Research Pike High School public Schools in Indianapolis, Indiana

“My daughter just finished her first week at the Freshman Center and so far we have no complaints and we hope it stays that way. My daughter is happy to be there. She came up to me and gave me a kiss and said, Thank you, I am so happy, mom. this made me feel so good. I hope and pray she keeps up the good work.”

“I'm a current student at Pike. There are a lot of clubs to join and they have a lot of AP classes. There is an IB Program. The school is only good if you are in the AP, Engineering, Computer/Networking classes. I learned in my sophomore year that I should stay in Honors. If you are not, then you are stuck with too many rowdy, obnoxious idiot teenagers. T(hey curse too much also. ) Junior year, i am taking multiple AP, Honor, and Computer classes, so I will have limited contact with them. There are not that many fights either. It's actually rare. The school is so big they hired a 'security force'. P.S. They are changing the grading system to an easier one( which is a bad idea) and doing away with class rankings.”

“I am a freshman at ball state right now and spent my entire high school career at Pike High. I have to say when I was there, there were times I couldn't stand the school and couldn't wait to get out. But now that I look back, I couldn't be happier to be a Pike High grad. Pike gave me some experience I couldn't get at many schools. First off, it has many MANY AP courses. I was never really big into them, but the ones I did take challenged me and got me ready for college. The comment below said that if you weren't in an AP course, then you would be in a class full of kids who didn't care about school. This is true to an extent. But if you're a serious minded student, won't you want to take AP courses? And yes, the teachers are very good!”

“As a Pike graduate at Columbia University, I grow more and more appreciative of my time spent in Pike Township schools as time passes. While I had numerous issues with the administration and one or two teachers, my overall experience with Pike was incredible. The wide variety of student activities, the rich diversity of people, the (mostly) incredible teachers, these I all appreciated while I was a student. However, I had no idea how fortunate I was to have such a rigorous preparation that has made transitioning to school here in New York relatively easy. Sure, the administration was ceaselessly incompetent and bureaucratic, but that's just proven to be some life experience that comes in handy all too often when dealing with the bureaucracies of college life. Pike did a great job of preparing me for life, and I deeply miss its environment and unpretentious student community.”

“Having a 60% population of African Americans does not make it 'diverse'. In fact, that couldn't be further from the truth. The culture is dominated by the 'hip hop' lifestyle. As a result, physical fights happen very frequently. The use of profanity and taunting others has become so commonplace that most teachers overlook it. If you don't take all AP classes, you will be placed with unmotivated and distracting students. This is not a good environment for serious-minded students who just want to prepare for college. The only thing I like about this school is the teachers. They are all wonderful and teach well. I have never had one that I did not like. I feel sorry for them having to teach students who simply refuse to learn anything.”

“My daughter has been going to the school for a while now and we transferred from Georgia and I really like it. It has excellent programs, the people really accepted my daughter, and also its education standards are really high somthing which I enjoy”

“Pike offers a wide variety of class choices and superior extracurricular activities. Good teachers are necessary to support a student's educational goals--and so far in the Freshman Center, we have been very pleased. The school has great diversity, but seems to have good security. We feel our child is safe at school. All in all, Pike is an 8.5 on a 10 point scale.”

“I am a current student at pike high school. I feel that this school is one of the best that the state has to offer, not only in academics, but extra curricularly as well. the teachers really do care despite what fellow students and other parents say. our sports are a huge part of why our school is recognized. our basketball team is known as one of the best teams in the state and our football team has seen some recent success, finishing as state runners up. pike high school has much to offer and I cannot understand why students are so eager to leave. I feel that I could not receive a better education anywhere else. I thoroughly enjoy attending pike high school and would highly reccomend it to others.”

“I had 3 kids go to school here, it has excellent teachers and extracuricular programs. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone. My kids never had to associate with unmotivated students. It was like their talents kept them in an exclusive curriculum. All schools have problems, none of them had any disruption on the quality education my children received. They have all gone on to college and are doing well on their own.”

“well I am a freshman at pike and I got to say, I really truely love it here, the diversity of the school (yes more than you can describe) is amazing and the teachers really do care, and want you to excell, although there are a few fights and weird things going on (power outages) I really like it and reccomend anybody to go here, people who went to other schools (such as brebeuf or north central) are missing out on the good work.”

“At first I was afraid of sending my child to Pike, but now she comes home telling me all the great things Pike has to offer. She also loves the fact of how diverse everything is. It was better than forcing my child into going to Brebeuf.”

“It was not a good experience for my son or myself for that matter. I would not recommend it for any child of color”

“My children have loved Pike. When they have had difficulties, the teachers and administrators have been very responsive and gone out of their way to help my kids succeed. On several occasions I have had the opportunity to read English papers that students at our church have written. The papers written by Pike students have been far and away the best. I was horrified at the low quality of the papers that received A's at the nearby private school prides itself on being so superior. Reading other students' work made me even more grateful that we chose to send out kids to Pike.”

“I believe that this school just gets a bad rep. As for the grading scale being 'too tough', that could just be that they expect more out of their students than administrators at other schools do. And from personal experience I can say that private schools are much more 'cliquish' than Pike is. Go to one football game and you will witness all of the different people who attend. And also, teachers (especially in the Freshmen Center) are very attentive to their students needs. Students here are well attended to by the magnificent teachers.”

“Pike High School is what you make of it. If a student choses to not take advantage of what Pike offers, his experience will probably suffer. But as a recent Pike grad who is in college now, I can promise that my education was solid. The teachers are good, the classes are sometimes challenging, and the opportunities to get involved are EVERYWHERE.”

“The academic programs could be better if the teachers would help students when they need help. Most of the teachers leave right when the bell rings and some students need help. Parents ask to be informed of problems and are basically ignored.”

“I'm a junior at Pike High School, and though I was skeptical at first, I've grown to love it. We have an amazing music program, several different classes, and many great teachers, especially in honors and AP. Our basketball team is also one of the best in the state. The only problem with Pike that I can see is that sometimes the administration seems indifferent to the special needs of the student body.”

“I am currently a senior at Pike High School. Pike offers so much for the student body.I have been at Pike for about two and half years. Pike sets its standards high so that we the students are prepared for the real world. I think people should rethink and actually look into the Pike High School overview.”

“I am a Junior at Pike High School. I have been through the Freshman Center and am on the Academic Honors track for my diploma. The quality of our academic program is excellent. Teachers, are willing to help if you just ask. Extracurricular activities are abundant as well as successful. Sure there are a few students that, in their behavior, alter the little good reputation that Pike does have, however I would not say that the school is suffering at all from these acts in the a fore mentioned aspects other than student behavior, and that starts in the home. All people see is the negatives from television and newspapers about Pike, but from my experience I can earnestly say that even with its flaws, Pike is about the business.”

“I'm a current student at PHS. This school fails so much. Yes, they have a large selection of classes. That's about the only reason I'm staying here. But if I wasn't taking mostly honors and AP classes, I would leave so fast.”

“Pike is a very large campus - parents beware: your student can get lost in the crowd. HOWEVER: the parent involvement; teacher communication; academic, artistic, and athletic opportunities abound! Pike is diverse both in race as well as economics - a true 'melting pot' of America (and beyond). I am excited to see Pike improve continually - with the confident belief that it is already an AMAZING school.”

“Music program is exemplary. IB diploma available. Outstanding experienced faculty.”

“Pike is a very good school with a variety of different classes for us as students to take. Academics is very important for education and pike has does a wonderful making sure classes are up to date. The extracurricular activities are good to but they give too much attention to the basketball team and football team. They're are other activities that should be recognized to.”

“Pike High School offers an extensive curriculum with opportunities far beyond what can be found in most other schools(private or public), taught by an award winning staff. After graduating, my friends and I found that we were leaps and bounds ahead of our college classmates due to the quality education and outstanding experiences provided to us by Pike Township schools.”

“My child was a student at PHS for 2 1/2 years. We relocated two years ago to a school district in New Jersey that has the number one and number five top high schools in the whole state. When I compare the educational opportunities, teaching staff, student life and the guidance counselors from both school districts, Pike Township is at the bottom. I was overwehlemed by the caring nature of the whole teaching staff at his new school and how they put the needs of the students first, something that does not happen at Pike. If you have can change your student from PHS please do. Thanks”

“My child is a junior at PHS. She receives an excellent edication(takes 5 AP classes currently). Pike offers variety of classes and extra-curricular activities (music department is one of the strongest in town).School is very well equipped, for instance they do electrophoresis in bio lab. Student-teacher ratio in some classes is 9:1, 12:1, which is better than in many private schools. PHS is ethnically and culturally diverse school, which is a big advantage (for normal people anyway). There are very few schools where my daughter could have equally good academic and social experience. Enormous opportunity is there and it is parents and students responsibility to make sure that nobody is 'left behind'.”

“I am a current student at Pike High School. From my freshman year to this now my junior year Pike seems to keep going in a downward trend. The lunches have risen from an already overpriced amount in my opinion. Everyday our meal includes french fries and some other format of the same multi-purpose meat they use. While some of the teachers are truly outstanding and are 100% devoted to the students, there are the ones that either a)are unable to educate the students, b)absolutely hate high school and teenagers or c) both. They are more concerned with students passing the classes more than they are concerned with the students actually learning. Last thing to notice is the amount of focus the school puts on basketball and football. No respect is given to swimming, wrestling, soccer or track & field, which have all had better seasons than football (2-8). 2 words, bye!”

“I am a current student at Pike High. The school has changed much in recent years in all aspects. The new Freshman building is now present, and it is stunning. It contains top-of-the-line everything, technologically and otherwise. There are also new principals for both the main building and the Freshman Center, both of which seem very promising. The main building is undergoing much renovation, and it soon may be just like new. The IB curriculum is now officially in place, making an extremely rigorous and world-reknowned program available to gifted students. Overall, things are looking up for Pike High School.”

“I am a current student at Pike, and I feel like I have received a good education. Although Pike lacks in many things, this year I have felt that many changes have been made for the better. The new principal, I think, has much to do with it. Although Pike Township has spent a lot of money on the building and the new freshmen center, I feel like it gives us something to actually be proud of. It is hard to be proud of your school if it is overcrowded and in bad shape, and I think the cosmetic changes helped for the better. Also, there are now many resources that we students never had. I also have the experience of learning to live in the real world, because of the diversity at Pike and the fact that I have learned to become independent. I feel cultured about many things.”

“Much better so far with the new principals! My son goes there and I can already see the improvement over previous years.”

“I fear for my granddaughter's safety every school day! There are too many fights and too much violence not addressed. The teachers spend more time keeping the peace than teaching. The average student gets over-looked and left to learn on their own. This is no way to insure a secure future for our children. I feel too much money is spent on athletics, new buildings, and cosmetic improvements. Put that money in teacher salaries, text-books, healthier lunches, and keeping the arts funded. Children live what they learn and most of the kids at Pike aren't learning. Just because they graduate, one way or another, doesn't mean they've learned anything other than how to survive Pike High School.”

“I am a recent graduate of Pike, and my four-year experience was, in a word, subpar. I am fortunate to have been an AP student, member of National Honor Society, and to be a member of the top ten percent of my class with an Academic Honors Diploma. I am also fortunate to be naturally intelligent enough to be self-taught. Anything I truly needed to know, I learned from an AP teacher or from myself. There are too many students for most teachers to make time for an individual. Quality education can be received through the AP and Honors programs, but one is 'hard-pressed' to find the elusive quality education in regular classes. In a school where basketball reigns three thousand students, it is easy to see why many Pike graduates are frustrated and ecstatic to leave Pike behind--not because it is high school, because it is Pike.”

“I have had a teen @ PHS for the past 3 years and have seen the administration of Pike hide events that would cause any parent to pull thier child from that high school immediatly. This is why I would not recommend PHS to my dead dog!”

“I feel that this school does not provide enough quality time with the children at this schoool to get to thier needs. This shcool has a poor education skills. I feel that they should help the children more than just pass them. Pike needs to take more time to develpe a good school year curriculum for the students. Although schools have there pros and cons so one of pikes cons is education and one of there pros is Basketball. So overall this school is very poor in education.”

“As a parent of a learning disabled child I am disappointed in their special education department and in some of the 'regular' teachers attitudes toward their needs. rather than tearing down the school next door to make a parking lot and spending money on a separate building for freshman, I feel they would do better to spend that money cutting down the violence and having inclusion classes for special needs. I feel money should be used to get and keep good teachers and to not let kids slip between the cracks.”

“I feel confident that my child will receive a good education at PHS based on the goals/values of the teaching staff and the curriculum offered. The teachers seem genuinely concerned that my daughter (and fellow students in her class), understand the subject at hand and, if needed, offer a variety of resources to help. For the first time (in a long,long time) my daughter is actually excited about learning and is anxious about attending school!”