Irvine High vs. Woodbridge High in Irvine (Corona, Newport Beach: neighborhoods, best school)

[MQHP40]

I know both of these are great high schools. Just wondering if anyone can tell me the difference in feel between the two. Does one have better extracuriculars than the other? Is one more competitive than the other? Any tid-bits would be helpful.

Thanks!

[BVitamin]

School Rankings for the City of Irvine, CA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irvine_...ne,_California)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodbri...ne,_California)

I went to IHS -- some time ago, Woodbridge (although highly rated) was seen as (possibly still), how shall I put it, secondary. Lots of Olympians from IHS. Guess you can see the notable achievements in the links above.

IHS's campus looks better, there's a public library nearby -- actually right next door.

I'll just add;

Academically, UNI takes the cake.

Northwood High, to be honest I can't say I know too much about it, it was fairly new when I was still down there.

[Charles]

Most academic metrics look pretty even.

There are some demographic differences though.


Woodbridge: 52% White, 30% Asian
Irvine: 38% White, 40% Asian

http://www.greatschools.org/school-c...overviewCA3840

[VeronikaW]

Originally Posted by BVitamin

School Rankings for the City of Irvine, CA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irvine_...ne,_California)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodbri...ne,_California)

I went to IHS -- some time ago, Woodbridge (although highly rated) was seen as (possibly still), how shall I put it, secondary. Lots of Olympians from IHS. Guess you can see the notable achievements in the links above.

IHS's campus looks better, there's a public library nearby -- actually right next door.

I'll just add;

Academically, UNI takes the cake.

Northwood High, to be honest I can't say I know too much about it, it was fairly new when I was still down there.

That's funny, because when I went to Woodbridge (in the late 80s/early 90s), IHS was looked down upon as the school where the poorer kids went (like who is really poor in Irvine?). LOL

Uni was always considered better than either WHS or IHS (back then, at least).

There was no Northwood High back then.

From a student standpoint, Woodbridge was a nice school. There were lots of extracurricular activities and such, and I had lots of great (now retired) teachers.

John Stamos used to always come visit the drama teacher there, because they were friends. That's what I remember the most. LOL

V. =)

[BVitamin]

Originally Posted by VeronikaW

That's funny, because when I went to Woodbridge (in the late 80s/early 90s), IHS was looked down upon as the school where the poorer kids went (like who is really poor in Irvine?). LOL

Uni was always considered better than either WHS or IHS (back then, at least).

There was no Northwood High back then.

From a student standpoint, Woodbridge was a nice school. There were lots of extracurricular activities and such, and I had lots of great (now retired) teachers.

John Stamos used to always come visit the drama teacher there, because they were friends. That's what I remember the most. LOL

V. =)

I went to IHS a little over a decade after you were in WHS ... man, I feel old. I wouldn't doubt that it was because I keep hearing how that part of Irvine was still dominated by orange groves, so much so that oranges were piling down the curbs, that's what I heard from old folks back then.

I still believe UNI to be the best academically in Irvine.

Even within communities social stratification will be there, among neighborhoods, schools, and cliques.

Does Irvine have a richer part and a poorer part? I've always thought Irvine to be just middle-upper middle class kind of city. I guess with the somewhat recent Shady Canyon area would be considered the richer part of Irvine.

The poorer part of Irvine is Tustin -- zing.

[spark5]

You can't go wrong with either school but between the two schools, I say that Woodbridge is the best school and I remember always hearing great things about it. I went to Corona Del Mar High School in Newport Beach and we played all the Irvine schools in sports except Woodbridge and Northwood because they were in a higher division than us. If you play any sport, go to Woodbridge over Irvine for sports but if your concern is just academics and extra-curriculars, both schools are perfect.

Also the only reason Irvine High is looked down upon because it is an old high school and not brand new like the other high schools in Irvine. It was kind of like like how Newport Harbor was looked down as the poor school even though it is not even close to poor.

[BVitamin]

Article from Newsweek, America's Best High Schools: The List - Newsweek (http://www.newsweek.com/content/newsweek/feature/2010/americas-best-high-schools/list.html - broken link)

Rankings from top to bottom in Irvine, 2010:

UNI - #147
Northwood - #573
IHS - #993
WHS - #1490

[Buburuza13]

Irvine schools are great...from the academic point of view...but i talked with different people in the meantime and there seem to be another question,you should think about,if you are white..they are heavily asian..and many white children feel outcast and isolated..since i came to usa,i noticed asians are very hardworking (many of them are pushed very hard...they have no other choice)..in tennis,math many parents put a very high pressure on the children..

i have the feeling asians and whites are in a very strong competition hier in California.My white child is a very strong competition for the asian kids in math for example,perfect scores in maths,goes to mathcounts state competition.While i see everything like a great experiment,have fun,make new friends,compete,i had the feeling many asian parents take it to extreme,children MUST WIN, by all means.They saw us (me and junior,whites..) like a bad competition and kept distance very bad.It is like they take it personally,every win..every not win...

I see asian children pushed horrible hard in tennis,in math.They have no other life,then train,work,exercise,to satisfy the request of parents to win.they are still children and theys should enjoy their childhood,but at many asian parents i notice is all about win.
Every try to make friends or get closer to them,math and tennis,failed big time in our case,because they continued to see us as the bad competition,while i see children and not machines competing and i am not obsessed with win and i do not put such a pressure on my child.It is kind of new for me such a distance they keep,i have never felt something like this before in Europe,not even in competitions.

I have great asian friends,but they do not have kids in competition with mine...

[proudmommy]

Originally Posted by Buburuza13

I see asian children pushed horrible hard in tennis,in math.They have no other life,then train,work,exercise,to satisfy the request of parents to win.they are still children and theys should enjoy their childhood,but at many asian parents i notice is all about win.
Every try to make friends or get closer to them,math and tennis,failed big time in our case,because they continued to see us as the bad competition,while i see children and not machines competing and i am not obsessed with win and i do not put such a pressure on my child.

The Growing Rate of Depression, Suicide Among Asian American Students (http://www.pacificcitizen.org/site/details/tabid/55/selectmoduleid/373/ArticleID/490/reftab/36/Default.aspx?title=The_Growing_Rate_of_Depression, _Suicide_Among_Asian_American_Students_ - broken link)

The High Suicide Rate of Asian Americans - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com

Push to achieve tied to suicide in Asian-American women - CNN

Suicide Rates Rising Among Asian Americans

I wonder what Asians think of Americans:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJuNgBkloFE

[pacific2]

If you can’t beat 'em, or join ‘em, then flee ‘em with your “self-esteem” intact.

NEWS FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: NOVEMBER 19, 2005

The New White Flight
In Silicon Valley, two high schools with outstanding academic reputations are losing white students as Asian students move in. Why?
By SUEIN HWANG
The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition (http://wsjclassroom.com/teen/teencenter/05nov_whiteflight.htm - broken link)