La Jolla High School

Posted: January 18, 2024

My son is in 11th grade, he has been taking advantage of the opportunities to take AP classes and advanced classes and is enjoying a lot. The teachers of this classes, with few exceptions, are engaging and dedicated. He is also very involved in sports. His coaches are wonderful. The balance between academics and sports provide a key to success as the kids have natural ways to release endorphins and de-stress. I would really recommend this school.

Posted: January 18, 2024

Posted: January 18, 2024

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Posted: December 5, 2022

La Jolla High has pros and cons like all schools. La Jolla High has some great teachers and some very poor teachers but the kids learn to navigate and take classes based on the teachers. For children that are internally motivated and independent, LJHS would be a good fit. For students that need additional support from teachers or structure, then this school is not a good fit.

Posted: December 5, 2022

Posted: December 5, 2022

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Posted: September 1, 2022

I would absolutely NOT recommend this high school for any person. Their counseling staff was unsupportive, disengaged and not helpful in helping our family with understanding curriculum, subject matter and classes needs to graduate and overall college readiness needs. The counseling team was also very unresponsive to emails and was not available to speak with myself or our child AT ANYTIME to help them feel supported in education goals for high school. It was very disappointing and sad, considering the wealthy tax base here in La Jolla. Additionally, there were very few teachers, staff and other individuals who actually showed genuine interest or investment in supporting students and their higher education goals. We knew other families in the area who had disappointing experiences as well. For context we moved to La Jolla, CA from the east coast (NYC), the summer right before our child's junior year. Straight A student, very goal oriented and focused on college and had read positive reviews on Great Schools ORG and other similar review platforms but after a couple months found out that La Jolla High was not accurately portrayed and they have systemic issues AND most of their counseling staff should probably not be in the education sector. Fortunately we took matters into our own hands, found support outside of La Jolla High school and was able to get into a great university. If we could do it over again, would have invested into another areas like Del Mar, Encinitas or gone down the private/charter school route. Sincerely hope others read these reviews and I take action towards the school or at the very least don't enroll your child because you will not get the support they need to learn, grow and continue into higher education.

Posted: September 1, 2022

Posted: September 1, 2022

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Posted: August 23, 2022

There are some amazing loved godlike teachers and one that should never be near kids/in a classroom. I have loved my time here and as long as you stick to the right crowd and take the right classes, you will do fine. I got accommodations from teachers after my dad died and they were super understanding and helped me get back on track.

Posted: August 23, 2022

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Posted: June 23, 2022

Never in my life had I expected I'd be going to such an awful school, whether it be the teachers, the counselors, the campus, or the school environment as a whole, this has got to be one of the worst schools in California and if you are considering sending you kid here, don't. And parent opinions on this school mean absolutely nothing, so ignore ratings from parents and look at the ones from the kid's perspectives like mine and you'll see the truth of how bad this school really is.

Posted: June 23, 2022

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Posted: January 6, 2022

The school is great. Our kid adapted really well. The teachers are very experienced and caring. The culture never allows bullying.

Posted: January 6, 2022

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Posted: September 27, 2021

If large, dangerous brawls in the school, major drug issues and homeless people physically assaulting kids walking to school are your thing then you should def sign up your kids to go here. We have been in this school a month and are trying to figure out how to pull our kid out. The scores of this school have dropped considerably in the last year from 400's to 900's which is not consistent with other schools so don't blame this on the Covid. If you read the other posted comments below, we have had the same experiences with counselors, school administrators not returning emails, calls in a timely manor, principal is not helpful at all and is a "ghost" as stated on a review here. Some teachers work hard at promoting their political beliefs rather than teach. Our kid has been bullied by a school employee and the school did not have a reasonable and healthy way of resolving. If you have the money to put your kids in private schools DO IT!! If you have good kids then do not put them in this school. You have been warned...

Posted: September 27, 2021

Posted: September 27, 2021

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Posted: May 21, 2020

I think I am very luck to attend this school when I did. many of the luxuries and freedoms we had are gone today. Principal Tarvin was a great principal and once he retired the school changed and lost it charm that I loved. I feel sorry that kids today can not experience the school I did

Posted: May 21, 2020

Homework was handed out regularly and the teachers where always available to help etc.

Posted: May 21, 2020

Most teachers where avail early morning , during lunches or after school. I would go early in the morning before school started to Mr. Baron's chemistry lab to get help. Help was always available if you ask and the teachers where more than happy to help

Posted: May 21, 2020

Posted: May 21, 2020

I went to LJHS 1990-1993 when Tarvin was the principle. Tarvin was a great leader and inspired students to go to class, excel, participate in extra curricular activities etc. During that time we where allowed to go off campus for lunch or leave campus anytime we really wanted. we didn't have hall monitors telling us we where going to be late to class etc. Tarvin said if you want to ditch ditch you wont be at this school long. He always said this school is like college an this experience would give you a feel what college is like. The way he ran the school was why this school is so successful and has such a great graduation and college attendant rate. Unfortunately most of these freedoms are gone now

Posted: May 21, 2020

Posted: May 21, 2020

Posted: August 20, 2019

The school staff does not know how to deal with this. About 25% of the staff are bullies themselves.

Posted: August 20, 2019

Many teachers are apathetic and at odds with the Administration and Counseling staff who they complain about daily in class while commiserating with students. Incredibly unprofessional.

Posted: August 20, 2019

Posted: August 20, 2019

He's a ghost. Has zero people skills and avoids conflict because he doesn't know how to deal with it. He is not a leader.

Posted: August 20, 2019

Teachers HATE kids with Learning Disabilities. They refuse to follow their Plans which forces students to leave and transfer to Audeo Charter school around the corner. The Principal allows this to continue with Deliberate Indifference.

Posted: August 20, 2019

It can be stressful with the micro-aggressive games staff play. They're unsophisticated and it's like dealing with children.

Posted: August 20, 2019

It's ALL such mindless busywork students share assignments to cut done on the volume. There's little value to what's assigned. Cuts into valuable family time.

Posted: April 21, 2019

Posted: April 21, 2019

The teachers here all have ten year, meaning they are almost impossible to fire. The teachers do not make any effort to properly teach the students, and completely disregard all circumstances going on in their childrens lives. They have been completely disrespectful to my daughter and many other students as well. Most of them should not be allowed around students, as they take it as their job to make kids as miserable as possible.

Posted: April 21, 2019

Posted: April 21, 2019

The principal never shows his face on campus, aside when he is there to dress code the female students. I tried to have meetings with him regarding the inadequate teachers at this school and my calls and emails were avoided for weeks before I had to go in myself. The administration at this school is completely incapable of doing their jobs. The counselors are rude and disrespectful to their students, and make no effort to help them prepare for college or succeed in their classes. There is simply not enough of them to be effective in aiding the students when they need. It takes days for students to meet with them, regardless of if the issue is urgent.

Posted: April 21, 2019

La jolla High struggles to support the average students, let alone ones with extenuating circumstances. My daughter suffers from multiple illnesses and the school made zero effort to help her succeed. In fact on multiple occasions the administration here told my daughter it was "not their job to help her."

Posted: April 21, 2019

Posted: April 21, 2019

Awful. Do not send your students here. All they care about is test scores and awards. They make it very clear they do not care about the well being or success of their students if it doesn't benefit them. Although the school may seem appealing because it is in an expensive neighborhood, do not let the surrounding wealth fool you. Your child will be miserable here.

Posted: January 28, 2019

The homework would be effective if the teachers actually teach than bombarded kids with homework for them to figure it ou my on their own

Posted: January 28, 2019

I don’t think school developed strong character in students but by themselves/families. La Jolla kids are too proud and entitled. the ones busing in thinking they are all that.

Posted: January 28, 2019

Like I said, counselor didn’t do anything when I asked for my son to switched out from his math class. Counselor didn’t get back to me 2-3 weeks later after multiple emails when I finally copied the vice principal too. Other parents talked to the principal but she said she didn’t know or heard of such things about math department. She wanted to cover things up so denied all of it. They don’t want to do anything or perhaps can’t change but I’m sure they can send the math teacher to renew her teaching lisence to actually teach. She may be great at math but she definitely can’t teach

Posted: January 28, 2019

I don’t know much about this one. My son encountered some bullying initially but resolved it himself as he wants to be able to deal with it.

Posted: January 28, 2019

Horrible. My son said this school set s u up for failures. He’s a great students who is a straight As student. I was able to tutor him in math and he understood while the teacher couldn’t do her job.

Posted: March 21, 2017

A wonderful school, challenging students both academically and personally to be the best individual they can be.

Posted: March 21, 2017

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Posted: March 6, 2017

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Posted: March 6, 2017

We pulled our child from this school as the administration is completely absent and have let the school fall apart

Posted: February 26, 2017

Posted: February 26, 2017

Posted: February 26, 2017

Posted: February 26, 2017

Posted: February 26, 2017

Posted: February 26, 2017

Class of 2016 here. My time at La Jolla High School was highlighted by a supportive set of science and math programs as well as a plethora of sports activities. However, I felt as though I did not have a keen sense of direction while in high school, especially in my senior year. The school simply does not have enough S.T.E.M. based courses and curriculum that encourage 21st century skill sets such as critical thinking, entrepreneurial mindsets, and networking. The computer science and engineering departments at the school are horribly lacking; a disappointing judgement despite the success of such departments at other, higher caliber, local San Diegan schools such as High Tech High, Kearney Mesa High, and Scripps Ranch High. When I was still in school, we received a new principal for the administration, Dr. Podhorsky. I understood that he had a vision (or a bias) towards the biological sciences for the future of the school, but I must strongly assert my belief that he has had the most idiosyncratic decisions thus far. The success of the school depends on allowing students to explore science, engineering, the arts, and music. This change has to come through the recruitment of strong and experienced teachers, not the clumsy rabble that we have been getting of late.

Posted: February 26, 2017

Posted: February 15, 2017

The administration, and in particular the principal have let what once once a great school fall rapidly. We pulled our child from the school when teachers would politically grandstand in the classroom, allow kids to show up intoxicated, and do nothing about it when the issues were raised directly to them and the SDUSD Quality Dept.

Posted: February 15, 2017

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Posted: December 9, 2016

Posted: December 9, 2016

Posted: December 9, 2016

Posted: December 9, 2016

Posted: December 9, 2016

Posted: December 9, 2016

Miserable experience here. Pulled both of my kids out and moved them to private school. They were not being prepared for college and had to make a change. Sad what Public education has become.

Posted: December 9, 2016

Posted: February 13, 2016

Posted: February 13, 2016

Class of 2014.

Home to the worst 4 years of my life. Many of the teachers are tenured and are held unaccountable for terrible teaching and abysmal test scores(Zink comes to mind). The staff spent much more time enforcing arbitrary rules than actually instructing. Teachers are mainly about busywork and homework, usually accounting for 50/60% of the total grade. 'school policy' makes teachers less likely to be flexible, even when situations should permit it. I did poorly academically due to the homework requirements, despite doing well on my exams. I did have a few amazing teachers, but the awful ones were so numerous and bad that any good is simply overshadowed.

The school itself has no parking, and when I was there students were asked not to park in the streets near the school due to complaints by the home owners. The buildings consist of aging relics from the 50's- 80's, the majority of which have no air conditioning. The ones that do have A/C usually have it off, or at an absurdly high temperature.

The student body itself is the worst of any school I have ever been to. I was harassed daily for four years. I dreaded coming to school and there was no recourse for getting out of my bad situation there. The majority of the school participates in sports, and if you don't its easy to find yourself ostracized and isolated from the rest of the student body, especially if you're also an introvert. The ASB wouldn't even let me join the official 2014 class Facebook page (I never perused it with the school though as getting the administration involved in anything usually blows up in your face).

Really, I can only think of a few redeeming factors: location, friendly counselors, and a fairly prestigious name (whether or not it deserves it is a different question entirely).

After my experience at La Jolla High, I went to Community College for two years, and have since been accepted into UC Davis for Neurobiology and have excelled academically, despite my poor performance at LJHS. In fact, I have found college to be much, much easier than any class at LJHS due to the lack of arbitrary rules and homework (Of course, college has homework, but not 50+ problems per night of basic grinding).

Posted: November 3, 2015

Posted: November 3, 2015

Posted: November 3, 2015

Posted: November 3, 2015

There's a lot of amazing clubs, activities and teachers at the school. Your never just sitting there, by yourself. Because there's always ways to make new friends. Like the Halloween Costume Contest, Water Balloon Fights during lunch, and everything else that ASB and Link Crew do for the school.

Posted: March 25, 2015

I went to La Jolla High for my senior year, graduating a few years ago.

The tremendous degree of mismanagement and inequality from top to bottom, the administration's complete lack of accountability, the misplaced time and resources, and the unhealthy learning environment I experienced during my year enrolled at La Jolla was shocking and deplorable.

All public schools should strive to create a safe and healthy learning environment for every student. At La Jolla, such an effort appeared nonexistent. Rather, from my admittedly limited experience, the school seemed most concerned with its competing test scores and athletics than an individual students' personal and intellectual development.

A public school is not a business. Students are not instruments.

To this day, I am shocked at how unhelpful La Jolla's administration was in easing my transition to a new school; the intimidating college admissions staff; the unconcerned and uninspired faculty (who could blame them in such a poisonous environment?); and the prevalent 'jock culture' the school had no interest in addressing.

I strongly recommend avoiding La Jolla High School at all costs.

Posted: February 24, 2015

LJHS is a great school with dedicated students, parents, and teachers. Unfortunately, I am finding increasingly that the new principal, Dr. Podhorsky, is driving the campus into the ground. He is creating a huge divide between teachers/students vs. his administration. Everyone on campus is pointing the finger at him, and he is not being held accountable for the pattern of constant on-campus drama and chaos he has created in under a year.

Posted: October 4, 2013

Great school due to the teachers, students, parent and alumni support. Principal change was long overdue.

Posted: August 12, 2013

The best if not one of the best high schools in California!!!!! I'm a proud alumni and so glad my daughter will be an incoming freshmen(class of 2017). Great teachers, counselors, and athletic staff. Curriculum is all college prep and teaching atmosphere has always been to help students reach their ultimate goal of getting into the college of their choice.