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Lamar High School (Houston)

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Lamar High School
Lamar High School
Principal Administrator James McSwain
Grade levels 9 - 12
Founded 1937
School type Public school (U.S.)
Religious affiliation None
Location Houston, Texas, United States
Enrollment 3,429 students (2004-2005 school year)
Campus surroundings Urban
Mascot Redskins
School colors Red, Blue
Magnet Partial: Business management, IB Diploma Programme
School Hours 8:30 AM to 3:42 PM
Average Class Size 30

Mirabeau B. Lamar High School is a secondary school located at 3325 Westheimer Road in Houston, Texas, United States, with a zip code of 77098. Lamar High School, which serves grades 9 through 12, is part of the Houston Independent School District.

Lamar High School, which is located in the Upper Kirby district, is denoted as having a business magnet program offering a wide array of business management courses, as well as cooperation with the Houston business community to provide internships and college scholarships. It also has the International Baccalaureate program.

The school is named after Mirabeau B. Lamar. Lamar has one of two high school-level IB Diploma programs in the Houston Independent School District, and offers many IB Diploma classes, including several foreign languages: Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Spanish, and Russian. In 2002, 32 students were awarded the IB Diploma, and Lamar was recognized as the most successful IB school in Texas. Lamar also hosts summer school for HISD.

The school handles grades nine through twelve. Lamar High School has neighborhood, Advanced Placement, and IB Diploma Programme (International Baccalaureate) programs. Lamar primarily serves the neighborhood of River Oaks and the incorporated city of West University Place (for an exchaustive list of neighborhoods, see "Neighborhoods served by Lamar".) Lamar is annually one of the top schools in Texas and the United States, with some of the highest numbers of National Merit Scholars and Semifinalists. Lamar was ranked as 675th [1] in Newsweek's 2005 list of the top high schools in the United States. It was ranked 973rd [2] during the following year. Many students in other parts of Houston ISD transfer to Lamar to escape home schools that do not have a good academic performance, causing the attendance figures of those schools to suffer. [3]

The school's mascot for its sports teams is the "Redskins". There are plans to phase out the "Redskins" into the "Rangers" as "Redskins" is considered derogatory to the Native American population. So far, only the girls' dancing squad, the "Arrowettes", have been permanently given a new name (the "Rangerettes"). There is a joke in the River Oaks community that states that River Oaks Boulevard is the only street with a country club at both ends. One is the River Oaks Country Club, and the "other" is Lamar High School. [4] [5]

The school is seen in the movie Rushmore. In Rushmore the campus is used as the setting for the public school.

The school was also featured in the Chuck Norris film: Sidekicks.

History

The entrance to the Lamar High School auditorium is decorated with a map of the state of Texas.

Lamar High School was established in 1937. Earlier the Southampton Civic Club attempted to persuade Houston ISD to build Lamar at a lot along Kirby and West Alabama; the attempt failed and Lamar was built across from River Oaks. [6] The school opened as an all-white high school. Lamar grew rapidly to the point where Robert E. Lee High School was built in 1962 to relieve Lamar.

Lamar was desegregated when Houston ISD was ordered to desegregate in 1970. Unlike many other Houston ISD schools, Lamar's student body has remained mostly middle and upper class.

Location

As mentioned earlier, Lamar is located in the Upper Kirby district of Houston. Lamar is next door to the neighborhood of River Oaks. As River Oaks is the wealthiest neighborhood in Houston, Lamar High School is across the street from many mansions. A small shopping center, the Lamar River Oaks Plaza, is across the street from Lamar. The Lamar Tower, a condominium complex, was named after the school and built in 1963 [7]. Many Lamar students cross Westheimer Road before or after school so they can eat at Subway, Baskin Robbins, or Crescent City Beignets (a restaurant that serves New Orleans-style food such as beignets and red beans and rice) [8]. Many other trendy restaurants and shops are in close proximity to Lamar High School. Lamar High School is also next door to the St. John's School, a K-12 private school.

Neighborhoods served by Lamar

Many parts of Houston west of Downtown that are inside the 610 Loop are zoned to Lamar. The upscale neighborhood of River Oaks is zoned to Lamar. The neighborhoods of Afton Oaks, Upper Kirby, Avalon Place, Alabama Place, Southgate, Old Braeswood, Boulevard Oaks, Southampton Place, Rice Military, the portions of Braeswood Place east of Stella Link and north of South Braeswood (including Braes Heights and Braes Oaks), most of Midtown, Montrose, Hyde Park, and North Montrose are also zoned to Lamar. The Greenway Condominiums are also zoned to Lamar. In addition, all pupils in the "island" city of West University Place and the majority of pupils in the "island" city of Southside Place (areas east of Stella Link Road) are zoned to Lamar.

Wealthier pupils who live in Uptown Houston who remain in the public education system often choose to go to Lamar. Students residing in the Lee attendance zone, including the Uptown district and the neighborhoods of Briar Meadow, Briargrove, Briarcroft, Gulfton, Larchmont, St. George Place, Tanglewood, and small portions of Westchase east of Gessner, may go to Lamar, Lee High, or Westside High.

The communities that Lamar serves are predominately made up of middle and upper class professionals with jobs in Houston. Houston ISD's school choice policies allow for the school to serve many working class families who live outside of the Lamar attendance boundary.

Student body

During the 2004-2005 school year, Lamar High School was Houston ISD's largest high school with 3429 students. Lamar was 32% Hispanic, 36% White, 27% African-American, 5% Asian, and less than 1% Native American. The amount of students on free or reduced lunch programs was 37%. [9].

In May 2006 the administration announced plans to cut the student body by 200 students for each school year for four years. This would be accomplished by expelling 200 magnet students per year and not admitting new students in their places. The target population is around 2,800 pupils. Students who are zoned to Lamar will not be affected by this move.

Transportation

Houston ISD provides school buses for students who live more than two miles away from the school or who have major obstacles between their houses and the school. Students are eligible if they are zoned to Lamar or are in the Lamar magnet program.

A METRO bus stop (Westheimer Road @ River Oaks Boulevard) is located at the school's entrance. Bus line 82 (Westheimer) stops at Westheimer @ River Oaks.

School uniforms

In recent years, Lamar maintained a considerably loose dress code, which, in the 2005-2006 school year, was modified to allow students to wear cargo shorts, which was the most common offense. However, starting in the 2006-2007 school year, the school will require school uniforms [10]. Uniforms will consist of monogrammed navy or white Lamar polo shirts and khaki bottoms [11]. All shoe types will be permitted, including flip-flops; female students will also be allowed to wear plaid skirts. The newly-created policy was criticized in the May 16, 2006 Houston Chronicle by Alice Davidson in her "Screaming in the Halls" column in the "Yo! Houston" section of the newspaper [12]. Davidson is, as of 2006, a student columnist who attends Lamar.

Feeder patterns

Elementary schools that feed into Lamar include:

(partial)

  • Gregory-Lincoln Education Center (a K-8 school)
  • Horn
  • Longfellow
  • Memorial
  • Roberts
  • Stevenson
  • St. George Place (the rest of the zoning area indirectly feeds into Lamar)
  • Thompson
  • Mark Twain

Middle schools that feed into Lamar include all of Lanier and portions of Cullen, Gregory-Lincoln Education Center, Hogg, Pershing, and Ryan. All pupils zoned to Pershing Middle School may attend Pin Oak Middle School; therefore Pin Oak also feeds into Lamar High School.

More schools feed into Lamar as all students zoned to Lee High School may instead choose to go to Lamar High School or Westside High School.

Elementary schools that feed into Lee (and therefore also feed into Lamar) include:

  • Briargrove
  • Benavidez
  • Emerson
  • Pilgrim
  • Piney Point
  • Rodriguez

(partial)

  • Condit
  • Cunningham
  • Neff
  • St. George Place (the rest directly feeds into Lamar)
  • Sutton
  • Walnut Bend
  • White

Middle schools that feed into Lee (and therefore also feed into Lamar) include all of Grady, and parts of Long, Pershing, Revere, and Sharpstown. All pupils zoned to Long and Pershing Middle Schools may attend Pin Oak Middle School; therefore Pin Oak also feeds into Lee High School and Lamar High School.

Some students who are enrolled in private schools in the 8th grade choose to go to Lamar for high school [13] [14].

Notable alumni

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