It's Always a Great Day to be a Seahawk!

South Lakes High School serves students with a focus on academic excellence, personal growth, and community engagement. Known for our diverse and inclusive environment, South Lakes offers a wide range of opportunities, including strong academic programs, award-winning extracurricular activities, and leadership initiatives. Students thrive in a supportive atmosphere that encourages participation in sports, clubs, and community partnerships. With a commitment to continuous improvement and innovation, Seahawks are prepared for success both inside and outside the classroom!

Academic Achievements

South Lakes High School is proud to celebrate the academic achievements of our students, including 3 National Merit Semi-Finalists and 9 Commended Students. Our school's commitment to excellence is further reflected in our student-athletes, with over 80% maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher and more than 60% achieving a GPA of 3.5 or better. South Lakes High School offers a range of rigorous academic programs as an International Baccalaureate (IB) school, including the Middle Years Programme (MYP), Diploma Programme (DP), and Career-Related Programme (CP). As a feeder school for Dogwood Elementary, which offers the Primary Years Programme (PYP), South Lakes provides a seamless educational experience that supports student growth from elementary through high school.

Student Programs

At South Lakes, we strive to empower students to excel both inside and outside the classroom. Our school features an award-winning Army JROTC program and we offer over 82 co-curricular and extracurricular activities to support our students' diverse interests. We focus on providing opportunities for leadership development, with dedicated student leadership classes and programs designed to facilitate engagement. Additionally, student voice groups play an active role in shaping school-wide policies, ensuring a collaborative and inclusive community.

Staff Recognition

South Lakes is lucky to have extraordinary staff, and we celebrate and recognize them whenever we can! Recent staff recognized for their accomplishments include: 

• Kim Moore-International Baccalaureate Mid-Atlantic Faculty Excellence Award Winner

• Kathy Luongo - FCPS CARES Award Winner

• Dr. Matt Ravenstahl – FCPS CARES Award Winner

• Maurice Hirsh - FCPS CARES Award Winner

Community Engagement

South Lakes is located in the wonderful city of Reston, Virginia! We feel lucky to be part of this vibrant community and therefore are happy to partner with community organizations such as South Lakes Food Pantry, Cornerstones, Reston Chamber of Commerce, and Edu-Futuro. Additionally, the STEM Art installation on Lake Thoreau in Reston is proudly designed and created by South Lakes students every year.

School Culture

At South Lakes High School, over 50% of our students actively participate in school-based sports, clubs, and activities. Our school is also home to one of the most robust Best Buddies programs in the county, promoting inclusivity and strong relationships. Additionally, South Lakes is dedicated to strengthening neurodiversity-supportive environments, ensuring all learners thrive. With a purposeful commitment to creating a culture of belonging, we strive to ensure that every student feels valued and supported.

Facilities and Resources

South Lakes High School is embracing innovation and modernization to enhance our school's learning environment. We are currently upgrading classroom instructional technology and constructing an outdoor classroom, set to be completed by Spring 2025. Additionally, a reimagined main hallway wall design, highlighting the spirit of our school, will be unveiled by February 2025, showcasing our commitment to inspiring and engaging spaces for our students and staff.

College and Career Readiness

South Lakes High School’s dedicated counseling team works closely with each student, focusing on their interests, academic goals, and strengths to provide personalized support. Our school also offers the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program, providing students with a strong sense of community, leadership opportunities, and academic support to prepare them for college and other post-secondary pathways.

Alumni Success

South Lakes High School takes pride in its accomplished alumni, including Maame Biney, a Winter Olympian; Grant Hill, a former NBA player, basketball TV analyst, and part owner of four professional sports franchises; and Benny Blanco, a renowned songwriter, producer, musician, and recording artist. These distinguished graduates reflect our school’s tradition of fostering talent and excellence across diverse fields. Additionally, numerous Reston business owners who support our school are graduates of South Lakes High School. 

Student Growth and Progress

South Lakes High School proudly earned the 2023-2024 Virginia Board of Education Continuous Improvement Award, recognizing our remarkable progress in academic achievement and student outcomes. Over the past three years, our school has achieved a combined increase of 10 points or more in math, reading, and science proficiency rates, as well as in reading and math performance for multiple student groups. Additionally, South Lakes has consistently improved its Graduation and Completion Index (GCI) by 4% or more and reduced its dropout rate by 15% over the same period. These accomplishments reflect our school’s unwavering commitment to student success and continuous growth.

Special Recognitions

Strong Arts Programs

South Lakes offers a range of performing and visual arts programs, from band and choir to theater and visual arts. South Lakes students won 2024 Cappies (Critics and Awards Program) awards for high school theater in the Choreography and Vocalist in a Female Role categories for our production of Big Fish School Edition.

Matt Ravenstahl, Adaptive Art instructor, was recently spotlighted by WJLA for creating a new inclusive fine arts class, which has a mix of students with intellectual disabilities and neurotypical students.

South Lakes was selected for cherry blossom tree planting by the National Cherry Blossom Foundation in partnership with All Nippon Airlines to honor the Japanese programming and culture in Reston.

Mr. Alan Klingensmith, Business & Information Technology Teacher, published a new book: Teaching with AI - Transforming The Modern Classroom