Woodbridge High School

2 Meadowbrook

School District

Irvine Unified
Grade

9-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:25
Type

public

School Map for Irvine Unified School District

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 January 13, 2024

I graduated from Woodbridge a few years ago and I would say I had a pretty okay experience. The teachers are fantastic but the students make the experience worse than it should be. IUSD schools in general are pretty competitive and there's a lot of pressure to do well, especially from other students. This is especially bad in the honors/AP classes but the CP classes are alright. Woodbridge is probably one of the less academically competitive schools compared to the other IUSD high schools but it's still up there. Personally, I don't think Irvine schools are worth all the hype. I am a STEM major at a top UC now and I still think my classes at Woodbridge were more difficult to get A's in. If I had a choice, I would have chosen to live somewhere with great school ratings but not cutthroat competitive, like the Saddleback Valley or Capistrano Unified School Districts. IUSD taught me that high grades are the only things that matter, not to appreciate learning for what it is. If you are the parent(s) of young children looking to move to a good school district, I would recommend against IUSD for the kids' sake.
Submitted by parent on October 13, 2023

Amazing school with great resources for students. High expectations with great teachers to support the students.
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2023

This school rightfully deserves to be a blue ribbon school. Great teachers!
Submitted by parent on September 07, 2020

I have 3 kids currently attending WHS and their experience have been very positive. They are involved in sports and various school activities which makes their experience a positive one. They are also taking AP and Honor courses. The school admin and teachers are very supportive. I see the school to be balanced with academics and sports/arts.
Submitted by parent on March 08, 2019

It is worse experience with Kay Bradley
Submitted by parent on January 23, 2019

Some school counselors jump to conclusions, don't get both sides of the story, and then try to destroy families based on their biased and unprofessional judgment. Jennifer Carrington is a prime example in my experience. The principal, Krebs, talks a big game, but then passes off issues to unqualified staff. This school is highly overrated.
Submitted by parent on November 26, 2018

This school would be great if your child is a straight A student. If you are not and need a little extra help you wont find it here.
Submitted by other on June 30, 2018

The academics here are very good. However, the school facilities are very old and dated. Many of the typical high school sports facilities aren't provided and they rent them from the city. The district spends more money on high income areas such as Northwood High in the very, very, expensive part of town although all parts are expensive. Another thing to consider is the Irvine history. The Irvine Company is an infamous figure everyone here hates. See, they own a lot land and property. In fact the CEO is the fifth richest American! Well apart from that, the city is classified as suburban because they won't pay higher taxes on their land. So this on going battle between the company and the district basically makes the students suffer. The district doesn't receive enough money to pay teachers, higher more, and there's no busing. The school simply needs more funding.
Submitted by parent on November 27, 2017

Our family is a long term resident of Irvine. Having put 2 kids through WHS now with the most recent one graduating 2017, I would say the school has overall improved under new leadership and teacher turnover. However, WHS still has problems and short comings that continue to degrade the overall education and self confidence of the students. First, like any school there are good teachers and then there are some really bad teachers that are just going through the motions and should not be teaching in any forum, let alone a high school. I'm not going to name names but instead I will say your experience at WHS will be about the "luck of the draw". In other words, the teachers that you get will dictate the academic experience you will have here at WHS. One of the problems with WHS we found is their "lack of compassion" towards common sense and reasoning and their unwillingness to listen to any explanation with regard to grades and how those grades were given. This directly impacted our son, his self confidence and in the selection of colleges he may attend, or in this case qualify to attend. The teacher is "always correct". And if your child is planning on a four year college out of WHS and has less then perfect grades, we found we had to reach out to the Counselors constantly asking for help and guidance. To be fair, there were after school programs and tutoring offered and these programs did help. But in the end they said to us "lets look at the JC pathway". And if im being truthfully honest, a JC path can be the best route for some students. Having said all that. I have personally asked my son about his experience and 4 years at WHS and his reply was the following... "I enjoyed the school from a social standpoint and made lots of friends and memories but from an academic and learning experience he would give it a C. Because of the grades at WHS our son is now attending a local JC and is doing very well, much better then he did at WHS and is finishing up his 1st semester and applying to USC and UCLA at the end of second semester. Who knows after all this maybe this was the best way for him. I do recommend WHS because it is improving and my sons did enjoy their experience overall.
Submitted by other on May 11, 2016

I am an alum of this school and while I went on to be rather successful, there was little Woodbridge had to do with it. Don't get me wrong, I loved the campus, I met a lot of great people, I had A LOT OF FUN (mostly off campus) and had a lot of great teachers, but the support wasn't there. I didn't even know we had counselors until 11 years after I graduated. In checking in with the people I kept in touch with over the years, they had no idea we had counselors either. My counselor never bothered to meet with me, speak to me or introduce himself. I had a pretty difficult time during that time of my life and my counselor never bothered to reach out. I understand they have a lot of students, but that's no excuse. My GPA went from a 3.8 freshmen year to a 2.0 sophomore year and no one said anything. I tried my best to be involved and found a nice niche for myself, which I enjoyed, but none of the teachers overseeing activities or activities leaders bothered to really engage me. No one ever spoke to me about AP courses, college or SAT's. My mom called in to talk to someone about it and they never called her back. I asked a friend of mine who walked me into what I assume was the counseling center and she pointed at a wall full of college catalogs. I honestly had to figure it out on my own. Through my own sheer determination I managed to graduate from an well known college and go on to grad school where I received honors recognition for my work. I do want to be clear, though, that while the support wasn't there, I did find some great teachers. I found a home with the photography teacher who really gave me breathing room and mentorship to succeed. The ceramics teacher was a trip. Great person, she created a really great fostering environment where I learned a lot from her and the students more skilled than me. I thought my History & English teachers were pretty decent until they pretended not to know me and gave me a pretty cold shoulder when I came back a year later to visit. I thought that was pretty rude and still do. I was never a favorite, but I did nothing horrible to either one of them, so their reception was odd to me. Maybe it's because I didn't perform well enough and they wrote me off?For a High School in a rather affluent neighborhood, I would expect more. I hope they have put together a better program since I was there.
Submitted by parent on February 19, 2015

This is an excellent school! Both of my kids attend Woodbridge - one is a Freshman and one is a Junior. I feel confident that both, having taken and still taking AP and Honors classes, are well prepared for a college education. Having gone to a public school myself in WA state, I can say without a doubt that this high school is miles above what an average high school (public of course) can offer for the average American teen. The arts and music department is on par - my kid has had the chance to develop his social and acting skills while performing in numerous plays and concerts throughout his three years here. My other child is heavily involved in academics - I love the support she gets from her teachers who challenge her and provide her with constructive criticism. I'm so proud that the Honors Biology is available for Freshman - it's brutal but well worth the work as my child is now ready for most pre-med bio classes in college. I can rave on and on about the academics, the well-kept grounds, the professionalism of the staff, and the overall atmosphere. As a fellow UCLA Bruin who is used to superb grounds and professors, I was very satisfied with this school.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2013

I was using a real estate related web site when I came across a negative review of this school with racist tones. I'm compelled to respond as I'm simply amazed that anyone would post such a thing in this day and age. Both of my children are products of IUSD. One went on to be accepted by one of the best schools in the states, while the other is on track to do the same. The teachers we interacted with were stellar and actually shepherded our children while they developed. Imagine that for a minute... Teachers that actually care and take the time to nurture their students The bottom line is this: The schools in Irvine are awesome with the test scores to back up the claim. One of the major contributors to this is their interaction and support of the parents. You get out of your local school what you put into it. I suspect the complainer was not the easiest person to get along with and was therefore avoided. Finally: I am a Caucasian man who has been married to an Asian woman for 24 years. When I am forced to fill out a form that asks for race. I check "other" and write in human. It's too bad some people forget that little fact...
Submitted by parent on January 19, 2013

My daughter is a freshman here, and I'm glad she is at WHS, she's getting great help from teachers, and their tutorial program along with offering after-school tutors in the library. They keep the kids focused on their grades, and really it's up to the children to ask for help. The school is extremely helpful with students and makes a fun environment for learning. I'm glad we are able to live in Irvine and have my daughter at one of the best High Schools here :)
Submitted by student on March 04, 2012

Woodbridge is an excellent high school for sure. Any type of student can fit in. The warriors are great in sports, academic, and even performing arts. Most of the sports teams go to CIF playoffs every year. It offers various AP classes with great teachers, the academic teams are also very strong. Moreover, the musicals every year are incredible. Administrators, teachers, and counselors and friendly and willing to provide all the help needed. You can always just walk in if you need to talk to any of them, and they are always happy to see you. The student body is very diverse, and the students are very school spirited and involved. Facilities are great too, new tennis courts, music buildings, now with our own pool. Woodbridge is awesome, couldn't ask for more.