behind? How can your kid be in AP classes (which I am assuming are gearing for the AP tests) and not be current with other kids taking different AP classes?
I came here from Mass. where there are some crazy competitive top rated high schools. My child goes to the #2 rated high public high school in Utah by US News(which ranks it 1789 in the US, Utah does not have 1 public high school in the top 1500) but gets a 7 out of 10 on great schools. The test scores are very high, it is the high student/teacher ratio and the lack of class choice and extra activites that brings the great schools down.
Older high schools, I would never consider West in SLC or Dixie in St George score higher on great schools because the have more to offer. They might have an old art programs that have a 1/8 time teacher come in or more foreign languages again because of a 1/8 teacher. Newer schools spend money on the building and technology over art facilities, or use a pool at a neighboring school,
High schools here are preparing kids for Utah colleges. My kid's school is more then happy to make sure my child get the right classes if I do the research for out of state schools. basically the high school assumes the kid is on the Utah track, put them in the classes needed for the tution waiver if they get a 3.75 or higher and that is that.
I have seriously considering moving but it is almost like if you start high school here you better finish it here. My child has a 3.91 in regular and honors classes again at a top rated high school, and I visited several high schools in NY/New England and my child is almost a year behind. I also could not believe the sports and extra programs the schools outside of Utah have. I visited a town in Mass that had under 5k residents but a syncronized speed skating team at the high school or a town of 15k people and the high school had 8 different orchestras.
It is very hard in Utah to find a good high school, and by good I mean safe and one that thinks a bit outside the one track box in an affordable community. At least in SLC area there are some private school options, in many areas of the state there are not.
I personally visited every single school in the Utah district I was relocating to before I bought a house. So many people focus on granite countertops and the house and here you need to visit the schools. I lived in SLC for a few years during elementary school years for my kids, buying an older home on the east side so my kids could go to a small older school with experienced staff, lower student teacher ratio, and good programs (rated I believe 6/7 on great schools). Then I would hear all these moms complain that bought brand new homes in brand new subdivisons on the west side about the crowded school and school full of confusion and all new staff. They admitted they never checked schools just loved the house. I had no sympathy for people who pick the new house over the schools in Utah. There is nothing wrong with an older(meaning 20 year old) home. You kids future for 12 years of school is more important them a HUGE closet or an open kitchen!
I just checked the US News college site ... Intech High (in Logan) is actually number 162 in the nation, which is actually pretty fabulous.
My child goes to high school in southern Utah which is ranked 5 but they take away the 3 charter schools are call it #2 down here, saying #2 rated public high school. Reguardless if you call it 2 or 5, it still is very hard to get the classes needed to get into out of state schools.
For example, I was smart enough to know my child should take 4 years of a foreign language. The only foreign language offered for 4 years is Spanish and you have to start taking it in middle school or you will not get 4 years in. My child really wanted to learn Chinese (not offered at all) or at least Japanese (only offered 1 year now) or German (offered 2-3 years depending on budget/class size).
Freshman take earth science not biology. This puts them a year behind almost every high school I have thought of transferring my kids to. Most every high school I have looked at honors or not 9th grade=biology 10th= chemistry 11th=physics and 12th is either a second year of a science you studied or anatomy or something other science. My child has to double up on science in 11th grade to get the 4 years required at the colleges they want to attend.
Not to say anything bad about the music program, my child has been in it for 4 years and gotten straight A's and when they played for the schools in new England they would not qualify for any level of any school music program. I'm glad everyone is included in Utah, but I question if my child deserves an A because they do try but are not any grand musician. At some point I would think, like high school, music programs should get a bit selective?
Social studies also is behind. In 9-10 grade again almost every school I visited in New England, kids had taken a full year of US history and European history. Here it is honors geography 9th, and a half year of US government in 10th grade.
Maybe it is just my school district here, but my almost 16 year old has had zero sex ed, no American history (except a optional give me liberty award in 5th grade), no biology, no science labs, and has read (or should I say listen to on a CD) only 1 book in the last 2 years. Of course we are avid readers at home but I find it weird no books assigned in 2 grades? I check powerschool and I know the assignments and my child is on the college/honors track.
My child has not gotten to the AP classes yet but has gotten 8 college credits but they are not any sort of college credits they could use for their future degrees but I am grateful for the opportunity.
Wow. That doesn't sound good. My 17 year old just graduated a few days ago as a junior. As a freshman, she took honors human biology, chemistry as a sophomore and then physics as a junior. Her chemistry and physics classes both had labs. Also reading several books was required for her LA classes. She did take geography for a semester as a freshman, but I just signed my youngest daughter up for high school (she will be a freshman this fall) and she was able to sign up for AP Geography for a full year and will also be taking 2 foreign languages (Spanish 3 and ASL), not to mention the regular honors LA and math classes.
My 17 year old was able to graduate with 15 college credits. 12 of those credits can be used towards a degree. The other 3 credits were a waste, unfortunately.
Several high schools in Utah offer the IB program and track the kids form 9th grade. My freshman will be taking AP human geo and honors bio, advanced honors math and they could take a second honor science or other ap classes if they want to or are able (one of their friends is taking ap stats as a freshman for example). My now senior has AP human geo as a freshamn (but that was in middle school before the grade switch), two aps including bio as a sophomore, 2 more aps as a junior and will sit another 5 as a senior inc bc calc and ap stats, he is doing the IB diploma and the school runs AP/IB classes so the kids are prepared to sit both tests in most subjects. I don't want to be limited by some local curriculum so the IB is an ideal answer to that anxiety. Kids in this program are often super bright. Look at Hillcrest, Skyline, West etc. The schools like Hillcrest are also local area schools one lunch away from title 1, and they still run an outstanding IB program in a school not full of rich white kids. We came to SL area as foreigners and were able to find this info out easily so get off greatschools etc as they are a terrible reference point and see what is really on offer. If you find a program where the Asian kids are going, you know you are heading the right way. Also note that the school districts don't necessarily limit to boundary schools, IB especially is available even in the desirable schools like Skyline to academic kids.
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