8601 Zircon Drive SW UNIT A3
Tacoma, WA 98498

Oh boy!!! (Says in cute kawaii voice) I love~! the!! um~ uh~~~ the anime club!! tehee.. KYS!!!! (keep yourself safe!) the special needs classes are perfect for me!! my parents beat me occasionally and I love this!!! 5 Stars!!

As a recent alumni, I have much experience with this school. I would say, however, the best decision I made with Lakes was to join running start and participate less in the school. In Lakes High School, when I was last attending, academics were not exciting. In fact, very little of our classes were engaging and interesting. Teachers in the algebra class chose to teach a mechanical process, rather than teach what algebra was. However,nBeing that I was a Freshman during COVID, I find that my experience was far different from the younger students.The greatest thing about lakes, for me, was the faculty and staff. During my time, Lakes had great therapists, amiable teachers, and generally a good atmosphere for those I stuck around. However, I'm aware this is because of the people I chose to stick around. I have heard horror stories of teachers in other classrooms, and personally had a few vindictive teachers myself. Overall, the staff were 50/50. One thing I can say is that most of the office, teachers, therapists, counselors, and administrators were fantastic people to meet during my tenure in Lakes High School.The staff do care about students and often joke around with those who go out of their way to meet them and talk with them. It's clear that a subset of teachers appreciate and enjoy their jobs in Lakes. I personally believe that one thing Lakes needs to focus more on is student motivation. The students in Lakes aren't motivated, and those who are tend to stick out from the rest. This makes it very hard for motivated students, like me, to stay motivated. The environment is unmotivated and slow. I believe this is a problem for the student body and administrators to discuss. I do not know what goes on behind the school's administrative walls, but, to me, it feels like they're not doing enough student outreach and events. The school seems hyped up during school assemblies, but the overall feeling of the students is certainly lacking. If teachers were allowed to make class more engaging and exciting, I'm sure students would be more participatory in class and prepared for real life.

As a former student, it is a great school, just a few complaints.1. Many of the staff seem to have a condescending attitude towards students who did nothing2. The new counselor seems to halfheartedly address issues such as bullying, and has even laughed at bullying reports.Other than those two problems, this is a great school to go to.

We were excited our daughter made it into this school as her teachers had recommended it for her. Shortly after her first month she said she was 'gender fluid'. When asked what that meant she simply replied that what she had been told by her teachers. I think we have more pressing issues in our schools then teacher telling our children such things. Can we not just let them be children??