720 21st Ave S
Saint Petersburg, FL 33705

Being there less than a month and all four of my students have been verbally assaulted by other students. Two of mine have been beaten by other students on several occasions. One of my daughters has asked for other students not to touch her, but they are continuing to enter her space. THERE HAVE BEEN NO INCIDENT REPORTS WRITTEN. It's either been bad enough the school nurse has had to call or I found out as soon as I picked them up and immediately called or emailed to find out WHAT HAPPENED. The majority of the students at the school are foul mouthed and the teachers have no control over the students. They aren't well supervised at PE, so many beatings occur during PE, lunch and classroom changes. I can't tell you anything about the teachers since my children are terrified of going to school. STAY AWAY. Pick other schools during SAR. If I had known how bad it would be I would have kept driving to another city to their old schools. I would give them less than a one star if I could.

I went to Lakewood for about 2 years in my Freshmen-Sophomore years. The school is one year (as of 2023) away from being taken over by the state because of how bad their test scores are and haven't shown any improvement. Some of the teachers are wonderful and want to help students, others aren't as great. Because of student behavior, it can be difficult for teachers to be on time for certain subject areas and prepare the students for success on tests. The administration is horrible, and they usually only seem to really care about the CAT kids and the Football team. If you take away CAT scores, then you'll have a very little amount of people who are actually succeeding. I've seen sexual assault problems, drug problems, teacher problems, administration problems, etc. It's not unusual for a student to be searched on campus, and expect fights at least once or twice a month(+) on average. CAT kids are pushed extremely hard compared to 'regular' students and have difficulty regulating it. The other programs aren't really heard of. Their journalism program can be great, as long as you get along with the teacher(s). Otherwise, you're doomed. You'll see the same group of kids in your AP/honors/Dual Enrollment classes almost every time (usually CAT kids). Most students and parents have problems with one of the Spanish teachers every year and end up failing. I'd steer away from this school if you're not looking to be taken over by the state anytime soon, especially if you're not one of the Football players or CAT students.

My son is was a honor student here and I feel that his time here was valuable and helpful in preparing him for high school. He has made friends here that have developed into friendships that carried into young adulthood. Wonderful to see teachers and assistants that enjoy teaching, it does make a difference