Lamar High School, or ‘Mirabeau B. Lamar Senior High School,’ is a Houston ISD school located near the River Oaks/Upper Kirby area. Apart from being marginally famous, it has a beautiful, architecturally compelling design and excellent programs that prepare students for successful futures.
The school boasts pages of famous alumni like nuclear physicist Linda Ellerbee, former a physicist and Nobel Prize winner Robert Woodrow Wilson, NFL wide receiver Ron Henley, International Grandmaster of Chess Fred Hofheinz, former Houston Mayor Paula Prentiss, Grammy Award Winner Kelly Rowland, and Marvin Zindler, a former ABC Local News Anchor. Clearly, this alumni speaks demonstrates the school’s ability to prepare students in a variety of fields/ The school itself has even made a cameo in several films like Sidekicks with Chuck Norris and as the set for Grover Cleveland High School in Wes Anderson’s film Rushmore.
Lamar’s reputation precedes it in most cases, strictly for the overarching reach of its pop culture context. However, the campus itself is stunning. The main building, called the North building, was built on what used to be the farmstead of Michael Louis Westheimer—where the expansive Westheimer Road gets its name. Distinctly Art Deco, the main building features Texas Limestone and steel ribbon windows. In 2006, Lamar got its first new building in 20 years, athletic equipment storage and new toilet facilities. Then in 2012, Lamar was ranked the 7th most architecturally beautiful campus in the Greater Houston area by Houston Press.
Lamar also offers AP classes since 29% of its students are Gifted and Talented, and a Business Magnet program, as well as an International Baccalaureate Diploma program. The Business Magnet Program, established in 1989, offers business management courses and cooperates with local businesses to provide internships and scholarships to colleges and universities. Lamar is also one of only 2 high school level IB Diploma programs in HISD and is one of HISD’s 7 IB World Schools with sister programs in China as of 2000 and Japan since 1973 and special IB classes like Chinese, French, Italian, Spanish and Russian. It’s one of the largest IB Diploma programs in North America.
And those are just the special accolades. In 2011 Lamar was a “recognized” school by the TEA and in 2007 was on Newsweek’s list of top high schools in the US, according to the Houston Chronicle. The teachers here have an average of 11 years of teaching experience and 34% of teachers have a Masters degree or above. However it’s caught your eye, one thing is clear: Lamar succeeds in a way many public schools fail by engaging its students with a little something for everyone!
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