Walton High School

Petition to remove Ms. Judith McNeil as Principal of Walton High School:
https://www.change.org/p/superintendent-chris-ragsdale-remove-judith-mcneil-as-principal-of-walton-high-school-marietta-ga-30062

A detailed review is located at http://paddyrama.weebly.com/

This school is a waste of tax payer money! The assistant principal for curriculum and the Math department are way over their heads. The assistant principal will often gloat about her GA Tech degree, but won't tell you about the other sub-par colleges she attended later! I had to withdraw my kid from this school because the Math department won't give partial credit. The kid who was a consistent 'A' student at Dickerson started failing in Math, 40's and 50's were all too common! Even the AP calculus exams give partial credit, but what is good for the college board is apparently not good enough for this school! In the 16 years that they have had this policy, their national rank has only gone lower, not higher. They will give you a boat load of crap about how it improves precision! We even talked to a recent GA Tech graduate. He mentioned that they do give partial credit at GA Tech, without which he said that he could not have graduated! If your kid is going thro' the same thing, fight the school. Have the kid take Math at Georgia Virtual School. They are allowed 1 course per semester online. The school will give you more crap about how bad GVA is. Granted that GVA is not for everyone, but ultimately if the kid can pass the AP calculus exam (from GVA or elsewhere), then that should be good enough for college. Their argument is that GA Tech knows that their grading is harsh. Granted that a lot of kids go to GA Tech from this school, but not all kids want to go to GA Tech. A 'C' in the transcript is a huge problem requiring a lot of explanation to schools outside of GA.

Really a terrible school. I have 2 students there. Both in advanced classes; both good students. The clubs are very cliquey and leadership is passed down among friends. Parents are over involved and if you are not involved, your child will not be treated well. The students do well but that's primarily because of they are from educated and wealthy families. The teachers are underpaid so I don't feel comfortable complaining. There is student parking for seniors only. Most of the clubs and activities require driving at 3:30. Walton students get out early on most Wednesdays. Walton is designed with the assumption that a parent or nanny will be able to chauffeur their student. When I mentioned this to a school board member during Walton's registration, he told me he had the perfect solution for working mothers -- "they should quit their jobs." That says it all. If I had it to do over, I would buy a house in a different school district.

Walton is a very challenging high school. There are numerous AP courses (32 last time I checked) available to students who want to be well prepared for college. This public high school is unlike most other schools, even in the immediate area. Since it is a charter school, the administration has more flexibility in class offerings, schedules and structure compared to other schools in the Cobb County District. The teachers and parents expect above average challenges and results, and most of the students deliver. A 4.0 will not get your student in the top 10% of his/her class. These students are motivated! It can be a pressure cooker. If your student needs a lot of nurturing and hand holding, this is probably not the school for him/her. Walton has high expectations in their extra circular activities, as well. Sports, fine arts, clubs, volunteering... everything is available to anybody that strives to be included. Under achievers and wall flowers can survive, but likely will not thrive at this school.

If you want your children to be intellectually challenged, and well-prepared for college, this is the best high school and the best value available in the state of Georgia -- no private school tuition, reasonable property taxes, and an education equal or superior to any of the state's private schools. If you want your children to be able to coast along, graduate with decent grades, get into college, and return home after a couple of semesters due to inadequate preparation and poor study habits, Walton is not a good choice.

The teachers and facilities are excellent; the academic program is geared to be as rigorous as each student can and is willing to handle, with a full array of AP courses for those who choose that path; the athletic programs are broad, deep and very competitive; the other after-school offerings are as diverse as the students' interests. Graduates frequently report that they find college no more demanding, and in many cases easier, than their high school experience at Walton. It has been a Charter School for decades, and is routinely listed among the best public schools in the U.S.

I loved this school. I had the best time. It was certainly challenging, but it was well worth it. I had an easier time in college than my peers. I made my closest friends here. I loved almost all the teachers.

Extremely stressful environment...all the school cares about is image and getting the best scores. Nothing about well-being, being a good person or just having fun high school memories to look back on..