Lawton Chiles High School

The School should be held accountable for the many students that act out inappropriately. There are way too many trouble making kids that obvsiously are school for other reasons than to learn. Other committed students suffer as there is too much profanity, contraband and skipping of classes.
—Submitted by a parent

Too many spoiled, trouble-making kids are allowed to act out here. It's unfair to the ones who want to do well and actually learn/succeed. I substituted here as a teacher and couldn't believe the horrible behavior that is tolerated. The teacher's grade books were full of entries about the same kids I had problems with acting out constantly. Why are they still in this school?! Put them in alternative high schools and stop them from interfering with the other students' education.
—Submitted by a teacher

Office staff is unfriendly, intimidating, and uninterested in students (and parents to!). Most teachers are helpful and great w/ communication. I've found that some coaches who are teachers are usually the worst. They are mainly focused on their sport and not on the kids. ESE students receive support, but as a parent, you have to stay on top of things, or they will be overlooked.
—Submitted by a parent

It is a safe school and provides the best High School curriculum
—Submitted by a parent

I have now had two children who will have gone through Chiles high. I've been extremely pleased with the education, the extracurricular activities, the leadership of the administration and the teacher and coaches. I also have to add the parental involvement is truly amazing. With a relatively new school as Chiles their incredible reputation for college prep has spread throughtout the southeast like wildfire. I also want to commend the parent involvement. This is huge. I've never been part of a school whose parents did and donated so much time and ideas. Keep up the good work. Go Wolves!
—Submitted by a parent

Chiles is the best school I have ever attended. I am currently a freshman at Chiles, and I'm very pleased with the school. In the past I've attended six differents schools, none of which amount to the satisfaction Chiles offers. I've only been to one other high school, but Chiles simply outshines the others. There is something for everyone take part in, the teachers are encouraging, and I am proud to be a student. I look forward to the next three years at Chiles.
—Submitted by a student

Chiles is a very well-rounded school. Many of the upper-level teachers are very enthusiastic about their job and are very effective in teaching and making sure the students learn the appropriate material. However, there is a lot of tension between the administration and the students and I would like to see more interest and involvement with the students' futures.
—Submitted by a parent

For the most part, I think Chiles provides a well rounded education to students. There seems to be a fairly good balance between the academic and psycholsocial perspective, in addition to many well qualified and excellent teachers. My daughter has participated in gifted, honors, and now AP classes, and her experiences have been mostly positive. I do think she is being well prepared for college. In terms of the sports program, I have heard several negative things, and know of boys that have been transferred out due to conflict. The administration seems heavily 'bureaucratic' at times, and the communication takes persistence, but my experience with both the guidance staff and the Assistant Principal of Academic Curriculum has been excellent. Overall, my experiences with Chiles have been very good, but I would be more hesitant in recommending this large school to parents of a child who struggles, or needs assistance/support even minimally.
—Submitted by a parent

I've had two children at Chiles and I have found teachers and staff to be excellent. The schools in this area, including Chiles, have a great deal of parent involvement. I do think Chiles should make it a goal to find options for children who do not learn well in regular class environment. I have a child who extremely smart but did not do well in the classroom. He quit and got his GED. I would like to have seen some other options for him.
—Submitted by a parent

Poorly supportive school for students and students, No parent teacher interaction. Office staff members are unfriendly, ineffective on following up on messages and intimadating to students who are late or absent!! No positive reinforcements for freshman and students say no one at the school cares about their progress or about them. Teachers do not respond to parent e-mails, and assistant principal does not return parent messages for a call or meeting to discuss problems.
—Submitted by a parent

Generally a great school. With a new building and up to date on tech, and is really focused on academics.
—Submitted by a student

Generally a good school. School is a nice size and reasonably fits all 1200 students well. A very strong academic program, with many Honers and AP classes. Most (not all) teachers care about their students and will work with them personally (letters of recomdation) to help team achieve their goals. A great sports program but at times taken a little to seriously, many coaches place team selfs with 'college' coach attitudes and pretty much run things their own way (cutting people when their are students who just want to participate), shows you the how strong the admin watches over the athletic department. Admin does a good job, but like mentioned some are just unfriendly and really bad about returning parent phone calls and/or emails. Like all schools Chiles has discipline problems but sometimes like said their more focuses on punishing the students than correcting whatever it wrong.
—Submitted by a student

Very pleased with the staff and programs available at Chiles. I have two children currently attending Chiles. Many of the educator staff go above and beyond to assist them in their academic success.
—Submitted by a parent

Wonderful academic programs with a lot of choices on extracurriculars. Most teachers are very knowledgeable & helpful. Be prepared for your child to have a homework workload which can seem excessive. Overall this is a great school with the right priorities. As a parent, my only complaint would be the unfriendly & condescending administative staff.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent academic programs with emphasis on nontradtional vocational skills. Wide range of extracurricular programs ranging from all State sponsored sports to the arts. Strong volly ball, cross country, tennis and golf programs for both boys and girls. Excellent feeder schools at both the elementary and middle school levels.
—Submitted by a parent

Chiles has a very strong academic program. Ranging from wide selection in AP programs to strong ESE support. The Music is growing quickly into a top quality, competitive program. The athletics are varied and accessible. Clubs ranging from service to competitive math provide a variety of students a way to connect. However, Chiles is not a very diverse school compared to the demographics of the city. It would greatly enhance the curriculum and student experience to look at school boundaries to include Chiles as a school choice option and include a wider range of students.
—Submitted by an administrator

Very good school. AP programs are excellent. Extracurricular activities abound, all different types. Parents are typically very involved, its an upper middle class school, and thus there are a lot of stay at home moms that volunteer.
—Submitted by a former student

Chiles High School is a will rounded new school that offers a wide cirriculum and organizations.
—Submitted by a parent

As a Chiles student for four years, I can say that Chiles is a wonderful school. Students are guided along a path leading them to college, rather than a path leading straight to the work place. Look at the number of students awarded the Bright Futures Scholarship. Academics come first in this school, and the students are taught well as you can see by our FCAT scores. The FCAT scores are a fairly good representation of the academic quality of the school; you can't have a dumb student body and incompetent faculty and still make such impressive scores. Our Advanced Placement program is second to none! There are so many smart students here that it is easy to offer such a diverse selection of AP classes. Student activities and spirit are improving. Look at our website and you will see the many extra-curricular activities that you can be a part of.
—Submitted by a student

Lawton Chiles has a wide variety of activities for involved students, and has sent many students to the finest institutions in the country for postsecondary education- including Harvard, MIT, and the University of Chicago. The administration is new and often overly bureaucratic, diminishing students in an attempt to glorify their own agendas. The curriculum head is flexible, however, and motivated students can ensure their own educational success. Teachers are generally cooperative and caring, but often put out by the inept administration. Some of the best have left as a result of administration woes.
—Submitted by a parent