In the district, grades kindergarten through 5 are considered to be elementary school, grades 6 through 8 are considered to be middle school, and grades 9 through 12 are considered to be senior high school. Some elementary schools go up to the sixth grade.
Every house in HISD is assigned to an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. HISD has many alternative programs and transfer options available to students who want a specialized education and/or dislike their home schools.
Thomas Horace Rogers School (alternative school) is part Vanguard school (K-8), part school for the deaf (K-8), and part school for multiply impaired children (K-12).
Briarmeadow Charter School (HISD charter school) (Houston)
Named after the Briarmeadow community,[1] it was created in 1997, with 125 students,[2] to relieve Piney Point and three other elementary schools.[3] Briarmeadow Charter at one time rented space at the Post Oak YMCA,[2] with students using an area library and the cafeteria of T.H. Rogers School.[3]
It moved into a permanent 11-acre (4.5 ha) facility, with the school building being 90,000-square-foot (8,400 m2) former manufacturing warehouse, with room for 550 pupils, in 2001; the building had a value of $10 million,[3] funded by the Rebuild 2002 bond,[1] and its second floor had 7,000 square feet (650 m2) of space.[2] The classrooms are in groups with a common area linking them. The building's facilities include a cafeteria equipped with a stage and designated for multiple purposes,[3] a fine art studio with a separate entry area[2] and an attached music studio[3] with high-acoustic capabilities, two computer laboratories, a library, a multimedia room, a music studio, two language laboratories, and a science laboratory.[2] Athletic fields, a nature area, and playgrounds use an outdoor area with 11 acres (4.5 ha) of space.[3] HISD had plans to use the second floor as administrative offices. It had 220 students in June 2001,[2] increasing to 350 by September of that year.[3]
Thomas J. Pilgrim Academy (zoned school) (Houston)
The school was built in 1957, on the sesquicentennial of the birth of Thomas J. Pilgrim, and opened as Thomas J. Pilgrim Elementary School.[6] In 2006 it began adding middle school grades,[7] and in 2007 it changed its name to its current one and moved into its current location.[6] Principal Alma Salman arranged to have middle school grades added so the school could have more time to increase student performance so it meets their grade levels. As of 2011 85% of the students at Pilgrim are low income, and about 66% of students who are new to Pilgrim have limited proficiency of English, with Spanish and Arabic being the most common native languages. As of 2011 250 students are in grades 6–8. In 2011 Children at Risk ranked the Pilgrim middle school as the best comprehensive middle school program in Houston.[7]
The Rusk School (Houston) (magnet for K-8, will become 6-8 only)
Rusk is in the Second Ward,[8] at Garrow and Paige Streets, near Settegast Park.[9]
Rusk, named after Thomas Jefferson Rusk, was built in 1902.[1] When Clayton Homes initially opened in 1952, Rusk served as its neighborhood elementary school. The old Rusk was demolished so U.S. Route 59 (Eastex Freeway) could be built, and Clayton Homes students were rezoned to Anson Jones Elementary. However HISD perceived Anson Jones's proximity to US59 to be a hazard, and Clayton Homes residents had difficulties with their commute due to traffic issues. HISD built a new Rusk Elementary, opening in 1960, at its current location.[9] Clayton Homes was rezoned to that school, and the new Rusk also relieved Lubbock Elementary School.[10]
In a period before 1996 Rusk added middle school grades. Principal Felipa Young spearheaded the initiative because she noticed graduates of Rusk encountering academic or disciplinary trouble in large comprehensive middle schools.[11] Beginning in the 2016–2017 school year the elementary zoned grades at Rusk will be phased out. The portions of the Second Ward were be rezoned to Burnet Elementary School and Lantrip Elementary School. PreKindergarten through grade 2 at Rusk will be phased out immediately, with 3-5 being phased out in the following five years; elementary grades for Rusk were phased out by fall 2019.[12][13]
Carter G. Woodson K-8 Center in Houston formerly had PK-8; since 2018 is now has PK-5.[15] Middle school students were rezoned to Albert Thomas Middle.[16] Ericka Mellon of the Houston Chronicle stated in 2015 that Woodson K-8 "performs well below the district average" although most Texas accountability test scores for the school increased during the period 2013–2014.[17] In 2015 Children at Risk ranked Woodson K-8 an "F".[17]
Burbank High School opened in 1927. The school was converted into a junior high school and received a new building in 1949. Burbank received a Vanguard magnet school program in 1979; it had been moved from Terrell Junior High. In the 1980s the grade configuration changed from grades 7–9 to 6–8, and the name was changed to Burbank Middle School.[29]
In 1996 most of the students were from recent immigrants, and 87% of the students were Hispanic. The large number of immigrant students prompted the school to start special classes for bilingual students. By then the school held parent-teacher meetings in Spanish as well as English. Previously the school only had a summary of each meeting in Spanish, but as a result participation from Hispanophone parents was low.[30]
When HISD assumed control, the facilities were in a damaged state, 30-40% of students were habitually late to school, and 75-80% of students performed below grade level. Rick Fernandez became principal in 2013, and Tannisha Gentry, his assistant, succeeded him when he left to become principal of North Forest High School in 2015. Fernandez and Gentry changed the school uniforms, posted teachers in areas where students may hide, and penalized truancy with lunch detentions. Gentry added a study period and added one hour to the instructional day. Hurricane Harvey, in 2017, damaged the building and displaced students from nearby neighborhoods. By November 2017 80 students were not in attendance.[39]
Hamilton previously had the Indians as a mascot, but in 2014 it adopted a new mascot, the Huskies, due to controversies over Native American naming.[41]
Hogg, named after Governor of TexasJames Stephen Hogg, was built on land that was reserved for school usage by the developer of Norhill.[44] James Hogg's family had donated the land occupied by the school.[45] It has 735 students as of 2015. 87% of the students are designated as low income, and the student body is majority Hispanic. The school occupies a three-story 1920s building. The school uses the International Baccalaureate program.[46]
Hogg's student body became mostly racial minority in the late 1970s.[34] In the 2011–2012 school year, it had 700 students. 90% were Hispanic or Latino, 5% were black, and 3% were white. Almost all of the students were classified as low income through their qualifying for free or reduced lunches. As of 2011 few Woodland Heights/Norhill-area parents sent their children to Hogg, and they instead used HISD middle schools in other areas. As of 2014 the school's test scores were below average. By 2014 the IB program had been established, the number of disciplinary reports declined and became among the smallest in the entire district. There were efforts from area parents to attract graduates of Travis and Harvard elementary schools, two major feeder schools, to Hogg, and by 2014 the number of children from Travis and Harvard matriculating to Hogg increased by fewer than 50%.[45] In 2015 Annette Baird of the Houston Chronicle wrote that historically "had a reputation for poor student performance and low enrollment" but that it was increasing in popularity with local parents.[46]
Audrey H. Lawson Middle School (formerly Richard W. "Dick" Dowling Middle School) (Houston)
Serves Hiram Clarke, Brentwood, Corinthian Pointe, City Park, and Almeda[48] It opened on February 9, 1968. Frank Tritico had given the school district a paper highlighting the life of Richard William "Dick" Dowling, and therefore the district chose to name the school after him. It replaced the former junior high school component of Madison High School and had an initial enrollment of 1,107. At first it had grades 7-8, with the 9th grade opening in 1969. Its magnet program began on January 9, 1993, making it Richard W. Dowling Middle School of Fine Arts; the HISD board approved the establishment of the magnet program the previous November.[49] As of 2009, 99% of the student body consists of racial and ethnic minorities.[50] In 2016 the HISD board sought to rename schools named after officials in the Confederate States of America; it was renamed after Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church first lady Audrey H. Lawson that year.[51] Groundbreaking for Lawson's new 1,500 student, $59 million, three-story campus occurred in September 2016.[52]Madison High School is located in Hiram Clarke and serves residents of the Hiram Clarke area.[53][54]
John Marshall Middle School (Houston) [opened in 1914 as North End Junior High School]
It was named after Daniel Ortiz, Jr. (1936-1994), an HISD employee from the East End who served as a teacher and administrator, serving as HISD assistant superintendent. He retired in 1992.[64]
John J. Pershing Middle School, in Houston, is a fine arts, neighborhood, and gifted and talented Middle School. Pershing celebrated its 75th anniversary in the 2003–2004 school year.
Pin Oak Middle School (Bellaire) is a foreign language magnet, and gifted and talented Middle School. Pin Oak does not have an attendance zone, students have to apply to get in.
It is an "application-only" school that accepts students by application. Anyone living in Houston ISD may apply for the Foreign Languages magnet program, and the pupils who are zoned to Meyerland Performing and Arts Middle School (formerly Johnston Middle School), Jane Long Middle School, or Pershing middle schools may apply to Pin Oak's regular program.[65] The 174,500-square-foot (16,210 m2) building sits on an 18-acre (73,000 m2) campus.[66] The school was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2008.[67][68] The Bellaire Examiner stated in 2010 "Pin Oak’s innovative magnet and Vanguard programs have earned it honors and many more applicants each year than it can accept."[69] In 2011 Isaiah Carey of KRIV said that Pin Oak "is seen as one of the best in HISD for learning and education,[...]"[70] Pin Oak is across the street from the Houston Community College System's West Loop Center,[71] and the Challenge Early College High School (which is located inside HCC's West Loop Center), both of which are located in the city of Houston (Glenmont Street is on the border of Houston and Bellaire).
It was established in 2008; the campus was previously the unzoned relief elementary school Sugar Grove Elementary School, named after a church that previously occupied the school's current location.[74]
In the period 2009 to 2019, the school had "improvement required" ratings from the State of Texas for four of those years. Each year, about 37% of the teachers present in one school year are not in the next. There were five principals in a period circa 2009 to 2019. Circa 2014, 925 students in the Sugar Grove attendance zone attended schools other than Sugar Grove middle. This increased to 1,200 circa 2019.[27]
Tanglewood Middle School (formerly Henry W. Grady Middle School[75]) (Houston)
Grady Middle School opened in 1992.[77] The campus previously housed an elementary school, and was re-opened as a middle school because area parents thought Revere Middle School was too far away.[78]
Welch's campus was built for about 1,133 students. In 1996 it had 1,700 students. There were also issues with the sewage system in the temporary building area as well as roof leaks and water issues from condensation.[81]
Welch previously had the Warriors as a mascot, but in 2014 it adopted a new mascot, the Wolf Pack, due to controversies over Native American naming.[41]
David "Davy" Crockett Early Childhood Center (Houston) (The campus was formerly Brock Elementary School - Elementary students were rezoned to Crockett ES)
Early Childhood Center (Houston, opening August 2005)
Fonwood Early Childhood Center
Originally Fonwood Elementary School of the North Forest Independent School District,[20] it was built in 1964.[37] Prior to NFISD's closure, the district had been planning to close Fonwood Elementary.[88] HISD converted Fonwood into the area's early childhood center after the takeover effective July 1, 2013.[20] It was one of the older schools of NFISD. HISD released statements highlighting the poor condition of Fonwood Elementary when doing a post-takeover tour of the school. In a tour of the campus in July 2013, Terry Grier noted a playground in poor condition, water fountains too tall for children, exposed wires, violins without strings stored in the music room, and a restroom which had a bad odor. The teacher's lounge had a plush couch, upholstered chairs, flowers, and a flatscreen television.[89] HISD did not state that NFISD was planning to close Fonwood.[88] It became an early childhood center when NFISD merged into HISD on July 1, 2013.[20]
Sharon Goldstein Halpin Early Childhood Center (Houston)
Martin Luther King Jr. Early Childhood Center (Houston)
Ninfa Laurenzo Early Childhood Center (Houston)
Gabriela Mistral Early Childhood Center (Houston, opened August 2005)
HISD has an online high school offering regular, AP, and credit-recovery courses at its virtual school. For grades 3-12 offers online schooling through Texas Connections Academy @ Houston, which is operated under contract by Connections Academy, a Maryland-based company which works with public and other schools to provide online education.[90][91][92]
Foley's Academy (1987–2000) was an alternative high school where students advanced at their own pace. It had one-on-one learning and catered to at-risk students to prevent them from dropping out. Former first lady Barbara Bush and Dr. Joan Raymond headed the opening ceremony by signing in the first three students: Twanna Lynn, Shannon Gladney and Robert Martinez.[citation needed]
New Aspirations Academy High School (Houston) (closed 2012)
James D. Ryan Middle School (Houston) - Closed in 2013,[105] building now used for The Medical and Health Professions Academy at Ryan Middle School[86]
Terrell Middle School (Houston) (Opened 1966, later became an alternative school, closed in 2001[95]) - As of 2014 it serves as an immigration detention center for children[106]
In 1996 its students had disciplinary records that caused them to be expelled from their previous schools. Circa 1996 the annual cost per student incurred by each student was over $16,000; around that time the average per-student cost in Houston-area school districts was $4,000-$5,000.[107]
Other schools
Kaleidoscope Middle School (Houston) (moved to 6501 Bellaire Boulevard from 5909 Glenmont in 2007[108]) - combined into Long Middle in 2012[109]
Concord, located on the site of Kashmere Gardens Elementary School, closed due to low enrollment. The students will be a part of the Kashmere Gardens population.[110]
Langston Early Childhood Center (2815 Campbell, Opened 1994, closed May 2004,[95] Students transferred to Crawford ES)
Las Américas Early Childhood Development Center (5909 Glenmont, Houston) (5909 Glenmont, 77081) (Closed in 2007[111])
Originally the preschool was located in the clubhouse of the aforementioned apartment complex. It later received its own building, which had three stories.[112]
Wheatley Child Development (4900 Market, Houston, Opened 1993, closed 2007[95])
^"'Stros open Enron stadium in 'Classic' business decision." Houston Business Journal. Sunday December 17, 2000. 3. "Mama Ninfa Laurenzo hosted a party this week for 150 children between the ages of six and 10 years old from Anson Jones and Rusk Elementary schools in the Second Ward." Retrieved on February 6, 2012.
^ abWray, Dianna. "Everyone Says They Want the Best for North Forest Students, As Long As They Stand to Benefit." Houston Press. Wednesday October 2, 2013. p. 2. Retrieved on October 8, 2013.