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The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community
school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...
for most of the city of
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
and several nearby and insular municipalities in addition to some
unincorporated areas An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
. Like most districts in Texas, it is
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
of the city of Houston and all other municipal and county jurisdictions. The district has its headquarters in the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center in Houston. In 2016, the school district was rated "met standards" by 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.
.


History


20th century

The Brunner Independent School District merged into Houston schools in 1913-1914. Houston ISD was established in 1923 after the Texas Legislature voted to separate the city's schools from the municipal government. In the 1920s, at the time
Edison Oberholtzer Edison Ellsworth Oberholtzer (May 6, 1880 – June 18, 1954) was the first List of Presidents of the University of Houston, president of the University of Houston. Oberholtzer obtained his undergraduate education at Westfield College in Westfield ...
was superintendent, Hubert L. Mills, the business manager of the district, had immense political power in HISD. He had been in the employment of the district over one decade before Oberholtzer started. By the 1930s the two men were in a power struggle.Kirkland, p
137
The number of students in public schools in Houston increased from 5,500 in 1888 to over 8,850 in 1927. In the 1920s, the school district expanded its infrastructure to accommodate a growing number of black students. There were 8,293 students in Houston's schools for black students in the 1924-1925 school year.Kellar, p
32
(Google Books PT13).
In 1927, Houston ISD annexed the Harrisburg School District's colored school. The district also built new schools such as the former
Jack Yates High School Jack Yates Senior High School is a public high school located at 3650 Alabama Street, very near Texas Southern University, in the historic Third Ward in Houston, Texas. Yates High School handles grades nine through twelve and is part of the Hous ...
(later Ryan Middle School) and Wheatley High School. The capacity of Houston's secondary schools for black children increased by three times from 1924 to 1929. The original secondary school for blacks was named Colored High School (now Booker T. Washington High School).Kellar, p
31
(Google Books PT12).
At the time, the district's three secondary schools for black students had junior high and senior high levels. There were 12,217 students in the black schools in the 1929-1930 school year. William Henry Kellar, author of '' Make Haste Slowly: Moderates, Conservatives, and School Desegregation in Houston'', wrote that conditions in black schools "improved dramatically" in the 1920s. Houston ISD absorbed portions of the White Oak Independent School District in 1937 and portions of the Addicks Independent School District after its dissolution. In the fall of 1960 12 black students were admitted to HISD schools previously reserved for whites. The racial integration efforts in HISD, beginning in 1960, were characterized by a lack of violence and turmoil as business leaders sought not to cause disruption. Prior to 1960 HISD was the largest racially segregated school system in the United States.Douglas, Davison M.
Make Haste Slowly: Moderates, Conservatives, and School Desegregation in Houston
" ''
The American Historical Review ''The American Historical Review'' is a quarterly academic history journal published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Historical Association, for which it is an official publication. It targets readers interested in all period ...
'', 06/2000, Vol.105(3), p.961 eer Reviewed Journal Retrieved on November 15, 2015.
In the mid-1960s Gertrude Barnstone and Black board member Hattie Mae White, the sole politically liberal members of the school board, often clashed with more conservative board members in meetings held on Monday nights; the two women made efforts to racially integrate the schools. During the 1960s, HISD's school board instituted a phase-in with each subsequent grade being integrated. Local African-American leaders believed the pace was too slow, and William Lawson, a youth minister, asked Wheatley students to boycott school. Five days afterwards 10% of Wheatley students attended classes. In 1970 a federal judge asked the district to speed the integration process.Berryhill, Michael. "What's Wrong With Wheatley?." ''
Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown Houston, Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely ...
''. April 17, 1997.
3
Retrieved on March 31, 2009.
Simultaneously
Mexican Americans Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...
were being discriminated against when they were being labeled as whites and being put with only
African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...
as part of HISD's desegregation / integration plan. This kept both Mexican Americans and African Americans away from Anglos while satisfying integration requirements set forth by the 1954
Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the ...
court case decision. A number of Mexican Americans took their children out of the public schools and put them in "huelga," or protest schools. On August 31, 1970, and organized by the
Mexican-American Education Council The Mexican-American Educational Council (MAEC) was a post Chicano-movement non-profit organization in the Houston, Texas area. Its principal goal was to achieve equitable access to public education for Mexican Americans in Texas. History In lat ...
(MAEC), they began three weeks of boycotts, protests, and picketing. This action lasted approximately three weeks, during which up to 75% of the student bodies of some high schools participated in the boycotts. During the protests MAEC demanded twenty issues to be resolved and HISD began rezoning school areas within its jurisdiction in response. However, this rezoning encouraged "white flight" since minorities were now entering "white schools" in large numbers. At first the district used
forced busing Desegregation busing (also known as integrated busing, forced busing, or simply busing) was an attempt to diversify the racial make-up of schools in the United States by transporting students to more distant schools with less diverse student pop ...
, but later switched to a voluntary
magnet school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. Normally, a student will attend an elementary school, and this also determines the middle school and high school they attend unless they mo ...
program in order to discourage "white flight". The district eventually integrated races in a semi-peaceful manner. River Oaks Elementary School became the first school to implement the HISD's Vanguard Program in the fall of 1972, with a program for 4th-6th graders. This program was initially named the Elementary School For The Gifted. The Vanguard Program name was adopted a year later. A
desegregation busing Desegregation busing (also known as integrated busing, forced busing, or simply busing) was an attempt to diversify the racial make-up of schools in the United States by transporting students to more distant schools with less diverse student pop ...
plan, protested by Anglo White westside neighborhoods not wanting their children bused to predominately black schools, was rejected by the court system but
white flight The white flight, also known as white exodus, is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the Racism ...
began by the 1970s. Circa 1972, a group of citizens in western Houston tried to form Westheimer Independent School District out of a portion of Houston ISD. It would have removed from the HISD territory. At the time 90% of the students in the area were white. The
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: ...
rejected the appeals after formation of the district was denied. HISD once served the Harris County portion of
Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...
, until the
Stafford Municipal School District Stafford Municipal School District (SMSD) is a school district based in Stafford, Texas, Stafford, Texas, United States in Greater Houston. The district covers all of the city of Stafford and is controlled by the city, making it the only schoo ...
was established in 1982 to serve the entire city of Stafford. Most of Stafford was in Fort Bend ISD, with a small amount in Houston ISD. In 1987 Olivia Munoz, the district's foreign language director, said that an increase in interest in foreign languages prompted the district to add foreign language languages to four high schools.Languages Drawing Students – Houston schools increase offerings to meet demands
" ''
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'' at ''
The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation in 2022 of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885, by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ' ...
''. Wednesday January 7, 1987. News 11B. Retrieved on November 28, 2011.
In 1992, the district, under superintendent Frank Petruzielo, massively rezoned Houston schools, moving students from overcrowded ones to underutilized ones. Donald R. McAdams, a former HISD school board member and author of ''Fighting to Save Our Urban Schools-- and Winning!: Lessons from Houston'', wrote that Petruzielo accomplished this goal with a minimum of press coverage and controversy by using a participative process that minimized conflict between various Houston neighborhoods.McAdams, p
57
McAdams credits the move with being the catalyst for the 1995 establishment of 11 geographic districts patterned around high school feeder patterns. In 1994, after superintendent Petruzielo left the district, the school district voted 6-1 to make Yvonne Gonzalez the interim superintendent; the school district board members described this as a "symbolic" motion as Gonzalez was the first Hispanic interim superintendent. Gonzalez served until
Rod Paige Roderick Raynor Paige (born June 17, 1933) is an American academic and politician who served as the 7th United States secretary of education from 2001 to 2005. Paige, who grew up in Mississippi, moved from college football coach and classroom t ...
became the superintendent. In 1995 HISD had a performance audit; this was the last such audit done. In the 1990s, after voters rejected a $390 million bond package, Paige contracted with The Varnett School,
River Oaks Academy River Oaks Academy is a private school at 10600 Richmond Avenue in the Westchase district of Houston, Texas, United States. The school covers grades Kindergarten through 12. History The school opened in 1988. In the 1990s, after voters rejecte ...
, and Wonderland School to house 250 students who could not be placed in HISD schools. The schools were paid $3,565 per student. This was 10% lower than the district's own per pupil cost.


21st century


2000s

A 2003 ''
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'' report which asserted that HISD did not report school violence to the police created controversy in the community as teachers, students, and parents expressed concern about the district's downplaying of campus violence. HISD officials held a news conference after the publication of the story. During the conference, HISD asserted that ''The New York Times'' published the story in an attempt to discredit the Bush administration's new accountability standards for school districts nationwide, which were partly modeled after HISD's system. In 2005, HISD enrolled evacuees from the areas affected by
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
who were residing in Houston. The
Houston Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, formerly and also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, was the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, United States. It seated around 50,000 fans, with a record atte ...
, the shelter used for hurricane evacuees, is located within the HISD boundaries. A number of Katrina evacuees stayed for the long term within the Houston ISD boundaries. Walnut Bend Elementary School's enrollment increased from around 600 to around 800 with the addition of 184 evacuees; Walnut Bend, out of all of the Houston-area elementary schools, took the most Katrina victims. Nearby Paul Revere Middle School, located in the Westchase district, gained 137 Katrina victims. Revere, out of all of the Houston-area middle schools, has taken in the most Katrina victims. Houston ISD's "West Region," which includes Walnut Bend and Revere, had about one-fifth of Houston ISD's schools but contained more than half of the 5,500 Katrina evacuees in Houston schools. At the start of the 2006-2007 school year, around 2,900 Hurricane Katrina evacuees were still enrolled in Houston ISD schools. Around 700 of them were held back due to poor academic performance. 41% of evacuee 10th graders and 52% of evacuee juniors were held back. According to the October 2006 "For Your Information" newsletter, the eleven HISD schools which took the largest number of Katrina evacuees were: * Elementary schools: Bonham, Foerster, McNamara, Walnut Bend * Middle schools: Fondren, Revere, Sharpstown Middle * High schools:
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, Sharpstown High, Westbury, Westside A
University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...
study concluded that the presence of Katrina evacuees did not impact the test score grades of native Houstonian students. In 2007 the
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
, the
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, and the
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began an investigation probing business relationships between Micro Systems Enterprises, a vendor, and HISD. Frankie Wong, former president of Micro Systems, and two
Dallas Independent School District The Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD or DISD) is a school district based in Dallas, Texas, United States. It operates schools in much of Dallas County, Texas, Dallas County and is the second-largest school district in Texas and t ...
administrators received criminal charges. As of 2007 several existing HISD schools were converting to
K-8 school K8 or K-8 may refer to: * K-8 (Kansas highway), two highways in Kansas, one in northern Kansas, one in southern Kansas * K-8 school, a type of school that includes kindergarten and grades one through eight * K8 telephone box, designed by Bruce M ...
setups while other new K-8 schools were opening. Prior to the bond election in November 2007, the district abandoned a proposal to convert several schools into K-8 campuses due to African American neighborhoods communities resisting proposed school consolidations.Radcliffe, Jennifer.
HISD transitioning some campuses to K-8
" ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, 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''. ...
''. December 31, 2007. Retrieved on April 9, 2013.


2010s

In 2011 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.
ordered the
North Forest Independent School District North Forest Independent School District (NFISD) was a school district in northeast Houston, Texas. Established in the early 1920s in a low-income white area, it later became majority-black and black-run. The district had a history of financia ...
(NFISD) to close, pending approval from the
U.S. Justice Department The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...
. NFISD would be merged into HISD. On June 13, 2013, the HISD board voted unanimously to absorb the
North Forest Independent School District North Forest Independent School District (NFISD) was a school district in northeast Houston, Texas. Established in the early 1920s in a low-income white area, it later became majority-black and black-run. The district had a history of financia ...
(NFISD). HISD won the Broad Prize in 2013. On January 14, 2016, the HISD board voted 5-4 to rename four campuses named after Robert E. Lee or others linked to the Confederacy. In October 2018 the HISD board chose to appoint Saavedra as the interim HISD superintendent, but the board later reversed its decision. The board members who did not favor bringing in Saavedra were not aware of this until a board member who did support this announced the decision at an official board meeting. The reversal meant that Grenita Latham remained as the interim superintendent. By 2019 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.
(TEA) had opened an investigation against the school board and ordered a halt to any efforts to recruit a permanent superintendent. By August 2019 the TEA wrote a preliminary report recommending that the HISD school board be dissolved, with a state-appointed board of managers and conservator replacing it, and to reduce the accreditation of HISD. The report alleges wrongdoing of various board members, including violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act. The TEA initially had suggested a board takeover due to poor performance at some schools, but the alleged violation of the open meetings act when several board members attempted to re-hire Saavedra, without the knowledge of the remaining board members, became the reason to seek dismissal of the board. In 2019 HISD received a grade of 88 - "B" - from the TEA, while in 2018 it had a grade of 84. In 2019 271 HISD schools were counted in TEA accountability ratings. 250 schools passed, while 21 (7.5% of schools) did not.


2020s

In 2020 the HISD board voted 6-3 against naming Lathan as permanent superintendent. Millard House became the new superintendent on July 1, 2021. All board members voted to approve him and he was the only finalist for the position. He was from the
Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. During the
COVID-19 pandemic in Texas The COVID-19 pandemic in Texas is a part of the ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The state of Texas confirmed its ...
House agreed to institute a mask mandate effective fall 2021 despite
Governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...
Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2002 to ...
banning school districts from having mask mandates. Additionally the HISD board of education voted to approve the mask mandate. The vote was eight in favor and none voting against. In 2023 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.
announced that it will remove the superintendent and the board of trustees, and therefore begin to directly control HISD. The
Houston Independent School District takeover The Houston Independent School District takeover is a 2023 takeover of the state's largest school district by the Texas Education Agency, replacing the superintendent and elected board of trustees with a board of managers and a new superintendent ...
formally began on June 1, 2023 with the appointment of a new superintendent and board of managers. Millard House II was replaced as HISD superintendent by
Mike Miles (school superintendent) F. Mike Miles is the current superintendent of Houston Independent School District. He previously served as the superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) from July 1, 2012 to June 25, 2015, at Pressreader.com, covers Warren ...
as part of the planned takeover.


Bilingual education, magnet, and vanguard schools

HISD focuses on
bilingual education In bilingual education, students are taught in two (or more) languages. It is distinct from learning a second language as a subject because both languages are used for instruction in different content areas like math, science, and history. The t ...
of its predominantly
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
student body, including recruiting about 330 teachers from
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, Central and
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,
Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, and the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
from 1998 to 2007. Bilingual educational services, as of 2014, are available for Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin Chinese, Nepali, Urdu, and Swahili speakers. According to Texas Administrative Code BB § 89.1205 a language is eligible to have a bilingual program if 20 or more students are present in a school district who speak that language as their home language. Houston ISD offers three specialized programs, magnet programs, vanguard programs, and neighborhood vanguard programs. Each magnet program has a special focus and draws students throughout HISD. Each vanguard program is a gifted and talented program for students throughout HISD. A neighborhood vanguard program is a program designed for gifted and talented children zoned to a particular school. As of 2011, its 113 programs served almost 20% of the HISD student population.Magnetic force: HISD should scrap its consultants' plan to revamp magnet schools
" ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, 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''. ...
''. Friday January 21, 2011. Retrieved on November 4, 2011.
HISD, which officially first opened its magnet system in 1975,Swartz, Mimi. "J is for Jobs." ''
Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. Founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, ''Texas Monthly'' chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the Natura ...
''.
Emmis Communications Emmis Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Emmis, based on the Hebrew word for "Truth" (''Emet'') was founded by Jeff Smulyan in 1980. Emmis has owned many radio stations, including KPWR ...
, June 1984. Vol. 12, No. 6. . Start: p
162
Cited: p
166
started them as a way to voluntarily racially integrate schools.Markley, Melanie.
Magnet for Quality?HISD program has `done a lot' for education
(). ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, 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''. ...
''. Sunday November 5, 1995. A1.
The
High School for Performing and Visual Arts Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (Kinder HSPVA, HSPVA or PVA) is a secondary school located at 790 Austin Street in the downtown district of Houston, Texas. The school is a part of the Houston Independent School District ...
(HSPVA) was technically the first magnet school in Houston; this status was mistakenly attributed to River Oaks Elementary School. In 1984 the district had 75 magnet programs. By the mid-1990s multiple magnet schools no longer held the goal of integration and instead focused on improving educational quality of schools. As of 2011 magnet schools continued to be popular among HISD constituents. HISD's magnet (Performing Arts, Science, Health Professions, Law Enforcement, etc.) high schools are considered a model for other urban school districts as a way to provide a high quality education and keep top performing students in the inner city from fleeing to
private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...
s or
exurb An exurb (or alternately: exurban area) is an area outside the typically denser inner suburbs, suburban area, at the edge of a metropolitan area, which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing-density, and rela ...
an school districts. Magnet schools are popular with parents and students that wish to escape low-performing schools and school violence. The members of the administration of schools losing students to higher-performing campuses, such as Bill Miller of
Yates High School Jack Yates Senior High School is a public high school located at 3650 Alabama Street, very near Texas Southern University, in the historic Third Ward in Houston, Texas. Yates High School handles grades nine through twelve and is part of the Hous ...
, complained about the effects. There are 55 elementary magnet schools, 30 magnet middle schools, and 27 magnet high schools. Some magnet schools are mixed comprehensive and magnet programs, while others are solidly magnet and do not admit any "neighborhood" students. In April 1997 a lawsuit against HISD seeking to end race-based admissions to magnet schools was filed on behalf of two white applicants to Lanier Middle School who were denied admission because the quota for White students was filled. The lawsuit was funded by the group "Campaign for a Color-Blind America". That year, as a result of this lawsuit, HISD removed the ethnic guidelines to Vanguard enrollment.


Student body

For the 2017-2018 school year the district reported a total enrollment of 214,175 * 61.84% were
Hispanic American Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spanish or Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino, regardless of race. According to the ...
/Hispanic * 24.02% were
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
/Black * 8.7% were
White American White Americans (sometimes also called Caucasian Americans) are Americans who identify as white people. In a more official sense, the United States Census Bureau, which collects demographic data on Americans, defines "white" as " person having ...
/White * 4.05% were
Asian American Asian Americans are Americans with ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants). Although this term had historically been used fo ...
/Asian * 74.93% were economically disadvantaged As of 2015, 7% of black students, 13% of Hispanic students, 36% of white students, and 43% of Asian students in HISD were labeled as gifted and talented. Students from wealthy families were twice as likely to be labeled as gifted and talented compared to students from economic disadvantaged backgrounds. HISD has been implementing multiple strategies to ensure there is more equity in its gifted and talented program. As of the 2014-2015 school year, over 59,700 HISD students reported the language spoken at home by their families as Spanish. Over 925 reported their home language as Arabic and over 445 reported their home language as Vietnamese.Hernandez, Haley.
Protest held against new Arabic school in HISD

Archive
. ''
KHOU-TV KHOU (channel 11) is a television station in Houston, Texas, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Conroe-licensed Quest station KTBU (channel 55). The two stations share studios on Westheimer Road near ...
''. August 24, 2015. Retrieved on August 31, 2015.
As of 2015 other common languages were Mandarin Chinese, Nepali, and Urdu. As of 2014 the most common native languages for limited English and/or English learner students were Spanish (58,365 students, or 92% of ELL students), Arabic (855 or 1.3%), Vietnamese (437 or 0.7%), Mandarin Chinese (319 or 0.5%), Nepali (295, 0.5%), Swahili (250 or 0.4%), French (139 or 0.2%), Urdu (143 or 0.2%), Amharic (107 or 0.2%), and Tigrinya (104 or 0.2%). As of 2013 the numbers of ELL learners by home language were: 56,104 for Spanish, 662 for Arabic, 538 for English, 528 for Vietnamese, 277 for Nepali, 271 for Mandarin, 212 for Swahili, 159 for Urdu, and 1,750 for other languages. In the 2015-2016 school year, 58% of HISD students went to the schools of their attendance boundaries, about 27% attended other HISD schools, and 15% attended schools in other school districts and/or charter schools. Of high school students, 54.7% attended the schools they were zoned to, 33% attended HISD schools that they were not zoned to, and 11.5% attended charter schools or public schools in other districts. In the 2015-2016 school year there were 4,894 students transferring to four comprehensive high schools located in communities in which 33% or more of the students were Anglo White (Bellaire, Heights, Lamar, and Westside high schools) and 4,073 students transferred to other comprehensive high schools. The student population declined by about 4,000 in 2018, and the expected decline for fall 2019 was 1,500. HISD officials cited enrollment in charter schools as a factor. The district chose to engage in advertising as a way to combat this.


Student body history

Until 1970 HISD counted its Hispanic and Latino students as "white."Kellar, p
33Google Books PT14
.
Between the 1970-1971 and the 1971-1972 school years, during a period of
white flight The white flight, also known as white exodus, is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the Racism ...
from major urban school districts across the United States, enrollment at HISD decreased by 16,000. Of that number, 700 were African Americans. The HISD student body had white students as the largest group until the 1972-1973 school year, when the largest group became the black students. The white student body decreased, while the Hispanic student body increased and became HISD's largest student demographic in the 1989-1990 school year. In 1975 the student body was 39% White and 19% Hispanic.Berryhill, Michael. "What's Wrong With Wheatley?" ''
Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown Houston, Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely ...
''. Thursday April 17, 1997. p
5
Retrieved on April 9, 2014.
In 1981 the district had 190,000 students;Swartz, Mimi. "J is for Jobs." ''
Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. Founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, ''Texas Monthly'' chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the Natura ...
''.
Emmis Communications Emmis Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Emmis, based on the Hebrew word for "Truth" (''Emet'') was founded by Jeff Smulyan in 1980. Emmis has owned many radio stations, including KPWR ...
, June 1984. Vol. 12, No. 6. . Start: p
162
Cited: p
164
31% of the district's students were Hispanic,Swartz, Mimi. "J is for Jobs." ''
Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. Founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, ''Texas Monthly'' chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the Natura ...
''.
Emmis Communications Emmis Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Emmis, based on the Hebrew word for "Truth" (''Emet'') was founded by Jeff Smulyan in 1980. Emmis has owned many radio stations, including KPWR ...
, June 1984. Vol. 12, No. 6. . Start: p
162
Cited: p. 162.
and 21% were White. In 1990 the student body was 43% Hispanic, 40% Black, and 15% White. At the time 45% of HISD schools had no white students. By the 1990s HISD's student body was increasingly made up of racial and ethnic minority groups.Fleck, Tim. "What Went Wrong at the Rice School?." ''
Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown Houston, Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely ...
''. August 21, 1997
3
Retrieved on September 8, 2009.
In 1999 4,400 students in the HISD boundaries were attending state-chartered schools. Of the 9th graders that were in the graduating classes of 2004-2005 in the district, 15% successfully obtained bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees. The U.S. average was 23%. In the
District of Columbia Public Schools The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) is the local public school system for Washington, D.C. It is distinct from the District of Columbia Public Charter Schools (DCPCS), which governs public charter schools in the city. Compositi ...
, 9% of its equivalent 9th grade class received a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science and/or higher. The preliminary fall enrollment for the 2006-2007 school year (203,163) had 7,000 fewer students than the 2005-2006 student enrollment (210,202), resulting in a more than 3% loss; the 2006-2007 enrollment was a 2.5% decrease from the fall 2004-2005 enrollment (208,454). From the preliminary 2006-2007 student count, the West and Central regions lost the most students, with a combined 4,400 student loss. The enrollment reported for the year in February 2007 was 202,936. As of 2007, of the more than 29 HISD high schools, five had White students as the largest group of students; one of them,
High School for Performing and Visual Arts Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (Kinder HSPVA, HSPVA or PVA) is a secondary school located at 790 Austin Street in the downtown district of Houston, Texas. The school is a part of the Houston Independent School District ...
, was the district's only White majority high school.Viren, Sarah.
Back to School / Demographics may dictate uniformity / More HISD senior campuses requiring `standardized dress'

Archive
. ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, 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''. ...
''. Monday September 3, 2007. Section A, Page 1. Retrieved on October 25, 2011.
In 2010 Peter Messiah, the head of HISD's Homeless Education Office, said that HISD classified around 3,000 students as homeless. Margaret Downing of the ''
Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown Houston, Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely ...
'' said that Messiah predicted "with confidence" that the actual number of homeless is higher because some families are too embarrassed to self-identify as homeless.Downing, Margaret. "Children of God." ''
Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown Houston, Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely ...
''. Wednesday December 22, 2010
1
Retrieved on December 26, 2010.
Messiah also said that in the years leading to 2010, the number of students classified as homeless increased because the school district became better able to identify homeless students and because the
Late-2000s recession The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009.
continued to have an effect on their families.Downing, Margaret. "Children of God." ''
Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown Houston, Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely ...
''. Wednesday December 22, 2010
2
Retrieved on December 26, 2010.
As of 2011, between 50% and 66% of the non-Hispanic White students within the HISD boundaries enroll in private schools. In 2009, 72% of the non-Hispanic White students attending the district's schools were in magnet programs. In 2010 HISD had 15,340 non-Hispanic White students, the lowest numerical number of non-Hispanic Whites in recent history. This made up 7.6% of its student body. White enrollment increased to 17,313 by 2014, an increase by 13%. As of 2014, 8.2% of students were non-Hispanic White. Asian enrollment had increased since 2010. As of 2014 7,401 students were Asians, making up 3.5% of students.Radcliffe, Jennifer.
White enrollment inches up in HISD
" ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, 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''. ...
''. February 10, 2014. Updated February 11, 2014. Retrieved on February 15, 2014.
In 2013 due to the absorption of the
North Forest Independent School District North Forest Independent School District (NFISD) was a school district in northeast Houston, Texas. Established in the early 1920s in a low-income white area, it later became majority-black and black-run. The district had a history of financia ...
, HISD's enrollment increased to 210,000.


Staff and faculty demographics

As of 2007,
Teach for America Teach For America (TFA) is an American nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to "enlist, develop, and mobilize as many as possible of our nation's most promising future leaders to grow and strengthen the movement for educational excell ...
corps members made up about 25% of the number of HISD teachers. The district board voted to end its contract with TFA in 2019.


Governance

As of June 2023, Mike Miles is the superintendent of schools. He was appointed by the Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath. As of November 2023, the elected members of the HISD Board of Education are: * District I: Elizabeth Santos * District II: Savant Moore * District III: Dani Hernandez * District IV: Patricia Alen * District V: Sue Deigaard * District VI: Kendall Baker * District VII: Bridget Wade * District VIII: Plácido Gómez * District IX: Myrna Guidry Due to the June 2023 state takeover, elected board members serve in strictly advisory roles. Governance authority has been shifted to the state-appointed board of managers that primarily resides on the wealthier west side of the school district. As of June 2026, the appointed board of managers are: * Ric Campo * Angela Lemond Flowers * Michelle Cruz Arnold * Janette Garza Lindner * Paula Mendoza * Edgar Colón * Marty Goossen * Lauren Gore * Marcos Rosales


Superintendents

Former HISD superintendent
Rod Paige Roderick Raynor Paige (born June 17, 1933) is an American academic and politician who served as the 7th United States secretary of education from 2001 to 2005. Paige, who grew up in Mississippi, moved from college football coach and classroom t ...
used the PEER Program. Improving scores from its schools have caused a lot of praise from others nationwide. Kaye Stripling took over when Rod Paige headed to
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
as part of
United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
's
administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...
. After Stripling stepped down as the interim Superintendent,
Abelardo Saavedra Abelardo Saavedra is a former school district superintendent. He previously served as the superintendent of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) headquartered in Houston, Texas, United States. In addition he formerly served as superint ...
became the superintendent of the district on December 9, 2004. Terry Grier became the district's superintendent 2009, followed by Richard A. Carranza in 2016 before standing down in order to become
Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
of the New York City Schools. Dr. Grenita Lathan was appointed interim superintendent in March 2018 and left the school district to lead Springfield Public Schools (Illinois) in July 2021. Billy Reagan served as superintendent until 1986.
Joan Raymond Joan M. Raymond (February 1, 1936 – February 22, 2017) was a school district superintendent. She was such of Houston Independent School District (HISD) from 1986,McAdams, Donald R. ''Fighting to Save Our Urban Schools-- and Winning!: Lessons fro ...
began serving that year,Curtis, Gregory. "Behind the Lines: Mrs. Spates and Dr. Raymond" ''
Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. Founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, ''Texas Monthly'' chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the Natura ...
''. September 1987. Volume 5, Issue 9. ISSN 0148-7736. Start: p
5
CITED: p. 5.
and stepped down in 1991.McAdams, Donald R. ''Fighting to Save Our Urban Schools-- and Winning!: Lessons from Houston''.
Teachers College Press Teachers College Press is the university press of Teachers College, Columbia University. Founded in 1904, Teachers College Press has published professional and classroom materials for over a century and currently publishes 70 titles per year. Hi ...
, 2000. , 9780807738849. p
2


Political divisions

On December 1, 1994, HISD board members voted to divide HISD into 12 numbered geographic districts; of eleven districts, each district had one to three high schools. The 12th district was an alternative district. Prior to Summer 2005, HISD had 13 administrative districts. Originally, the number of districts were to be cut to three, but HISD decided on cutting the number to five in fall 2005. As of 2010 HISD schools are organized by elementary, middle, and high school offices. Previously schools in Houston ISD were organized into "Regional Districts." Each district had its own Regional Superintendent. There were five regional districts in Houston ISD: * Central Regional District * East Regional District * North Regional District * South Regional District * West Regional District Before its 2005 reorganization, HISD had the following districts: Geographic districts: * Central District * East District * North District * North Central District * Northeast District * Northwest District * South District * South Central District * Southeast District * Southwest District * West District Other districts: * Alternative District * Acres Homes Coalition Schools An additional district, West Central, was later established before the reorganization.


Taxation

As of 2010, of the school districts in Harris County, Houston ISD has the lowest taxation rate.


Support services

In 1948, Federal funding for school lunch programs became available. The district refused to participate and was unable to raise funds elsewhere. As a result, there were no free or reduced-price lunches for local schoolchildren until 1967. In the 2000s HISD established "Breakfast in the Classroom." The program was replaced with a free breakfast program based in cafeterias. The ''
Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown Houston, Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely ...
'' published a story about accounting irregularities regarding a program; the State of Texas announced it would investigate the program. On February 4, 2005, HISD Superintendent
Abelardo Saavedra Abelardo Saavedra is a former school district superintendent. He previously served as the superintendent of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) headquartered in Houston, Texas, United States. In addition he formerly served as superint ...
announced that the program was suspended. By 2006 HISD resumed its free breakfast programs.


Houston ISD television channel

HISD TV is an educational cable access channel. Houses in the Houston ISD area get the Houston ISD channel on cable. *Channel 18 of
Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...
*Channel 99 of
AT&T U-verse U-verse TV is an internet protocol television (IPTV) service operated by DirecTV. Launched on June 26, 2006, U-verse was originally a triple play package that included broadband Internet (now AT&T Internet or AT&T Fiber), IP telephone (now AT& ...
*Channel 76 of
Phonoscope Communications Phonoscope Communications is a broadband and communications provider with corporate headquarters in Houston, Texas. The company's infrastructure spans eight counties and reaches distant locations such as Baytown, Galveston, Freeport, Magnolia, R ...
*Channel 96 of
Suddenlink Suddenlink was an American telecommunications subsidiary of Altice USA trading in cable television, broadband, IP telephony, home security, and advertising. Prior to its acquisition by Altice, the company was the seventh largest cable operator ...
*Channel 18 of TV Max


HISD coverage area

The district covers territory in nine municipalities and some
unincorporated areas An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in Greater Houston, - The original source, published in 1996, stated that there were eight municipalities covered
Pearland annexed territorywithin HISD
from 1998 to 2005.
including: all of the cities of Bellaire,
West University Place West University Place, often called West University or West U for short, is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and southwestern Harris County. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population of the city was 14,955. ...
.
Southside Place Southside Place is a city in west central Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,835 at the 2020 census. As of the 2000 census, Southside Place is the 13th wealthiest location in Texas by per capita income. Southside Place ...
, and most of the area within the Houston city limits. HISD also takes students from the Harris County portion of
Missouri City Missouri City is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within the metropolitan area. The city is mostly in Fort Bend County, with a small portion in Harris County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 74,259, an increase ...
, a portion of Jacinto City, a small portion of
Hunters Creek Village Hunters Creek Village is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States, part of the metropolitan area. The population was 4,385 at the 2020 census. It is part of a collection of upscale residential communities in west Houston known as the Mem ...
, a small portion of Piney Point Village, and a small portion of Pearland; Pearland annexed territory within HISD between 1998 and 2005. All of the HISD area lies within the taxation area for the
Houston Community College System Houston Community College (HCC), also known as the Houston Community College System (HCCS), is a community college that operates community colleges in Houston, Missouri City, Greater Katy, and Stafford in Texas. It is notable for actively recrui ...
.


Cities

Houston ISD covers all of the following municipalities: * Bellaire *
Southside Place Southside Place is a city in west central Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,835 at the 2020 census. As of the 2000 census, Southside Place is the 13th wealthiest location in Texas by per capita income. Southside Place ...
*
West University Place West University Place, often called West University or West U for short, is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and southwestern Harris County. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population of the city was 14,955. ...
Houston ISD covers portions of the following municipalities: *
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
(the majority of Houston, including all of the area inside the
610 Loop Interstate 610 (I-610) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway that forms a loop around the inner city sector of the city of Houston, Texas. I-610, colloquially known as The Loop, Loop 610, The Inner Loop, or just 610, traditionally marks ...
, falls under HISD) *
Hunters Creek Village Hunters Creek Village is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States, part of the metropolitan area. The population was 4,385 at the 2020 census. It is part of a collection of upscale residential communities in west Houston known as the Mem ...
(areas south of Buffalo Bayou are HISD) * Jacinto City (areas north of Market street are in Houston ISD) *
Missouri City Missouri City is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within the metropolitan area. The city is mostly in Fort Bend County, with a small portion in Harris County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 74,259, an increase ...
(Harris County portion only) * Pearland (A section of the Harris County portion) * Piney Point Village (areas south of Buffalo Bayou are in HISD) HISD also covers unincorporated sections of Harris County, including portions of the Airline Improvement District. , publisher= Airline Improvement District , access-date=November 10, 2009 Prior to 1982, the district included the small Harris County section of
Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...
. Stafford residents voted to form a municipal school district in 1977.Comptroller Strayhorn to Review Stafford Municipal School District
"
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts is an executive branch position created by the Texas Constitution. The comptroller is popularly elected every four years, and is primarily tasked with collecting all state tax revenue and estimating the a ...
. Tuesday September 16, 2003. Retrieved on January 14, 2009.


Transportation

Houston ISD grants
school bus A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to Student transport, transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter ...
transportation to any Houston ISD resident attending his or her zoned school or attending a magnet program who lives or more away from the campus (as measured by the nearest public roads) or must cross treacherous obstacles in order to reach the campus. Certain special education students are also permitted to use school bus transportation. HISD does not provide transportation for pre-kindergarten students.


Schools

In HISD grades
kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
and grades 1 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 high school. Some elementary schools go up to the sixth grade. Some districts have grades elementary grades K-3 and 4-6 and then junior high school grades 7-8 and then high school grades 9-12. Every house in HISD is assigned to an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. HISD has a number of alternative programs and transfer options available to students who want a specialized education and/or dislike their home schools.


Characteristics of schools and White enrollment

Donald McAdams wrote that in the 1990s, within trustee District 5 there were schools that were about 50% White that usually had ample parent support and stronger test scores while there were schools about 90% or higher minorities that had low test scores and little to no parent support.McAdams, p
59
He explained that in Houston white parents sent children to HISD schools that had minority children as long as the minority children tended to be middle class and that there were not too many of them. A number of black students who lived in District 5 were middle class children who took school buses to the schools and did not live in the school zones. According to McAdams their enrollment levels were stable and White parents were comfortable with their presence. He added that poor black children tended to go to their neighborhood schools outside of District 5. McAdams also stated that White middle-class parents did not consider Asians and Asian Americans to be minorities who could make a school less attractive to them. In the 1980s and 1990s increased enrollment of poor, English as a second language, non-English speaking Central American students at some HISD neighborhood schools made them unattractive to White parents. According to McAdams, the White middle class community accepted minority percentages of around 50% for elementary schools, and for middle and high schools the White community accepted minority percentages of over 70 because classes at those levels were separated by academic ability. If percentages of minorities exceeded the tolerable levels at a particular school, white parents withdrew their children from the said school until there were few White people left.McAdams, p
5960
According to McAdams, HISD administrators knew about the levels of minority percentages tolerable to White middle-class parents. McAdams argued that class was a far more important consideration than race to White parents. He stated that despite how "negative" his comments about White HISD residents sounded, many of the White parents were "not necessarily racists" but instead wanted high quality academic instruction in their schools, as methods and instructions for poor children were not suited for middle class children.McAdams, p
60
McAdams argued that the attitude of the White community being willing to send their children to schools with about 50% minority enrollment was more progressive than the previous White attitude around the 1960s which was hostile to any minority enrollment in White schools.


Dress codes

As of 2013, more tha
230 schools
required their students to wear school uniforms or "standardized dress." As of 2006, over twenty high schools require their students to wear school uniforms or "standardized dress." Of them, one, Lamar High School (Houston), Lamar High School, had a White American, White plurality. Nine Houston ISD high schools did not require students to wear uniforms or standardized dress. Four of them had White students as the largest group of students. In 1991 Key Middle School (Houston), Key Middle School was the first school in HISD to introduce school uniforms. At the time, they were not required, but encouraged. Around the early 1990s the district began a trend of more localized management, so local schools set their own dress code policies. At the start of the 1994-1995 school year 37 HISD elementary and middle schools had uniforms or standardized dress; this was a large increase from the previous school year.


Administration building

The current administration building, the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, is in northwest Houston. The administration moved into the offices in spring 2006.Radcliffe, Jennifer.
HISD landmark demolished / Known as district's `Taj Mahal,' it won't be missed by everyone / Tearing away its old image
" ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, 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''. ...
''. Friday September 15, 2006. B1 MetFront. Retrieved on May 29, 2009.
It is named after Hattie Mae White, the first
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
HISD board member and the first African-American public official in the State of Texas elected since Reconstruction Era of the United States, Reconstruction. The current Sam Houston High School (Houston), Sam Houston High School building in the Northside, Houston, Northside opened in 1955. The previous Sam Houston High School building in Downtown Houston became the administrative headquarters of HISD. By the early 1970s HISD moved its headquarters out of the building, which was demolished. As of 2011 an HISD-owned parking lot occupies the former school lot; a state historical marker is at the lot. In meetings it had been proposed as a new location for the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.Gonzales, J.R.
Sam Houston High School (old)
" ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, 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''. ...
''. March 30, 2010. Retrieved on November 22, 2011.
Houston ISD's administration building, which opened in 1969 and served in that capacity from July of that year to March 2006 was the Hattie Mae White Administration Building, at 3830 Richmond Avenue. It was designed by Neuhaus & Taylor in a New Brutalist architecture, Brutalist style. The facility was labeled the "Taj Mahal" due to the counter-clockwise circular layout and the split-level floor pattern. The design made it difficult for wheelchair-using individuals to navigate the building. The complex cost U.S.$6 million. The building had tropical indoor atrium (architecture), atriums, causing critics to criticize the spending priorities of the district. When the district considered cutting a popular
kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
program for financial reasons, taxpayers voted a number of board members out of office. The district sold the former complex for $38 million to a company that demolished the site and developed a mixed-use commercial property; demolition began on September 14, 2006. Demolition crews destroyed the Will Rogers Elementary School, an adjacent school at 3101 Weslayan that closed in spring 2006. The former HISD administration building appears in the film ''The Thief Who Came to Dinner''. The land of the former administration building now includes a Costco among other businesses.


Athletic facilities

Early HISD athletic facilities included West End Park (Houston), West End Park (purchased in 1928) and Robertson Stadium (opened in 1942). HISD has three athletic facility centers that were under its control as of June 30, 2013: Herman A. Barnett Sports Complex, Joe K. Butler Sports Complex, and the two-stadium Delmar - Dyer Sports Complex. Barnett has the capacity of 8,000 for American football and track games, 2,750 for basketball games, and 2,500 for soccer (football) games. Butler can seat 8,000 for American football and track games and 2,500 for basketball games. Butler also has middle school and high school baseball fields, which have a seating capacity of 4,500. The Delmar Stadium, an American football stadium, has a seating capacity of 12,500. The Delmar Fieldhouse has a capacity of 5,400. The Delmar baseball field has a capacity of 1,500. The Delmar middle school stadium has 3,000. The Dyer Stadium has a seating capacity of 6,000 for American football and track games.Stadiums
"
Archive
Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on September 2, 2012.
In addition, the 12,000-capacity Jones-Cowart Stadium, which is used for American football, is located on the property of the former Smiley High School,About North Forest ISD
" () North Forest Independent School District. August 13, 2003. Retrieved on July 15, 2011.
now North Forest High School. When it was a part of the
North Forest Independent School District North Forest Independent School District (NFISD) was a school district in northeast Houston, Texas. Established in the early 1920s in a low-income white area, it later became majority-black and black-run. The district had a history of financia ...
(NFISD), it served as the district's stadium for sporting events. As of July 1, 2013, the NFISD territory was merged into HISD. On September 12, 2013, HISD announced that it plans to demolish the existing 5,400-seat Delmar-Tusa Fieldhouse and build a new one at the same site. In the 1960s the old fieldhouse served as the home court for the
University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...
basketball team. HISD moved several scheduled events to the Mark Anthony Wilkins Pavilion at Forest Brook Middle School. The new facility is scheduled to open in 2016.


Notable employees and teachers

*J. Don Boney, former administrator *Lyndon B. Johnson, a teacher who became the 36th President of the United States *Laura Bush, a teacher at Kennedy Elementary School who later became the First Lady of the United States *Van G. Garrett, poet *Alberto Gonzales, chair of the Commission for District Decentralization, later became United States Attorney General *Thaddeus S. Lott Sr. *Edison E. Oberholtzer, former superintendent, founder and first president of the
University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...
*
Rod Paige Roderick Raynor Paige (born June 17, 1933) is an American academic and politician who served as the 7th United States secretary of education from 2001 to 2005. Paige, who grew up in Mississippi, moved from college football coach and classroom t ...
, former superintendent, became the United States Secretary of EducationFormer U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige's letter
" ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram''. February 26, 2009. Retrieved on February 27, 2009.
*Noemi Dominguez, a teacher at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School who was murdered by Ángel Maturino Reséndiz


See also

*List of school districts in Texas *List of schools in Harris County, Texas *Houston Area Independent Schools — association of Houston-area private schools.


References

* Gore, Elaine Clift. ''Talent Knows No Color: The History of an Arts Magnet High School'' (Research in curriculum and instruction) Information Age Publishing, 2007. . * Kellar, William Henry. '' Make Haste Slowly: Moderates, Conservatives, and School Desegregation in Houston''. Texas A&M University Press, 1999. , 9781603447188. * Kirkland, Kate Sayen. ''The Hogg Family and Houston: Philanthropy and the Civic Ideal''. University of Texas Press, September 21, 2012. . * McAdams, Donald R. ''Fighting to Save Our Urban Schools-- and Winning!: Lessons from Houston''.
Teachers College Press Teachers College Press is the university press of Teachers College, Columbia University. Founded in 1904, Teachers College Press has published professional and classroom materials for over a century and currently publishes 70 titles per year. Hi ...
, 2000. .


Notes


Further reading


Preliminary Report, 2019
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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.
, at the ''
Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown Houston, Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely ...
'' website * McAdams, Donald R. "Lessons from Houston." In: Ravitch, Diane (Editor). ''Brookings Papers on Education Policy, 1999'' (Brookings Papers on Education Policy). Brookings Institution Press, 1999. . . * Muñoz, Olivia and Sayoko Yamashita.
Secondary School Program in Japanese Language and Culture in Houston, Texas
" ''The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese''. Vol. 20, No. 1 (Apr. 1986), pp. 57–60. Available at JSTOR.


External links


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Construction and Security ServicesList of schools in the HISD
from GreatSchools.net {{Authority control Houston Independent School District, School districts in Harris County, Texas School districts in Houston Harris County, Texas Missouri City, Texas Education in Pearland, Texas 1924 establishments in Texas School districts established in 1924