Four years ago, Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg was by many measures in shambles.
Its students logged the lowest performance on state testing of all 17 Pinellas County high schools. Its leadership faced heavy criticism from its community and even some students: One of the school’s valedictorians said during graduation in 2023 that the school had “extreme and pervasive administrative incompetence.”
Into the front office walked Connisheia Garcia, a veteran alternative school leader with no traditional high school experience. Her directions as the new principal couldn’t have been more clear.
Turn Lakewood around.
The A it earned in the latest round of state grades was a sign of success to those who pushed for improvement. Lakewood hadn’t earned an A in 13 years, receiving C’s from 2016 through 2024.
“We’re here now,” Garcia said shortly after the Department of Education released the 2026 results. “The hardest piece is to stay here and continue to grow.”
The gains for the school, which has seen its enrollment decline by 100 students over the past five years, were strong. Overall, Lakewood jumped to fifth among Pinellas high schools in total points achieved, a tally of its outcomes in testing, acceleration and graduation rate.
In English, 61% of students scored at or above grade level, compared to 31% in 2022. The increases were similar in math, science and social studies.
If there’s a secret to the improvement, Garcia said, it’s the “student-first concept.”
What does that mean?
“We give students actual input in voice and choice about absolutely everything,” Garcia explained.
As an example, she mentioned a meeting with teens about what types of courses the school might offer to increase their engagement and attendance. Some students asked about adding cosmetology, and this fall Lakewood will begin providing it.
“Kids feel ownership,” she said. “In today’s age where students are making a lot of decisions about their future, you have to be open to it.”
When students are given things they like to do, they show up, Garcia said. That provides the entry for teachers to give them the education they need alongside the material they want.
One offshoot has been the school’s decision not to offer math courses during first period, which begins at 7:25 a.m. Instead, it has courses that can “lock in” kids’ attention with “something exciting,” Garcia said.
“Once kids start to wake up, we start to do our core,” she said. “And we make sure our classroom teachers are prepared.”
Garcia also implemented incentives similar to what elementary schools do as a way to encourage positive behavior, with the goal of letting students and staff know they’ll be rewarded for doing the right things. And she worked to bring a focus to each individual student, using regular reviews to ensure no one falls through the cracks, from the lowest to the highest achiever.
Being in charge of an alternative school showed her the importance of that idea.
It wasn’t easy at first, Garcia acknowledged, as many people questioned the major culture change. Some didn’t believe it was real, or it would endure.
Now the school has multiple applicants for its few vacancies. It met all its proficiency goals. And it’s looking ahead.
“We’ve come a long way,” she said, adding her thanks to the students, parents and community members who trusted her and the team that came in three years ago. “Now we want Lakewood to become the standard.”
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