We have been at Rocklin Academy Gateway since kindergarten. Moving to WSCA for 8th grade I thought it was just different building. No! Was I wrong! A totally different school! Academics are ok/good depending on the teachers you get. Administration is horrible. Bullying behavior is tolarated. In a way I am glad we moved here for 8th grade. We were able to make a decision not to send our kids here for high school. read more

We have been so pleased with the social and academic culture at WSCA. My son is now in his second year and is thriving. I was worried it would be too academically challenging, but we've found that he's doing awesome! I'm so thankful to the administrators and the parents for making this a great school and a great experience for my child. read more

Although the school claims its curriculum prepared you for college, the academics do not do that. The school has no "finals" which should be a giant red flag for any high school. Because of this, I felt completely unprepared for college academics. Socially this school is awful, there is so much drama and the kids are not the most pleasant people. There have been numerous drug issues as well as other illicit activities. While this may be normal for a public high school, Western Sierra is not a public high school. The authorities give offenders to many re-do's and there were a couple of times that I felt very unsafe because of the kids they let stay in the school. Public high school has its flaws but in the grand scheme of things, your kid will probably do way better in all of it than "sheltered" at Western Sierra. read more

I have two children attending WSCA and they are both happy there. The academics are fairly rigorous (which is to be expected) and my kids have been happy with most of their teachers. The few issues that I have encountered (only a couple of minor things) have been addressed quickly and efficiently. It has been an accepting and friendly environment for the most part as well. From my experience over the last few years I would feel comfortable recommending this school. read more

DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD HERE! The teachers are awful (except maybe a few). The administration is even worse! If your child isn't perfect they will do whatever they can to get rid of them. read more

I would give them 0 zero stars if I could. The academics are amazing. Sadly, the way they care for and treat students is horrible. Girls get groped all the time by Male students and are blamed by administrators for it. They throw students away who don't fit what they want. They talk down to parents as if they are stupid. Bad on them for how they treat students. read more

So, I have finally heard back as to why they denied my daughter a guest pass to any dances and thought you should all make a decision for yourself. Last year it was the last dance and my daughters doctor faxed a note to allow her into the dance. The school says they never received it. So, two of my daughters friends stood up for my daughter. They stated that if she was not able to attend then they would be leaving the dance too. Way to go friends for taking a stand with your friend. So, one of her friends asked for a guest pass to homecoming dance which was accepted by the student council but denied by the administration. I was finally told it was because of the last dance last year. We teach our kids not to hold grudges and stand up for each other. Only to find out that the administration would hold a grudge for both. Way to be role models administration read more

Just FYI this area gets very busy between 3 and 4. School gets out at 3:30 and there are a lot of students that do attend, so it can get to be a bit crazy. read more

I understand that expectations of schools are as varied as the individuals who attend and their parents. However, in the area of staff and administration, this school is exceptional. I have two students attending WSCA who have also attended other schools. Their teachers are committed, enthusiastic and highly qualified. Many of the teachers are academic leaders in their field. The school structure and administrative support provides all students with the tools necessary to succeed. The College and Career center under the direction of Cindy Cutts is an amazing resource. If you are looking for a public school that focuses on college prep and has the resources to do it well, then this is the place for your student. read more

TWO STARS: One for the GREAT teachers at the school (esp. Mrs. Dixon, Sra. Carlson and Sra. Galvan, Mrs. Dayton, and Mr. Rice; Mrs. Stout is good too if you have her), and the other one for Mrs. Amira (counselor, teacher, friend, someone who's there when you need advice, etc.), who really deserves a star of her own. Don't get me wrong: this is a GREAT school as far as academics goes, and quite possibly the best around. There are just some things that made it a bad experience for me. Why not five? Here are a few reasons: There is a lack of communication between the faculty and students. A great example is during the 2010-2011 school year, when a certain unnamed teacher who was well-loved by his students was "fired" (the real reason why is out of the question). The point is that there was a staff cover-up where the principal at the time walked into the teacher's classroom after the teacher had left, and told the kids that the teacher quit, and to suppress any rumors, he would "see [the person] in [his] office" if he heard anyone talking about it. In that same year, the school principal had promised to get in touch with my parents over an issue with a teacher and had failed to do so by the time he had agreed to (basically, he never got back to them at all) Also, in my personal experience as a student at this school this past year (in the 2012-13 school year), I had earned a treat from my Spanish class that I had worked hard all year long to achieve. On the day I was going to receive it, the school authorities told me that because I had left the school for a brief hour (it was the end of the year; my class wasn't doing anything that day), I was ineligible for my reward. My parents and I were furious at the school and this was so frustrating to me that it overshadowed all of the good memories I had of the year until that point. This also took away all of the trust I had for the school. I am still haunted by that experience today and I pity the children who go to this school and also get cheated out of what they earned by the faculty/staff (I was not the only student that year who didn't get their year-long-earned prize). If you do end up going here, watch your back! Speaking of the school staff, there are a few amongst the school faculty who are so awful, they hardly smile, don't say ANYTHING nice about you or to you, they don't try to make a conversation, and when you talk to them they almost take it personally. I won't say who these people are (I believe they were new last year), but all of the student in the school despise them and they should, for the benefit of the school, be let go. Another person who should probably be let go is the newly-hired P.E. teacher, who appears to have a very gruff manner and does not treat her students well. There are also not many sports in this school (especially no golf!), as the school is focused mostly on academics. This may not bother some people, but it certainly bothered me. In summary, thank goodness I graduated because otherwise I would probably be trying to get into Whitney HS the next year, or better yet, skip high school and go to Sierra College and obtain my HS AND college credits there. read more

We have felt extremely supported by the administrative staff here. It's easy to tell that the teachers enjoy working with the students and with each other. read more

The school has been amazing for both my children. I have a son and a daughter who have attended for the past two years. We have been nothing but pleased with the academics and their social interactions as well. Administration has been wonderful too. Highly recommend the school based on both academics and the social culture! read more

Mr.Daton puts his hands on girls waists, I've seen it, if you don't believe me you are insane, I was treated like shit here, I wouldn't ever get personal help, a teacher made fun of someone's ADHD, and teachers publicly embarrass and bully their students, if you try to talk to a teacher about your emotional problems and you don't give them a definite "yes, I will not hurt myself" they will call your parent/guardian to take you to urgent care. Not to mention when I was involved with drama I wrote a letter to the person I had drama with and they never delivered the letter despite it being their idea for me to write one. I know because I had someone ask her next school year and it was a close friend of hers. Now I will add their "rule" of ppl not being allowed in the locker room during lunch or hanging out in there is only a thing because someone told the school ppl were hanging out in there then those ppl that told started hanging out in there. Also i have had my phone taken from me and trapped in a bathroom by boys and school ain't do anything abt it. Not to mention there are rapists that go to that school, or at least did go to that school, obviously they aren't adults but i can't go into specifics for the privacy of the girl, but she was coerced into sex by another classmate. I also was called out for not having homework, yes I didn't have hw but the teacher didn't need to call me out when the entire class was focusing on him like. Not to mention their grading system A B C I like bruh tf happened to the D and the F. Pardon my language but I actually heard a teacher cuss towards a student (they didn't know I was around). There are many things fucked up about WSCA and please listen to someone that was a Student there (me). read more

We've moved to a new facility in Rocklin! I'm not sure about the previous review--I have been very involved on and off campus since the beginning and have found the staff and teachers to be among the most enthusiastic/passionate I have seen. Many of the teachers have multiple years experience and their support of students is unparalleled. They are offering 3 AP courses and an Honors Biology course, and the list will continue to expand as the school grows. Do your homework--as a parent, only you can know what is right for your child--but it has been a great fit for my children. read more

If you want your kid to not compete with the best, here's a place for you. It might be a "small' school, but the kids are jammed in windowless cramped classrooms. Nearly every teacher is inexperienced. To avoid bad publicity, they don't inform parents about threats and safety issues from dysfunctional (or worse) behaviors. They have their share of helicopter and needy parents thrilled about this place, but ask the tough questions about how many AP classes they offer: 1 as in ONE. No honors classes at all. They send out only rah-rah publicity newsletters but don't inform the parents about all the issues. And there's constant fundraising for everything. There's no competitive sports program, of course, and that is part of the growing up experience. I don't want my kids to be part of a new 7-12 experiment and then have to pay for it with too much fundraising. read more