Hey guys!
I'm just a new guy here and I'm looking to get into mountain biking.
I want to use the bike to go to my high school and just ride it around for fun, as well as go ride on trails.
My budget is around $1000 but it would be nice to find a good bike cheaper than that.
So what bikes would you recommend?

A recent thread on the subject: Best Mountain Bike under $1000

Ps. Welcome to the forum

Any hardtail from a name brand manufacture at that price point is going to be about the same quality wise. Find a local shop that is easy to deal with and get whatever color you like.

I have a different viewpoint. You can probably find a nice MTB on craigslist used for less than $1000.00 then you could buy a beater for $150 to ride to school. I don't know anything about your High School but I would not normally want to leave a Nice bike anywhere near my old high school. There are plenty of early 2000s Specialized bikes in that range. Look for Deore LX components or better on the MTB they hung those components on some pretty decent frames. If it just says Deore its probably a lower spec bike with a heavy frame. Jamis are good when you find them.