A large portion of the STAAR tests, which are mandated for public school students in grades 3-12, will be administered next week for the elementary and middle school levels. Students in grades 3-8 will be tested in math. Students in grades 3-4 and 6-7 will be tested in reading, andRead More

If your child was accepted to an HISD magnet school this year, congratulations! And don’t forget – this Friday, April 10, is the deadline to claim their spot. To get details on how to secure your child’s spot, visit HISD’s magnet application page or login to your online application. ToRead More

Two weeks ago, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier gave his annual State of the Schools address, in which he discussed strides the district has made in the past year and revealed plans to make further progress in the coming year. The most prominent announcements this year dealt with programs undergoing considerableRead More

It’s no secret that HISD is home to some of the best public schools in the country. The excellence of the district’s offerings was reaffirmed this month with the publication of the Washington Post‘s annual list of the most challenging schools in America. Two-thirds of HISD’s high schools made theRead More

HISD last week announced plans to build three new school buildings not covered in the 2012 bond budget. The district plans to raise $128.7 million over the next five years to fund the construction of new facilities for North Forest High School and the recently-opened Energy Institute High School, asRead More

The HISD PowerUp Initiative, which began implementation in the summer of 2013, will reach a dramatic milestone in January. The three-prong initiative is intended to improve learning through technology by improving access to linked learning, creating a comprehensive web portal as a resource for students, and, most impressively, by makingRead More

Under the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), all students are required to be taught music, theater, and the visual arts. It is not mandated that all of these be taught by specialists; in some cases, it is acceptable to integrate them into standard classroom instruction. Many Houston-area school districtsRead More

In last night’s meeting, in addition to approving the plan for the Arabic immersion magnet school, the HISD board also addressed a proposal that could impact students across the district. The board voted 7-0 to recognize a group called the HISD Student Congress as a representation of the voice ofRead More

UPDATE: As of 11/14/2014, HISD is officially moving forward on plans for an Arabic immersion magnet school. The Houston Chronicle has more. HISD is well-established as a hotspot for excellent programs in world languages. A combined total of 11 languages are offered in HISD schools, starting as early as PreKRead More

On Saturday, HISD administrators and officials ceremonially broke ground on the construction of the new Condit Elementary. The new Condit school building, to be constructed adjacent to the old building at 7000 South Third St. in Bellaire, is being paid for with funds from the $1.89 billion 2012 HISD bond.Read More

On Thursday, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier was given the 2014 Green-Garner Award for outstanding contributions in public education. This award is presented annually by the Council of Great City Schools to a superintendent or school board member from a Council school district; there are 67 member districts, and Grier wasRead More

UPDATE: After appeals from the affected schools, only one program has been slated for closure and eight programs – including those at Twain and Roberts – are still on probation. The Houston Chronicle has more. At last night’s school board meeting, a preliminary plan was announced under which 15 HISDRead More

Over the next two weeks, HISD will hold community meetings (see schedule below) to discuss design concepts and progress for 5 district schools which are being rebuilt on new campuses. HSPVA, Condit Elementary School, Lee High School, and DeBakey High School are among the 40 HISD schools being upgraded withRead More

            The Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions, the prestigious HISD magnet ranked 33rd in the nation, will be moving into a new downtown facility in the fall of 2016. Last night, the HISD Board of Trustees officially voted to accept the TexasRead More

Magnet programs – specialized academic offerings open to any student living in the district – are one of HISD’s notable strengths. More than 40% of HISD schools have schoolwide or school-within-a-school magnet programs. Some magnets focus on STEM; some on the arts; some on world languages; some on specific careerRead More

HISD’s annual Ivy Plus event – to be held at Reagan High School on Monday, October 6, from 5pm to 8pm – is a great opportunity for high school students to learn more about their prospective colleges. The major highlight of Ivy Plus is a college expo featuring some ofRead More