Goldwater, Thunderbird or North Canyon High School? (Phoenix, Glendale: apartments, school district)

[grmi66]

Our family is moving back to Phoenix and trying to decide which school district to move to. We have narrowed it down to these three high schools: Goldwater, Thunderbird and North Canyon. All three are fairly close to where we used to live, near friends, family and old church. Each of the schools has the International Baccalaureate program which we want our kids to participate in. If our kids do participate in any sports it would most likely be cross country and/or track.

Any thoughts?

[BuckeyeBoyDJ]

Barry Goldwater HS is in the Deer Valley School District. It's a pretty good school but it's average to say the least. North Canyon is in the Paradise Valley district. The school itself is quite large like 2000+ students but it's decent in a great district. Thunderbird would be my top pick out of the 3. It's in the Glendale Union HS District. It's an "Excelling" school and has a diverse student body. Kinda straddles a middle/upper middle class area in the Moon Valley area of Phoenix.

[crystalys]

I agree that all the schools mentioned are good schools but only North Canyon and Goldwater have the IB program. I chose for my son to be part of the AP (Advanced Placement) Program at Thunderbird instead. I think the IB program is great but way too rigorous academically. I applaud those students who are inclined that way. My son is very active with JV Baseball, Varsity Bowling Team, Jazz Band, Marching Band, Concert Band and earning his Eagle Scout so I felt the AP program is just the right balance for him. Good luck with your decision.

[azriverfan.]

NC is an elite school and it had the IB program long before most of the high schools in the state had them. In fact, at one time, I think NC was one of two high schools in the Valley that had the IB program some ~14 years ago; I remember people were moving from the east valley to the area so their kid could attend NC for the IB program at the time, it was a big deal. NC is a public school that is private school-like in quality.

[pbenjamin]

Be careful. North Canyon's IB program is great, but the school itself is not highly regarded, at least in comparison to the other schools in PVUSD. You hear about gang problems, among other things. The test scores are typically below other PVUSD schools such as Pinnacle and Horizon, even with the IB students in the mix.

[winterpromise31]

I graduated from North Canyon in 2000. At that time, it was an ok school. The biggest problem I remember was kids smoking behind the back building during breaks.

I was in AP classes but some of the AP classes were a joke. They didn't feel like honors at all. That was 11 years ago, so things might have changed...

[theyreinphx]

I graduated in 2000 so my personal experience might be a little old but maybe can help.

Barry Goldwater - I attended DV middle school right next door. I was harassed and bullied daily. I ended up getting mixed up with the wrong crowd to get away from all of the bullying. The trailer parks in the area attract a lot of bad kids IMO. My brother dropped out of Goldwater to get his GED. I never did go to Goldwater because of all of the problems. I went to live with my dad and he lived right next to Thunderbird Highschool.

I LOVED going to Thunderbird. I was able to mix with good kids and I went from straight Cs and Ds to straight As. Thunderbird had a very diverse crowd. While a lot of the kids come from the apartments near by, when I attended school, there was a lot more school spirit and pride than GW. I had so much fun at that school and the teachers really cared about my success. Unfortunately, my dad ended up moving and I then finished out high school at Mountain Ridge.

I do not know about North Canyon but when I was in High school it was known to be an excellent school. It had a reputation of rich (I'm sure that has changed now) and smart kids.

I would never in a million years let my kids attend Barry Goldwater. My time in that area was absolutely crushing in every way. The cowboys did not get along with the Hispanics and there were a lot of fights. Maybe someone can chime in and let us know if that has changed?