| Date | Who | Comments |
| 2/18/2012 | other | I am a prospective parent, hoping to find out more about whether the school is getting more organized. |
| 10/2/2011 | student | I am a freshman a this school and i going to this school is the best desicion i've ever made, i know everyone, everyone is my friend. We really do treat each other like family, this school is tough, but well worth the stress.The college classes aren't hard, it's the highschool ones. |
| 6/16/2011 | student | Clear Horizons is a good school. My brother went there, and I go there. I consider my friends and classmates my second family because we have a small class size and everyone knows everyone else. Sure, the classwork is rigorous, but it's worth it because as you graduate from Clear Horizons, you also graduate with an Associate's degree from San Jacinto College. |
| 5/14/2011 | parent | I have never had a problem contacting any staff, either on the HS or College side. My child is involved in several clubs, both HS & College. Taking college classes keeps my child challanged in a way that would not happen in a regular HS. |
| 1/16/2011 | student | Although this school has good intentions, I'm not sure if it was worth all the effort. The school is extremely disorganized and it is difficult to communicate with the staff. There are virtually no extracurricular activities besides 2 or 3 clubs, and I'm not interested in any of those. The staff never notifies you when you should do something, so it is extremely annoying at the end of the year to get everything done. While several teachers are excellent, the rest should not be allowed to teach in such an accelerated school program. Also, the college the campus is stationed on is not the best, and many of those teachers are poor as well. As far as the work goes, it is a little bit harder, but not unmanageable. |
| 9/18/2010 | parent | Wow, communication has turned 180 degrees! I have a senior at Clear Horizons and this is the first year where I know what is going on. The use of twitter, e4, and phone tree have is wonderful. The new principal is extremely accessible. This school is not easy but it is worth the hassle. My student will graduate with 72 hours of college credit. All but 5 hours (one 3 hr class, and 2 PE classes) will transfer to all of the 4 yr universities my student is considering for next year. Graduating with 2 years of college completed and an associates degree, and having no debt is something to really consider. All fees are paid by the district, including books! If your student has an idea what they want to be when they grow up, this is an opportunity to really consider. |
| 9/23/2009 | student | I, myself am a Junior at CHECHS, i love it for the most part. It can be quite a bit challenging at times but the environment it excellent. Last year, when i was a sophomore, every single person in the school received commended performance on the TAKS test. |
| 8/7/2009 | student | This school is extremely unorganized, and unable to address even the most basic of issues students have. As a Senior, I need my official GPA and class rank to apply to 4-year universities; as of yet, I still haven't received my scores, even after waiting an entire year for the school to get things straightened out. I don't think the material that the high school classes cover is difficult, but I do think that the teachers give us way to many projects, making our schedules even more hectic. Also, the staff is generally unresponsive to concerns that students have, concerning the formation of outside activities. The school has a nasty habit of waiting until the last minute to inform students of changes in schedule, which is really irritating when students have already planed to do other assignments. I really think that CHECHS needs to consider the input of students and parents. |
| 8/5/2009 | student | As an incoming sophomore at this school, I believe the program has a good purpose. The whole plan is amazing and I love what they want to achieve. Keyword: achieve. The school is highly disorganized. They often close the lunch room and never advise students to bring money for the college cafeteria, leaving us bewildered. They have no extracurriculars or even school events (not many dances, etc.) and no yearbooks (just pics on CDs). I'd like more staff and LOE choices as well. It's worth it, but I would like to point out the lack of organization, staff, and creativity this school has. If the school works at it, the program would be a whole lot better. |
| 8/5/2009 | parent | This school has been absolutely great for my child and definitely improves self confidence, strengthens academic skills and focuses on the individual. The homework is demanding, but this is a great introduction to what is expected from college in the future. |
| 8/5/2009 | student | As a current student, I do want to point out that CHECHS is one of the most disorganized campuses I've seen. The staff never knows anything thats going on, and it only adds stress to us students. As a president of a College Club, it is hard to jugle a lot of things, its hard planning. The homeworl load should be lowered just a tad. They must rememeber the more were involved with San Jac campuss the better they will like us (chechs). Also the Staff is so disorganized they never do anything in coordination, I remember that we had 5 project due all at once. That week was horrible. But still this school is one of the best opprotunites, but the need to get organized. They should put in more dances because where does the saying work hard play harder come in place???????!!! |
| 8/5/2009 | student | Being a student of this school from the first year I have serious regrets. I am not a student who pushes social life as a main point in school; there has been a great decline in my social life but it is not the pinnacle of my frustration. The administration is extremely unorganized and weak, unable to schedule times and dates correct or even ahead of time. I find myself discovering mandated meetings and classes the day before or even the day of, it is an understatement to say that organization is even present in the administration. Even my own parents do not know the extreme stress of having to cope with staff that is unable to solves issues accordingly. Also, the staff is unable to answer and questions which matter; they are good at giving the generalization, however college does not run on generalizations. |
| 7/30/2009 | student | As a student here from the beginning, I can rightly say that this school is very disappointing. The school is extremely unorganized, and tends to plan things at the last minute, adding stress to students who are already working with heavy schedules. We were told that clubs were not set up for us when we joined, but that we would be able to create them if we wanted to. This has not happened, in fact, the school has made it extremely difficult to form any club associated with outside organizations such as UIL. The administration tends to have a very smug attitude when students try to address their concerns, and often remark: 'If you don't like it here, you can leave.' I personally don't appreciate that sort of remark, I think we should strive to make the school better for everyone. It doesn't seem like CHECHS is very interested in that. |
| 7/30/2009 | student | My experience with this school is great. It has a small community, so it's not overpopulated, and not controlled by an obnoxious school bell. The work can be kept up with, but if your child is a slacker or procrastinator, don't even bother applying; you can't expect to get a degree without doing anything. The only con is the lack of organization. A lot of things are almost last-minute or unannounced. And also, students were told from the beginning that there would not be any UIL activities, so they can stop complaining about something they were told. |
| 7/30/2009 | other | This school needs to re-evaluate soon. Students are obviously not happy, so something needs to change. |
| 7/29/2009 | parent | The school is extremely unorganized. Too the point where it has ruined every aspect of it. That is all. |
| 6/15/2009 | parent | great school...i recommend sending your child here. and when you do believe in them and encourage them to do their best. |
| 6/11/2009 | parent | This school has given my student the chance to be responsible. Yes, the children have to work in this program, but the teachers really care about them are always willing to help. You have to plan study time, social time, and work time. These students have to focus on success skills, they don't have time for the outside activities that the other schools offer. Parents and students are informed of that when interviewed for a position at this school. Parents and students have organized fund raising activties for dances, proms, and project graduation activities but have not gotten a good response for help from either parents or students. Admininstration is hard to get in touch with and some have been known to be downright rude to you. Always room for improvement, but what school is perfect? |
| 5/13/2009 | student | The only 'high school experience' that we have here is homework. We have absolutely no outside activities aside from that. Students tried to form UIL groups, but were quickly turned down, despite being told that we would be given the opportunity. Parent involvement in the school is minimal, and many of the promises we were told at the beginning of the program have been completely out the window. Many of the teachers are not fit for the job, and they usually toss us busy work instead of actually instructing us. Also, the school has a nasty habit of blaming everyone for the actions of a few. Most of the student sentiment within the school is negative, and for good reason. |
| 5/13/2009 | parent | I have two students at this school and not only do they love it, I do as well. While the support staf is severely understaffed, I have found them friendly and responsive to anything I asked. I did not have that experience at the larger high schools. While there is not high school UIL activities like Band, Choir, Football, but it is something we were told from the beginning, so those who have complained can only blame themselves if that was important to them. It can be a rigorous program for some, but mainly due to fact that it is lottery driven instead of ability driven. My two students are not missing out on high school experience as it is abundant in the school, just in a smaller setting. The only thing I would change is more support staff. |
| 5/10/2009 | student | The school is very lacking in extra curricular activities. In fact, it's one of the main reasons I regret going to CHECHS. The college does offer clubs that we are allowed to join, however, the high school itself does not. We are therefore excluded from every possible High School UIL activity or club, including Debate (policy or LD). This makes going to CHECHS a painful experience due to the lack of outside activities and the ability to act with other High School students. This is made worse by the fact that the school is extremely understaffed and generally unresponsive to the student body. There is also a major work load issue for some students, and a general lack of coordination for the administration. Although you earn an Associates Degree here, you lose your 'high school experience,' something not easily replaced. |
| 5/4/2009 | parent | This school is a great alternative for students who don't want to waste time in a traditional 2000+ student school setting. There are many problems but to think that these kids will graduate high school and already have 2 years of college completed is fantastic. When all of their regular high school peers are complaining about getting into good schools, and once there, complaining about 200+sized freshman classes, our kids that attend now will be thrilled to have those first 2 years of college already completed. The support staff can be less than friendly. They really do have to get a handle on one in particular. All ECs that the college offers are available to the high school students so I have trouble understanding about that complaint. Also the nationally-recognized honor society phi theta kappa accepts these students as young as 15. |
| 4/26/2009 | student | I went to Clear Horizons High School first semester of my freshman year. I worked really hard and I managed to have all A's above a 95. My experience at this school was not great. Most of the student body was mediocre and as the semester went on the teacher were very whiny. The class work was not very challenging but there was always alot of work. There were no real EC's at all. I created a club but we did not have alot of devoted members. The work load, and the lack of fun eventually made the experience worse. I am going to CLear Brook now. The student body is large and can be overwhelming. But the cclasses are alot more challenging. But the EC's are alot of fun especially debate. High school can not be all about academics. To survive you need outside activities as an escape. |
| 2/21/2009 | student | The admins are only doing their jobs. While most of the teachers teach to the TAKS, allowing the campus to fall really far behind other high schools, there are a few teachers who are great. There aren't a lot of ECS, but that's because students are too lazy to form them. There's only Spanish because there are only several hundred students, and having the same selection as other schools is impractical. There's a severe lack of communication. The workload is only bad if you were a slacker in middle school. If you don't procrastinate, you can have a social life. Students bond over their mutual hatred of classes. However, the school is really bad academically when contrasted with other ccisd high schools. They generally teach to the taks, and that's it. Yes, dual-credit classes. But, dc classes don't come anywhere close to an AP class at another campus. |
| 2/14/2009 | student | I am amazed at the level of commitment that this school has to reinforcing negative student opinion, to me, it's nothing less than awe-inspiring. The administration tends to wait until the last minute to inform students about schedule changes, and and other important information. In addition, the work load here is very stressful, and it usually takes a few 'all-nighters' a week to stay on schedule with your homework. |
| 2/9/2009 | student | I am a 10th grade student at CHECHS, and I do manage a social life while having high grades. I also participate in extracurricular activities. Yes it is hard, yes i would like more LOTE choices, yes some teachers could be better, and yes students are often notified of things very last minute but for me it is worth it. |
| 2/9/2009 | parent | I do NOT recommend sending your child to this school. It takes the kids late hours into the night to finish homework. My son doesn't get any time to participate in any extracurricular activities due to having no extra time, and lately I have been noticing that he has been receiving less and less sleep. He puts all of his time into trying to manage his grades. Here he has no social life. I have spoken to the parents of the students at his regular zoned high school and it turns to be that they are learning much more than he is. They have gotten farther into just 'district-required-material' and when the children of the other parents ask him a question about the same material, my son cannot answer. I plan on taking my student out of this program very soon and am highly disappointed at this school and mediocre program. |
| 2/7/2009 | parent | It is my concern that my child is 'overworking' with almost 5 hours of homework a night. It seems that he doesn't do many activities besides homework. |
| 2/2/2009 | student | Hi, I used to go to Clear Horizens, but ended up coming back to my zoned high school. CH is a school with a demanding and rigorous scheduale. To become successful in a school like this one must be ready to commit twenty-four seven. It is close to impossible to make decent grades and have a social life. What I did not care for about this school was the fact that although yes you can obtain college credit the classes are mainly blow-off electives. You do not get any of your four core courses taken care of in the way of college credit.The four core courses, math, science, history, and english, are in all ways college courses except in name and credit. Much work is assigned daily and it often takes late hours into the night to complete them. In all ways I highly discourage joining this school. |
| 12/30/2008 | student | I am a freshman at Clear Horizons Early College High School, and I completely hate the school. I do not suggest this school for anyone less than a strictly straight A's student. I am keeping mostly B's, barely. The school is stressfully and emotionally draining. i say emotionally, because the stress and vigor of the program really almost has made me a reclluse to both my family and friends. I am constantly paranoid about my grades. I also feel that the school's principal, Mrs. Ladelhoff, is the uttermost rudest woman I have ever come across, let alone school administrator. Mrs. Schurr, the assistant principal is equally is unsatisfying as a person too. Both Mrs. Ladelhoff and Mrs. schurr need an additude adjustment towards the students, many students could agree with me on that! I am considering deeply dropping out of this mess of a program. |
| 12/9/2008 | student | Hello, I'm a sophmore at CHECHS. This school has great potential but unfortunately is not great now. Due to a mix of the Principal/Counselor being out of the loop, no real electives , and many credits will not transfer to my future college. This school is great for someone who has no intention to go on to another college or who will no be attending Rice or any Ivy League school. Most of the teachers are great, but block scheduling makes it hard for classes based on memorization such as Spanish and Latin. The high school classes have very few choices. There is no choice for French which I need. Every semester about 3 kids leave because the classes are to stressful. After the first semester of freshmen year almost 30 people left. So I would suggest really think about what your getting into before you start. |
| 9/20/2008 | student | I'm a student at Clear Horizons and let me say that they make the high school experience FUN! The teachers are very kind and try their best to make the experience easy. Although we share a campus with College Students, its great that we can synchronize and get along without fights. I feel this school is safer than regular schools also, sending the teachers instant alerts of campus situations. |
| 5/10/2008 | student | I am a student at ECHS and while some of the teachers are not excellent I have As and Bs in all my classes and I am pleased with the school. The Latin teacher is excellent and many of her students placed on the national Latin exam and 10 got into the National Latin Society. |
| 2/29/2008 | student | i am a student at CHECHS and there are this schools ups and downs but mostly downs. Most of the teachers care and listen but some do not. but i tryed to drop out of the program but they wont let you u have to be failing of have all As. and if u want to leave u have to pay $800 dollars for its tution for college classes. |
| 1/31/2008 | student | I attend clear horizons early college high school, and this school is an excellent oppertunity for any student wanting to get a head start for themselves, because by the time they graduate, they will also have a college associate degree. |
