Seven Lakes High School

The classes are crowded. The teachers & counselors are overworked and underpaid. So quality of education is not very good. The school does well because kids are from famillies that take interest in their child's development. The teachers will often place questions on exams that require subject knowledge which is not covered in class. This practice can result in bright kids who do their homework and understand the material in getting low grades. For example, we have a child who was getting Cs and low Bs in algebra and geometry, so we thought he did not have aptitude for mathemematics. However, when he took the SAT at the end of sophomore year, it turned out he was nationally in the top 5% in mathematics. So, now we simply ignore what the teachers and their grades and pay attention to the standardized test scores. Now we help our child pick classes based on standardized test scores rather than school grades. If you want your kids to do well academically, put them in summer programs and get them private tutoring etc. This is important because a lot of colleges rely on these GPAs to give admission in colleges.
--Submitted by a parent

I moved to Glen Meadows so that my child could attend a hgih quality Middle School and Hig School. I am happy that I did and chose for my child to attend Seven Lakes after Beck Jr. HS. The quality of education will really prove valuable toward getting him into a good college and a start in life.
--Submitted by a parent

I guess the first thing you should know is that the school is huge, we've got almost 4000 people attending, I know a lot of people are into the closeness of a small class, but to me it doesn't really matter, I see a complete stranger in my school everyday, people I've been in the same school with all year and I've never seen them before, but it's no biggie, other than that graduating from this school is prestigious, sure the classes can be kind of hard, but we make the best test scores in the state, and colleges accept many of our students. And when you hit second semester of junior year, having that kind of high school background doesn't hurt. I'm ot very school spirited, I don't go to games or anything like that, but a lot of people do. The teachers are alright, all very intelligent people, students are ehh, they tend to group together and hardly ever break away from that group, the freshman are very separated from the rest of the school, they're very much less respected, but in my eyes that's good, you've got to make it through your first year to earn that respect. I feel that this is a school for the best, and that those who go here will receive many opportunities in life.
--Submitted by a student

As a student there for 2 and a half years I can testify that it is a cold environment to put a student in. Not only is it overpopulated by thousands(which makes it impossible to get to know everyone) but it is very competitive in sports and theater, so much so that if your child is not in the top 20....(out of 3000) they will not get on the team or in the play. This is not a school to develop your child's abilities in anything but academics, which is ultimately unsatisfying. All schools in Katy are built upon an identical 'award winning' school facility design. I went to summer school to get ahead one year...the other school was identical except that it's main color was purple instead of blue. All students smoke marijuana because there is nothing to do in Katy. Neighbors seldom talk to each other if ever.
--Submitted by a student

I think SL is a great school. I will be a senior next year and am in all AP classes. I can't speak about the academic classes, but the teachers who teach AP courses are wonderful, dedicated professionals. This past year I had Mr. Irish for APUSH and Mrs. Stauffer for AP Lang. Both were passionate and dedicated. Great school.
--Submitted by a student

moving from out of state to the houston area it is extremely difficult with all the choices of subdivisions and top schools. if i'd known more about seven lakes the home search would have been much quicker. cannot tell you how thankful we are to have landed in the seven lakes district. beautiful school, well run, excellent teachers, staff, volunteers, coaches, incredible facilities, opportunity abounds to all. It's obvious students get involved, they love their school and show pride. seven lakes is doing it right and making a positive difference in our children and community. they are recognized and appreciated.
--Submitted by a parent

Good day, today I had a communication with my son and I said how happy he is studying at Seven Lakes, I deeply thank all his team: managers, teachers, facilitators and students for all the effort you make to be excellent daily. lesdeseo thanks and much success. from Nueva Esparta - Venezuela
--Submitted by a parent

i'm a junior at this highschool and i've been going here since freshman year. after junior high, the adjustment was naturally hard but they make a huge effort to help students, and mrs whitbeck (soon to be dr) does everything she can. the staff is so encouraging and they want you to do well. some teachers in the past gave off the ~i'm doing this for the money solely~ impression but never have i gotten that at seven lakes. we're a v e r y diverse group of students, and through all our differences we all seem to join together. the best part is that our say is valid, just a few weeks ago we got to put down our suggestions and the assistant principals read them, and even gave us feedback which actually worked to our advantage! amazing in all aspects, you learn a lot academically and through life lessons
--Submitted by a student

Seven Lakes is as fantastic a high school as can be plausibly found. Originally a move-in, I was reluctant to accept 7L as a sophomore. However, after the past three years as a spartan, I can hardly believe the affiliation I have found with this school. The teachers are all knowledgeable, but more than that, they are passionate. In all honesty, as a senior I can attest that I have not encountered a single class which I did not find beneficial or intriguing, nor a teacher who failed to go beyond the requirements. The campus itself is well-maintained and the atmosphere is open and positive. Seven Lakes also focuses on its extra-curriculars: award-winning Fine Arts Department (theater, visual arts, music), state-champion academic teams (Academic Decathlon, UIL, FBLA) and a plethora of opportunities for students to excel (college visits, summer programs, scholarship bulletins). I would recommend this school to any new family.
--Submitted by a student

My child is junior at Seven Lakes. He is an average student that gets the help he needs when he asks for it. Pre-AP classes were too much for him but academic classes are not enough. I wish there was something in between. There is a terrific sense of community at SLHS and Ms. Whitbeck and the office staff are terrific. In sophomore year he had three different science teachers in the first six weeks and just recently his pre-calc class was combined with the other pre calc class. There are now thirty students in his math class. This is all due to rapid growth. I am happy with most of his teachers but if your child can handle the pre and AP classes, go for it. Overall I am very happy with 7L but am a little nervous about core class sizes.
--Submitted by a parent