Parkland High School

I find the low ratings to be surprising considering I've attended k-12 within the district and never had a poor experience. People that complain about the school typical are oblivious to the opportunities presented. I come from a middle class, multiracial family, played 2 sports and was involved in certain clubs. The comment stated athletes are treated better is partially true. I would say football players get the most special treatment out of other sports. However, personally I've never seen this special treatment. If any, in my opinion, different treatment may be based of the student teacher relationship. I most definitely formed amazing connections with teachers, which lead to my positive experience, but it was not because I was an athlete. Teachers might comment or connect through sports leading to a friendly interaction, but I've never heard of handouts given to a player. Certain students do start up clubs often, but very few are invite only where a member must try out or get elected in. Most are open with dues set at $5 for snacks/equipment, but not paying a due will not get anyone kicked out. It can be intimidating going alone, but there're typically others who came alone. I did yoga alone and was surprised at some people interested, but those other alone people became the people I most looked forward to each meeting. I attended Cetronia & Springhouse before high school and loved my time there. I personally never was bullied and didn't specifically know anyone who was until high school. Not saying it was not present because kids can be awful. I'm a freshman in college this year and feel well prepared. Online school is a struggle but content wise, I feel confident. Overall, Parkland is a great school that has a lot to offer, you just have to go after it. We're fortunate to have the privilege of a nice campus/schools, access to technology (you get a chromebook to take home plus personal hot spot if needed), many teachers (some are better than other no doubt), numerous amount sport teams and property lab material for STEAM classes. There are schools in area and many in the state that are not as lucky, which is why I believe the school deserves five stars.

Highly rated school for academics. Students regularly accepted to ivy league universities. Good safety protocols in place. Teachers and staff busy but helpful.

Don't let the rankings fool you: this is not a very good high school for many students.I am a current senior at Parkland, and the main issue I have with Parkland is the bias teachers and faculty have towards athletes and natural extroverts. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a 24-hour stay-at-home hermit, but for the average student trying to get a decent education, Parkland will leave you behind in favor of the more popular and/or smartest students in the class. Additionally, the school boasts about the number of clubs they offer, but more often than not, the same 10 students run 20 clubs through popularity, and any chance for the average student to gain real-life leadership experience in the community is negated. I have a part-time job, and I think my time there has taught me many more life skills than at Parkland.I strongly suggest that people looking at Parkland consider other public schools in the area, with a stronger sense of community and a mission to give each student an equal opportunity to succeed.

Parkland High School is weak in academics, especially in maths and science. The teachers use notes instead of textbooks. The academic standards is also low compare to other states. My son was staight A student in Parkland, when he transfered to CA public school, he hardly can keep up Bs. His current high school senior class has 917 students, average SAT is 1857. The Parkland average SAT was 1640 in 2010.