Northwood High School (Irvine, California)

Northwood High School is a public high school located in the northernmost part of Irvine, CA, USA. It opened in 1999 but the first graduating class did not graduate until 2002. In May 2006, the school was featured in Newsweek as a "Public Elite" among American high schools, excluded from the standard list of Best High Schools because so many of the students score well above average on the SAT and ACT.

Academics

The school operates on an alternating block schedule, in which students attend odd-period classes (1, 3, 5, and 7) on one day and even-period classes (2, 4, 6, and 8) the following day. Classes are 90 minutes long and meet for either 18 weeks (semester) or 36 weeks (year-long). On Tuesdays and Thursdays, students attend a tutorial session, which lasts for 40 minutes between the first and second classes of the day, and can be used at the students' discretion. Most students opt to finish homework or meet with teachers for help. Every Wednesday is designated a "late-start," in which classes start an hour later than the regular schedule. All students, with the exception of seniors, are required to take a minimum of six classes per semester. Seniors are required to enroll in a minimum of five classes for the fall semester and four for the spring.

Every year, dozens of Northwood students receive prestigious academic awards, such as scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Program, and the school...
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