Curtis Senior High School

Posted: November 15, 2024

Short version: The school is great. Above average in many things. Teachers are all really nice, the classroom is conducive to learning, the subjects are all mildly interesting at worst. I don’t have many complaints, other than maybe the cafeteria food, but thats what you get at a public high school, I suppose.

Great school, 8/10 overall.

Posted: November 15, 2024

Posted: November 15, 2024

Posted: November 15, 2024

Posted: November 15, 2024

Posted: November 15, 2024

Posted: November 15, 2024

Posted: November 15, 2024

Posted: March 12, 2020

Posted: March 12, 2020

Posted: March 12, 2020

Posted: March 12, 2020

Posted: March 12, 2020

Posted: March 12, 2020

Posted: March 12, 2020

One of the best schools in Washington State.

Posted: June 19, 2018

Posted: June 19, 2018

Posted: June 19, 2018

Our son completed his sophomore year here. The Band program was outstanding. While we did run into cliquish/bullying issues in the younger schools (Drum Intermediate), we didn't see any issues with our high school son who is a little socially awkward. Academics seem rigorous and athletics are smoothly run.

Posted: June 19, 2018

Posted: June 19, 2018

Posted: June 19, 2018

Posted: June 19, 2018

Posted: March 16, 2016

Posted: March 16, 2016

Posted: March 16, 2016

Posted: March 16, 2016

Investment by the city. The teachers and curriculum are above national standards. My child has been in the district from kindergarten and I highly recommend the district.

Posted: August 12, 2014

As I read the reviews of Curtis High School and the overall University Place school district, I couldn't help but seek out the rating of Bellevue which seems to be the UP equivalent. I wasn't surprised to see them ranked a 7 - only a point higher. Scanning the reviews, same statements made by upset parents - all athletics, administration isn't doing their job. Honestly, the biggest difference I saw was that parents are far more involved with the school. I think as a community if we do less complaining and more volunteering of our time we would see proactive changes in the areas we are concerned about. My kids have been in the UP district since Kindergarten and have had an outstanding experience. From Chambers Primary through the advanced placement program at Narrows, and now onto the Jr. High and High School, I am excited for them both grow further over the next few years. Thanks for doing such an amazing job thus far UP!

Posted: May 11, 2014

I am rating this school district as a whole in stead of this high school. In fact this high school is a victim of failed policy engineered by the school district to fail elite students. This school district is located in the most elite student population in South Sound. The quality of the students is similar to that of Bellevue school district. The school district's policy is amazingly good at holding back elite students. If your kid is exceptionally good at math or science, the district is not helping. They will ask you to go to private school instead without even looking at their failed policy. Their graduation raking is by pure GPA which means if a student takes all very easy classes and get 4.0, that student will be honored as academically top student. The school district just doesn't encourage student to take advanced classes with this failed policy. Do not send your kids there. This school district is a joke.

Posted: January 24, 2014

All three of my children went through Curtis HS. My two daughters excelled at sports, while my son did not participate in athletics. Athletics at Curtis was very well run and they had great coaches. Mathematics however was horrible. The teachers did not teach lessons well and then would be unavailable for questions to clarify the lessons for the kids. Many times throughout the year, long standing Curtis HS math teachers would be gone and replaced by substitutes, severely disrupting any possible continuity in teaching plans. TCurtis was trying out Integrative math at the time my kids went through, which completely neutralized the parents in trying to assist their kids in learning math. In turn, out kids were ver unprepared for college level math, with two requiring remedial level college math (sub-100 level). I think the schools scores in math related subject confirm this, when Curtis is compared to the other schools in WA state. What is needed is for Curtis to get serious about providing an education to our children, including looking at replacing some of these teachers that do not have a clue on how to teach, and replace them with new teachers with the desire to teach.

Posted: April 4, 2013

i graduated several years ago. there is a lot of cliques among students and rude/obnoxious kids who bully easy targets while others are indifferent to just sit and watch without telling the teachers. I don't know about now but back then they only offered basic classes and I didn't think much of it then until i found out some of other high schools offer design, computer science and even accounting class I give one star because some staffs in administration office were nice and attentive to what students had to say.

Posted: April 4, 2013

Now that i'm graduated from an university with people from diverse backgrounds I have doubts about what people in Pierce county had to say about CHS as a academically thriving school. well i think it's because it's surrounded by even worst ones in tacoma and lakewood. I found many CHS grads incompetent once they advance into 4-year universities and lag behind others from different schools. CHS puts too much emphasis on athletics and makes those who aren't involved in sports feel like an outcast. Don't send your kids here. There are much better high schools out there in Bellevue and Issaquah school districts.