Lick Wilmerding High School

Pretty amazing place, if you can get in – and afford it.
Amazing head of school, Eric Temple.
Bright, motivated young people, each with his/​her own talent.
If you want your kid around other movers and shakers, pick Lick.

My daughter graduated in 1999. Twelve Years on, and we still miss being Lick parents, and our daughter, through her Stanford and Harvard years, still hangs out with her Lick pals…
The place has the highest median SAT scores in the state, but not the highest average, because they keep about 25% of the slots for students with «different talents».
The mottos tell it all: «Head, Heart and Hands» and «A Private School with a Public Purpose»…
EVERY student takes a shop class every semester, and that only makes them better students, and humans.

Being a brother of a current student and having applied here back when I was considering high schools, I must admit that Lick Wilmerding is a fine institution to send your child, sibling, or other loved one.
When I applied in 1996, the school was dark, dank and was not a warm place where you would want your kids to go. But since then they’ve renovated the physical building, maintained a commitment to diversity, athletics, and the arts, and really created a great balance in the student body. According to my sister, the teaching is first rate and graduates go on to great universities.
When it comes to private high schools in the city, you really can’t go wrong with many of the schools (University, Urban, Lick, etc.). The only school I would consider a strong alternative is Lowell, widely considered one of the finest public schools in America. But that being said, LWHS is a great place to spend four years.

Okay… I’m an alum so i’m biased. But the only people who can fully Unilocal a high school have to be grads, so oh well. I’m studying architecture because of this school. I love this school! The teachers are oh-​so helpful and actually care about you. I still have coffee with my architecture and history teacher. It’s absolutely worth the tuition and around 75% of students receive aid so don’t be discouraged by the price tag!

Go Tigers!!! I have found myself aimlessly wandering the hallowed halls of Lick a few times since graduating a decade ago. Oh, the memories… sneaking off to Beep’s Burgers during assemblies, Dr. Adams’ off topic yet strangely motivational speeches, and of course, Lick Lax. Boy oh boy do I miss the camaraderie and competitiveness of high school lacrosse. And for the purists out there, it’s actually Lick-​Wilmerding. I mean, let’s be real, how many high schools have a Body-​Mind Education” department?! Love ya, Lick!

This was an awesome place to go to school. I have been out over 15 years or so now, but the teachers, the students, the quality of learning, the philosophy prepared me so much for college and after. It is pricey but it’s undeniably worth it if you can make it work.

The funny name is half of the fun! There are very few schools where you are required to do metal shop, wood shop, and glass shop to graduate. Lick is one of them. They put in flashy new shop buildings since I was there, and I hope that the true Lick spirit remains unchanged.