Rio Norte Junior High School

28771 Rio Norte Drive

School District

William S. Hart Union High
Grade

7-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:22
Type

public

School Map for William S. Hart Union High 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 student on September 14, 2024

I am a current 7th grader that recently joined Rio Norte. In the first few weeks I've been here, students have been nothing kind and staff have been supporting and welcoming. I am always excited to return to school and see what fun the day holds for me. Would 100% recommend Rio Norte. Go Riverhawks!
Submitted by parent on January 27, 2023

From my point of view, the learning here is engaging and includes every kid in the class. Teachers make it their full-time responsibility to help minors in any way they can. Students are very open to friendships, and, from my experience, no student has been bullied. Safety is also the school's main priority. Frequent drills take place on the school campus and are taken very seriously. Furthermore, from my experience, School field trips have been taken to the LA zoo, New York, Washington DC, and Medival times. Families are also allowed to volunteer as chaperones. Overall, I would recommend this junior high school 100% of the time.
Submitted by parent on September 11, 2021

This is the place…a lot of evil teachers and administration stuffs. As a taxpayer, i can say, they did very poor jobs.
Submitted by parent on June 16, 2021

The school is in a community area that is easy to get to. Our kids walked to school every day. The teachers are very observant of the educational progress and mental well-being of the students. They are very focused on the overall child, with an understanding culture. The quality of the education is excellent when compared to other schools in LA county. The right balance of homework and in-class work.
Submitted by other on February 11, 2021

This school is full of spoilt children who act like the world revolves around them. It definitely feels that way. The popular kids, especially the athletic ones, do a lot of stuff and get away with lots of stuff. Do not send your kids here!
Submitted by parent on February 08, 2021

Its a great school. All teachers and staff are experienced and supportive.
Submitted by teacher on July 27, 2019

Extremely disappointing. The administration is a disgrace.
Submitted by student on December 17, 2018

Rio Norte is a school that I as someone who has been in 7th, and 8th grade know is a pretty underwhelming school. If you want a supportive environment, look for a different school, but if you want your child to grow up fast, sign your child up. One thing I can say this school did, as someone who has practically raised my self-character could say, this school will not make your child strive for excellence unless your child shows potential in striving for something greater, but if you want to expose your child to how the world is not perfect, go to this school.
Submitted by parent on February 08, 2018

What a great school! The teachers are caring and well-prepared. The students are smart and respectful.
Submitted by student on September 12, 2015

I very much enjoy going to Rio Norte Jr. High. I am currently in 8th grade, and all of my Rio teachers, past and present, have been wonderful. Some teachers may be a bit peculiar, but I must say that none of them has ever wronged me. I received a 4.0 for all quarters last year, and in my opinion, I believe I will be receiving all 4.0s again. The staff there are pleasant and familiar, and I see no reason to say that they are cold and unfriendly (unless of course you upset them in some way). I have even seen high school students take a "remembrance" trip to Rio, and hug their old teachers, who always respond with pleasure. I can understand the worries some parents have with bullying, as I would seem to be the type of person to get bullied (thankfully, I do not). Some students can be blunt, rude, or inappropriate, but I believe that is ultimately that parent's fault, for allowing their child to fraternize with bad influences, or failing to enrich their childhood. I have a nice group of friends, and we frequently ask each other questions about schoolwork and have a good time. I do not believe certain students receive preferential treatment here at Rio, as I have stated before, teachers and staff get ticked off when students misbehave. It seems to me that many problems at Rio are caused by the students. Of course, perhaps yard supervisors and staff could do a little better at reining in disobedience, but I also recall many occasions where misbehaving students have been taken care of. The one thing that I think could be slightly improved (and also the one thing that made me take off a star) is the academics. I am currently taking Algebra and Spanish in eighth grade, which are both high-school level classes. I personally feel that the classes are too slow or teach things that I already know. Of course, many other students feel that the classes here are quite enough for them, which is an opinion I respect (but obviously not endorse). After looking at other reviews here, I have one more thing to say: Many of the parent's accounts come directly from the child. The parent has only indirectly experienced Rio (and perhaps from a slightly biased viewpoint). To conclude, my opinion of Rio is high. I really wish I could detract just half of a star instead of one whole star.
Submitted by parent on April 28, 2015

Overall, Rio is ok. The reason I rated the school 3 stars was based on several factors: 1. Staff in the office are not friendly; no smile, no "hello, how are you? How can I help you?" etc, etc, etc.....lack any friendly, professional greeting. 2. My daughter has expressed in the first month of school the lack of work she receives. At first, we thought perhaps it was too early in the school year to gauge, but my daughter is done with most of her homework before school is let out on a daily basis. And she finishes her remaining assignments within an hour or so at home. Her GPA is 4.0 and has expressed how bored she is with the class curriculum. 3.Certain students receive preferential treatment at Rio, based on who knows who (parent, staff, etc). 4. Very surprised that Rio does not offer any honor classes for students who excel academically. 5. Parents drop off & pick-up daily is absolutely crazy.There's no system or organization. However, I would like to give the principal, Mr. Perry 5 stars. He is always out front greeting the students very morning...& w/a smile!Good attitude & makes everyone feel welcome!Rio Norte is lucky to have Mr. Perry!
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2014

My daughter attended Rio this year and we were extremely UNDERwhelmed. Everyone told us this was a great school and everything was new, but the reality is that there are a few rally good teachers that are overshadowed by the awful ones. There is little done about bullies, and bullying is a huge issue here. My daughter said that someone was expelled for having "you know what" on campus - THIS IS JR HIGH!!! (guidelines say I can't tell you, but let's just say the 60 's and 70's were known for it) We will finish out this year then we are moving to an older Jr High in the valley - I toured the campus, spoke to teachers (many were students there), and spoke to people in the community. From what I see & hear Placerita is the best kept secret in this valley. Want to go where teachers a mediocre at best, and really care nothing about your child? Go to Rio Norte, it will be everything you expect it to be. Wish there was a way to leave ZERO STARS!
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2013

This school was an extreme disappointment. I wish I knew more about it before our son started in the school so that we could have found him an alternative option. He has always been a straight A student, especially excelling in math. In the 8th grade in Rio he actually failed math despite spending literally hours on homework every night. His teacher advised against any of the students getting tutors and yet when my son approached her for assistance she announced to the class that she only had a few minutes to provide assistance because she had to "tutor some idiot at 3:00." She constantly screamed at the students and almost the entire class went to summer school. My son went to a private summer school (due to date difficulties) and completed the Algebra class with a 97% grade. He just completed his first year of high school with a 98% final grade.He knows math, this teacher is horrible. Of course I complained and received no response. He had another teacher that just left him to sit and do nothing throughout the class as he was "too busy to assign work to individual students." The responses I got (if any) were bizarre to say the least. Do your child a favor, find another school.
Submitted by parent on February 20, 2013

This is the worst Jr High!! The teachers do NOT care about the students. They do not offer help or any postive feedback. They all seem to hate the job and the kids. The bulling problen is out of control and no one cares. Do not send your kids here. I wish you could give no stars