i have to agree with what most of the other reviews have said in that Lowell is full of the top students from the city, competitive, easy to get lost in, and stressful. Although it's been over a decade, it's probably still the toughest and best prep for college in san francisco aside from some of the outstanding smaller private schools. College after lowell was actually easier and more fun but that was because i didn't get into the next high achieving public university such as berkley or davis. I did enjoy the various arts classes and challenging teachers but not being the competitive type, I might have had more fun in a smaller inclusive student body. if you must send your kid to a public high school, this is the safest one in the city since even the "toughest" kids are still nerds.
more