Gainesville High School

1900 Northwest 13th Street

School District

Alachua
Grade

9-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:24
Type

public

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by other on February 03, 2015

The teachers are great!. GHS is highly accredited due to the teachers. Administration has been lax with discipline. Some of the students are making it hard for the other students to learn. These students are making it very difficult for the teacher to teach. GHS is going to find it self in trouble if they do not step up and deal with this. If teachers start leaving then say goodbye to the A rating the school has enjoyed these last few years.
Submitted by student on December 09, 2014

GHS is a great school. As a sophomore in the Cambridge program, I feel challenged but not overwhelmed. There's a variety of interesting classes, electives, clubs, and sports. The faculty is friendly, reachable, and very helpful. The school is clean and well kept with the administrators pitching in to keep campus clean. Mr. Shellnut can always be seen around campus picking up trash and engaging students in conversation. I've never felt unsafe or in danger at school, and dress code and discipline policies are well enforced. The students are very diverse and there are many cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds represented, resulting in a relaxed comfortable environment. I think this is because no one feels judged. There isn't much of a hierarchy among the students, which is nice because no one feels pressured to conform to any standards. Academically, all of the subjects are well taught and represented with classes outside of your standard high school curriculum offered. Students have a variety of academic electives to choose from. There's a great tutoring program run by the teachers in the library after school that's very helpful. GHS is an awesome school and I highly recommend it.
Submitted by parent on August 20, 2014

We chose GHS with great expectations for the Cambridge Program. GHS has been profoundly disappointing, anyone moving here from the NE would find woefully inadequate teachers, classrooms without AC, sub par labs and overall pitiful infrastructure that seems unchanged since the 1950s. GHS Cambridge faculty are far below New England's mainstream teachers. 9th and 10th grade math teachers at GHS (especially Ms. Rapp) teach by intimidation, humiliating and bullying the students. The Cambridge Program has great potential, but the faculty at GHS are clearly over their heads and unqualified to offer this program. If you are an academic family with school age children thinking of relocating to Gainesville, don''t do it! It is really like a move back in time, and not in a good way.
Submitted by parent on April 14, 2014

I have had two children attend this school, one being in the highly academic Cambridge program and the other in mainstream classes. Most of the teachers are involved and very concerned about their students, overall a 4. The biggest negative is the administration and lack of support for children and parents. Starting from the principal, lip service is given but no real action gets taken if there is an issue/problem/question. The students best interest or academic need are never ahead of the status quo. The typical perception of public school. There are exceptions, such as Mr. Mercer and Mr. Testa in the administration/Guidance, they actually seem to care. The deans, counselors, etc. are not that helpful and very disappointing if you actually need their assistance. Parents are not very welcome, and the attitude of the school seems to prefer if they stay away. The band and sports programs are highly successful at this school, but beware of some of the volatile directors and coaches which also follow. Basically, your child, due to the teachers, will get a good education, but students will not leave feeling warm and fuzzy. Not a community school you want to embrace.
Submitted by parent on April 09, 2014

GHS is a great school ! My son is taking honors classes and is high ranking in NJROTC. The teachers are wonderful and are easy to get a hold of. The school offers online classes which are wonderful but I think that there needs to be more instruction for the online classes by the class monitor. Otherwise, I highly recommend this school to others!
Submitted by parent on January 14, 2014

I just read the last evaluation written by a student and have to respond. My daughter is a senior at GHS and in the Cambridge program. With probably one exception, she has had very excellent teachers and an a great experience! She is challenged, and has been very comfortable asking teacher for letters of recommendation for college; she has never felt unsafe. We cannot say enough wonderful things about GHS. Yes, the teachers and the work are tough, but some of the most challenging classes for her have turned out to be the most valuable. Cambridge probably isn't for everyone :) We are very happy this program is offered.
Submitted by student on January 12, 2014

I attended GHS in the Cambridge program as i found it to be below satisfactory. The environment at this school does not make you feel safe and is also very overcrowded, almost to the point of danger. The teachers don't have any one on one focus with you, even when having a good relationship with your teacher is a glorified characteristic of the cambridge program. This school is horrible and i do not recommend it to anyone and that is why I am pursuing other schools and options.
Submitted by student on August 14, 2013

Great school as a whole but needs to treat students fairly along the lines of dress code within women. Its seems as though the school is a bit racist and misogynist, calling out only women for dress code, and only blacks for trouble making. If you wear a skirt even a fourth of an inch shorter than your finger tips, or wear a shirt with no sleeves, you'll be sent to the office to ruin your day and cut into your valuable learning time just to call your parents to cut into their working time to bring you a new outfit. Because instead of teaching young men not to over-sexualize normal female body parts, GHS shames young women for wearing shorts in warm weather. Let the reigns go a little, GHS.
Submitted by parent on February 25, 2010

I'm pretty sure all these ratings are from parents which kids are doing great in schoo, but when it comes to the ones that are doing really bad in school, it's another story. They never answer e-mails (they're using technology), I sent two of them. Once, they asked me to go to school to talk about my son, and instead of trying to help him realize how important an education is, all that person (that doesn't even deserved to be mention by name) did was tell him he wasn't going to accomplish anything in live, he wasn't going to be able to work not even at McDonalds, she was really rude and disrespecful to my son, my husband and I. The English he speaks to his friends it's not the same English (the proper one) used in classes, and she was completely ignoring the fact that Spanish is his 1st language.
Submitted by parent on July 22, 2009

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Submitted by student on July 15, 2008

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Submitted by student on February 05, 2008

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Submitted by parent on September 12, 2007

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Submitted by parent on July 26, 2007

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