East Ridge High School

Prior to choosing a place to live when I relocated my son to Florida, I researched area high schools. I chose East Ridge for its A+ rating. My son and I were extremely disappointed in the educational system. My son attended this high school for the past two years. It seems that high academic achievement is not valued by the district. Guiding the students into their correct academic programs is definitely not this schools priority. From his first day of his junior year, it has been a struggle to enroll him in the correct classes. The first two months of school consisted of lines of students trying to get the classes that they needed after being assigned to classes incorrectly. Luckily for my son I advocated for him. Other students were not so lucky. The guidance department's role is to guide students to success in high and beyond. In two years, my son had multiple counselors. Each counselor gave us different information regarding the programs offered. When my son would speak to a counselor, he left frequently feeling like he was talked down to and his concerns had no value. He was enrolled in an AP class where the teacher verbally told the class that he had no experience in the subject. The school puts students in classes to even out the numbers regardless of their academic success. Students are enrolled in AP classes because those classes needed students to fill the classroom. We did encounter some excellent AP teachers in Calculus, English and Government. If you have a high achieving student, this is not the school for him/her.

I'm Happy with this school. My boys are comfortable. No problems with "crime". My first concern, is their happiness. Then scholastics. They have no fear going to school. Quite comfortable & one of my children feel his classmates are kinder here than the state we lived in previously (which was rated "blue ribbon award winning" school).

Lots of teachers dead-end here. A last resort for many.
Weak administration. High crime. Poor academics.
Avoid.