Melrose High School

Posted: November 23, 2025

Posted: November 23, 2025

Posted: November 23, 2025

Posted: November 23, 2025

Posted: November 23, 2025

Posted: November 23, 2025

This school advertises great opportunities, like cultural exchange programs and service trips, but my experience as a minority student showed a very different reality. In my time there, it often felt like the school valued the appearance of diversity more than practicing true inclusion. Many important resources and opportunities felt inaccessible, and guidance toward advanced courses like AP and honors was not offered equally. In my case, I was rarely encouraged academically, while many of my peers were pushed and supported in ways I was not.
I struggled to “make it through” high school, not because I lacked ability, but because the environment did not provide the same level of encouragement or academic confidence that other students received. I am now in college thriving with a 4.0 GPA, which has made it clear to me that the issue was not the student, it was the environment. I am living proof of what could have been possible with more support, belief, and equitable guidance.
I also experienced situations where concerns about discrimination or bias were not addressed in meaningful ways. From my perspective, the school often prioritized maintaining its public image over creating a safe and supportive environment for all students. Accountability for harmful behavior felt inconsistent, and this created an atmosphere that could be discouraging and isolating for minority students.
This review reflects my personal experience, and I hope it is helpful for families seeking a school environment where all students are equally supported and encouraged to reach their full potential.

Posted: November 23, 2025

Posted: November 23, 2025

Posted: August 29, 2025

Posted: August 29, 2025

Posted: August 29, 2025

Posted: August 29, 2025

Posted: August 29, 2025

Very good experience at this school. Great teachers and staff

Posted: August 29, 2025

Posted: August 29, 2025

Posted: August 29, 2025

Posted: October 20, 2023

Posted: October 20, 2023

Posted: October 20, 2023

Posted: October 20, 2023

Posted: October 20, 2023

to be honest this school lacks in lots of things but out of all of that it builds character school isn't supposed to be what you want your not paying for it If you send your kid there they'll have an experience that makes them a better person who cares about AP classes? there a waste of time and Melrose is a safe place so uhh send your kid

Posted: October 20, 2023

Posted: October 20, 2023

Posted: October 20, 2023

Posted: August 1, 2022

Posted: August 1, 2022

Posted: August 1, 2022

Posted: August 1, 2022

Posted: August 1, 2022

This school is not academically challenging unless your child takes AP classes. Teachers are chronically absent and often do not leave any assignments for students to complete. These classes are called a "sub blocks" except that they do not have any substitute teachers, so the classes get cancelled and become a study hall. My child's pre-calculus teacher was absent over 30 days this past year until finally the administration stepped in and reassigned all her students to other math teachers. There is so much lost learning time at this school.

Posted: August 1, 2022

Posted: August 1, 2022

Posted: August 1, 2022

Posted: May 23, 2022

Posted: May 23, 2022

Posted: May 23, 2022

Posted: May 23, 2022

Posted: May 23, 2022

Considering the amount of real estate taxes they charge in this one horse town, the school systems sucks. Chelsea has a better school system.

Posted: May 23, 2022

Posted: May 23, 2022

Posted: May 23, 2022

Posted: September 12, 2020

Overall, I really enjoyed my time at MHS. I learned a lot from my teachers, enjoyed the time I spend there, and have found success in life. Many of the comments reference the "windowless classrooms" which are true, but in recent years renovations have slowly been making the issue better. Melrose is a great place to settle down, and MHS is a great spot for your kids.

Posted: September 12, 2020

It's homework, just like any other school. Some teachers assign more, some less.

Posted: September 12, 2020

Teachers are often kind, effective, and well liked by students. In particular, the many AP teachers have been very successful in furthering education.

Posted: September 12, 2020

Posted: September 12, 2020

Everybody is a big fan of the principals and vice principals, and they know many of the students on a first-name basis. They are invested in their success.

Posted: September 12, 2020

If you are a "good student" you will be fine, however if you aren't a "troubled child" you won't find much success. Learning disabilities are handled professionally, but without a formal diagnosis it is up to you to sink or swim.

Posted: September 12, 2020

I as a former MHS student didn't see much bullying, though that didn't mean it wasn't there. There are posters all over the wall saying to be inclusive and friendly, but when it comes to actually dealing with incidents I can't say.

Posted: May 13, 2015

No windows in the classroom makes for a depressing environment that suppresses creativity. Drug culture was rampant when I attended school there just a couple years ago.

Posted: March 6, 2015

All my kids went through the Melrose High School. We found the academics good and plenty of opportunities for the kids to participate in extra curricular activities. All of them ended up going to very good universities including Smith, NorthEastern, and Univ. of Vermont.

Posted: February 3, 2013

Walk through the halls of Melrose High School on an average day, and you'll see something that roughly resembles a prison. A lackluster student body is locked away in windowless classrooms of a building that no longer meets state regulatory codes with teachers who want to leave just as badly as their students do. Kids who take AP classes may be able to glean some semblance of a decent education from MHS, but average level classes are almost completely devoid of challenge or rigor of any kind. The school's administration has become increasingly unstable. I have had 3 principles in the past 4 years, and one year in which there actually was no active administration at all, merely a group of interim leaders. With the exception of one or two standout teachers who are actually quite dedicated, most of the staff is mediocre and on some occasions downright clueless. The guidance department is also fairly incompetent and each guidance counselor is responsible for over 300 students, making individual attention rare and inadequate. MHS not only teaches mediocrity, but truly encourages it as well. My four years at MHS were a painful and uninspiring waste of my time.

Posted: June 4, 2012

Melrose High School might have been a good school at one time, but it is clearly a disgrace today. The new principal is an empty suit who cares more about boosting the school's reputation through public relations efforts, than about providing a quality education to the students enrolled there. Although there a few exceptions, most of the faculty are incompetent and disengaged. If anyone is considering sending a child to this place, please consider all alternatives, even if it means moving out of town. This school is terrible and getting worse.