University High School

421 North Arcadia Avenue

School District

Tucson Unified District
Grade

8-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:23
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 June 10, 2021

This school sets you up well for the future with a great counseling department and effective teachers. Yes, there is a hefty workload, but this is communicated to incoming students before they enroll. It has a good environment and a helpful staff. If a student can stick with it and get through their freshman year, I can guarantee they will be successful through their high-school career and beyond.
Submitted by student on January 21, 2020

It’s a really great school but the work load can be overwhelming
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2019

This school does not recruit honestly. They determine entrance with a cognitive aptitude test, but what they want are students who are gifted with organization. Being organized is more important than understanding course work because the volume of work given in each class is A LOT. They do not tell you this in any of the parent meetings leading up to school. They do not indicate this in their BOOST program, even though they have your kid for 2 weeks and advertise mock classes. The homework is staggering, and it is difficult to do much else. Your kid's life will revolve around it. Your life might revolve around it. You should also know that if your kid does sports the AIA does not recognize a transfer back to your home school as a hardship. Even if your kid was stressed to the point of being unhealthy they will still be subjected to the transfer rule and have to sit out of their sports at their new school. This school is great for true geniuses or for kids that are intense (bordering OCD) about school, but for gifted kids that are creative/spacey and need a minute to think it could be miserable. You have to be able to do quality school work (especially writing) quickly when you are exhausted, like when you have only had a few hours of sleep every night for the past week kind of tired. It is nuts. During a seven day teacher strike my kid's teacher covered a few chapters over email and tested them the day they came back. Also, if the whole class fails a test don't expect a curve. The whole class just gets a failing grade. Again, nuts. Make sure you know what you are getting into before you decide on this school. It is not easy to undo, especially if your kid does sports, and the consequences for trying it, if it goes bad, are steep. Some kids are better off going to a regular high school and getting a good GPA. Colleges want kids to have a high GPA, and that is much harder to get at this school. A lot of their recruitment is about reasons other than your kid. They want their own campus, and overcrowding is the most valid claim they have so they keep pumping up the numbers. Also, non district kids pouring in make UHS a cash cow. Every day that your out of district kid is a student there is more money for cash strapped TUSD. They hide their attrition stats for a reason. Try to find them. You can't! Make sure you know what you're getting into!
Submitted by parent on August 30, 2018

Great organization! Great helps! Great teachers! Great connections between parents! Great support for helping students! Great curriculum offered and great guilding for students to follow!! Wonderful!!
Submitted by other on March 18, 2018

teachers and he school facilities are very good.
Submitted by student on September 06, 2015

Administration here abuse their power to the extreme. The school is unsafe. Children are not supervised. Teachers and staff here are either a hit or a miss. Many are incredibly inappropriate and not good are effectively educating. There is a lack of structure in many classes. The students are entitled and cruel to others. They are also extremely clique-y. Overall would not reccomend if you like feeling good about yourself or would like to be safe in a place that should be safe.
Submitted by student on September 28, 2014

Lots of homework, but it's a great education and a great experience. I came from a small school and I'm finding that not only am I learning a lot about academics, but I am also learning about going to a larger school like UHS.
Submitted by student on September 26, 2014

In my opinion UHS is a great school. Like my middle school, it is challenging, but the difference is that most of the teachers actually care about the individual student and not just their grades and test scores. Of course, there are some bad teachers in the faculty, but the majority of the faculty is fabulous. Also, the community is very hospitable, something I never experienced in my schooling before coming to UHS. Although academics can be tough sometimes and students mostly don't get all A's, the classes are so high level that colleges will often take and give scholarships to students who have B's or even C's on their transcripts.
Submitted by student on September 13, 2013

University High School has plenty of resources that a student can go to to get help. As a student I know because I find myself using these resources whenever it i getting hard to keep up. For example if you are struggling on any level in math you can always go to math tutoring on mondays tuesdays and thursdays. UHS is a great school that offers lots of assistance available if the student asks for it. As a junior at University High I have experienced my highs and lows but I know that help is available and it's possible to get straight A's if you put in the effort.
Submitted by parent on September 02, 2013

As a parent of a Sophomore,I need to say this school is a role model school for whole US for being in Top 50 nationwide high schools. 100% students population is bound to college every year with drop rate 0%. last year scholaships tottled at 31 millions. excellent, very well experienced teachers, AP Curricullum leads to their success every year. I am really happy that my kid is in UHS and he is having his education very well including improvement in academics. also want to say, UHS has high ranking BAND and Ochestra and athletics and sport teams.
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2013

I am impressed with the way University High School (Tucson), keeps approximately 73% of it's student body population throughout the four years. To begin with 245 students, and end up with 178 graduating students (see above) is great. However, some schools, like Basis-Tucson, keep only 35% of it's population; using the same formula I used. Stats came from USNews Reports. This should matter to parents; the level of support your child will receive over their 4 year journey. Will a school really stick by your child when times get tough, or will they sell them out for rankings before they are seniors? I look forward to sending my child to UHS-Tucson this next year, the #1 high school in the state, with a low attrition rate.
Submitted by parent on August 07, 2012

My daughter just started August 2nd and I am already very impressed. She has attended both private and charter schools and never been challenged like she is here, and it is just the first week. The parents get homework too. Every teacher sent home a class syllabus(including drama) with very clear rules and expectations for the students that had to be read and signed by parents as well. My daughter has done nothing but rave about teachers and curriculum and always wants to be there an hour early to take advantage of the multiple advising opportunities available. For the first time in years she is excited about school and eager to get there every morning.
Submitted by student on June 27, 2012

Excellent school with great teachers and students. Good balance with a difficult curriculum, but not overworked to allow time for extra-curricular activities.
Submitted by parent on May 28, 2011

I have just attended my child's graduatioon from this school. After the ceremony I asked every graduate I knew if it was worth it, and without exception the answer was a resounding "YES". It IS competitive, and it takes hard work, but I feel it is likely the best education in a city where education quality is poor. The teachers do a good job with minimal financial help, and my son and I are grateful for the opportunity. The graduates (176 I think) qualified for over $26 million this year. That is a wonderful accomplishment so stop complaining!
Submitted by student on January 27, 2011

I am a student and I have to say that this school is an amazing idea that was poorly executed. Gifted students DO need a place to go, and this school works for that, however academically they don't care about what you want. Just because we are gifted doesn't mean we want to be forced into several AP classes every year. Also the entrance exam only lets in smarter students. Smarter does not mean they enjoy busywork... we want challenging work. It's a better deal to go to the local high school and get easy A's than be forced to take intense classes to get C's which make you ineligible for scholarships.
Submitted by student on December 28, 2010

As a student at UHS I found only one good teacher. The other teachers were some what rude. The students (with only a few exceptions) are also rude and think they are better than everyone else. The curriculum is challenging but I found that I got a good, if not better education at the school I switched to. Also they keep expanding the incoming class size so the standards for the school are dropping.