556 Blue Shell Loop
Sarasota, FL 34240

We moved from Missouri to Lakewood Ranch 3 years ago, as my daughter was entering sophomore year of high school. We though Lakewood Ranch High School was a good choice, but we were so wrong. Avoid sending your kids here!! My daughter absolutely hated this school. The teachers did not care if she learned or not and were unwilling to help her outside of school hours. The worst part about my daughter's experience at this school was her counselor. My daughter excelled in school with all A's or B's, but had horrible testing anxiety. We discussed this issue with her counselor and asked her what help was available to her. Her counselor advised us not to pursue testing accommodations due to her good grades and passing all of her standardized tests. She said most likely she will not be given any accommodations. My daughter decided to enroll in their dual enrollment/ early college program just so she didn't have to go into the school anymore. That program through SCF was a perfect fit. My daughter was able to fight for herself and what she needed and went directly to the college, bypassing Lakewood Ranch High school, and received testing accommodations for her severe anxiety. This high school, in my opinion and my daughter's, do not care about their students. Their website might look pretty, and they may flash fancy numbers and statistics, but rest assured they do not go above and beyond to support their students and give them the help they need to succeed. Many times, my daughter would reach out to her counselor and would get no reply or very short and rude answers, like she was an inconvenience to them. I would only go to this school if you can get your student into the dual enrollment/early college program, where Lakewood Ranch High School basically pays for your student to get college credit. Otherwise, I would never recommend this school to anyone.

Beware of your child has a 504 or IEP. They don’t care about children with learning disabilities it’s always parents and child’s fault, never the teachers. If I had the financial option I would homeschool or private school.

Such a great school. My daughter loved it here, she was excited to go every day and she had no negative experiences. She made friends, learned so much, and it truly was a pleasure to have had her attend. We moved, but we will never forget her short time at this school. It definitely left a positive impact on her education! Also, her teacher was Mrs. Ison (2nd grade) and she was truly wonderful. Very communicative and supportive.