About Gretchen Whitney High School
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Gretchen Whitney High School is located in Cerritos, CA and is one of 30 schools in Abc Unified. It is a public school that serves 1020 students in grades 7-12.
Gretchen Whitney High School made AYP in 2009. Under No Child Left Behind, a school makes Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) if it achieves the minimum levels of improvement determined by the state of California in terms of student performance and other accountability measures. See Gretchen Whitney High School's test results to learn more about school performance.
A school's Academic Performance Index (API) is a scale that ranges from 200 to 1000 and is calculated from the school's performance in the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program. The state has set 800 as the API target for all schools to meet.
Gretchen Whitney High School had an API growth score of 988 in 2009. California uses the Academic Performance Index (API) to measure annual school performance and year-to-year improvement. Gretchen Whitney High School's 2009 base score was 985 and the school did meet its 2009 school-wide growth target.
In 2008, Gretchen Whitney High School had 23 students for every full-time equivalent teacher. The California average is 21 students per full-time equivalent teacher. Learn more about Gretchen Whitney High School's students and teachers.
Gretchen Whitney High School Student Diversity
- Students by Ethnicity (2008)
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Asian
73 %
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Hispanic
9 %
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Filipino
9 %
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Multiple or No Response
4 %
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White
4 %
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Black
2 %
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Pacific Islander
< 1 %
- Students by Gender (2008)
- Female 53%
- Male 47%
Gretchen Whitney High School Reviews
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Data Source:
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Schools Nearby
Helen Wittmann Elementary School
0.2 miles
Cecil B. Stowers Elementary School
0.6 miles
Abc Secondary (Alternative)
0.7 miles
Carmenita Middle School
0.7 miles
About Cerritos, CA
- Population Median Age 37 years
- Median Household Income $73,030
- Average Household Size 3.34 persons
- % of Homes with Kids 45%
- % Owning / % Renting 84% / 16%
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Based on 2000 Census (latest available)
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- © Zillow, Inc., 2008. Use is subject to Terms of Use
As of the 2008-09 school year, Whitney High school no longer offers AP English Literature. The school will only offer the standard level English for its seniors. The talk among most seniors is that this change was made to protect seniors who are not interested in pushing themselves by taking the hardest level classes available. By getting rid of AP, Whitney has essentially leveled the playing field but at the expense of not pushing the communities most talented students with the most difficult coursework.
Additionally, recent controversy has been stirring among the seniors about "Panel Interviews." During these "interviews," seniors must defend their college lists before a panel of faculty members, generally consisting of one counselor, a principal, and two teachers. During these panel interviews the Principal Hager and Mrs. Logan (counselor) have told numerous students that they should not apply to the most elite private schools and the counselors and principals are unwilling to write the counselor recommendations on behalf of the seniors because they do not want to sully the reputation of Whitney with the best colleges in the nation. Students often emerge from the panel interviews in tears.
I understand the need to advise a student to have a well rounded and safe school list. I also understand that students can be too ambitious. But what I cannot understand is how a school who prides itself on sending 100% of its graduating seniors to 4 year colleges can so blatantly disregard and deride the ambitions of their students. Most of these seniors have spent six years at Whitney, believing that their high school careers will culminate with applications to and acceptances from elite colleges. Most students, probably thanks to their educations, believed in at least trying, even if their chances of being accepted were slim. How can Whitney educate its students for 6 years only to tell them that they can't, shouldn't, or will not be made able to apply to their dream school?
Whitney's reputation was built years ago by better, more caring faculty and staff. If the school continues its current course, it will surely find itself behind other public schools.