Granada Hills Charter High School

Going to GHCHS as a high school student and going back to visit as an alum is a completely different experience. As a student, I dreaded going to school and did not really see how big of an impact Granada really had on me. Seeing green and white every day for four years straight, going to a different school where those colors are irrelevant was a big change. The classes were very challenging whether it was a regular non honors class or an AP class. The teachers truly care about the student and the students have so much school spirit during the games as well. With good reason, Granada is known as one of the top schools in California and I could not be prouder to have graduated from there.
When I recently visited the school on Thursday, the 17^th of September 2015 I saw cool new changes that have been made to the school! The walls seemed greener, the hallways were bigger and the environment seemed more cheerful as well. The kids now have chrome books and are becoming more and more technological. I believe that this will be a big advancement since kids will be able to do online assignments in class or on campus without using the excuse of not having a computer at home. At times the homework seems like a lot and more than necessary but in the long run, it pays off. Granada does a good job at keeping the students on track with their course work. If they do not have a certain GPA then they are not permitted to do school activities.
I believe that going to Granada has really payed off so far. Being only a freshman at Cal State Northridge, I believe I am doing better than most students already. Being in Granada’s band and having long practice hours as well as having rigorous course work to keep up with I learned how to manage my time wisely. Going back to the school’s library, (which looking back was relatively small) the cool air was a big help in escaping the heat that the sun provides. The library has computer desks that allow students to do research and homework as well. You can get peer tutors and even one on one sessions with teachers. Like I mentioned before, the staff cares about the student. Even in the library, we see the colors green and white. The amount school spirit that this school has is unimaginable.
Although most students say they hate the school and their faculty, the amount of support that the students provide for their athletes is almost heartwarming. When I visited Granada’s football game on September 10^th, 2015, even before going inside the gates of the football stadium, you can hear the cheerleaders screaming and pumping up the crowd. As you walk in, you pass by the bleachers that are full of students wearing a dark green to support the varsity members playing on the field. At the same time as the cheerleaders, you can hear the band playing the pep tunes, in hopes of pumping up the crowd even more. The student section of the bleachers blurt out taunting chants trying to discourage the visiting players. Going to the football games, either as a current student or as an alum or even parent, is an amazing experience.
Overall, Granada is a fantastic school that really cares for its students. The teachers and faculty are friendly, while keeping a professional approach, and do their best to create a fun professional environment for everyone. Going back to Granada made me realize that I miss it! The smell of the grass in the quad, the air conditioned rooms that I spent 4 years in, the cute decorations that were put up during the holidays and even the body heat from having 4,000 students in a cramped space is what really brought me to enjoy my high school years at Granada.

Education is in the eyes of the beholder.

Granada doesn’t care about their students individually, they just care and strive for success and will ignore student’s needs to be #1

The amount of homework they give is unreasonable. The food in the cafeteria is expensive and appallingly bad. The office staff is not at all receptive to parents concerns. I thought the counselor was apathetic and the required 9^th grade parent conference was a joke. From what I’ve seen and heard, there is some sort of bias when it comes to athletic team selection. Not sure the basis, but I can speculate. There also seems to be a pervasive attitude amongst the staff that the students are «lucky» to be there, so they can be treated unkindly. It also appears that many of the students act like bratty, over-​indulged, arrogant children, so maybe that contributes to the poor attitudes of the staff. The school needs an overhaul from top to bottom. By the way, who is in charge there because my kid has been a student there and I have no idea who’s in charge.

I’m sad to see people commenting about race here. Graduated in 2007 and as a mixed student I never ever experienced any sort of racial preferences from staff (who were all diverse) or other students. That said, I had an exceptional experience here. In fact I felt like making it through Granada was sometimes harder than going to a UC. Yes it’s challenging and some teachers are phenomenal while others fall flat, but there seemed to be an overall competitiveness about the school to be the best. Students all wanted A’s, or they wanted to win their sports competitions, or the Academic Decathalon. That sort of school spirit pushes people be better than they are. I know my senior year I was taking a 0 period and two 7^th periods that met at different times so 9 classes for a senior, compared with other schools where taking 4 classes and leaving at lunch is normal for a senior year. Well I finished with a 4.1 GPA, got into a UC where I finished 3 yrs after that, and now have a good full time job. So yes, it’s tough, and yes there’s this pressure to succeed but you get out of things what you put into them. I felt fortunate to have attended and am a better person now for it. Not everyone can say that about their HS.

I am a student at GHCHS, and I can say that educational wise no school can even compare to Granada hands down. But I’ve learned that some teachers here don’t belong in this school. I say this because as great as this school is you would think that Granada would posses splendid teachers… not in this case. Also I agree along with fellow peers that some teachers at Granada need to be a little more tolerable because honestly they are way too strict. One MAJOR problem at Granada High is that they love giving detentions, and us students get sick of it because whatever happens they give out detentions left and right, and it really is just a waste of time. Another down fault about this school is that the athletic coaches are very RACIST and I say this from my experience and from what my peers tell me.

Granada Hills Charter High School, the largest charter school in the nation, is an independent public school in the San Fernando Valley. Granada Hills Charter made history in 2003 when almost all of its employees — teachers, classified staff and administrators — along with over 2,000 parents, signed its charter petition for independence from Los Angeles Unified.
School’s student body is considered one of the most diverse, with more than 40 languages other than English spoken at home and over 60 nationalities represented.

Just graduated from Granada this year, and it really is a good school. Students complain about it a LOT but we were all really lucky to go there because most of the teachers I’ve had have been simply amazing. Im also a good kid though and didn’t get into any trouble, but most kids at Granada are as Well, partly because of the strong discipline they have and partly because of the high expectations to succeed. We had the highest API score and there truly are a lot of really bright kids at this school. A «college prep» class here is probably more challenging than an AP class at all the other high schools in the area. If you go to this school you have to work hard and do your homework and study. For most classes tests are worth a lot more higher of a percentage than homework so tests are really important to do well on. It’s good to get involved with the sports they offer, as well as all the clubs. While going to Granada I didn’t really appreciate it and I wished I had gone to an easier school that wasn’t as strict, but it was my senior year that I realized how lucky I was. Why? Because Granada prepares you for college! my graduating class had, I believe, 114 valedictorians! That’s more than they’ve ever had before. TONS of hardworking bright students here. Anyway, Granada really prepares you to do well in college. I feel like when I start college in August, it will be a piece of cake. :)

Only for gogetters. Average students easily slop through cracks. Special needs students are all mixed together and hidden away on a special room. Teachers are not trained to deal with students on a needs basis but to maximize test scores. Regimemted rules that violate FAEP. If you need special services you will need a lawyer else they won’t listen. If you are already a 4.0 gpa student its convenient to CSUN.

Overall, a good school that seems to care a lot about the education and the curriculum for their alumni. My oldest daughter is currently attending and she is happy with her teachers and comfortable with her fellow classmates. Unfortunately the same can’t be said about many other schools in LAUSD at the moment.

I graduated from here about 5 years ago, and looking back on it, I’ve experienced terrible teachers (one who got fired and he deserved to) and one who I wish was fired for something I would like to think of using as me as an example during an emergency where i needed to use the bathroom. I complained to the principal who did not take me seriously, so I have to give this school one star for their lack of consideration and serious care for their students, and I could have easily taken a legal action to this trauma (I was 16 and it was so upsetting). They also have or had tons of dog drug searches, which I would hate if I was a parent. And the searches weren’t even for guns or weapons! This is Granada Hills, it’s pretty safe, but you’re worried about your kids doing drugs, then look at the parents and maybe your kids are getting a little lost a long the way. I really hope things have gotten better here. I WILL say their art classes were great which has lead me to my career as a designer and for those teachers, I thank.

I guess I have to write something nice about this school because I went there. The teachers are great because they pay them much better than other schools. I mean, I’m at Berkeley, so they’ve must have done something right. While I’m certain the staff there loves to work in education, I“m not sure if they like to be educators there.