Lowell High School

i have to agree with what most of the other reviews have said in that Lowell is full of the top students from the city, competitive, easy to get lost in, and stressful. Although it's been over a decade, it's probably still the toughest and best prep for college in san francisco aside from some of the outstanding smaller private schools. College after lowell was actually easier and more fun but that was because i didn't get into the next high achieving public university such as berkley or davis. I did enjoy the various arts classes and challenging teachers but not being the competitive type, I might have had more fun in a smaller inclusive student body. if you must send your kid to a public high school, this is the safest one in the city since even the "toughest" kids are still nerds. more

Although the curriculum at Lowell may be stressful, this school definitely prepared me for college. Not only did it prepare me for college courses but it also made me aware of the world's competitive reality. Comparing those, who graduated from Lowell and those who did not, Lowell did a fantastic job in accelerating our mentality and its application to the real world. If Lowell was to descend to the level of San Francisco's regular public schools, we would lose an great institution and many future leaders. Many successful and prominent figures of today, graduated from Lowell High School. No one individual but many. more

I was not really impressed with Lowell high School. I was expecting better form all of the rumors that I have heard. Sure it is better than some of the inner city public schools, but it was so big and kinda dingy. The classes that they offered could have been better for the reputation. I was a freshman at a private high school and was helping an upperclassman in the same subjects. It was a little embarrasing. Its a good school but does not deserve all the hype. more

Lowell Alternative High School is a great school for the student who wants to get a good education and be prepared for college. They have a wide selection of AP courses and the faculty is really nice and helpful. Although pretty stress-causing, Lowell High School offers numerous classes and huge independence of the individual. Their music and sports programs are also remarkable. Overall, if your child gets accepted here and if you feel they are ready to be challenged, send them there. more

lowell isn't all its made out to be. more then half of the teachers are horrendous and the only way to get good grades is buy learning yourself. the sports are great and we always ended up winning the chapmpionship in everything when i went there. it was a good experience for me because i got to develop, but it was way too stressful and not as fun as high school should be more

This school is very competitive and its hard being a student there. As a former student, I experienced the stress from this school. Everybody is smart. Unless your child is exceptionally smart, you should think about having your child go to another school. At other schools, if your child is smart, he/she would have more chances of showing their own intelligence instead of going to a school where everybody received 4.0s in middle school. It is definitely stressful and students are almost forced to take APs. This school is good in that their are less dropouts. If you were to drop you, you would be out of the school in the first year. There are less kids that does drugs and drink in this school. Most people value their education more than other things. more

If you have children and live in San Francisco, CA, this is the high school you''ll want them to get in to. The school has been around for decades and still is the premier public high school in the area. The teachers are well focused and place a high emphasis on learning. The majority of students attending this school are well rounded. In addition to academics, the school also offers sports and other after school activities. more

While Lowell is fiercely competitive, it fosters a learning experience that is individualized although it is a public school. Many well-known individuals have attended Lowell, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Naomi Fine (feminist writer), Carol Channing (actress), Alexander Calder (artist) --- Many generations of San Franciscans also attend Lowell. While it was not racially diverse in the past, it has made great strides even though it at one point was called the Chinese Girls School. However, if your child works better in a less competitive environment, choose a different school. more

too smart. nerds, genius, geeks. yeah, this school is full of 4.0+ kids, so if you want your son or daughter to be part of a school with so many smart people, then go for it. to me, they're too smart. it puts a lot pf pressure on your child to put them in an enviroment liek that. but in terms of schooling and education, this school is top notch. more