What a super nice school!…read more I participated in an hour-long "outreach" event this month; October 2021 at Enochs Highschool in Turlock, California. I have to this date, never encountered so many genuinely friendly and helpful young people. NAMI Stanislaus, The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the non-profit, grassroots organization I was volunteering for to get the word out about NAMI On-Campus, a NAMI supported program, student organizational group here at Enochs Highschool. This student-ran with adult supervision group provides outreach for the young students in supporting mental health, speaking about it, and stamping out the stigma which can accompany it for the young. The students got along and many were dressed up in 70's Disco Era clothing which looked great and authentic as at their lunch break, they mingled, visited our table full of informational stuff and complimentary items. All the teachers and school personnel I encountered were professional, friendly, and genuinely helpful. The campus and the landscaping were very well maintained and welcoming. This is a very well maintained & super clean school.

Terrible administration! They only hire unqualified people. Coaches have no degree or…read morequalifications!

This school is so State of the Art! As you approach the grounds you are wondering if you're in the…read moreright place! It looks like a Junior College Campus! The gym is the largest one I've been in! The football stadium is just awesome! The school is located in the Northwest area of Modesto, just minutes from the freeway!

messed up my registration and ruined my whole year. im very upset by this and i would not…read morereccomend this school to anyone unless they are ready to be upset by the staff.

Very friendly staff! I came to meet with the Band director. I was impressed by her dedication to…read moreher students and the time she took to show us around.

This school was great for my kids. They graduated all 4 years with good grades and much support…read more They give out lots and lots of support and whatever extra help that you or your child may need.

Ustach Middle School has staff members who CARE! Being able to interact with them, you can tell how…read moremuch they want their students to succeed. They provide before and after school clubs, rewards for positive behavior with the PBIS Store, school fesitivals and many more ways for students/families to connect! Not every school is perfect but this school tries to make an impact on students and families. The culture at this school is improving every year and they are making a positive impact thanks to the hard work of staff and students.

Office staff not helpful. Joanne Valencia - is the first contact in the office. My son forgot his…read morejacket, first rainy day. He asked me to bring it to the office, but he doesn't have his phone so no way I could get ahold of him. I come in and she tells me to just put it on the table with his name. The sign above the table says 'staff is not responsible for the items- and they will not call the student to let them know it's there.' I ask her to call for him because he doesn't know I brought it- she tells me he won't hear it because he's in the cafeteria, but calls anyways. Another mom comes in with a laptop- she just tells her a name and asks to make sure she gets it. Joanne calls out for this student and immediately the student comes for the laptop. (Didn't tell the mom to place it on the table with a sticky note like she told me). I didn't leave because I wanted to make sure my son got his jacket. I waited 30 minutes. Finally she called a second time and he came up immediately to get it. Had I not sat and waited I don't believe she would have helped at all. He had to be at recess for a full 30 minutes without a jacket. - and as a mom I could never do that to another kid. I find her extremely rude and unhelpful and not a good fit for the very first person point of contact in the office at the school. Had I come in for a doc appt or something they would have had him come to the office immediately. I know there are systems in place to get ahold of the kids and she just chose not to help and wasted 30+ minutes of my day.

This school was amazing. All of the teachers are so helpful and nice. I learned exactly what I…read moreneeded so quickly. There isn't too much people so it isn't super crowded. Everything about this school when I went here was amazing. I graduated from here and I will always remember this school.

I absolutely love this school . My children have gone from pre-school till high school. The school…read morehas gone through some changes but that's ok. I never thought that I would send my kids to a private school because of the stigma of them. My children have excelled academically and spiritually. They have built long lasting friendships . Mc may not be for everyone but it sure has been good for us. I was once told by someone why do you want your kids to be sheltered , I said I'm not sheltering them but I'm simply protecting them . Look out into our world and see how much are children are up against . Come and give MC a try .

this school treats their students unfair. not getting into all the details, today i had a final…read morecall advocating for my brother that goes here. I simply asked if this could not be used against him in the sense that they are annoyed i called on his behalf. I believe it was the vice principle i spoke to do not remember her name, who said you cannot tell me what to do and hung up the phone. really shows their maturity and willingness to help in a situation. I wonder how they use their power as staff when dealing with the kids. assured me there is no target for being Hispanic because her kids are Mexican and so are the principals. as if someone is going to point the finger at their kids because of their job titles. Very disheartening.

The English department has some remarkable caring teachers. The choir teacher who's also the drama…read moreand band teacher has a lot of heart and I can tell he loves his job. Amazing choir program and wonderful choir concerts. My 4.0 student took AP and honors classes here, but still wasn't fully prepared for the MJC beginning Calculus classes. One of my girls has a medical condition and most of the teachers did a great job communicating and accomodating her accept for one who I caught altering her grade because of my complaint. I believe however that larger districts are better equipped to accomodate students with medical conditions. The Ripon High School faculty as a whole is spirited, hard working and does an incredible job considering that the classes probably get larger every year. Some of the coaches have a lot of heart and use their time and resources to make the teams great. The school as a whole works out well for students that are highly academic, played on sports leagues growing up and are highly spirited. I don't think it works out well for the other students that don't fit into these categories. Which is why I transferred two of my kids out. It's a small high school and a very conservative small town environment. Some of these Ripon District schools seem to be more about negative reinforcement instead of positive reinforcement. For example, if a student is failing their classes for what ever reason including a medical condition they can't attend dances if they don't maintain a certain gpa. Students are punished instead of guided for not making the cut. In the elementary schools students had to sit outside in the heat or the freezing cold without a jacket if they forgot to have a parent sign a report card envelope, etc. Gregori in Modesto uses positive reinforcement. They give rewards like fairs and entry to special rallies for students that make a certain GPA. Also from what I saw at Gregori their math was more advanced. Gregori has cameras everywhere in the hallways. It's incredible. No one can get away with anything there because of hallway cameras. It's awesome. Ripon High doesn't have hallways. It's mostly outdoor. There aren't any hallway lockers so students have to carry around a heavy backpack. Which also makes it possible for troubled or retaliating students to slip things in or out of the backpacks. Backpacks should have a lock and phones should be password locked. Ripon High resides in a small town where damaging and sometimes traumatizing rumors, gossip and retaliation seem to be the norm and sometimes Ripon PD might be called in to investigate which might not always be in a victims favor. So know your rights if they ask or take your phone and screen copy your social media and text messages. Bullying seems to be a big issue here and a lot of times the bully wins because of lack of proof or lack of policies or laws to protect you. Especially when the bully is a district teacher, faculty member or a favored student. Especially when they go on social media to bully and harass me because of my complaint. Yes some personel will and have done that. I have seen a lot of parents take their kids out of this district into larger districts and into better environments because of the bullying. As far as drugs, Ripon PD was doing raids and according to my girls they saw kids throwing drugs into trees. Drugs were also being offered to other students and kids were coming back from break high. As far as the district as a whole, bullying and retaliation can come from students or teachers. Yes, believe it or not a few teachers will lie and can and sometimes do alter grades. If you have to make a complaint about a teacher watch for grade alterations. The high school principal was alway professional, always responded to my concerns, and was highly spirted. My regret with him is that my 4.0 athletic student that gave everything she had for this school every waking moment worrying and working to succeed and showing a tremendous loyalty to this school and this district was never congraduated by her principal during their drive though graduation. He passed up our car which made it a little disappointing and a little awkward. I'm still not sure why that happened. He was standing there and then walked away from us to the next car. However one of the board members congradulated her and he was wonderful.

I do not recommend this school! Its all good until your child needs help or if a troubled child is…read morein your class..... If your child is behind or struggling, no help... just excuses... If another child that is troubled in your child's class they will not do anything... they can curse, throw things, talk inappropriate, but just send them to the "connecting room". I know many parents who took their kids out of this school and I'm thinking of doing the same. Very disappointed.

I recognize this will probably be brushed aside as another concerned parent, over reaching to be…read moreheard. But I feel my recent experience isn't an isolated case. In Modesto, educational options are limited. You often have to choose between overcrowded public classrooms or high-tuition private schools. On the surface, GVA (Great Valley Academy) seems like the perfect middle ground: a non-tuition public school with smaller classes and a focus on 'the whole child.' I attended the orientations and understood their pillars, but I was never informed that my child would be graded on her character on a numerical scale. There is a massive disconnect between encouraging 'character development' and issuing a formal report card that scrutinizes who a child is as a person. It is heartbreaking to receive a document that feels more like a subjective pronouncement on my child's personality than an academic evaluation. While I am thankful my child is too young to understand this level of scrutiny, the precedent it sets is alarming. Furthermore, the front administration's response to parental concerns is disappointing. If you disagree with a policy or wish to opt your child out of an assessment you feel is detrimental, the standard response is effectively, 'You can go to a different school.' While technically true, this 'take it or leave it' attitude is a failure of leadership. It treats parents as obstacles rather than partners. In the real world, performance is measured by output, reliability, and conduct. It is never measured by a superior's personal interpretation of your 'spirit'--especially when that superior isn't held to the same standard. Parents deserve a choice in how their children are evaluated without being told to simply leave if they ask for professional transparency.