Mountain Lakes High School

"My son and I did not 'fit the mold' of the typical Mountain Lakes residents, meaning, we were not wealthy, but of modest Middle Class, economically. However, as a parent, I regarded education as the single most important focus for a child, the door to his future. So, we struggled, financially, renting a tear-down, foreclosure-pending, FEMA condemned house, from a scoundrel, being the only "affordable" place to rent within the school district. Because he wanted to remain there, we stuck it out for four years, living in inhuman conditions (the town did nothing to help us), paying the rent despite the circumstances, while my son made use of all the school had to offer - academically and socially, including their wonderful sports programs. By the time he graduated, he had earned an entire semester, plus, of college in his back pocket, through all the AP classes he availed himself of. In fact, he also received an 800 on his Critical Reading module, and was awarded an Academic Excellence scholarship to Northeastern. Of course, only sports offers a full ride, nevertheless, 25% is still a considerable dent, being economically Middle Class still. Don't blame the school, or the teachers, or even the students for your failings, if you did. You make your own way, you are, or should be, your own person, be a leader not a follower, not a sheep. He navigated very well through the waters of the social dynamics which can exist in ANY school. We didn't have money to *buy* an education, we... HE... did the work, plain and simple, while always participating in a number of sports. And now, he's about to graduate college, and will be realizing his goal - to head back to DC and spend his life and career on The Hill. I couldn't be more proud. His years at Mountain Lakes HS were a gift we both fought to keep. No excuses. JUST DO IT!"

"love itttttttttttttttttt"

"Hidden beneath this school's good reputation is a corrupt administration and sub-par teachers. The town's adult residents gossip like children and the school is a breeding ground for this kind of behavior. I am writing this as a warning: do not enroll your child into this school and if you can avoid the town altogether."

"My daughter transferred to Mountain Lakes High School going into her junior year. We relocated from the Dallas, Texas area. She had attended private schools in Texas through the 6th grade, and a public school thereafter because, as we learned, both public and private schools face their own set of problems. I chose to move to Mountain Lakes because of the small size of the school and good student/teacher ratio, its academic reputation, and the community itself. We couldn't have asked for a better experience. Sensitive, shy, creative, and not at all sporty, my daughter goes to the beat of a different drum and was afraid she wouldn't fit in. She quickly found a small groups of friends and really enjoyed her two years at Mountain Lakes High School. She also became involved in a few of the creative extra curricular activities at the school. As a parent, I never worried about her safety or that she was being challenged academically. In sum, our experience with Mountain Lakes High School was truly outstanding. It deserves the great reputation it has earned."

"Please avoid this school and community, it fools you on the surface, I came here because of their reputation. Unless you fit into one of the many cliques, that includes grown ups and kids(money,power, color,popularity more.), you will be judged harshly by this community. You and your kids must be self starters in education and "popular" to be successful . You will struggle to get the help from the school staff which will try to classify you and your kids and endless trips to learning centers. That is how they maintain their prestige/reputation by marginalizing others. My children are doing much better after leaving this school system and are going to be just fine in the future. Do yourself and your family a favor and go somewhere else."