Midtown is a central neighborhood of Houston, located west-southwest of

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

. Separated from Downtown by an elevated section of

Interstate 45 Interstate 45 (I-45) is a major Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Texas. While most Interstate routes which have numbers ending in "5" are cross-country north–south routes, I-45 is comparatively short, with th ...

(the Pierce Elevated), Midtown is characterized by a continuation of Downtown's square

grid street plan In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid. Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogona ...

, anchored by Main Street and the

METRORail Red Line The Red Line is one of three light rail routes on the METRORail network operated by METRO in Houston, Texas. It is the oldest line in the METRORail system, with the first section of the line between Fannin South and UH–Downtown opening on Jan ...

. Midtown is bordered by Neartown (Montrose) to the west, the Museum District to the south, and

Interstate 69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of 10 unconnected segments with an original continuous segment from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, a ...

to the east. Midtown's 325 blocks cover and contained an estimated population of nearly 8,600 in 2015. Originally populated as a

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

-style residential neighborhood in the 19th century, Midtown experienced an economic depression during the latter half of the 20th century, resulting in the departure of residents and businesses and a proliferation of vacant land. The formation of the Midtown Redevelopment Authority in the early 1990s and a renewed interest in Houston's urban core resulted in the

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ...

of the district throughout the 2000s, fueled by an influx of young residents and the development of a vibrant

nightlife Nightlife is a collective term for entertainment that is available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, ...

. Like many other gentrified areas of Houston, Midtown's street signs are themed, specific to the area's logo, and there are many parks, sculptures, and businesses that include “Midtown” in their name, as a form of economic unity and to further attract more visitors and residents. Midtown has continued its rapid development through the 2010s, but the district continues to face issues of crime, inadequate infrastructure, chronic homelessness, and geographic disparities in public investment.

History

Around 1906 what is now Midtown was divided between the Third Ward and Fourth Ward. Before the 1950s what is now Midtown was a popular residential district. Increasingly, commercial development led homeowners to leave for neighborhoods they considered less busy. The area became a group of small apartment complexes, low-rise commercial buildings, and older houses. According to a City of Houston report, the remaining churches and the Houston Community College System Central campuses provided the neighborhood's "only stability."Study Area 11
." ''City of Houston''. Accessed October 21, 2008. In the 1970s, Midtown became home to Little Saigon, a neighborhood of

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

ese and

Vietnamese American Vietnamese Americans ( vi, Người Mỹ gốc Việt, lit=Viet-origin American people) are Americans of Vietnamese ancestry. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American ethnic group after Chines ...

s, who pioneered the redevelopment of Midtown Houston. During the 1980s, Travis and Milam Streets were viewed as a mirror image of 1970s era

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

.Sarnoff, Nancy.
Little Saigon tries to carry on / City pushing for ways to give area new life
(). ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

''. Sunday November 28, 2004. Business, 3. The Vietnamese areas were established around Milam Street, Webster Street, Fannin Street, and San Jacinto Street. By 1991 this Little Saigon had Vietnamese restaurants, hair salons, car shops, and travel agencies. Mimi Swartz of ''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. ''Texas Monthly'' was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy and has been published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. since 1998 and i ...

'' stated in 1991 that "Little Saigon is a place to begin easing into a new country". On June 24, 1994

Isabella Court Isabella Court is a Spanish Colonial Revival style mixed-use residential and commercial complex at 3909-3917 South Main Street in the Midtown district of Houston, Texas, United States. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. ...

at 3909-3917 South Main Street received listing in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

. The City of Houston established the Midtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (

TIRZ A tax increment reinvestment zone (TIRZ) is a political subdivision of a municipality or county in the state of Texas created to implement tax increment financing. They may be initiated by the city or county or by petition of owners whose total hold ...

) in 1995.Frequently Asked Questions
." ''Midtown Management District''. Retrieved on April 5, 2009. The establishment of the TIRZ led to the opening of upper income townhomes and apartment complexes in western Midtown and the area along Elizabeth Baldwin Park. Between 1990 and 2000 the area within the Midtown Superneighborhood saw the population increase from 3,070 to 5,311. The increase by 2,241 people was 73% of the 1990 population. During that period about 2,200 multi-family units opened, particularly along Louisiana Street and West Gray Street. Since the total multi-family acreage remained at a small number, the population increase also increased the density of the area. During the 1990s commercial uses increased, particularly along Main Street and Louisiana Street. In 1999 the 76th

Texas Legislature The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful a ...

created the Midtown Management District. By 2004, higher rents and street construction have reduced the number of Vietnamese American businesses, many of which have relocated to the outer Houston Chinatown in the Bellaire Boulevard corridor west of Sharpstown. On May 1 of that year, during the 6th Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Festival, the section of Midtown along Milam Street and Travis Street near Tuam Street received the designation "Little Saigon." In 2009

Houston City Council The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. Currently, there are sixteen members, 11 elected from council districts and five at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, ...

approved the expansion of the Midtown TIRZ by . The new territory includes the Asia House, the Buffalo Soldiers Museum and the Museum of African-American culture. In 2014 the ranking website Niche stated that Midtown was the favorite neighborhood for millennial people.

Cityscape

In 2010 Denny Lee of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' said that Midtown, a "mixed-use" district, was "dotted with"

bánh mì In Vietnamese cuisine, or banh mi (, ; , "bread") is a short baguette with thin, crisp crust and soft, airy texture. It is often split lengthwise and filled with savory ingredients like a submarine sandwich and served as a meal, called ''bá ...

restaurants. By 2012 many new bars, retail operations, and restaurants had opened in Midtown. Ed Page, a retail broker, said in 2012 that Midtown has not yet seen any significant new retail; he was referring to

big box stores A big-box store (also hyperstore, supercenter, superstore, or megastore) is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain of stores. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store. The te ...

.Sarnoff, Nancy.
Development in Midtown on an upswing
" ''

''. Tuesday October 30, 2012. Retrieved on November 1, 2012. As of 2010 five flower shops are located along Fannin in a section of Midtown. One decade before 2010 there were over one dozen flower shops in that area.Sarnoff, Nancy.
A Valentine's Day reminder of an unrealized vision
" ''

''. February 13, 2010. Retrieved on February 15, 2010. In 2003 the flower shop owners were mostly Asian. The shops, along four

city block A city block, residential block, urban block, or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest group of buildings that is surrounded by streets, not counting any type of thoroughfare within ...

s, were centered on Rosedale Street.Davis, Rod.
Houston's really good idea Bus tour celebrates communities that forged a city.
''

San Antonio Express-News The ''San Antonio Express-News'' is a daily newspaper in San Antonio, Texas. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation and has offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The ''Express-News'' is the third largest newspaper in the state of Texas, with ...

''. Sunday August 3, 2003. Travel 1M. Retrieved on February 11, 2012. The number declined after the establishment of the METRORail Red Line. Nancy Sarnoff of the ''

'' said in 2010 that the remaining flower shops told her that the establishment of the line helped cause several of their competitors to go out of business.

Little Saigon

Midtown was known for a concentration of Vietnamese businesses, termed "Little Saigon". Vietnamese in Houston, in the 1970s, had settled

Allen Parkway Village Historic Oaks of Allen Parkway Village, formerly Allen Parkway Village (APV) and San Felipe Courts Apartments, is a public housing complex in the northern Fourth Ward, Houston, Texas,Snyder, Mike.With its rich history, Fourth Ward is strong in ...

. Midtown was in proximity and was relatively inexpensive. Midtown became a center of business and religion for ethnic Vietnamese across the Houston area even though very few ethnic Vietnamese actually resided in Midtown. By 1991 this Little Saigon had Vietnamese restaurants, hair salons, car shops, and travel agencies,Swartz, Mimi. "Murder in the Melting Pot." ''

''.

Emmis Communications Emmis Communications is an American media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Emmis, based on the Hebrew word for Truth (Emet) was founded by Jeff Smulyan in 1980. Emmis has owned many radio stations, including KPWR and WQHT, which ...

, December 1991. Vol. 19, No. 12. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p
142
CITED: p
174
and as of 2000 businesses there included grocery stores, medical and legal offices, restaurants, music and video stores, hair styling shops, business service offices, and jewelry stores.41
Mimi Swartz of ''

'' stated in 1991 that in what is now Midtown, "Little Saigon is a place to begin easing into a new country." Due to the actions of a group of Vietnamese-American leaders led by My Michael Cao, who served as the President of the Vietnamese Community of Houston and Vicinity (VNCH), a resolution that installed Vietnamese street signs along Milam Street in Midtown was passed.Vu, p. 29 Vietnamese street signs have denoted the area since 1998. In 2004, this area was officially named "Little Saigon" by the city of Houston. The redevelopment of Midtown Houston from run-down to upscale increased property values and

property tax A property tax or millage rate is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or net wealth, taxes on the change of ownership of property through inher ...

es, forcing many Vietnamese-American businesses out of the neighborhood into other areas. By 2003 the number of Vietnamese business declined, with many of them moving to the Southwest Houston Little Saigon, despite the beautification projects occurring. Hope Roth stated circa 2017 that pressure from other new developments and increase in costs related to land and space caused a decline in Little Saigon. Roth stated that many of the area restaurants still remain, but increasingly cater more to mainstream American tastes. In 2010 Denny Lee of ''

'' wrote that "traces" of the Vietnamese community remained.

Demographics

As of 2012 Midtown has about 8,600 people. Midtown had a 65% population increase in a ten-year period. According to the 2000

Census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

, the Super Neighborhood #62 Midtown (which mostly corresponds to the boundaries of the Midtown District) contained a total of 5,311 residents. The racial makeup of the area was 45% (2,439 people)

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 18% (949 people)

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 6% (320 people) Asian, less than 1% (8 people) Native American, less than 1% (35 people) from other races, 1% (70 people) from two or more races and 28% (1,490 people) of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino The super neighborhood contained a total of 4,559 people above the age of 18. The super neighborhood contained a total of 3,219 people who were male and 2,092 people who were female. 18 people were in nursing homes. Nobody was in a correctional institution, a university or college dormitory, or a military quarter. There were 2,326 households, with a population of 4,142 in those households. The average household size is 1.78 people. Some parts of the Midtown TIRZ are within Super Neighborhood #66 Binz.

Transportation

Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas is the area transit authority. The METRORail Red Line runs directly through Midtown along Main Street. Three stops ( Wheeler, Ensemble/HCC, and McGowen) are located in Midtown. Bus routes 1, 8, 25, 60, 65, and 182 stop at Wheeler Station. Routes stopping at the Downtown Transit Center, adjacent to Midtown and located in Downtown, include 11, 15, 24, 30, 35, 52, 60, 70, and 77. Other routes serving Midtown include 3, 5, 33, 42, 44, 53, 56, 82, 85, 102, 108, 131, 261, 262, 265, 269, 274, and 283.SERVICE AND IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND ASSESSMENT PLAN FOR FISCAL YEARS 2015-2024
." Midtown Houston. Retrieved on April 4, 2009. page 25/25 of the PDF Houston's intercity bus station (which is served by

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and ...

and several bus lines that serve

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

) is located in Midtown. In 2008 the ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...

'' named the Greyhound Terminal as "best place to people watch."

Government and infrastructure

Local government

The Midtown Management District is headquartered in Suite 355 at 410 Pierce Street. During previous eras the management district was headquartered in Suites 350–355 in the Bienville Building at 3401 Louisiana Street.

Houston Fire Department City of Houston Fire Department (HFD) is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Houston, Texas, United States, the fourth largest city in the United States. HFD is responsible for preserving life and ...

Station 7 is located in Midtown.Houston Fire Station #7
''City of Houston''. Retrieved on November 14, 2008. The station is in Fire District 8. The station "Young America #7" first opened in 1878. Several months later the station's name changed to "Eagle #7" and the station was located on Congress Street near Main Street. In 1899 the station moved to the intersection of McIlhenny and Milam. The station moved to its current location in 1969. A renovation was scheduled for the financial year of 2009. The

Houston Police Department The Houston Police Department (HPD) is the primary law enforcement agency serving the City of Houston, Texas, United States and some surrounding areas. With approximately 5,300 officers and 1,200 civilian support personnel it is the fifth-largest ...

's South Central Patrol Division, headquartered at 2022 St. Emanuel.,VOLUNTEER INITIATIVES PROGRAM - Citizens Offering Police Support
" ''City of Houston''. Retrieved on November 14, 2008. serves the district. As of 2011 two

districts, C and D, cover portions of Midtown. Previously two districts, D and I covered portions of Midtown. The City of Houston established the Midtown Tax Increment Investment Zone, which takes a portion of the ad valorem taxes generated within its boundaries to finance infrastructure and reimburse developers, in 1995. A nine-member board of directors appointed by the City of Houston, Harris County, and the

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby ...

(HISD) governs the Midtown TIRZ, which is also known as Reinvestment Zone Number 2. Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated

Martin Luther King Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

Health Center for the ZIP code 77004, Casa de Amigos Health Center in Northside for 77006, and Ripley Health Center in the

East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

for 77002. The nearest public hospital is

Ben Taub General Hospital Ben Taub Hospital is a public hospital located in Houston, Texas within the Texas Medical Center. Having opened in May 1963, the hospital is owned and operated by the Harris Health System and is staffed by the faculty, residents, and students ...

in the

Texas Medical Center The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is a medical district and neighborhood in south-central Houston, Texas, United States, immediately south of the Museum District and west of Texas State Highway 288. Over 60 medical institutions, largely concentrat ...

State representation

The

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jai ...

(TDCJ) operates the Houston VII District Parole Office in Midtown. Midtown is located in District 147 of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

. As of 2008,

Garnet F. Coleman Garnet Fredrick Coleman (born September 8, 1961) is an American politician. From 1991 to 2022, he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives for the 147th district, located entirely within Houston and Harris County. Early life and educ ...

represents the district. Midtown is within

District 13 ''District 13'' (French title ''Banlieue 13'' or ''B13''), is a 2004 French action film directed by Pierre Morel and written and produced by Luc Besson. It depicts parkour in several stunt sequences completed without wires or computer-generated ...

of the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate ( es, Senado de Texas) is the upper house of the Texas State Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing single-member districts across the U.S. state of Texas, with populations of approximately 806,000 per co ...

; as of 2008

Rodney Ellis Rodney Glenn Ellis (born April 7, 1954) is an American politician. He represented Texas' 13th state senate district in the Texas Senate from 1990 to 2017. The district contains portions of Harris County, including downtown Houston, and Fort B ...

represents that district.

Federal representation

Midtown is in Texas's 18th congressional district. As of 2008 its representative is Sheila Jackson Lee. The Sam Houston Station, the new Houston Post Office on Hadley Street in Midtown, became the city's main post office in 2015, replacing the previous one in

Downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10, Interstate 45, and Interstate 69. The ...

. The United States Government operates the La Branch Federal Building in Midtown; originally built as a Veterans Administration Building in 1946, it as of 2009 houses federal offices. The

Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability and survivor benefits. To qualify fo ...

previously had its own office at 3100 Smith Street.

Foreign governments

The Chinese Consulate-General, Houston maintained an education office in Midtown. The consulate closed in 2020.

Economy

Spec's Wine, Spirits & Finer Foods has its headquarters in Store #00

Location in Midtown.There are separate boundaries for the Midtown Super Neighborhood and the Midtown Management District. See City of Houston maps
Midtown Super Neighborhood
an
Management district map
Retrieved on June 4, 2019. - Also see
Midtown Management District Land Use and Development Map
(2006) and
SERVICE AND IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND ASSESSMENT PLAN FOR FISCAL YEARS 2015-2024
." Midtown Houston Management District. Retrieved on April 4, 2009. Map on page 25/25 of the PDF. At one time the

FlightAware FlightAware is an American multi-national technology company that provides real-time, historical, and predictive flight tracking data and products. , it is the world's largest flight tracking platform, with a network of over 32,000 ADS-B gr ...

headquarters were in Midtown.

Education

Colleges and universities

Houston Community College System's Central Campus is located in Midtown. Midtown is close to the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

(UH), the University of Houston–Downtown (UHD),

Texas Southern University Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,00 ...

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universit ...

, and University of St. Thomas.

Primary and secondary education

Public schools

Midtown is served by

(HISD). Midtown is divided between Trustee District IV, represented by Paula M. Harris as of 2008, and Trustee District VIII, represented by Diana Dávila as of 2008. Two schools,

Gregory-Lincoln Education Center Edgar Gregory-Abraham Lincoln Education Center (GLEC) is a K-8 school located at 1101 Taft in the Fourth Ward area of Houston, Texas, United States. Gregory-Lincoln is a part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and has a fine ar ...

(in the Fourth Ward) and MacGregor Elementary School (in the Hermann Park area), serve sections of Midtown for primary school. All pupils in Midtown who are north of

U.S. Route 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA Corridor Highway Sy ...

(all of the Midtown Super Neighborhood and almost all of the Midtown Management District) are zoned to Gregory-Lincoln Education Center for middle school. A small portion of the Midtown Management District south of U.S. Route 59 (which is in Super Neighborhood #66 Binz instead of Super Neighborhood #62 Midtown) is zoned to Cullen Middle School;"PROPOSED BOUNDARY FOR CULLEN MIDDLE SCHOOL."
AGENDA Board of Education Meeting March 07, 2013
"

. 30/105. Retrieved on June 30, 2013. the portion contains one multi-family residence. Beginning in 2018

Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan (BCMAR) is a magnet middle school in Houston Independent School District (HISD), located in the Third Ward, Houston, Texas. It is located in the former Ryan Middle School. It is in association with the ...

also serves as a boundary option for students zoned to MacGregor elementary school. Almost all of Midtown is zoned to Lamar High School (in Upper Kirby), while a small northwest section of Midtown is zoned to Reagan High School (in the Houston Heights). An HISD magnet secondary school, Houston Academy for International Studies, is located in the HCCS Central campus. The Young Women's College Preparatory Academy (formerly housing the

Contemporary Learning Center Contemporary Learning Center (CLC) was a secondary school located in Houston, Texas, United States. CLC closed in 2011. It was replaced by DeVry Advantage Academy, operated in association with DeVry University. CLC, which serves grades 7 through ...

), an alternative public school, is near Midtown. A state

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

, a charter school not affiliated with HISD, called Houston CAN! Academy Main is also located in Midtown.

Carnegie Vanguard High School Andrew Carnegie Vanguard High School, named after Andrew Carnegie, is located in the Fourth Ward of Houston, Texas near Downtown and was formerly located near Sunnyside. The school serves grades 9-12 and is part of the Houston Independent School ...

, in the Fourth Ward,Mellon, Ericka.
Fourth Ward site likely for new Carnegie Vanguard High School
" ''

''. November 17, 2009. Retrieved on November 24, 2009. is in proximity to Midtown.

=History of public schools in Midtown

= Charlotte Allen Elementary School opened on February 1, 1907. At the time schools were segregated by race, and Allen was reserved for white children. It was later converted into a school for black children. San Jacinto High School, located in Midtown, and Reagan High School, located in the Houston Heights, opened in 1926. Lamar High School opened in 1937. In 1956 Allen Elementary moved to northwest Houston and its former location became J. Will Jones Elementary School.School Histories: the Stories Behind the Names
." ''

''. Accessed September 24, 2008. Ryan Middle School opened in 1958 after Yates High School moved to a new location. In 1962 San Jacinto High School gained a technical program. Gregory-Lincoln Education Center opened in 1966. In 1971 San Jacinto lost its neighborhood program. During the same year, Fannin Elementary School, which was located at 2900 Louisiana Street in what is now Midtown, closed. In 1976 the Contemporary Occupational Training Center, a non-traditional vocational school, opened in what is now Midtown. In 1985 San Jacinto closed for good when its technical program ended. As of 2008 the San Jacinto campus now houses the central campus for

Houston Community College Houston Community College (HCC), also known as Houston Community College System (HCCS) is a public community college system that operates community colleges in Houston, Missouri City, Greater Katy, and Stafford in Texas. It is notable for activ ...

. The Contemporary Occupational Training Center closed in 1991. J. Will Jones Elementary School, located in Midtown, received an unacceptable academic rating from the

Texas Education Agency The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the branch of the government of Texas responsible for public education in Texas in the United States.

. Under principal Brian Flores, the school's test scores increased in a five-year period until 2009. Around 2009 the school provided bus services to several

homeless shelter Homeless shelters are a type of homeless service agency which provide temporary residence for homeless individuals and families. Shelters exist to provide residents with safety and protection from exposure to the weather while simultaneously re ...

s within the school's attendance zone.Giglio, Mike.
The End Of The Road For J. Will Jones Elementary's Success Story
" ''

''. Monday June 29, 2009. Retrieved on September 13, 2009. As of 2009, over 1/3rd of Jones's students were homeless. About 100 of the around 300 students were homeless, and about 30 came from a

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

shelter. Flores said that this was the highest number of homeless students during his career as a principal at Jones. In 2008 99% of the students were on free or reduced lunch. Every year the school held its "Gift of Giving" ceremony. Before the start of the 2009–2010 school year Jones was consolidated into Blackshear Elementary School, a campus in the Third Ward. During its final year of enrollment J. Will Jones had more students than Blackshear. Many J. Will Jones parents referred to Blackshear as "that prison school" and said that they will not send their children to Blackshear. Jones was scheduled to house Houston Community College classes after its closure as a school. Supporters of keeping J. Will Jones created a campaign to try to keep J. Will Jones open. The Jones campus became the campus of Houston Academy for International Studies. Blackshear and Gregory-Lincoln elementary took portions of J. Will Jones's former territory in Midtown.HISD PROPOSED ATTENDANCE BOUNDARIES FOR BLACKSHEAR, JW JONES, & GREGORY LINCOLN ES
."

. Retrieved on August 19, 2009. The portion zoned to Cullen Middle was zoned to Ryan Middle School until 2013. As part of rezoning for the 2014–2015 school year, all areas in Midtown previously under the Blackshear attendance zone were rezoned to Gregory-Lincoln K-8.

Private schools

the

British International School of Houston The British International School of Houston (BISH), formerly the British School of Houston (BSOH), is a non-sectarian, co-educational college preparatory day school in the Greater Katy region of the Houston area. BISH, which opened in September 2 ...

in Greater Katy has a school bus service to Midtown.

The Kinkaid School , motto_translation = Light through Knowledge , established = , type = Independent elementary school and secondary school , gender = Co-educational , us_nces_school_id = , head = Jonathan Eades , head_name = Head of School , ad ...

, a private school, was located in the house of Margaret Kinkaid, what is now Midtown, from its founding in 1906 to the time when the school moved to a campus in Montrose. In 1957, the school moved to the city of Piney Point Village, where it resides as of 2008. Saint Agnes Academy, a private school, was located in what is now Midtown from its founding in 1906 to 1963. The school moved to the Sharpstown neighborhood in 1963, where it resides as of 2008. Holy Rosary Catholic School of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Houston Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

opened circa 1913 and closed in