Leander High School

Leander High School is a secondary school in Leander, Texas, United States, and is part of the Leander Independent School District. It was established in 1983 and was the only high school in district, until the establishment of Cedar Park High School in 1998.

The school has a freshman enrollment of 600 students and is accredited by the Texas Education Agency. Historically the school served a mainly rural population, but starting in the early 1990s the area experienced growth due to expansion of high tech industries in the nearby Austin area. In 1999, the school became an International Baccalaureate school.

As of 2017, the school principal is Chris Simpson.

The school's mascots are Leo the Lion and Leah the Lioness. The school colors are blue, white, and red.

Athletics

* Baseball
* Basketball (men's and women's)
* Cheerleading
* Cross country
* Drill Team
* Football
* Golf (men's and women's)
* Soccer
* Swimming
* Tennis
* Track and field
* Volleyball
* Wrestling

Football

Since the early 1930s, Leander has had a presence in Texas high school football. Since 1942, it has had 17 playoff appearances.

The 1942 season was the first time that Leander made an appearance in the playoffs after being named district champions. They were eliminated after losing to Marble Falls 0-26.

In 1955, Leander went 8-1-1 in the regular season, falling only to Thrall High School. They entered bi-district, but fell to Troy High School 0-12.

In 1959, Leander went 4-5-1, before advancing to the bi-district game against Johnson City High; they fell 6-8.

The Lions made their fourth playoff appearance in 1967. They went 8-2, advancing to the playoffs after losing only to Salado and Thorndale. In the bi-district game, they again fell to Salado with a score of 28-14.

With their best season since the team's founding, the 1969 Lions went 9-1 in the regular season. They advanced to bi-district and played Mart High School, but fell 0-37.

After 27 years without making it to the playoffs, Leander returned to a bi-district game in 1996 with a record of 7-2-1. They were knocked out of the playoffs after a 0-14 loss to Killeen Ellison.

In 2001, the Lions made it to the bi-district game against Killeen, but lost 3-21.

The 2002 season was the first time Leander won a playoff game after beating Copperas Cove 45-27 in the bi-district game. They advanced to area playoffs, but lost to Spring High School 26-28.

In 2003 Leander went 9-1, and were able to advance to playoffs. Leander first beat Belton 14-13 in the bi-district game, before advancing to the area game against Cypress Springs, who they topped 31-7. Leander then faced Dallas Carter and beat them 11-9. For their final playoff game of the season, Leander faced Allen High School in the state 5A quarterfinals. Allen held a constant lead throughout the game, and Leander was defeated 49-35.

After failing to make the playoffs in 2004, the 2005 team went 9-1 and were named district champions. They played Bastrop in the bi-district game, and advanced to area after beating the Bears 39-13. They appeared in the area game against the undefeated Copperas Cove team, and were defeated 42-28.

In 2006, Leander was named district champion and made it to the bi-district game against Ellison. They beat the Eagles 49-22, then moved to the area game against Klein Forest who they beat 35-24. Leander played Garland in the regional game, but were defeated 24-27.

Basketball

Currently, Leander has four basketball teams: Varsity, Junior Varsity, 9th A, and 9th B.

Baseball

Leander has three baseball teams: Varsity, JV Blue and JV Red.

Fine arts

* Band
* Choir
* Dance
* Theatre

Band

The Leander High School Band's accolades include:

* Bands of America Grand National Class AAA Champion – 2016, 2019
* UIL State Marching Contest finalist – 1988, 1989, 1993, 1996, 2000, 2015, 2016, 2018
* UIL State Marching Band Bronze Medalist – 1988, 1989, 2015, 2021
* UIL State Marching Band Silver Medalist - 1993
* Tournament of Roses Parade – 1997
* Winter Guard International World Champion – 2018
* TMEA State Honor Band – 1994
* TMEA State Honor Band Finalist - 1988, 1990, 1992
* Three-time State Championship Color Guard – 2013, 2014, 2018
* Consistent UIL Concert Band Sweepstakes recipients (Consecutive UIL Annual Sweepstakes Awards since Spring, 1987)
* 34 consecutive years of perfect Division 1 ratings at the UIL Marching Contest (2019)
*Three Time Bands Of America Grand National Finalist (1999, 2016, 2019 )

Clubs and organizations

Robotics

The Leander High School robotics team has won many different awards over the years. Students of any background may join, even if they have no knowledge of robotics.

Newspaper

''The Roar'' is Leander's online newspaper. It was founded in 2009.

Yearbook

Leander's yearbook is ''The Lair''. It has been producing editions since 1946.

Air Force JROTC

Leander High School offers an Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps class for grades 9-12.

Blue Belles Dance Team

The blue belles is the varsity dance/drill team at Leander Highschool. They perform at all Varsity football games,some basketball games and pep rallies. They also host their own shows a holiday show and spring show. And they host a dance compeition WDC. The team consist of Sophmores-Seniors. There is also a JV performance co. The sapphires.

Notable alumni

Football players

*Blake Gideon, NFL player
*Dane Krager, NFL player
* Paul Thompson, NFL player
*Torri Williams, NFL player

Baseball players

* Michael Reed, MLB player

Others

* Liz Hatch, cyclist
*MJ Hegar, politician

References

External links

Leander High School Choir websiteLeander High School websiteLeander High School BandLeander High School Theater DepartmentLeander High School history''LHSRoar''Leander Baseball

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Educational institutions established in 1984
International Baccalaureate schools in Texas
High schools in Williamson County, Texas
Leander, Texas
Leander Independent School District high schools
1984 establishments in Texas