I competed at Curtis High School for my school (Shorewood High School) as part of a high school…read moregirls water polo tournament in approximately 2009. It was my first water polo tournament between different schools. The school was straightforward to find as was parking. The pool deck was well designed for hosting a water polo tournament and the locker room was easy to navigate and located in close proximity to the pool deck. Tournament workers were friendly and very clear in communicating. Overall the high school did a great job hosting the event.

My time here felt like hell. I had no friends and fell down the stairs 16 times. The first 7…read morewe're during my freshman year. I slipped on a banana peel and fell down the stairs ultimately shattering the finger's femur. The when I returned to school, I was pushed to the ground where a hoard of teens who were late to class trampled on my already hurt pinky causing it to grow 5 inches during the healing process. After a month of recovery, I returned to school and on my way to the gym I fell down 5 flights of stairs which ultimately ended with a crushed knee cap. Then while I limped to the nurse I walked into someone locker because they had the door open and 2 of my teeth fell out. The rest of my year was relatively peaceful. I failed a few classes, attended summer school, and volunteered at the elderly dog shelter. The trouble started all over agin next year though because I was bullied for being the shortest junior in my year and while going to report my bullies to the principle, I slipped and triple back flipped on the halls wet ground. Then I slid all the way to the top of the ten flights of stairs and stopped just before what was definitely gonna be my doom. Then when I got up, I slipped on an orange peel which someone had left on the ground and was flung down the staircase I nearly avoided. I broke my hip and cracked a rib on the way down. It was a painful fall full of a constant thumping which has now given me trauma so that whenever I hear a drum, I drift into a panic attack. I wasn't allowed to go back to school after that. I spent the rest of the year recovering from my injuries. I was homeschooled throughout my final year in high school. I was doing fine in school and had been rehabilitated to the point where I could walk. Staying away from that horrid school left me injury free. Injury free until the incident happened that is. I had to take the final in the school so they would know i didn't cheat. Despite all the signs that I should absolutely refuse, I agreed to come thinking that the worst was already over. I walked in and the hall went silent and everyone stared since the rumors of what had happened to me had spread to every student in the school. It was awkward but I just looked forward and walked towards the exam room. But, I was to busy looking forward to notice the basket ball that someone had lost control of heading my way. SMACK!!! It hit me right on the back of my skull shocking me and making me lose my balance and fall down a tall menacing flight of stairs. There was red everywhere and I could hear people screaming. It was a horrific scene. I had broken my neck and sprained my left ankle in the fall. When I reached the bottom, I crashed into an unsuspecting lunch lady holding a tall tray full of room temperature tomato soup. I had ruined the entire school's lunch and just because of this, I give Curtis High School 4 stars. That was the best scene ever and I remember it to this day.

ETA: The new leadership team is amazing. The school went through some challenging times, but it's…read moreback to feeling like a home away from home again.

Think hard, don't lie to yourself... Does your child need a bit of support academically? Do you…read morethink they might? Do you want small class sizes? Are they on meds that need to be administered at school? Are they Neurodiverse (Dyslexic, Anxiety, ADHD, Autistic, Dyscalculia, etc.)? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, this school probably isn't for you. We really loved the school when the kid was younger. But, partway through the lower school, supports and amenities suddenly got a lot more scarce! The Middle School is even worse. Were the staff at fault? Usually not. Decisions were made and the kids that needed a bit of help paid the price. There isn't a school nurse. They have remodeled some of the specialist-type classrooms to convert them into classrooms. There has been quite a bit of staff leaving in the last 5 years. There isn't a real 9:1 kid to teacher ratio in practice, they use alternative accounting practices including counting staff members like the librarian (kids see the librarian for an hour or less per week while most teachers rush back to their rooms for preparation time leaving the librarian often alone with the kids). Teacher assistants in the lower school are not necessarily full time and are often pulled from class to cover teachers and things like playground duties. The administration is actively trying to add more students per class, and more classes overall, as all administrators are prone to do. In short, while it is a beautiful school, it isn't for everyone. Try not to be dazzled and ask the hard questions. See if this is right for your family. It is an expensive question to get wrong.

SCB is a built in family and support system. Academics are rough in middle school but I've heard…read morethey are well prepared for Bellarmineultimately it would be impossible to find the education and core values anywhere else in the PNW. So thankful for this educational experience for my kids.

I went here from age 5-14 (2000-2019). The middle school religion teacher was bigoted and made the…read morefemale students uncomfortable. Easily the worst teacher i've ever had.

Two years in and currently have had a terrible experience here. I've gotten bullied physically and…read moreemotionally, and this year is only worse. Phones are off limits the whole day now, (we used to be able to use them at recess) which means less talk with family as well. Would not recommend you send your kid here.

Daughter has had two physical bully incidents and both down played to misunderstanding by both…read moreprincipal and counseller.

This school needs to work on how they handle bullying. My child has faced it and so has plenty of…read moreother children in the school. All parents I've spoken to feel they didn't get actual results from staff when addressing the bullying situation. PROTECT OUR KIDS. I'm tired of this shit

Hate it so damn much Friends call me DEEF…read moreJus cuz those are my grades don't mean it doesn't hurt 5 stars

Henry Foss IB World School is a gem! Our student is getting an excellent education with access to…read moreboth AP and IB coursework. The staff works hard to connect with students. They volunteer their own time to serve as sponsors for activities or provide extra academic help. Our student loves that Foss is a smaller school. She participates in clubs and sports that may be less accessible at a larger school. We also value that the student body is diverse at Foss. We are so thankful that Tacoma Public Schools offers the IB program at Foss High School and would recommend the school to any student that would like an academically rigorous high school curriculum.