South Walton High School

Reviews

• Submitted by parent on November 11, 2024
  We moved here summer 2024. My kiddo made an all-state Jazz guitar! First kid to qualify in the county! We LOVE South Walton High School! Good Godly teachers. Seriously one is studying theology! Love it. My son feels that the courses are challenging and he is in all AP classes and very much enjoying his classmates and work. He comes home excited about the projects and opportunities he gets to work on at the school. Overall my son went from a Georgia school that kept him busy. To South Walton that keeps him involved in the progress and improvement of his academic performance. The Jazz Band is phenomenal!
• Submitted by other on April 29, 2024
  I went to this school. It was some of the worst years of my life. The students bullied me every day and the administration did little to nothing to stop it or turned a blind eye to it. This had a huge impact on my mental health. I ended up having to transfer to a different high school out of the county.
• Submitted by parent on February 03, 2023
  We moved here two years ago and we couldn’t be happier with South Walton! My kids went to private schools in a larger city and they both have said they are so appreciative of how much their teachers care and are engaged!
• Submitted by student on October 07, 2022
  Many of the students here are rude, unfriendly, entitled brats. They live in a bubble and when it pops them into the real world they will see how unsophisticated and cringy Santa Rosa is. Parents are to blame for their sense of false superiority.
• Submitted by parent on March 30, 2022
  Solid school with above average staff and teachers. Many extracurricular activities are available as well as AP and college prep classes.
• Submitted by parent on July 18, 2021
  This school has gotten much better than some of these disgruntled students/parents giving bad reviews. If your student is motivated and the parents are motivated then this school will be just fine.
• Submitted by student on March 12, 2020
  Do not send your children to this school.
• Submitted by other on May 25, 2018
  If I wasn’t for some of the relationships I’d formed there I would have left without a doubt. But teachers like Mr Libby, Ms Smith and Mr Hartness who made you not feel so alone there because despite what you think the administration doesn’t care about doing what’s best for you, they care about the stats and how good the school looks. I was an honors and AP student my whole life, my senior year life started to fall apart bc my parents lost there house and went to jail and I was crashing on my grandmas couch while she took care of my sisters and great grandmother who was full time care. I missed school a lot bc life seemed void and I had no motivation. South Walton didn’t like how my attendance was making them look, they told me they’d kick me out and have me walk at Freeport bc my grandma lives 3 miles away on the first road across the bridge which was technically Freeport but I lived closer to sowal. I tried to reach out for help bc I was having a hard time, when I expressed how I didn’t want to be here (hoping the vice principal would tell me why it’s important to go come and graduate since my parents weren’t in the picture to be the adults I could talk to) but what did he say? Nothing encouraging, he said “I’ll hand you withdraw forms right now, I don’t care”. Like seriously?? I obviously was a kid in trouble who needed help? They even had things on file showing I was in therapy and I had never cried so hard at school. But he wasn’t there for me, and after I wrote a letter to them about how they didn’t care about me the vice principal went out of his way to say hi to me in the halls, but still couldn’t get my name right, because we mean the little to them. All they care about is is being a “A+ School”. Needles do to say I still graduated with a 3.75 and am going to college this fall despite south Walton’s lack of help.
• Submitted by student on December 01, 2017
  Horrible, I’ve never in my life been treated so bad. I get that students need to follow the rules, but there is no need to demand things, and make me feel like less of a person. The principal won’t eveb let me talk. And I have anxiety, so I freak out easily. Well I was having a panic attack she was more concerned about a meeting. And well I wanted to talk to my mom, she when back to her meeting, and had me miss lunch waiting. Then later all she did was tell me to go back to class. I needed to speak to my mom, I was having a break down and she didn’t care one bit. And that isn’t even the full story.
• Submitted by other on July 25, 2016
  Things have dramatically improved with our new principal. Academics are more challenging and there is more interaction with parents.
• Submitted by other on June 05, 2015
  South Walton High School has a high acceptance rate to college, (92% 2014, 90 % 2015) with graduates going to schools all over the country- UCLA, Tulane, Miami, U of F, LSU, Auburn, etc. The students have many academic as well as sports scholarships. The Women's and Men's sports teams frequently win district, regional championships and have won state championships. The parents are involved and the students appear to have a good time.The low reviews on this site are undeserved and demonstrate how unhappy individuals would rather destroy something than look at the facts and realize that they need to take individual responsibility.
• Submitted by student on April 29, 2015
  I must say it is without a doubt the most unorganized school in America. Try talking to a counselor. Try asking any administration to do anything for you and you'll be given the run-around until they completely forget about you. Without a doubt one of the worst schools to attend in Florida, faculty wise. If you're looking for a school that doesn't focus on top ranking students only, go anywhere else but South Walton.
• Submitted by parent on December 20, 2012
  I have stumbled onto this site and felt compelled to write a comment. I have live in South Walton for 10 years and have 3 kids that are in the public schools in SW. It has not always been perfect at any school they have attended here but it is with dedication and parent/community involvement that I believe SW will soon be the best school in the panhandle. The administration is changing, the accountability is improving, the classes offered is expanding and the college bound graduation rate is growing. I believe it was about 80% last year(class of 2012). My senior this year has had a wonderful high school experience, one that includes lots of friends, great teachers and wonderful memories that he will take with him as he enters college in the fall. No school is perfect, but it is up to us as parents and communities to quit trashing our local schools and step up to help improve them.
• Submitted by parent on November 02, 2012
  Came from a much larger school system in the Atlanta area. This is my 10th grade son's first year at SWHS. the teachers have all been very nice and helpful and one in particular will text or call me just to make sure I am receiving permission slips, etc. My son went on a school field trip to a local college in Niceville this week and came home excited for the very first time about going to college. The kids (and parents) seem to be lacking school spirit and my son was very disappointed that there wasn't a swim team. But overall, we are happy with SWHS and the teachers. The principle specifically was very helpful during orientation.
• Submitted by parent on October 25, 2012
  I beleive most FL schools in general are below par but I have to echo most of the bad reviews. It really come down to being lazy and the leadership not caring. When I say leadership I'm including the SW staff and the Walton County School Board and when I say lazy I'm including 90% of teachers and 70% of parents. The teachers only do what F-CAT requires and no more. Most of the parents are happy if their kids attend class but won't lift a finger to volenteer or fund raise. We have a senior there and two others in ECMS. I will not subject them to SWHS's laziness. They will be going to Freeport HS. That's right! Freeport HS is now rated better than SWHS. That show how far Freeport has come and how bad SWHS has sunk. The parents are really involved at Freeport and the staff is determined to help the kids succeed. Bye Bye SWHS.
• Submitted by parent on October 15, 2012
  I generally do not provide reviews but felt it only fair to speak up after reading the posts for South Walton High School. This is our child's first year at the school after moving from a much larger, "better" school in a different state and we are very pleased with the administration, teachers, and staff. What could improve is parent involvement and support. A low review for this school is undeserved. Our child is happy, involved, and taking honors/AP classes in a small school environment.

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