| School Name | Address | Phone | Grades | County | Type | District Name |
| Woodland Hills Senior High School | 2550 Greensburg Pike
Pittsburgh, PA 15221 | (412) 244-1100 | 9-12 | Allegheny | public | Woodland Hills School District |
| Date | Who | Comments |
| 10/30/2012 | student | People really pick on Woodland Hills. I agree, it isn't the BEST school in the area. The problem is that is a plethora of money going to sports, but it has gone down gradually. What someone said in another review: Woodland Hills is a family - there is very little bullying, if any. I get support from several people that AREN'T my friends. I am a junior in AP Classes, and do notice that the "regular" classes are not filled with the most motivated students. Encourage your child to take advanced courses in Woodland Hills High School. Your child's school experience will be a lot better because the "advance" students have a want to learn. Woodland Hills has great opportunities for every student, like sports and clubs. They also have an FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) club that they just started this year. WH has a great selection of electives. They provide a College Access Center, which helps students understand what it takes to get into college and what they need to do. In all, Woodland Hills is a great school, and I love it. I feel challenged in AP Courses and I love being active in my school activities. |
| 9/19/2012 | student | As a 2009 graduate and someone who has come back to help the AV department I can say that this school is terrible. Principals who are more concerned with interpersonal relationships than students. A block on anything they do not personally agree with and a "one kid did something bad, lets punish the whole school" mentality is wrong. As an LGBT former student I felt always looked down on by most of the faculty. And ANY attempt to make an LGBT anything was struck down. This place will make any cut they want to boost the football team. The most recent history books are from 1985, but yet the football team has new equipment and a stadium. |
| 4/24/2012 | parent | I had to remove my son from this school after he suffered serious burns AT SCHOOL and then was sent home on the school bus. Administration refused to remove or even unplug the equipment responsible for his injuries and was completely unresponsive to my concerns. It took over 40 emails and phone calls and a threat from a lawyer just to have the equipment disabled. Now I rely on WHSD for transportation to and from our private school (which is mandated by PA state law), and they can't even get that right. For the last two days, no bus has shown up for my child, either taking him to school or bringing him home. Parents had to be called to retrieve their children yesterday afternoon. This district is utterly inefficient and worthless. |
| 3/16/2012 | other | Well, even though I do not go to this school, I know many people from there. A few years ago, the seniors would beat up teachers and even the kids very badly. That has changed because guess what, they all left. I'm a senior at Franklin Regional and I can defiantly tell you that there is a BIG difference. Woodland hills is like a big family now. I mean yes there still is all the drama and normal high school gossip, but, the thing with that school is that really is no bullying. At Franklin, that's all you see, EVERYWHERE! I was supposed to go to this school in 2008 - 2009 year and I wish I would have because Franklin is a bad school. Franklin you get treated differently if you don't have a big nice house, or lots and lots of money. Woodland hills, you don't have to worry about that. I suggest this school. |
| 12/13/2010 | other | I am a 2006 alumna from Woodland Hills. While I was there, I took AP classes whenever I could and participated in extracurricular activities, including a sport, many music-related activities, and clubs and societies besides these. Despite my intense Woody High pride while I was a student, I wouldn't send my own kids to this school. Many of the teachers at WH are good, and the school's offerings in sports and performing arts are good, but otherwise, it's not a good school at all. The academics are sub-par and leave students unprepared for college. There are too many students, not enough good teachers, and too much focus on preparing for standardized tests. Don't send your kids here. I'm not sure where these other people went to college that they felt prepared, but I've never heard from any of my friends (all of whom were at the top of the class) that they felt prepared for college at all. |
| 6/30/2010 | student | This school is 'picked' on by these UNinformed parents and media. Yes it is true that this school did have discipline problems a few years back, however, now the school is doing fantastic. The teachers are just as involved with the students as the 'private' schools. These schools aspects are the same kids in uniforms (if they are not in them already in public schools) with money, or on a minority scholarship. I want the uninformed to see what it's like and to quit judging. The teachers are excellent and so are the students. Plus in the 2009-2010 school year, there was 1.5 million dollars gained by seniors for college. Less than 10% of them were for sports too. Thank you, -9th Grader |
| 4/14/2010 | student | At the Junior High, the teachers are the ONLY ones who care about our education while the administration pampers the football team. The school has many resemblances to a prison; You don't learn anything, there's cameras everywhere, 15+ rent-a-cops, security checkpoints at every door, and police on standby. The principles operate on a basis of fear, and will suspend any student who questions that power. The amount of stress that school put on me may of very well caused the disease that I'm now forced to live with. The funniest thing is they try and sell the gimmick of helping students become creative individuals, but yet they take away any sense of individualism by forcing dress codes and uniforms onto us.If this school cared as much about our education as they did about punishment and the football team, WHSD would be a serious competitor for best district in the state. |
| 3/10/2010 | parent | I am quite pleased with Woodland Hills High School. Academically the school is good but there are so many wonderful opportunities for students-- sports, marching band, musical, and more that make the school great. The teachers I have had contact with are receptive and care about the students. A caveat-- students get what they put into the school. If your student is motivated he or she will only reap half the benefits of this school. Don't believe the hype. Come see what Woody High can be! |
| 10/23/2007 | student | This school has the worst reputation, and does not come close to deserving it. Woodland Hills unlike most schools have a very diverse student body, not in the sense of race because that certainly is not the case, there are two races, white and black. WH is diverse in the sense of student ability, as shown by the test scores the low are low, and most likly do not try on these standardized tests, but on the other hand the upper end of the school is comparable to the upper end of any other school, and in a few cases exceeds many other schools. I am a student of WH, and given my schedule of demanding, and difficult classes i have gained an education which i believe is superior to schools elsewhere in the Pittsburgh area. In addition to the high quality of the classes offered, the extracurricular are unrivaled. |
| 9/20/2007 | student | I feel that the school focuses more on punishing every student for little things. If they put a little more time trying to listen and giving the kids help with their problems instead of just punishing those who dont deserve it, Woodland Hills could be a top notch school. I disagree the notion that there are fights almost every day. THe 9th grade academy system works vey well, although inconvenient for some. I havent seen a fight yet. |
| 5/25/2007 | student | Woodland Hills has the potential to be a great school, but put all of their time and money into less important things such as football and punishing students for unimportant things, such as how you dress. Almost every period of the day, while walking to class, there is a fight. |
| 5/7/2006 | student | Woodland Hills doesn't get the best reputation but it's a great school. Everyone in Pittsburgh knows about Woody High's football team and it's perrenial success. But the school also has an amazing performing arts department, with great classes as well as outside activities like the spring musical. The Gifted Department is also extremely strong, offering oppurtunities for both students in the program and outside the program. There is a lot of diversity in the school so students learn how to work with people quite different from themselves. It's a great school, but it gets a bad reputation that is undeserved. |
| 7/14/2005 | parent | Through my personal experience, I have seen that Woodland Hills is willing to work with their at-risk youth. When necessary, they can be stern with the students without losing sight of the need to offer the best education so that every child can be successful. |
| 11/4/2004 | former student | As a junior in college who graduated from Woodland Hills in 2002, I feel that I can more honestly portray the school district than some of these parents. Although we all at one time or other couldn't stand the district or policies it had, one must admit that the programs the school district had to offer were pretty good. The district offers more electives and AP classes than other schools in the area, such as Penn Hills. Above all this, I feel that I was definitely prepared for the college experience when I left WHHS. I am on the dean's list and have a 3.97 QPA - my high school experience couldn't have been too bad! Only problem is how much the football team was 'worshipped' by teachers - and themselves. It was sickening! |
| 9/19/2004 | parent | My two daughters attended [and] graduated from Woodland Hills, in 1999 and 2002 respectively. Both excelled academically, took full advantage of the wide range of academic and extracurricular activities available to them, and perhaps most importantly, enjoyed their k-12 experiences. Each daughter went on to fine colleges, where many of their classmates attended elite private schools. While their public schools experiences -- and outlooks -- differed in many respects from those of their friend from private school, each felt well for college in terms of academics, adaptablity and being bolstered by a broad world view. I consider it a real compliment to her Woodland Hills experience, that my older daughter, who excelled at college as well, has just begun a New York Teaching Fellowship. She has a world of options open to her, and has chosen to become a public school educator. |
| 9/17/2004 | former student | I graduated from Woodland Hills in 2003 and am now attending college in PA. I felt that Woodland Hills did a fine job in preparing me for college and I find it hard to imagine having a better high school experience somewhere else. I had a number of fantastic teachers in several different departments. I was very involved in both the Music and Gifted Departments and I felt that involvement really made high school better. It would be nice to see more parents get involved though. Organizations like the Band Parents and Football Boosters bring a large number of parents in, but unless their child is involved in a popular activity, most parents can't be bothered, and that's a real shame. Overall, I think Woodland Hills is a good high school. It may not be the best school in the country, but I'm proud to say that it's my alma mater. |
| 9/14/2004 | parent | My daughter graduated in 2003 and is now a sophomore in college and doing very well. She feels she was more than adequately prepared for college life. My son is currently attending the high school. I feel the quality of instruction that both of my children have received, has been uniformly good and in some cases, excellent. The curriculum offers depth and breadth. The extracurriculur and gifted offerings are numerous and challenging. I think the quality of the education at WHHS is underrated by some parents in the school district and by community members who do not have children attending the public schools, but the success of WH graduates will continue to reflect positively on the school district and, I hope, change its image for the better, both internally and externally. |
| 9/10/2004 | parent | My daughter is in 8th grade at West and I have been more that disappointed with the school system. There are great racial segregations and the rules only apply to the whites. The african american students feel the are 'owed' special privilaeges. I have seen and heard this from the teachers and various students. The acedemics are poor, and it is inexcusable. The only other alternative is private schools at costly amounts. Administration needs to take a stand against racial problems (even reversed ones) and get education back to at least average. |
| 7/8/2004 | student | I am currently a junior at WHHS the classes, hallways, and all other aspects of the school are extremly congested. I have noticed many issues dealing with race. I also feel that we do not keep the inschool fights to a min. If I could advise someone else I would tell them to look the other way. Although the school has an okay acedemic standing their good doesn't outweigh the bad in this case. |
| 3/18/2004 | parent | Since the addition of the ninth grade class in the same buildings that, prior to last year, housed only tenth through twelfth grades, (500+ additional students), the school is very congested and crowded. My children complain that maneuvering through the halls during class changes is a constant struggle, and adhering to a schedule and time constraints is difficult given the total population is attempting to move about at the same time. In this respect, I wonder about safety issues, and the ease of leaving the building in the case of emergencies, or disasters. The metal-detector system gives me some comfort, but some may find it an invasion of privacy; if the alarm sounds, the wand is then used to sweep the body, and a search of personal items may be done. |
| 8/26/2003 | parent | Your ethnicity is wrong in this school district, there are approximately equal amounts of black and white students enrolled here. Your student to teacher ratio is also wrong. It's more like 22 students to 1 teacher. I have put 3 children through this school district, it's overall rating is fair at best. The teachers are overworked. And the school board does not know how to maintain its expenditures, so their solution is to keep raising the property taxes. (Approximately 9 times in the last 11 years.) We need to improve our academic programs. Our national average should be a lot higher than it is. The potential in our children is there. |
| 8/11/2003 | parent | I just wanted to say that since the work on the high school they now have 9th through 12th at the high school. Through I go up there often during the school year, I must say it is very crowded I'd say that each teacher has at least 24 students as an average. |
