Lubbock High School is a 5A high school serving grades nine to twelve in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the nort ...

, as part of the

Lubbock Independent School District Lubbock Independent School District was established in 1907. Accredited by the Texas Education Agency, Lubbock ISD is the largest school district that serves the city of Lubbock, Texas (USA). The Lubbock Independent School District covers and ...

, The school was founded in 1891 as the first high school in Lubbock County. Lubbock High School predates the incorporation of Lubbock, Texas by 18 years. Lubbock High's colors are black and gold, and its mascot is the Westerner. The school primarily serves students from the central and eastern parts of Lubbock, but the school's LEAP (Lubbock Exemplary Academic Program) magnet program serves students from all over the city.

History

The school was founded in 1891 as a one-room school, with two additional rooms added in 1898. The original announcement of the school's opening read: "Schooling for all who could reach it by pony, wagon, buggy or on foot." The first (and only) teacher at this point was Miss Minnie Tubbs.History of the School and LISD
Retrieved May 2, 2006. In March 1909, a fire set by students destroyed the building. After this, the school relocated to a brick building with two stories and a basement at the location of the current City Hall in Lubbock. In 1922, a bond issue provided for a new high school with 28 teachers and located between 13th and 14th streets in the 2000 block. Bonds were voted in 1925 for the addition of two study halls. This was the old Thompson Junior High building. In the fall of 1929, plans began for the construction of a new building for LHS. Construction began in 1930, and the building was completed in 1931. The school opened in its new location for the fall semester of 1931. This is the current Lubbock High School building. Due to its distinctive architecture, the school is included in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

.Lubbock High School
Retrieved May 2, 2006.

Academics

In 1979, due to low enrollment as a result of new school district boundaries, there was discussion of closing LHS. To solve this problem and to comply with an ongoing desegregation plan ordered by the US Department of Justice, LEAP (Lubbock Exemplary Academic Program) was developed. This college preparatory program offers advanced classes in mathematics, science, English, and history. Counselor Nancy Phillips was instrumental in the initial success of the LEAP Program. In its initial design, the LEAP plan included several incentives to attract students from outside the school's geographic district. These included unique classes not offered at that time in other Lubbock high schools, including Russian, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese, Western Cultures, Marine Biology, and Calculus, among others. Additionally, the school offered trips to relevant locations in conjunction with specific classes. For example, students in the Western Cultures class spent 15 days in western Europe at the close of the school year. Due to pressure from parents with students in other high schools in the district, some of these incentives were phased out by the school board in the 1983–1984 academic year. 1983 saw the addition of the "Friday Enrichment Schedule," wherein students attended academic classes Monday through Thursday (for longer hours than other high schools in Lubbock) and attended either "enriching classes" (e.g. "Reading for Pleasure," "French Club," etc.) or review classes from 8 am until noon on Fridays. The Friday Enrichment Schedule was altered to exclude the "enriching classes" in favor of shortened academic classes in 2007. The school switched to an "abbreviated" Texas Friday schedule with classes ending at 1:35 on Fridays. This schedule was changed in 2017 to ending at the regular time of 3:55, then changed again in 2021 with classes ending at 4:10. Starting in the 2022-2023 school year, classes began to be shortened on Wednesdays with first classes starting at 9 am; other days retain normal schedules. Along with the "Friday Enrichment Schedule," a program was instituted in 1983 that allowed junior or senior students to take courses at

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sy ...

South Plains College South Plains College (SPC) is a public community college in Levelland, Texas. It operates satellite branches in Plainview, at the Reese Technology Center, formerly Reese Air Force Base, in western Lubbock, and the Lubbock Center near centra ...

for dual credit. In 1996, Lubbock High was named as a

Blue Ribbon The blue ribbon is a symbol of high quality. The association comes from The Blue Riband, a prize awarded for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by passenger liners and, prior to that from Cordon Bleu, which referred to the blue ribbon w ...

school.LISD Schools of Choice: Lubbock HS
. December 1, 2005. Retrieved May 2, 2006. Lubbock High School began its

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB D ...

classes during the 2000–2001 school year. Lubbock High School implemented the

AP Capstone AP Capstone (properly the Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma Program) is a 2-year program developed by the College Board, which consists of two courses: the AP Seminar and AP Research. Students who successfully complete the program and obtain sco ...

Diploma Program in 2018.

Extracurricular activities

Academic Decathlon

In 2002, the Lubbock High

Academic Decathlon The Academic Decathlon (also called AcDec, AcaDeca or AcaDec) is an annual high school academic competition organized by the non-profit United States Academic Decathlon (USAD). The competition consists of seven objective multiple choice tests, tw ...

team made national news when its victory over J. Frank Dobie High School in the state championship competition was disputed in court. The debate arose when there were questions about the scoring methods used in some of the competition's events. Both Dobie and LHS prepared for national competition in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

as the lawsuit developed. The Court ruled Lubbock High the rightful victor, and the team did not hear of this news until they were en route to Phoenix. At nationals, Lubbock High went on to place 3rd in the national competition, as well as 1st place among "rookie" schools in the competition. In later years, Lubbock High made history again when an LHS decathlete became the first competitor to achieve the highest score in the state without competing in the highest division. In 2006, the Lubbock High School Academic Decathlon team placed third in the state. In 2013, the Lubbock High School decathlon team placed 5th in the state, topping the previous year.

Athletics

Lubbock High competes in many sports. These include

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

(boys), wrestling (boys and girls), tennis (boys and girls),

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

(boys and girls),

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

(boys), softball (girls),

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

(boys and girls), soccer (boys and girls),

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

(girls), swimming (boys and girls),

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

(boys and girls), and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

(boys and girls). Boys' teams are called "Westerners," whereas girls' teams are called "Lady Westerners." In 1922, the football team was named "The Pirates" despite the school's mascot being "The Westerner." This changed in the 1930s, and the team's name has been "The Westerners" ever since. LHS was named "AAAAA Texas State Sportsmanship Champion School" in 1998 by the

University Interscholastic League The University Interscholastic League (UIL) is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, musical, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the largest organi ...

. The Lubbock Westerners football program had its heyday during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. The school reached the state championship game in 1938 and 1939, winning in 1939. The team had consecutive 13–0 seasons and 5A state titles in 1951 and 1952. Notable coaches in the 1950s and later included

Wilford Moore Wilford Harve Moore (November 20, 1919 – January 21, 2014) was an American football coach. He was the highest winning coach in McMurry Indians football history and had the McMurry football stadium named in his honor. A native of Littlefield, ...

Grant Teaff Grant Garland Teaff (; born November 12, 1933) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at McMurry University (1960–1965), Angelo State University (1969–1971), and Baylor University (1972–1992), compiling ...

, and

Fred Akers Fred Akers (March 17, 1938 – December 7, 2020) was an American college football player and coach. He served as head football coach at the University of Wyoming (1975–1976), the University of Texas at Austin (1977–1986), and Purdue Universit ...

. Lubbock High School did not make the playoffs between 1975 and 2012, marking the second longest playoff drought in Texas 5A football. During the 1998 season Lubbock High beat Monterey High School to win the annual Silver Spurs game for the first time in fifteen years. The next year the Westerners to a 16–13 win over Monterey to retain the Silver Spurs. They repeated this feat in 2007–2008. In 2012 the Lubbock High football team made playoffs for the first time in 37 years in the new 4-4A district. The Lubbock High men's swim team has won 15 straight district championships and the Lubbock High Girls swim team has won 5 straight district championships and a regional championship in 2007. The men's district championship streak is an LISD record for most straight district championships in any sport.

Robotics

The Lubbock High

FIRST Robotics Competition FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work during a six-week period to build robots capable of competing in that year's game that weig ...

team won the "Against All Odds" award at the

FIRST Championship The FIRST Championship is a four-day robotics championship held annually in April at which FIRST student robotics teams compete. For several years, the event was held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, but moved to the Edward Jones Dom ...

in 1997. This was given because they had raised the money to enter and attend the competition (which took place in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

) themselves, rather than relying on corporate sponsorship like many other competitors did. Lubbock High has also competed in the West Texas

BEST Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

competition since 1996.

Science Bowl

A team from Lubbock High won the first ever National

Science Bowl The National Science Bowl (NSB) is a high school and middle school science knowledge competition, using a quiz bowl format, held in the United States. A buzzer system similar to those seen on popular television game shows is used to signal an an ...

in 1991. The team again achieved a Science Bowl victory in 1992. Lubbock High also won the state Science Bowl for nine consecutive years. In 2020, Lubbock High School placed third at the virtual National Science Bowl.

Mariachi and Ballet Folklorico

Lubbock High is the first and only high school in the Lubbock area to offer a mariachi music program. The Mariachi program offers instruction in violin, trumpet, guitar, vihuela, guitarra de golpe and guitarron. The mariachi program performs for various Lubbock High, LISD and community functions. The Ballet Folklorico program was added in 2008. There is an advanced class as well as a beginners class. The dance group performs throughout Lubbock.

Lubbock High School NJROTC

Lubbock High has an NJROTC (Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) program as well. In 2010, the Unit qualified for the 15th consecutive year for State, and often places in one of the top three slots in regular Drill Meets. The NJROTC program allows cadets to compete in teams such as Academics, Marksmanship, Armed Drill Team, Unarmed Drill Team, Physical Fitness Team, and Color guards. At the area 9 state championship drill meet the teams placed fourth in both 2010 and 2011, out of 67 schools.

Lubbock High Westerner Band

The Lubbock high band is the only state band in Lubbock.

Notable alumni

* Jerry Allison, songwriter/drummer (

The Crickets The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, ...

) * Hub Bechtol, former

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

player *

Charley Brewer Charley Brewer may refer to: * Charley Brewer (fullback) (1873–1958), Harvard fullback 1892–1895 * Charles Brewer (American football), Texas quarterback 1953–1955 * Charlie Brewer, American football quarterback See also * Charles Brewer (disam ...

, quarterback of the 1951 state championship teams, later Texas Longhorn * Waggoner Carr, Class of 1936,

Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives The Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the Texas House of Representatives. The Speaker's main duties are to conduct meetings of the House, appoint committee A committee or commission is a body of one or ...

and

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

of Texas *

Madisyn Cox Madisyn Cox (born May 30, 1995) is an American former swimmer specialising in individual medley events. College career For the Texas Longhorns she was named the 2015 and 2017 Big 12 Conference Swimmer of the Year. She is a 10-time All-America ...

, Class of 2013, competitive

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

Wood, Andrew (June 16, 2021)
"Lubbock native Madisyn Cox misses trip to Tokyo Olympics by .02 seconds"
''

KCBD KCBD (channel 11) is a television station licensed to Lubbock, Texas, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned Gray Television alongside Wolfforth-licensed CW+ affiliate KLCW-TV (channel 22) and four low-power stations— MyNetworkTV a ...

''. Retrieved July 21, 2021. *

Sonny Curtis Sonny Curtis (born May 9, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Known for his collaborations with Buddy Holly, he was a member of the Crickets and continued with the band after Holly's death. Curtis's best known compositions include "Walk ...

, singer-songwriter *

Mac Davis Morris Mac Davis (January 21, 1942 – September 29, 2020) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and actor. A native of Lubbock, Texas, he enjoyed success as a crossover artist, and during his early career he wrote for Elvis Presley, ...

, singer-songwriter *

Eric Felton Eric Norman Felton (born October 8, 1955) is a former American football defensive back who played three seasons in the National Football League with the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth ...

, former

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

player * James Wesley Hendrix, United States District Court Judge *

Bill Herchman William E. Herchman (March 10, 1933 – January 22, 2009) was an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League and American Football League. Herchman played for the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys of the NFL, and ...

, former

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's Nationa ...

player *

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

, singer-songwriter/guitarist * E. J. Holub, professional football player * Ralna English, Class of 1960, singer with the Lawrence Welk Show from 1969 until it ended/songwriter/performer * Grandmaster Ratte', hacker *

Bobby Keys Robert Henry Keys (December 18, 1943 – December 2, 2014) was an American saxophonist who performed with other musicians as a member of several horn sections of the 1970s. He appears on albums by the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Harry Ni ...

, saxophone player (

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

) *

Bob Livingston Robert Linlithgow Livingston Jr. (born April 30, 1943) is an American lobbyist and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Louisiana from 1977 to 1999. A Republican, he was chosen as Newt Gingrich's successor as Speaker of the U.S. ...

, singer-songwriter * Lloyd Maines, musician and producer * Natalie Maines, singer-songwriter ( The Dixie Chicks) *

Spencer Wells Spencer Wells (born April 6, 1969) is an American geneticist, anthropologist, author and entrepreneur. He co-hosts The Insight podcast with Razib Khan. Wells led The Genographic Project from 2005 to 2015, as an Explorer-in-Residence at the N ...

, geneticist and anthropologist *

Joe B. Mauldin Joseph Benson Mauldin, Jr. (July 8, 1940 – February 7, 2015) was an American bass player, songwriter, and audio engineer who was best known as the bassist for the early rock and roll group the Crickets. Mauldin initially played a double (stand ...

, bassist (The Crickets) * Niki Sullivan, guitarist (

) *

Amanda Shires Amanda Rose Shires (born March 5, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and fiddle player. Shires has released seven solo albums starting in 2005, her most recent being '' Take It Like a Man'' in 2022. In 2019, she founded a country music super ...

, singer-songwriter

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lubbock High School Educational institutions established in 1891 High schools in Lubbock, Texas Lubbock Independent School District Romanesque Revival architecture in Texas School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Public high schools in Texas Magnet schools in Texas 1891 establishments in Texas National Register of Historic Places in Lubbock, Texas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks