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My little brother was accepted into North Hollywood High School's highly gifted program. Any thoughts on this school academically (does it live up to the expectations, supposedly it's one of the best programs in LA) and socially? It's not in the best neighborhood and my brother has been spoiled by private schools so we are a bit weary of the tough kids that he might have to face in his "non-gifted" classes like PE and such. In these days knives and guns in kids' hands are not out of question so we are trying to figure out just how dangerous might the environment at the school be and are the academics worth the risk? Any feedback would be appreciated

By Gianscolere (Gianscolere) on Friday, May 30, 2003 - 08:55 pm: Edit

Why did you transfer him to a public school situated in an unsafe neighborhood?

By Kat (Kat) on Friday, May 30, 2003 - 09:25 pm: Edit

This is the only highly gifted school around (i don't know why they decided to put it in North Hollywood, Beverly Hills would've been better). It's not so much that the neighborhood is that unsafe, we are a bit scared of the children who'll be attending the school with him in "non-gifted" classes.

By Thedad (Thedad) on Friday, May 30, 2003 - 10:00 pm: Edit

Putting the gifted magnets where they are is by design, to bring white/Asian kids into schools the are heavily black/Hispanic.

Beverly Hills is a non-starter because it's its own separate district from LAUSD, as is Santa Monica, Culver City, Manhattan Beach, Torrance, Calabasas, Glendale, Burbank, San Marino, La Canada....

Probably the toughest academic high school in LAUSD is the Center for Enriched Studies (LACES). Awfully hard to get into, too.

By Gianscolere (Gianscolere) on Friday, May 30, 2003 - 10:30 pm: Edit

I understand your brother's situation, Kat, and I've also had to make some serious choices when I applied to selective high schools last year. Some of the schools I considered were also situated in unsafe neighborhoods where there was a lot of drive-by shooting...the other one was nearby a housing project, but both are still very good schools. The one by the housing project has an IB program, which is most difficult to get into, but the school offers another program for regular neighborhood kids. The other school amidst drive-by shootings is ranked number 3 in the State of Illinois. Also very diverse with a 70% minority student body.

My first choice school was in the heart of downtown Chicago and therefore easily accessible by public transportation (my main reason for choosing the school). I would say the neighborhood is fairly safe. About 5,000 pre-screened students apply for 130 openings...that's a mere 3% acceptance rate. I was surprised I got in, but unfortunately, my family moved elsewhere so I had to transfer to a regular suburban high school.

If your brother would feel uncomfortable in the unsafe neighborhood, it might not be a good idea for him to transfer there. Same is true if your brother would have difficulty mingling with non-gifted kids. I know it's sometimes frustrating when other students don't understand your situation. But maybe you can ask him where he's going to be most comfortable in and if he's going to be okay with the scenario.

Does the school make provisions for highly-gifted students? i.e different standards, rules, quality of teachers, to meet their specific needs? Also, your brother is highly-gifted, which means he requires more than just the plain gifted, right?

How tough was it to get into the program?

By Dori (Dori) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 12:00 am: Edit

my brother is also starting at NoHo for next year, he's been in the HGM program since elementary school (when he left private school, i was in middle school by then) i can tell you great things about this school from the friends my bro has there, people i know who go there, and people i know who already graduated from there.

it is very selective, there's only 250 spots for all of the high school, and it's the only Highly Gifted Magnet (HGM) in the entire LAUSD. you have to have an IQ above 145 to even APPLY there. it's a great program, as long as they keep the funding.

the area isn't too bad, sure it's not the best, but i can name tons of other places that are worse.

why don't you email me and i'll talk to you more about the school....

collegekid@myself.com

By Cowgurlsblu (Cowgurlsblu) on Tuesday, July 01, 2003 - 04:29 am: Edit

the highly gifted magnet at north hollywood i am sure is a great program, but the rest of the school is not exactly the best place. if your brother is prepared to deal with the rest of the school atmosphere, power to him when he is there

By Jollyapplepie (Jollyapplepie) on Tuesday, July 01, 2003 - 01:27 pm: Edit

I attend a "gifted" program where I share classes with "non-gifted" students. Like the North Hollywood school, my high school is very ghetto and is also located in a bad neighborhood. Having been here for a couple of years, I must say that it has been a good experience after all. If I attended my home school, I would've been predominantly surrounded by Asians and white Jewish people. Having come here, I have been introduced to an incredibly diverse atmosphere, which really opened my eyes to the world outide of my neighborhood. Also, the other students (in the "gifted' program) are unbelievable motivated, which helps, in turn, motivate me. The "non-gisted" students are not so bad, but your brother must be aware of the dangers (ie drugs, gangs) in order to not become involved. So, if your brother can stand for himself and wants to be in a environment that is diverse and motivated, he should probably attend the North Hollywood school.

By Hollaratme (Hollaratme) on Tuesday, July 01, 2003 - 03:35 pm: Edit

my cuz went ther he said its awsome go for it

By Stanfordgrad (Stanfordgrad) on Sunday, September 21, 2003 - 08:11 pm: Edit

I myself an alum of the Highly Gifted Magnet at North Hollywood High School, and I can say that it is a very good school where your child will be with very intelligent kids and will be on a track to go to some of the most selective colleges in the country.

In all honesty, I believe you can find equivalent education in other high school magnets (Cleveland has great humanities), but what sets NHHS HGM apart is its offering of AP classes, which look very good to colleges.

I am white, and I never got my ass kicked at NH. To be honest, I think I had a HUGE advantage over my classmates at STANFORD who were schooled in very closed environments.

Lastly, I know this is supposed to be a confidential place (the website says so), where we can air all our white liberal fear complexes, but, please, GROW UP.

Have you heard of any incident of violence at NHHS? In my three years there, nothing happened to me nor anyone I knew. No one in the school was killed or seriously injured while I was there - that's the whole school.

Do some research - don't live in fear; don't believe what you see on the 11 o'clock local news! At some point or another, your child will have to live in the real world, with all those colored people and people from families with less money and less education. Your child will probably be able to handle it.