Upper Arlington High School

1625 Zollinger Road

School District

Upper Arlington City
Grade

9-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:29
Type

public

School Map for Upper Arlington City 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 parent on October 14, 2017

The Upper Arlington School system is hands down the BEST way to prepare students for their university studies. The way the teachers challenge their students is comparable to first year students at universities. Upper Arlington offers unique classes and experiences that allow for enormous amounts of college credit while also providing experiences that other districts just wouldn't have access to. On top of it all, the school pride runs deep throughout the community. Setting your children up for success starts with the Upper Arlington School District.
Submitted by parent on May 21, 2015

The previous comment by 'A Community Member' from May 2014 is very accurate. And the disconnect that he/she indentified between the administration, teachers, students and parents has grown increasingly worse. UAHS has compromised the values that made it great a great school for previous generations. Silly district initiatives, more administrators, fewer teachers and a focus on the school's statistics rather than the actual educational experience of the students are beginning to cripple the school. My oldest child (2010 grad) had a much more rich educational experience than my youngest (2017 grad) who has been over-tested and under-inspired. As a UAHS grad myself, this is a sad thing to witness. More parents need to get involved to promote and protect the innovativeness and rigor of our high school. The survival of our community rests in large part on the prestige of our high school. We need more competent leadership in that school.
Submitted by other on May 20, 2014

Upper Arlington is still a great school. However, it has become far to focused on the reputation and statistics of the school to the detriment of the students. While it boasts exceptional test scores and graduation rates, the academic facilites are now far outdated compared to the new Dublin and Olentangy schools. Also, there is a palpable disconnect between the new administration, the teachers, students and parents since the departure of Kip Greenhill.
Submitted by other on April 09, 2014

My family and I moved to UA from out of state. My children graduated from UAHS and I'm retired from the school system. There are many positives and some negatives about UA and the high school. First, On the positive side, UA values education and offers a wide range of experiences for its students. The proximity to OSU is wonderful (although more students need to take advantage of that). My own children received a wonderful education here and were successful in college because of it. However, they graduated in the early 2000s. The negatives: the community is insular and non-welcoming to outsiders. Parents coddle their children to a degree that holds them back from taking personal responsibility. Teachers are no longer supported by administrators. The high school building is a serious negative; it needs to be updated to keep UA competitive with the newer suburbans schools. People whose families have lived here for generations find the building "charming" because it's just like they remember. They need to get out of UA more. Academics are slipping as parents and students demand less rigor. Watch out for Dublin Jerome - it's "the new UA."
Submitted by student on February 21, 2014

I hate it here. Yes, there are a few teachers that are AMAZING... but the environment and the people are very judgmental. They like to pretend that UA is perfect, yet there are so many flaws in the system it's not even fuuny. For example,UAHS has been known to graduate people even when they have not met requirements, just so it's graduation rate doesn't get dinged. It's all about appearances here, don't trust what you see.
Submitted by student on November 12, 2013

I am a student and this school is definitely a great school for your child to go to.
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2013

This is a challenging school with lots of opportunities. My adult child, several years into his career, found his HS education to be a great foundation for his out-of-state college and beyond. Even being in the arts, he weathered the recession much better than many of his colleagues.
Submitted by parent on September 06, 2013

The UA schools are one of the best school systems in the state. The schools are dedicated in children achieving the best grades that they could possibly get, and fulfilling the requirements of students moving on towards college. However, learning involves more than just grades and acceptance into a college. UA school's lack in area's of dedication to children who learn differently than most, & are considered normal, but need more time and attention in grasping certain subjects. When a child is starting to fail they pass them along anyway, as apposed to taking the time to help that child learn in a manner that he/she learns best in, so that the child has an understanding of what is being taught. Pushing a child into the next grade before they understand their material causes them to fall further behind, not only in academics but socially as well. The teachers here need to have a better understanding of teaching styles so that their students aren't just passing the standardized tests, but are actually enjoying their education and gaining knowledge at the same time. It's sad such a great community is more concerned about statistics than they are about the little people they educate!
Submitted by parent on March 13, 2013

Being a non-legacy is difficult. The athletic code is extremely lax. Coaches should not be hired who cannot even spell or use proper grammar and they should not be permitted to hire their cronies. There is a huge doping problem across all economic levels. Bullying is a problem by students, teachers and coaches. There are excellent teachers in the system but not enough to merit the pay they receive. For the record, my child is an athlete, volunteer and "A" student.
Submitted by student on February 03, 2013

Most people who go here never plan on trying anything different, and that immensely alters perceptions about the real world. Some people want to understand what's out in the world, and others are content with what they already understand (Especially when there's not much more to understand than the ways of UA). I attended Upper Arlington thru grades K-12. Once I got to college I realized all the things that were so easy to take for granted. However, I was one of the few kids who went out of state for college -- everyone else went to private schools or close by, like Miami of Ohio or Ohio State. I tell them it seems like they don't want things to ever change, but they just tell me to appreciate Upper Arlington, and lacrosse.
Submitted by parent on November 19, 2012

I completely agree with the reviewer of October 7, 2011. I took my children out of the catholic system and put them into UAHS for the educational opportunities. I can't stress enough how great they are. But, as the October 7th reviewer said, unless you have lived in UA since it's incorporation, your child will struggle socially - especially with athletics. I find volunteering to be difficult as I have found that all of them know each other from when they went to school here and are not particularly friendly to newcomers (e.g., you go up and introduce yourself and they say hello and then walk over to their group of friends and do not include you in the conversation or give you any kind of pointers as to the task at hand.) I find it more rewarding to volunteer outside the UA district, and I now go to the inner city schools and help there. Come to UA for the IB and AP programs, the teachers, and the guidance staff. They know their stuff and will help your child get into a great college. I am on year 3 of my 10 year sentence in UA. They day they graduate is the day I put my house up for sale.
Submitted by parent on July 11, 2012

It is hard for people who have never left the place they grew up to accuratley judge anything as there worldly experience is non existant.
Submitted by student on August 07, 2011

I graduated just a few years ago and I am now in college at OSU. I don't have enough good things to say about UAHS and the Upper Arlington district. In the four years that I attended UAHS I loved all of my teachers and are still in contact with many of them. Kip Greenhill was a great principal as well. I'm so thankful that my family made the move to this district when I was in elementary school because I don't think that I would have had the same amount of opportunities else ware.
Submitted by student on July 18, 2011

I do not feel challenged at this school. Don't get me wrong, this school is an EXCELLENT public school. I feel very fortunate to be attending the school, however I happen to feel EXACTLY the same way as the previous student's comment: "Way too much homework and outside-of-school work assigned - the overburden of homework is counterproductive. I can learn that 2 + 2 = 4 once; I don't need to do 100 of 2 + 2 = 4 problems to understand it. It's unnecessary."
Submitted by student on June 08, 2011

People who wrote previous reviews must either be paid school staff members or parents/teachers who have never seen what a *real* "good" public school looks like. This school is mainly full of supercilious, cookie-cutter kids. The predominant environment just has a very "clique-y" feel. Way too much homework and outside-of-school work assigned - the overburden of homework is counterproductive. I can learn that 2 + 2 = 4 once; I don't need to do 100 of 2 + 2 = 4 problems to understand it. It's unnecessary. SOME teachers are either a) extremely snobbish (won't name names here) or b) extremely boring and lack skill on how to teach EFFECTIVELY. The problem here is that "Arlingtonians" think they are too good for everyone, and that this public school is extraordinary; I beg to differ. I have been in several public schools, and this school is not horrible per se, but not that remarkable or extraordinary either. Art should not be necessary. Students should focus on areas *they* want to pursue in life, and the compulsory requirement for art is a waste of time. Also, public speaking IS an essential skill, however, there should be better public speaking teachers & syllabus. Not impressed.
Submitted by other on October 06, 2010

I graduated from UAHS in 2006, and like every one of mu friends, have continued on to college. The UA school system provides an amazing learning atmosphere with 32 highly successful division 1 sports. Endless teacher support, cutting edge technology, and progressive learning environment all add up to the best education available.
Submitted by parent on November 07, 2008

N/A
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2008

N/A
Submitted by parent on April 25, 2008

N/A
Submitted by parent on November 29, 2007

N/A