Lamar High School is a comprehensive public secondary school located in Houston, Texas, United States. It is a part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD). Lamar High School, was established in 1936 in memory of Mirabeau B. Lamar (1798–1859), a leader in the Texas Revolution and the second President of the Republic of Texas. Lamar has a four-year program, serving grades 9 through 12.

The school is located in the Upper Kirby district,"Harris County Improvement District #3 ." Upper Kirby. Retrieved on December 10, 2008. serving the Houston neighborhoods of River Oaks and Montrose, the incorporated city of West University Place, a portion of the city of Southside Place, and other Houston subdivisions. Lamar offers neighborhood, Advanced Placement, and IB Diploma (International Baccalaureate) programs. It also hosts a business magnet program offering business management courses that works in conjuncture with the Houston business community to provide internships and university scholarships."Extra effort in classroom pays off," Houston Chronicle, January 3, 2007 Lamar's IB Diploma programs is one of six in HISD, and consistently graduates the largest number of IB Diploma diploma candidates in Texas."Mirabeau B. Lamar Senior High School," International Baccalaureate Organization

History

Founding and early history In the 19th century Michael Louis Westheimer, a German immigrant who arrived in Houston in 1859, bought a farm at an auction for $2.50 per acre. On his property Westheimer established a school for local children, including some of his relatives from Germany. The path to the school became "Westheimer's Road," now called Westheimer Road."Historic Houston Streets: The Stories Behind the Name "Robertson, Dale. "Westheimer was a place for learning" (). Houston Chronicle. Friday January 11, 2008. Sports 9. Retrieved on December 4, 2010. "Paying $1,600 - or $2.50 an acre, at an auction - he bought a 640-acre farm west of town where Lamar High School and St. John's School now sit. "

The Houston Independent School District built and established Lamar on the former site of Westheimer's farm. Earlier the Southampton Civic Club attempted to persuade Houston ISD to build Lamar at a lot along Kirby Drive and West Alabama Ave.; the attempt failed and Lamar was built across from River Oaks Boulevard.Sloan, p. 8.

Lamar officially opened in 1937 as "Southwest High School" along Westheimer Road before changing its name soon after.Verniaud, Marshall. "A Brief History of the Southampton Civic Club" () Southampton Civic Club Inc. Accessed November 7, 2008. "A painful disappointment was the club's inability to persuade the school board to build a new highschool on a tract at Kirby and West Alabama instead of on Westheimer across from River Oaks. The board chose the Westheimer site for its Mirabeau B. Lamar High School.""School Histories: the Stories Behind the Names ." Houston Independent School District. Accessed September 24, 2008. The opening relieved pressure on San Jacinto High School in what is now Midtown.Becker, Ann Dunphy and George Murray. Houston's River Oaks. Arcadia Publishing, April 29, 2013. p. 43. , 9781439642368. When the school opened it had 1,310 students, mostly from Bellaire, West University Place, Montrose, Southampton, and Southgate. In 1938 10% of the students resided in River Oaks.Sloan, p. 10.

William Broyles of the Texas Monthly wrote that in its pre-desegregation history Lamar was the public equivalent of an exclusive prep school and Houston's "society school".Broyles, William. "Behind the Lines." Texas Monthly. Vol. 3, No. 3. Emmis Communications, March 1975. ISSN 0148-7736. p. 5. In that period Lamar was the designation of children of Houston's most prominent families who attended public high schools.Curtis, Gregory. "Pomp and Circumstance" (Archive). Texas Monthly. Vol. 3, No. 3. Emmis Communications, March 1975. ISSN 0148-7736. p. 59. Many students in the 1950s had referred to River Oaks Boulevard as the only street with a country club at both ends: one being the River Oaks Country Club, and the "other" was Lamar High School. Gregory Curtis of the Texas Monthly wrote that "Lamar has always had a reputation as a school of snobs" within Houston's public school system.

Lamar grew rapidly to the point where Robert E. Lee High School (now Margaret Long Wisdom High School) was built in 1962 to relieve Lamar.Grossman, Wendy. "Tee Time." Houston Press. November 13, 2003. 1. After its opening, Lee became Lamar's primary athletic rival.Curtis, Gregory. "Pomp and Circumstance" (Archive). Texas Monthly. Vol. 3, No. 3. Emmis Communications, March 1975. ISSN 0148-7736. p. 54.

Integration and IB era Lamar racially integrated in the 1970s. Broyles wrote that Lamar integrated quietly and "not so much as an experiment in integration but simply as a school, a place where adolescents learn many things, some of them in the classroom." Due to integration many of the wealthier families instead sent their children to private schools.

Lamar became an IB school in 1982 and this program would later be complemented by the Business Administration Magnet Program established in 1989."HISD seeks special courses ," Houston Chronicle, February 9, 2006Archived home page. Lamar High School. February 7, 2004. In 1987 the school had held its 50th anniversary. It had sent invitations to Tommy Tune, Robert Foxworth, Jaclyn Smith, Tommy Sands, Carlin Glynn, Paula Prentiss, and Candy Tovar, all Lamar graduates. The festivities included appearances from Mayor of Houston Kathy Whitmire, Lamar alum and former Governor of Texas Mark White, Lamar alum and former Mayor of Houston Fred Hofheinz, Superintendent of HISD Joan Raymond, and others who were scheduled to give special presentations. - Available from the Houston Public Library website newspaper section (Houston Chronicle archive), accessible with an HPL library card

In September 1991 Lamar was one of 32 HISD schools that had capped enrollments: The school was at capacity and excess students had to attend other schools.Markley, Melanie. "32 schools hit enrollment cap." Houston Chronicle. Thursday, September 26, 1991. A17. Retrieved on April 24, 2009. Fran Callahan, a resident of the Old Braeswood neighborhood of Houston, founded the Lamar Alumni Association in 1998 and became its executive director. She decided to create an alumni association after she inquired about making a large-scale fundraising campaign and learned that Lamar, which had many famous individuals as alumni, had no alumni association.Viator, Lisa. "Area resident leader sets $3 million goals for Lamar / Fran Callahan founded the school's alumni association." Houston Chronicle. Thursday, May 11, 2006. ThisWeek 2. Retrieved on October 22, 2012.

In 2003 the class of 1953, which included business owners, a film producer, a Nobel prize winner, a nominee for U.S. Secretary of State and a former assistant of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, lawyers, engineers, and an architect, held its 50th reunion. A tour of the Lamar campus and a formal buffet and dance at the Houston Country Club was scheduled for Saturday, November 8, 2003. A brunch was scheduled at the University Club in the morning of Sunday, November 9, 2003.Martin, Betty L. "THE LUCKY ONES / Lamar class of '53 to come together." Houston Chronicle. Thursday, November 6, 2003. ThisWeek 1. Retrieved on October 14, 2012. In 2004, Tune performed at Lamar. Foxworth and Jaclyn Smith attended the performance."TOMMY TUNE Takes Lamar High School By Storm." Lamar High School. April 12, 2004.

Expansion of facilities and renovation

The 2000s would bring speculation about Lamar's overcrowding and new attention to the school's need for new facilities. In 2007, 22% of high-school-age children zoned to Lamar chose to attend a different Houston ISD school.Radcliffe, Jennifer. "Critics: In HISD, too many don't go where zoned / Black leaders argue bond has no fix to get kids back to schools in their neighborhoods" (). Houston Chronicle. Sunday, October 14, 2007. B1 MetFront. In 2010 Lamar, which has a capacity of 2,525, was 740 students over capacity.Mellon, Ericka. "Closing schools going to be tough." Houston Chronicle. December 20, 2010. Retrieved on December 21, 2010. In 2010 Magnet Schools of America, a nonprofit, released a report recommending that Lamar's magnet program be abolished, due to overcrowding.Mellon, Ericka. "Report: HISD should drop 55 magnet programs." Houston Chronicle. January 7, 2011. Retrieved on January 7, 2011. In 2014 Terry Grier stated that Lamar should reduce its enrollment to around 3,000 students.Mellon, Ericka. "Grier: 3 popular HISD high schools must reduce enrollment ." Houston Chronicle. October 16, 2014. Retrieved on October 17, 2014.

Rita Graves, previously principal at Roberts Elementary and Pin Oak Middle School, became the principal of Lamar in August 2018 arriving as the transition to the construction of the new building began."Rita Graves named new principal of Lamar High School." Houston Independent School District. August 8, 2018. Retrieved on September 23, 2018.

In 2018, the HISD Bond project announced a $108 million construction and renovation plan for the building. The plan includes major renovations to the existing historically significant portions of the north building and an entirely new classroom and instructional facility. As of 2019 the construction is near completion.

Campus

The campus is located on the southern end of River Oaks Boulevard.Mod, Anna. Building Modern Houston (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing, 2012. , 9780738585246. p. 13. The Lamar High School campus consists of four buildings, a baseball field, a football field, and tennis courts.

The North Building is a four-story building (including the basement level) which was the original building built in 1936. It consists of many classrooms, the main office, attendance office, magnet office, International Baccalaureate office, special education office, auditorium, band room, cooking room, and the choir room. It was built in a distinctive Art Deco style. The building was made of Texas limestone and the windows are the steel ribbon style. It consists of a single central block with the Ned S. Holmes Auditorium at the western end. The entrance to the theater is decorated by a relief map of Texas that indicates the state's mountain ranges and escarpment John F. Staub and Kenneth Franzheim designed it, while Lamar Q. Cato, Louis A. Glover, and Harry D. Payne assisted. An Italian American,Meeks, Flori. "Lamar High work won't hinder classes" (Archive). Houston Chronicle. August 21, 2012. Retrieved on February 27, 2015. Eraclito "Nino" Lenarduzzi, designed the map on the auditorium. Anna Mod, author of Building Modern Houston, wrote that the theater entrance uses "a more monumental and severe Moderne style".

The current addition began construction in 2017 and opened in 2020, with classrooms divided into eight "neighborhoods" a.k.a. "cohorts" and a snack bar which students may use at any time. This is in lieu of a central cafeteria. The addition has an atmosphere of a corporate work environment.

In 2012 Greg Groogan of KRIV noted that the campus, prior to the late 2010s renovation, had experienced disrepair.Groogan, Greg. "Should taxpayers rebuild Lamar HS? " KRIV. September 19, 2012. Updated October 7, 2012. Retrieved on October 18, 2012. The school at the time had insufficient facilities for its now larger student body. The 2019 renovation brought the destruction of the West and East buildings that served Lamar since the 1980s. The new instructional building on Babel Street include completely redone educational facilities and premier sports facilities.Lamar HS construction plans focus on facilitating new instructional model