North Canyon High School

1700 East Union Hills Drive

School District

Paradise Valley Unified District
Grade

8-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:24
Type

public

School Map for Paradise Valley Unified 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 parent on April 27, 2021

My foster daughter has struggled in school most of her life due to moving frequently and attending numerous schools. Even with the Covid 19 Pandemic, these teachers and principal and office staff and counselors have been communicative and accessible. Teachers offered extra tutoring opportunities and we’re understanding. I have been impressed. After attending 15+ schools, she will be graduating this May. I cannot thank Mr. Luna, Ms. Seitzberg, Mr. Regan, Ms. Leto, Ms. Sedor, Mr. Adams, Mr. Skowron, Bethany Reynolds and Principal Molzhon enough. You are amazing. Thank you for all that you do.
Submitted by teacher on May 08, 2019

I have worked at North Canyon for two years now and it has been a great experience. Students come from diverse backgrounds and bring different cultures to the school which creates a unique atmosphere. Teachers are exceptional and work hard to prepare students for the future.
Submitted by parent on March 05, 2019

Positive experience with dedicated teachers and administration. Many improvements are taking place at this school. Leadership is invested in making a difference.
Submitted by student on April 17, 2018

I transferred here from another high school in 2017 due to moving, much to my dismay. I read some negative reviews and was nervous that this school would be awful. However, I was very wrong. My teachers are absolutely wonderful and great at their jobs. I cannot say that for all the teachers though since I have only six. The counselor who I talk to whenever I have any concerns is extremely kind and helpful. Of course, many students are very talkative in class, which irritates me a bit, but overall, I am very happy to be a rattler.
Submitted by parent on August 15, 2017

The administration was very helpful concerning disability issues.
Submitted by other on December 10, 2015

Worst school teachers are bad. you will be lucky to get a good one. trust me.
Submitted by other on November 02, 2015

North Canyon is a diverse school in terms of both student body and programs offered. At North Canyon a student can participate in the IB Program, AP courses, a technical program, do dual enrollment with a nearby community college, or take a traditional curriculum. The teachers are caring and dedicated, as is the administration. My daughter started in the IB Program, decided it wasn't a good fit for her, and ended up taking a number of AP courses. She had a wonderful experience at North Canyon!
Submitted by parent on November 02, 2015

Both my children graduated from North Canyon and both are attending in-state universities with full tuition scholarships. We couldn't be more pleased with how North Canyon prepared them for the next step of their journeys. Both started out in the IB program and then switched to AP/Honors and regular classes and we were very pleased with the teachers they had in each type of class. The diverse student body, the high quality of teachers, the variety of extra-curricular opportunities/clubs, and the visibility and involvement of the administration are all things that positively impacted our children's experience at North Canyon. I would not hesitate to recommend this school to anyone and we will always look back at our time there with fond appreciation.
Submitted by parent on May 17, 2015

We have had a great experience with this school. We have good kids which may have something to do with our experience but overall the teachers have been amazing. The honors and IB programs are unparalleled. The cross country and track teams are also very strong. You get out what you put in.
Submitted by teacher on March 11, 2015

I am a sub in the district. I refuse to take assignments at this campus because the students are out of control. It is evident that faculty and administration have given up trying to enforce rules. Students freely use cell phones and unabashedly text, stream, and image search through the class periods. Cussing is a norm and dress code is practically non-existent. It is so disappointing; this school could be high-achieving if simple classroom management techniques were implemented!
Submitted by student on August 24, 2014

This is one of the worst schools in the district. This is my 2nd year at North Canyon. Staff is awful and so are the students. All the teachers I have had do not know how to teach their classes. They do not care about anything that happens outside of the classrooms. For example bullying. It's happening all around our campus and none of them do anything to stop it. If they see a fight, they will split it because it's something thats forced for staff. If they had the choice, I'm 99.9% positive they would just walk away. Our students are so rude to one another. I'm sure that this happens at all schools, but staff could do a little better at stopping it. Our sports program is alright. If you're a parent that is reading this, I strongly recommend a different school choice.
Submitted by other on August 20, 2014

North Canyon High School is a terrible school and I wouldn't recommend this school to anyone. This is my first year here and I already hate it. The staff in the main office is always rude. The staff can never answer any of my questions, plus I have to talk to a million people. And at the end of the day you still have no answers.
Submitted by parent on June 20, 2014

I was very pleased with this school, initially. But over the years, I have seen changes in teachers, and course materials, and have not been impressed with those changes. NCHS went from a four or five star to below average. If you live in this area and are academically inclined, I would recommend Basis Phoenix or PV's Crest as much better and even safer choices.
Submitted by student on April 04, 2014

my school is a great school and i dont wanna never wanna gradute my teachers are the best i love beth zollars she is my favorite teacher
Submitted by teacher on March 08, 2014

As a substitute teacher I was treated very disrespectfully by the students. Several students had to be removed from the classroom due to disruptive behaviors and choosing to waste classroom learning time. The office sent the rowdy students back to my classroom and told Me to deal with it. The hallways were dangerously noisy between classes and I was afraid to leave the room to see what was happening.
Submitted by other on February 23, 2014

This is by far the worst school in Arizona.. They show no appreciation in their students they wouldn't even let them bring flowers or balloons on valentines day now ain't that going a bit too far? And the teachers just don't care to respond to parents or post grades until the last hour before report cards so you never know your actual grade in the course.. Should have went to paradise valley high.
Submitted by parent on October 10, 2013

I am really impressed with the faculty. They are the best I've seen in a long time. The school spirit is fantastic. I have noticed that they expect the kids to be responsible for their actions, which a high school student should be. I have seen quite a few overly involved parents that are annoying when on campus but I guess you see that everywhere. I guess like anything else in life, you get what you put into it.
Submitted by parent on September 08, 2013

North Canyon is certainly not the best school around...but none of them are! I would home school if I were more confident with what kids are learning these days. My daughter is in her third year here and loves some things and doesn't like some others. She started in the IB program and did quite well but her interests were elsewhere when it came to the restrictive classes she would have to take in IB. She quickly found out that she was bored in a regular classroom so has taken several honors classes instead of IB. I think that some teachers need to gain more authority over the students in their classes and others are really great teachers. I think some students (or the quality of some students) are what brings this school down. Some are there to "just hang out" or to cause trouble, not to learn. Those kinds of attitudes can infect an entire community such as a school.
Submitted by parent on July 25, 2013

This school lacks the leadership and professionalism to make it an adequate place of learning. Dean of students spreads rumors of how inadequate leadership runs the school. I was not impressed with the academics at this school.
Submitted by student on June 24, 2013

I'm sorry. But i attended this school all four years of high school and if you are a parent I HIGHLY suggest choosing another school. Almost all of the teachers I had taught us by turning on a video and sitting at their desk the whole day. A lot of us felt like we were screwed out of an education, there was only a couple good teachers are you are lucky if you get them over the four years.