Which high scool should i attend in the fall?

i am in 8th grade and extremely torn between two schools, University High and Tucson High. UHS is a extremely tough school but everyone there ends up with scholarships and a great education. i am smart (i have a college reading level) and hard working. but i dont do well under stress. all of my close friends will be attending there.
tucson high is a magnet for fine arts and offers many things that i am interested in. such as photography, journalism and art history (all of which UHS doesnt). my best friend will most likely go there, and most of my old friends (dont talk much) will be going there. if i go there, i will be in the honors classes.
i am very confused and would appreciate some advice.
thank you!

Tuscan High. You want to have a good time in high school, not be miserable. Besides, it offers courses you cannot get at the other school, and you can still do honors courses. You're going to make new friends, so I wouldn't base it off that, but it's definitely nice to have your best friend by your side.

The only thing I could say in favor of the other school is the scholarship potential. But you could do your best, keep your grades up, have a good time, and apply for scholarships at the other high school too. I don't think high schools are that big of a deal, what is a big deal is you challenging yourself and preserving your mental health in the process. Get the most from your education at the Tucson school, make sure you are intellectually challenged and enjoy the courses you want!!!!

Honestly, suffering through classes in subjects you hate, getting pressured and stressed..... sounds miserable. There's more to life than being the perfect student. You can be an intelligent, complex, and interesting well-rounded person no matter where you go.

EDIT:

PS- I really like Chrissy & Kelly's answers

Think of what field you really want to go in and go to the school that offers classes for that field. Don't go to a school because of friends; concentrate on your future. It will be more beneficial later on in life.

I am also in 8th grade, so I will be attending a highschool next fall, too. Unlike you, I have only one choice, but I still can help you. Go to Tucson High. If that is where you will find everything that you like, then go and pursue your dreams. You might not get as good of a scholarship, but you will at least be able to do what you want. As for your friend issue, don't worry. You will be able to make new friends. If you have good contact with your close friends who headedof to see the wizard of university high, then just call them and get together every once in a while. Trust me, you'll do fine.

first of all, congratulations for having the chance to go to both of these wonderful schools!!

well, i'm not going to pick for you. that's your duty. but i will make this an easier for you, by putting it into easier questions.

what means more to you, being with your friends, or making a great living?

would you be willing to make the sacrafice of being under stress to have a great education? (if you're as smart as you say you are, you won't be under that much pressure/stress.)

do you enjoy photography and journalism more than other classes, such as history and science?

would you rather go to school with a lot of close friends, or with your best friend?

i hope this helps. again, congradulations. best wishes for the near future.

i'm a senior and i went to 2 high schools. for the first two years, i went to myers park, which is really tough, top 10 nationally ranked, etc.. it seems really similar to UHS. i took all pre-IB classes (the hardest you could take as a freshman or sophomore) & i did pretty well, but not amazing, because like you, i'm smart but can't handle stress that well. then, my family moved out of the school district, i had to go to another school, porter ridge. i took all honors classes my junior year because i kind of wanted to take it easy and meet people.. and the classes ended up being reallly easy.. i got a lot of A's, but then i kind of started slacking off because i just wasn't challenged.. so ended up getting B's too. this year, i took two AP classes, some honors, and some standard (i took standard b/c of scheduling conflicts). right now i have a 4.036 weighted gpa. i'm probably going to graduate with a 4.1. if had gone to myers park, i would have graduated with something closer to, or even above 5.0 .. all my friends from myers park got into UNC, even if they didn't try that hard (we're from north carolina, by the way).. at porter ridge, the only people that got into UNC were the ones that busted their @sses! i actually got denied, and i'm really having a lot of trouble with colleges. i realllly want to go to davidson, which is a really prestigious school, but i'm soo afraid that i won't get in. it's super stressful. i don't want to go to a state school so now i'm looking at some "blah" private schools.. when i could have been going to wake forest, furman, emory, or vanderbilt like my friends! i soo wish i had stayed at myers park.. you should really go to UHS because you'll have much better opportunities.. and i know you said you can't deal with stress that well. i'm kind of the same way, but here's the thing.. to be successful in life, you're gonna have to learn how to deal with stress, and sooner is better than later. you CANNOT go to college not knowing how to manage your stress.. so it's better to learn now! a lot of other kids will be in the same boat as you at UHS, and you'll help each other study, etc.. that's how it was ay myers park. good luck! sorry for the long & rambling answer :]