Lakeside High School

Lakeside is a great school. To begin with, the school is very diverse, and full of people who come from many different backgrounds. When I think of Lakeside, I think of a mini-college. There are just more rules and you go home everyday of course. Over all, Lakeside is the best school I have ever gone to.
—Submitted by a student

I am so happy to have my daughter attend Lakeside. The opportunities for AP instruction and extra-curricular involvement are excellent. The new construction has turned the school into a first class environment. The principal is extemely dedicated and deals aggressively with any negative situations that arise (as they always do in high school).
—Submitted by a parent

Good school. Teachers are for the most part dedicated and excellent. Principal Reed is great, Administration is well organized. Safe environment. My son came from a small private school and is doing really well here and he loves it. Recommend.
—Submitted by a parent

This is my second year at Lakside High School, and I love it. My first year was great, and my second year is starting off great. For the most part the teachers are amazing. They care a lot about the students and are there to help you. The school has really stepped up from what it was before. There are really great clubs before and after school. There is always something going on in the school. The principle is doing a great job.
—Submitted by a student

Bar-none, the best neighborhood HS in Atlanta. Serving a population of almost 2000, the school still consistently graduates classes of over 400 students, sending the majority (my class 4 years ago was over 90%) to four year colleges. The school prepares students for competitive colleges, and is even better with the new addition of the new arts and sciences facilities. Lakeside is a steal for the low cost of your taxes!
—Submitted by a student

School has improved vastly since past principal. Still struggles with over crowding, and very poor math teachers. New Principal is doing the best he can given the confines of the county.
—Submitted by a parent

The principal of Lakeside is a joke. I feel bad that my child has to spend their last few yrs of HS here...
—Submitted by a parent

Great principal who is a real leader and goes to all the activities. Had two step sons go here and they both got a very good education and liked the school. My own son went to a top Gwinnett school and I feel Lakeside campares well while being more diversified. I have been involved on a booster club at both schools and find that Lakeside parents were even more involved than at my son's school. The only shame is how run down the school was but it is finally getting an upgrade.
—Submitted by a parent

Lakeside High is - bar none - the best public high school inside the Perimeter. A traditional high school, not a charter, magnet, etc., it has many veteran teachers who are very loyal to the school. It has overcome a rough two-year period 2007-09 with a weak principal who was replaced with an excellent one. Diverse student body (+40% minority). Many students go on to top schools: Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Duke, Emory, Georgia, etc. Large part of the student body takes AP courses resulting in Lakeside being consistently ranked among Newsweek's top 10 public high schools in Georgia. As in all schools, more could be done to help below average students.
—Submitted by a parent

Great teachers and academics....lots of activities anda acommunity thatwants the school to succeed.
—Submitted by a parent

I have a Junior (boy) at Lakeside and a Freshman (girl) at Lakeside. They are both thriving, academically and in extra-curricular sports and clubs. In 14 years in Atlanta, we have tried both private and public schools. Lakeside teachers, vast majority, serious professionals, are better paid than their private school counterparts and are far more rigorously evaluated. If you are paying a lot of money for private school, you will have to justify it to yourself, but Lakeside has a wealth of opportunities for students of many different learning styles and levels.
—Submitted by a parent

Mr. Reed new LHS principal is the best one we have has so far. He cares for EVERY student that enters this schools and makes sure they get out with dignity,honors, and distinction. LHS has gotten better and I expect to see his working period make LHS the best Music/arts public school of Georgia.
—Submitted by a student

My daughter is attending LSH as a freshman & am looking into a different HS for next year I am highly disappointed I moved in this area for the schools districts & am not at all happy with LSH. There is no assistance with students who struggle the teachers tend to turm them away vs. answering questions & offering advice . Perhaps the gifted & advanced classes are indeed treated better. I also do not approve of the new principal.
—Submitted by a parent

The best administrator in the building works in the attendance office. He really listens to the students and has their respect. The new principal does not treat the kids with the respect they are due. I suppose that comes from being an elementary principal. You input doesn't matter to him. The PTSA is a clique and a tough nut to crack. They only want followers not leaders as someone from outside might come in with ideas for change. Which, in my opinion is long overdue on the board. The school is a dump, slated for a renovation this summer, we'll see. I will believe it when the equipment arrives on site.
—Submitted by a parent

I have a 10th grader at Lakeside High and having graduated fron Lakeside in 1977, I was amazed at the lack of funding the school has suffered from over the past 30 years. Lakeside has always led the county in most all academic categories and athletic ones from time to time. My son loves the school, is doing well, and has participated in several sports, band and clubs. the new principal is a no nonsense caring man that is going to lift Lakeside's spirits in the classroom and throughout the community. What happened to Lakeside? Lack of funding from the county, lack of caring by the community and parents of kids who do not live in the Lakeside district and don't care to support their kids or the school. My kid was accepted at St. Pius and did not want to go. He chose Lakeside. Lakeside is coming back!!
—Submitted by a parent

Lakeside has the good, the bad and the ugly. If your child is in gifted classes, Lakeside is good, if your child is in general classes, it is really bad. If you must deal with the administration its ugly. In my experience, it is the administration that is rude and disrespectful ( not only to the kids but to the parents). I always come away from my conversations with administration feeling discouraged and depressed. I see reverse discrimination ~ not from the kids ~ but from the staff. Surely there is a way to teach kids without making them feel bad about themselves. If I could afford to move or private schools, I would definitely leave LHS.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is a senior and my daughter is a freshman. My son has loved Lakeside. My daughter is also enjoying it. They have a wonderful marching band and chorus and drama club. They also have a large cross country team that is doing well. My children are both in gifted classes and the teachers for gifted classes do a great job. My son did get put in a general classroom by mistake for a few weeks once and said that was horrible. The new principal is at every event. He seems to care about the school quite a bit.
—Submitted by a parent

It is an academically excellent school despite its horrible physical condition. The kids are smart, the parents are involved and the most of the teachers are wonderful.
—Submitted by a parent

I graduated from Lakeside in 2008, the year where leadership changed. The positive things about Lakeside are that I sensed strong community support and there were a batchful of teachers who knew what they are doing. But I also think that there many things that made going to school hard. First and foremost, dirty stinky bathrooms were unbearable. The administration was way too strict. I mean it felt like they were watching each person's every move( I hated this about lakeside). I think Lakeside's Academic Standing will continue to decline if teachers/parents/ and students are frustrated about the classroom environments.
—Submitted by a student

I attend Lakeside and I would like to say that I love Lakeside. Yes, it has it's flaws but there are so many good things that come from the school. If the school is so awful why does it constantly make AYP? Why did Lakeside High School's We the People team win their huge competition in Washington DC? Sure, these things may be small, but if the school was as bad as you all say it is such wonderful things wouldn't come out of it. Our boys varsity soccer team won state last season and this past season made it to the Final Four. The JV Baseball team are county champions and our varsity baseball team made it to the second round of the playoffs. These achievements show the determination of our students. I don't think it's fair for everyone to call our school a bad school.
—Submitted by a student