Reagan High School- what's it really like? (Bowie, Helotes: home, neighborhood)

[Tamster]

I've looked at all of the state reports with demograghics and test scores until my eyes have glazed over. What I am lacking is real life info!

We are looking at a home in the Hardy Oaks Elem/Lopez MS/Reagan HS area. I'm new to NEISD (we've always lived in NISD). Here's my concern. We are a down-to-earcth middle class family. All schools have a stereo-type associated with them. I have "heard" students at Reagan are all rich kids driving BMWs and that since money is prevalent so are drugs.

I'd like the truth from people with actual experience in the school. Are kids exclusive? It there diversity? Are opportunities available for everyone? Are cliques more pronounced than in any other high school?

School are 90% of my decision on a move for my family. So any real feedback would be so appreciated! Other apreas we've considered are O'Connor HS, Clark HS, the new Brandeis HS, and MacArthur.

[Bo]

I have a kid at Churchill HS. IMO, it's superior to Reagan.

Reagan is Churchill's biggest rival. What I know about Reagan comes from the handful of parents I know who send their kids there and a couple of teachers who teach at schools that feed into Reagan.

The academic and athletic culture there is ultra-competitive. Parents spend big bucks to send their kids to out-of-season sports/conditioning and academic camps to try to give their kids an edge. While the culture produces results, it also puts pressure on the kids. (I have read in the newspaper that Clark has a similar issue with parental spending on athletics.)

At the elementary level in the Reagan feeder schools, there are parents who conduct their own spelling bees and academic competitions because they want their kids to have an extra challenge.

My kids are high-achievers academically, and I support them in their endeavors. But I find the parent-driven emphasis on academic competition at the Reagan schools to be repugnant. I suspect it's driven by the ten-percent rule (http://www.collegefortexans.com/additional/top10rule.cfm - broken link).

[millie61]

I also have a Son at Churchill and agree it is an excellent school

[ChrisSA_wxatUIW]

Originally Posted by Tamster

I've looked at all of the state reports with demograghics and test scores until my eyes have glazed over. What I am lacking is real life info!

We are looking at a home in the Hardy Oaks Elem/Lopez MS/Reagan HS area. I'm new to NEISD (we've always lived in NISD). Here's my concern. We are a down-to-earcth middle class family. All schools have a stereo-type associated with them. I have "heard" students at Reagan are all rich kids driving BMWs and that since money is prevalent so are drugs.

I'd like the truth from people with actual experience in the school. Are kids exclusive? It there diversity? Are opportunities available for everyone? Are cliques more pronounced than in any other high school?

School are 90% of my decision on a move for my family. So any real feedback would be so appreciated! Other apreas we've considered are O'Connor HS, Clark HS, the new Brandeis HS, and MacArthur.

Yeah....... That sounds about right.....

[Tamster]

"Yeah....... That sounds about right....."


Does that come form personal experience? Anything you can share? It's so hard to differeniate between fact and assumption. I really appreciate the help!

[ChrisSA_wxatUIW]

Well, ok.
You say that "We are a down-to-earcth middle class family." Which sounds alot like me and my familiy, which would despise living in that area and going to that school. So, in that sense, I am somewhat assuming the same for you.

You say that "All schools have a stereo-type associated with them. I have "heard" students at Reagan are all rich kids driving BMWs and that since money is prevalent so are drugs." I have heard this as well, and I have many friends that graduated from this school that told me this is essentially true.

I mean, it is technically just a stereotype and I'm sure that if your kids make the right friends and such, they would not experience the same kind of thing that many of the other students do.

I personally think that the better of the schools that you listed would be O'Connor, Brandeis, and MacArthur. Although in highschool, O'Connor was technically our rivals (go Rams), but I know that area really well (Helotes, O'Connnor HS, Brandeis HS, Bandera Rd area), and most of the people there are nice, friendly, middleclass people.

[sapphire]

Originally Posted by Bowie

I have a kid at Churchill HS. IMO, it's superior to Reagan.

Reagan is Churchill's biggest rival. What I know about Reagan comes from the handful of parents I know who send their kids there and a couple of teachers who teach at schools that feed into Reagan.

The academic and athletic culture there is ultra-competitive. Parents spend big bucks to send their kids to out-of-season sports/conditioning and academic camps to try to give their kids an edge. While the culture produces results, it also puts pressure on the kids. (I have read in the newspaper that Clark has a similar issue with parental spending on athletics.)

At the elementary level in the Reagan feeder schools, there are parents who conduct their own spelling bees and academic competitions because they want their kids to have an extra challenge.

My kids are high-achievers academically, and I support them in their endeavors. But I find the parent-driven emphasis on academic competition at the Reagan schools to be repugnant. I suspect it's driven by the ten-percent rule (http://www.collegefortexans.com/additional/top10rule.cfm - broken link).

Did your children happen to go to Huebner Elementary? That competition starts at the kindergarten level. My son attended in K and there was a parade of some sort where the child was to make a race car out of a cardboard box--then we were to cut it out and make it so the child could "parade it" by carrying it. So we did--a cardboard box magically became quite a cute little racecar, and my son was so happy! Imagine his disappointment and my utter horror the next day when 98% of the kids showed up with wooden racecars that had been professionally painted, fiberglass ones as well--they were so big and heavy the kids couldn't even carry them, and you knew damn well they hadn't made it themselves. I was so disgusted and mad. We moved for 1st grade--there's no way I was going to participate in that kind of showiness.

My older son graduated from Churchill and we/he had no complaints. The only thing I will mention is that they don't enforce the dress code, which makes it hard to understand how any of the boys get anything done there, if you know what I mean.

We are friends with one couple who has a daughter at Reagan. They are happy there, but they keep a very tight rein on her! She's an excellent student, and she would be whether she went to Reagan or Southwest.

[Lauren0319]

To the OP, it doesn't sound like anyone has any personal experience w/ Reagan. Do all the kids drive BMWs? Absolutely not. Are they all into drugs? No. It is considered an upper-middle class school, but that is not always a bad thing. It is also considered an excellent school. High school is what you and your child make it...
good luck!

I guess I should add that I don't have any personal experience with it either. My parents live in a neighborhood that feeds into Reagan. Several of their close friends and neighbors have kids that go there. They love it. A few of them are old enough to drive, yet they don't have cars and they ride the bus. They're also down to earth and well rounded kids. You're going to have your bad apples everywhere. I hope you can find someone w/ personal experience.

[sapphire]

Originally Posted by Lauren0319

I guess I should add that I don't have any personal experience with it either.

Exactly, so it's OK that we all posted, right?

[Bo]

Originally Posted by sapphire

Did your children happen to go to Huebner Elementary? That competition starts at the kindergarten level. My son attended in K and there was a parade of some sort where the child was to make a race car out of a cardboard box--then we were to cut it out and make it so the child could "parade it" by carrying it. So we did--a cardboard box magically became quite a cute little racecar, and my son was so happy! Imagine his disappointment and my utter horror the next day when 98% of the kids showed up with wooden racecars that had been professionally painted, fiberglass ones as well--they were so big and heavy the kids couldn't even carry them, and you knew damn well they hadn't made it themselves. I was so disgusted and mad. We moved for 1st grade--there's no way I was going to participate in that kind of showiness.

My older son graduated from Churchill and we/he had no complaints. The only thing I will mention is that they don't enforce the dress code, which makes it hard to understand how any of the boys get anything done there, if you know what I mean.

My kids attended Hidden Forest. There were some competitive parents there, but I never encountered any that were over-the top. Your anecdote about Huebner doesn't surprise me. It feeds into both Churchill and Reagan.

I also know what you mean about the dress code at Churchill. By my top of the head count, my kids have had 7 different principals while they've been at NEISD schools and I only know of one principal and one assistant principal that strictly enforced the dress code.