| Lakewood High School | |
| Type: | Public high school |
| Principal: | Maggie Wright |
| Head Name: | Second Master |
| Head Name2: | Assistant Headmaster |
| Teaching Staff: | 53.00 (FTE) |
| Ratio: | 20.42 |
| Enrollment: | 1,082 (2021-22)[1] |
| Grades: | 9–12 |
| Streetaddress: | 350 Old Manning Road |
| Country: | United States |
| Accreditation: | South Carolina Department of Education and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools |
| Colors: | Kelly green, white, and purple[2] |
| Yearbook: | "Odyssey" |
| Newspaper: | Expressions |
| Free Label 1: | Phone |
| Free 1: | (803) 506-2700 |
Lakewood High School is a co-educational four-year public high school in Sumter, South Carolina, serving grades 9 through 12.[3] Lakewood is one of only three public high schools in the Sumter School District and enrolls between 1,100 to 1,300 students each year from the southern half of Sumter County.[4] [2] The mascot of Lakewood High School is the Gator, chosen for Alligator Branch, a nearby stream.[2]
Lakewood High School, along with Crestwood High School, was built in 1996 as the result of a $28.5 million bond referendum passed by the voters of Sumter County to build two high schools in Sumter District 2.[2] [4] Lakewood High is named after Lakewood Links, a nearby golf course community in Lakewood, South Carolina.[5] The school was dedicated on August 15, 1996.[5]
The first students of Lakewood High School were former students of Furman High School and Mayewood High School, both of which were subsequently converted into middle schools.[5] The school colors are kelly green, white, and purple.[2] Purple was chosen as an accent color to represent unity among Sumter District 2 schools.[2]
On July 1, 2011, Sumter School District 2 and Sumter School District 17 consolidated forming Sumter School District.[2]
Lakewood's feeder school is Furman Middle School.
Lakewood High School's mascot is the Gator and the school's sports teams are referred to as the "Lakewood Gators".[2] [6] The school offers cross country, football, golf, volleyball, softball, basketball, baseball, and wrestling.[6]
The sports rivalry between the Sumter High Gamecocks and Lakewood Gators was memorialized in country singer Lee Brice's song,"Sumter County Friday Night".[7]