Wilson High School? (Portland, Beaverton, Lake Oswego: for sale, to rent, house)

[mc0624]

Hi

I've been doing research on possible areas for us and a primary focus is on a high school.

West Linn is a maybe so far but I'm checking out other possibilities too. One area that has peaked my interest a little is the area around Wilson HS.

Does anyone have any experience with this school? I've already read the Great Schools info but would like other input if anyone has any?

Input on West Linn HS is welcomed too.


Thanks

[Twilighter]

Originally Posted by mc0624

Input on West Linn HS is welcomed too.

This fall will be the third year there for my daughter and the first for my son.

Do you have specific concerns or questions? Perhaps you can describe your child(ren) and the environment you think would be best for him/her, as well as the environment your child would prefer.

If I were to make a general statement about West Linn High School, I think the main message the kids receive, even before they enter the school, is along the lines of: "You WILL go to college. Don't mess this up." The expectation that everyone is heading to college is something I like, probably because it was entirely absent in my family and school when I grew up. A kid in this school will at least be told by the school that they should be thinking about college, and there's a likelihood that their friends/peers are thinking about college. Some of the kids are going on to Ivy League schools.

It is academically challenging, for the most part. My kids skated through primary school and most of middle school. They have to work for their grades now. Both have been placed in advanced math classes by their teachers. There are a number of honors classes and AP classes. There is an expectation that all students will be taking one or more AP classes by junior year. There is a pretty good variety of extracurricular classes. Some teachers will not help kids outside of class time. Some make a point to be available. There is a "tutoring center" for help with homework, etc.

There is a large focus on athletics. The teams are generally successful. If your child is an athlete, they could probably easily feel like they are part of the school community. If your child is not, as mine are not, they may have to work at feeling there is a place for them there. There are other activities, such as theater and band. However, these programs are also competitive. The kids that are high achievers in these areas are usually those who are taking lessons outside of school, or they are the ones whose parents cannot be denied due to politics or influence. the teachers are good, though, so a kid who is in it for the experience can still get something out of it.

There are kids with money, so there is drug and alcohol use among the students, and this is acknowledged by the administration. My daughter is among a group of kids who don't take part (unless they are very sneaky about it.) In this respect it is a blessing they are not among the "in crowd" - they're not invited to these parties. West Linn doesn't have much at all for teens to do for fun. Public transportation is limited. If your kid wants to do anything but hang out at a park or a friend's house, you'll be driving. A lot.

Something that is never mentioned among the accolades, but is significant to me:
Two freshman girls took their own lives in the last two years. I don't know statistics for this school or the average school, but one per year seems like a high incidence to me, and I think the pressure of the school played a part. One was my daughter's friend. Bullying certainly played a part for her, although the school and the police officially "found no evidence" of such. My daughter has been visiting a counselor since then, and the counselor (who is not in West Linn) told me that she sees other kids from this school, and that among her peers there are quite a few kids from the school. Please keep this in mind if your child is particularly susceptible to stress. The awards the school receives for high achievement comes at a cost.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this school. The kids will be educated, and they'll probably be prepared for college. For a certain type of kid, I think this school could be great. For others, it is more a lesson in perseverance.

[Yankeemama]

The neighborhood feed for Wilson Hillsdale and parts of Burlingame, but I am not quite sure about surrounding neighborhoods. There is a website, PPS(Portland Public Schools) which has info on schools' demographics, Oregon State test scores, and maps of school boundaries. You can input an address to find the school that specific house is slated for. I found this site helpful. Search this forum for Hillsdale neighborhood as many of us just commented on that neighborhood the other day on another thread. Hillsdale is a great neighborhood in the SW. my kids are in elementary school here in the Grant High School feed in the NE. We hae been quite fortunate to have made met some wonderful families and many of them plan on sending their kids to Grant. Grant is an excellent school but quite large and it is in the NE. I know Wilson also has a very good reputation and have spoken to friends that attended Wilson in the 70's but say it still is a good school.

[oldtintype]

I've heard lots of positives about Wilson but as always Lincoln is always considered the best. Everything else falls into "bad" "ok" or "good." Wilson falls into good as does Grant.

I would have no problem sending a kid to Wilson.

[Yankeemama]

I'm not sure if I have to provide a link but US World News And Reports does a ranking of schools and Grant High scored much higher than Wilson. Lincoln is the elite public high school in Portland and I think parts of Bridemile neighborhood feeds into Lincoln. There are homes in the 400's for sale on Trulia. I just looked last week. Hope some of this helps!

[mc0624]

Originally Posted by Twilighter

This fall will be the third year there for my daughter and the first for my son.

Do you have specific concerns or questions? Perhaps you can describe your child(ren) and the environment you think would be best for him/her, as well as the environment your child would prefer.

Thank you so much Twilighter for the insight.....this is was exactly what I was looking for. I don't think I have specific concerns (yet).....I just like to hear feedback from parents on how they like or dislike a school.

Our daughter will be entering 9th and our son will be entering 7th when we move. Our daughter is an excellent student....straight A's this year (6th grade). She picks up things fast. She has absolutely no interest in the "it" group. She loves the computers, gaming and hanging with boys because they are less drama - LOL. Our son does well also....mostly A's with some B's. He also doesn't much care about the popular group....as long as he has a buddy or two that he can hang out with, he is good. Both are in GATE...which I think is called TAGS in Oregon. Neither have much interest in normal school sports...but they both do martial arts. They should have their black belts before we move as well.

Both are very friendly but are fairly sensitive on how people treat each other....so I worry about that. They both currently attend Fundamental schools. I'm not sure if they have this distinction up there but basically its a heavy emphasis on reading/writing/math...lots of homework and parental involvement, etc. So they are used to a big work load with school. We were lucky enough to get my daughter into one of the best middle schools in the district and now my son will have an automatic in. I was very surprised when after the first trimester they had an honors lunch. Out of the 1100 kids that go to the school.....750 of them were going to the lunch. LOL. But of course, like any other middle school, they have their own issues....luckily, my daughter hasn't had to deal with any of it since she isn't in that crowd. Keeping my fingers crossed

Two suicides in two years is very scary. I would be (and am) worried about that sort of statistic. It is definitely something to consider beings they are sensitive kids. Honestly, it isn't the school work that worries me....its the social aspects. I really want to find (hopefully) a good balance. This is why I am doing so much research now.

Thank you again!

[mc0624]

Originally Posted by Yankeemama

I'm not sure if I have to provide a link but US World News And Reports does a ranking of schools and Grant High scored much higher than Wilson. Lincoln is the elite public high school in Portland and I think parts of Bridemile neighborhood feeds into Lincoln. There are homes in the 400's for sale on Trulia. I just looked last week. Hope some of this helps!

Thank you for the information....I found the site and will be doing more digging

[Yankeemama]

Mc064-
Glad you are finding the info. and let me know if you are looking for something specific. TAG testing starts in Fall, I believe. In Oregon, the schools do testing in 2nd grade. You can get kids tested earlier but that is not an issue for you. You can call district and find out if out-of-state testing equivalent so your kids can be considered TAG right off the bat. I dont know if you have considered Lake Oswego but they have excellent schools and it's a close community outside of Portland proper.

[mc0624]

Originally Posted by Yankeemama

Mc064-
Glad you are finding the info. and let me know if you are looking for something specific. TAG testing starts in Fall, I believe. In Oregon, the schools do testing in 2nd grade. You can get kids tested earlier but that is not an issue for you. You can call district and find out if out-of-state testing equivalent so your kids can be considered TAG right off the bat. I dont know if you have considered Lake Oswego but they have excellent schools and it's a close community outside of Portland proper.

I actually have looked at LO as well; however, it seems that the area will be out of our price range. Unless we win the CA lottery before we come - we are trying! hahahaha

My goal is to find a good school that will work for the kids that is in an area that will work for us financially (as well as have all the other things that one looks for when choosing a neighborhood). We will have to rent for at least the first year to become established and make sure "this" neighborhood is where we want to be. Once we have confirmed everything, then we will work on buying another home. I really don't want to move schools once they are established in HS. I know it can be done and it won't kill them ....heck, I did it several times. However, I was used to moving back and forth between divorced/fighting parents. My kids have always only lived in one house....gone to the same school...etc. The move up there will be a big step for them as it is.

[Nell Plotts]

Lincoln is actually a small high school with a lot of parents who have high expectorations for their kids. If you are coming from the silicon valley think Cupertino High. I know because I attended Lincoln, as did my children and so will (eventually) two of my grandchildren.

Wilson has some advantages over Lincoln in that the student body is larger, I expect that they should have a greater variety of programs. Wilson has a swimming pool which is likely to serve more than just swim team (Lincoln has no pool, the MAC provides access for their swim team only). If you will be renting for your first year you have a higher probability of finding something in your budget in the Wilson enrollment area (housing in the Lincoln enrollment area is relatively expensive). Gray and Jackson are the middle schools that feed Wilson.

Cleveland high school has had excellent test scores, they have an International Baccalaureate Program which may impact the test results.

Grant is a good school too. It is the largest and has a more diverse student body economically.

If your children do well in science, math and engineering you should take a look at Westview, a Beaverton high school.