Research Walt Whitman High School public Schools in Herndon, Virginia

“As a parent I feel that it is my duty to provide my children with the best education possible. If this means paying a high premium to live in the Whitman district, then so be it. Attending Whitman is on of the greatest experiences my children have ever had. There are few problems with misbehaving students and the teachers are extremely well qualified. The principal, Dr. Goodwin, deserves to be mentioned too because as the father of a high schooler himself he can relate to the students' needs. Whitman is a great school and I would not send my kids anywhere else.”

“Dont get me wrong, I did love it and the obvious affluence of Whitman's district does help in terms of the overall educational, social, and physical development of its students. But its really a different drive, from both the parents and the environment, than what I found in the experiences from my college and post-college friends' high school experiences.”

“I have been a college professor for nearly 25 years. It gives me great pleasure to observe first-hand as a parent the quality of education offered to students as Whitman. We paid a housing premium to live in this area so that our children could go to Whitman. It has certainly been a wothwhile investment in their education.”

“Top scores and all - high pressure cooker.”

“Safe, clean, studious, intense, focused, high achieving, this school has to be considered one of the very best public high schools in the nation. As parents, we were and are thrilled with the education of our two children. Diversity is achieved by many, many international students from around the world. Could it be even better, of course, but bottom line is that the Whitman school district is on the tongue of every buyer coming to this area. It an exceptional school.”

“I thought I was a supporter of public schools,but Whitman changed my mind.The kids there are bright, but there is nothing in the culture of the school that encourages an interest in learning for learning's sake. It's all about getting ahead--by getting into an Ivy League school(otherwise your life will be over), and making money, so you too will be able to afford living in the Whitman district. If that's what you want for your kid, Whitman is the place. On the other hand, if you want your kid to grow up to be a human being, and associate with other human beings, its better to find some other district to live in, or to go to school somewhere else.”

“I am former student/athete of the school. I found this site and felt compelled to leave give some feedback. Whitman is located in an afluent area, thats why 'some' kids have the cars they drive and kids dress and act in the manner they do, which is not schools, but society and their parents responsibility. The school itself was a great experience. As a child of African diplomats, divesity was not a big issue. There were Americans and there were a decent number of first generation Americans and foreign kids at the school. So there arent that many kids have a high melanin percentage in their skin. Montgomery county is in America, Whitman isnt in the minority when it comes to this. The sports programs and classes were a great experience, due to a diverse range of personalities of the faculty, some of whom I still maintain contact with. email away:oD”

“An excellent school. Students who are motivated and take advantage of the learning environment are well prepared for any college or university in the country. Teachers work very hard to help all the students achieve their very best.”

“The quality of academic and extracurricular programs, the maintenance of facilities, and the teaching standards are all superb. I attended my freshman through junior years, 1997-2000, and in retrospect, no other public institution has awarded me so many opportunities. I want people to stop focusing on racial diversity when they criticize Whitman... The majority of my friends were foreign-born or first-generation American. They represented countries as diverse as India, Korea, Croatia, Albania, Brazil, Lebanon... There were many bi-lingual, bi-cultural people, myself included. Such diversity is priceless. However, there's an area where Whitman is very homogeneous, and that is status and expectation. Everyone is quite affluent and hoping to become Ivy League material. It can be suffocating. I played a varsity sport for one season and found the pressure too much. I think as long as you keep a healthy perspective on things, you can get a lot out of attending Whitman.”

“Diversity should not be narrowly defined as whites vs. non-whites. There are many international students at Whitman, amny of them from countries such as France, Croatia, Germany etc.”

“As a current student at WWHS i think its a great school, i am hispanic and i can say it does not have that BIG of a diversity, but through out the years that number has been increasing. The teachers/student relationships are great, students are able to talk to the teachers for extra help. There are many available Sports, and Art programs. Whitman has outstanding choral and band programs, which i am involved in. As a student i would say there is a lot of people with expensive cars and the latest in technolegy. Everyone is really dedicated to their studys, we have the highest scores in montgomery county, and 98% of whitman students graduate. It has a friendly and clean environment. In the years that i have been in WWHS (2 years) i have NEVER heard of people getting into fights or even seen. It is a great school no”

“Many people argue that Whitman is full of arrogant over-achievers...however, these criticisms do not come from people who have insight on the goings on of this school. Despite the students' tutors and prep courses, they put so much effort into their work and into achieving their goals. The reason why this is a good school is because of the effort the students put into learning and the effort the teachers put into teaching. Just because Whitman excels academically does not mean that people have to find something wrong with it to criticize - Whitman is a great school with amazing opportunities and a very supportive community. Think what you will, but before you jump to criticize, learn a little more about the school and its students - then there may not be need for criticism.”

“I'll have to agree with the reviewers who commented on the arrogance - and non-diverse aspect of this school. Those issues really 'overshadow' the national recognition that this school gets. For the most part, the children are totally out of touch with reality. The focus is on materialism and the administration is clueless on how to help children of NON-WHITE descent. I have an articulate 9th grade African- American son enrolled here who is failing miserably academically - but tests off the scale on standardized test. Some of the problem are his own poor study habits; Some is peer pressure - but the staff is ill-equipped to even begin to decipher the code.”

“This is one the best schools (private or public) in the nation. Regardless of your child's area of strength or weakness, it is nourished in this environment.”

“Whitman is the least diverse, most arrogant school in the NW/Mont Co. area. Proponents of the school often tout the schools excellent test scores, top ranked programs, and even their rat lab. If you want to go to a school where the students drive cars that a more expensive than an adults car in most places, where diversity means wearing a different brand polo, and where failing the college application process means you didn't get into an Ivy, then go to Whitman.”

“...And yet you say this spelling knowledge as 'knowlage.' Think again, Walt Whitman is a very good school with extremely talented students.”

“Walt Whitman is not a good high school at all. Do not listen to what anyone in the montgomery county area says. The principal carries himself with arrogance. The students are all cluless about the on going world around them and contain a concieted knowlage. Classes are very over filled.”

“It's one of the worst schools for parents who care about their children. Look at racial profiling, only 21% of students are non-white. they don't care about their students experience in high school, as much as they do about their paychecks. It is also a very self-centered school. It doesn't care much about international students, unlike at Bethesda Chevy-Chase, where there are over 500 international students. If you are looking to enroll your child into a High School in this area, look at Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School. It has an IB program, which is even more rigorous and demanding program then AP, and offers your child an advantage when applying to school. GO B-CC BARONS!”

“Whitman is an incredible school. Its athletic program is ranked fourth in the state by Washingtonian Magazine, its music program frequently wins national competitions, its student-run newspaper is one of the best in the nation, it has the ONLY rat lab for a high school psychology department in the country and, in response to one of the previous reviews, it has just come under new administration! Dr. Goodwin, the former assistant principal, took over, and teachers and students praise his work enthusiastically. While Whitman students are typically stressed out, they are never alone, and find constant support from teachers, friends and parents. Whitman students always return from college saying how well-prepared they were for the college work load. Whitman is just an icredible educational environment!”

“The administrative team is very slow to initiate academic improvements or to help students with problems. A tired principal clings to his job by attacking anyone who is critical of the school.”

“Excellent school with demanding academics. Many parents are NIH employees, lawyers, doctors,etc. and expect the best. My honor roll twins study constantly. Can be very stressful. However, they will be prepared to compete successfully at any college or university. Most students think it is a great school.”

“An excellent high school. With many Advanced Placement and Honors classes available (history, English, psychology and many others). The school has a top rated music department which encourages both the choralist and the instrumentalist. There is much emphasis on SAT and AP test preparation. A downside is the peer pressure to achieve high grades, which may leave the average student feeling overwhelmed. There are several very good academic counselors who may be able to guide these average students.”

“A great school in an excellent area. Whitman has outstanding test scores, acedemics, student-teacher relationships and a healty atmosphere and learning environment. Tops in public education in the area, although the focus on advanced programs sometimes leaves the average and struggling students behind.”