School Histories: the Stories Behind the Names

Did you know that HISD used to have an Alamo Elementary School? Or that one of its elementary schools is named for a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient? How about that one of the oldest HISD high schools originally opened as the Houston Academy in 1878 and underwent five subsequent name changes before being chosen to recognize one of the most colorful figures in Texas history?

If you have ever wondered how a particular HISD campus got its name (or even "what ever happened to" a school that is now closed), then you will enjoy exploring the links at right.

Each section lists the names of various HISD schools in that category (elementary, middle, high, etc.), along with a brief description of each school's history, including details such as when it opened, who (or what) it was named for, and the date (if applicable) that it closed. HISD schools are named for a variety of notable people, places, and things. Click the links at right to learn more about their fascinating histories.

For more information about current HISD campuses, use the School Information tool. Some schools have individual Web sites with more detailed campus histories available.

To suggest a school for inclusion on these pages, or to notify the district of a possible error in a listing, send an e-mail to info@houstonisd.org and include "School Histories" in the subject line.

Elementary Schools (A-J)

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED 1959
3601 Barnes

Built by Chaneyville ISD in 1912, this school was deeded to the City of Houston in 1914. It was one of several in the district that derived its name from a bordering street. Abbott Elementary School closed in 1959.

ALAMO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED 1980
201 East 27th

Formerly known as Sunset Heights Elementary School, this school was named for the structure in San Antonio that played a pivotal role in Texas’ fight for independence from Mexico. It opened in 1913 and closed in 1980.

ALCOTT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5859 Bellfort

Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888) is remembered as the author of beloved children’s novels (such as Little Women), as well as her work in the suffrage and temperance movements. The school that bears her name was built in 1954.

ALLEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED SUMMER 2009
400 Victoria

Charlotte B. Allen (1805–1895) Elementary School is named for the wife of Augustus Chapman Allen, one of two brothers who founded the city of Houston in 1836. Opened in 1907, the campus was originally located at Elgin and Chenevert. In 1956, it moved to its present location (400 Victoria Street) in north Houston.

ALMEDA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
14249 Bridgeport

One of the founders of Almeda, Texas, named the town after his daughter. The school was built in 1901 and became part of HISD in 1936. A new school was erected in 1981.

ANDERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5727 Ludington

Ralph A. “Andy” Anderson was a reporter for the Houston Press for 34 years until his death in 1956. Anderson was also a humanitarian who gave unsparingly of himself in helping children, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and needy people of all ages. The school was built in his memory in 1960.

ARGYLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED MAY 2005
12525 Fondren, Suite M

This school was named for a nearby plaza in the community it served in southwest Houston. It opened in autumn of 1999 in what was originally a roller-skating rink in a shopping strip. It expanded its offices and classrooms by purchasing adjacent spaces that previously housed (respectively) a dollar store, a fitness equipment store, and church offices.

ASHFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1815 Shannon Valley

Built in 1971, this campus is named for the community in which it is located. At the turn of the century, the entire area was part of a farm owned by a family named Ashford.

ASKEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
11200 Wood Lodge

Jewel Askew served HISD for 35 years as teacher, assistant superintendent of education, director of elementary school education, and consultant for elementary curriculum. She also taught at Sam Houston State College and the University of Houston, founded the Texas Association for Improvement of Reading, and enjoyed national acclaim as a lecturer. The campus named in her honor opened in 1977.

ATHERTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2011 Solo

Charles H. Atherton came to Houston from his native Jamaica in 1880 and began a distinguished career in education, serving as principal of several schools and as professor, dean, and chaplain at Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College (now Prairie View A&M University). What had originally been a county school was relocated to its present site (2011 Solo Street) in 1927 and renamed in Atherton's honor in 1929.

BARRICK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
12001 Winfrey

This campus was named in memory of Charles Emery Barrick, a 15-year employee of HISD and one-time principal of Luther Burbank Elementary School. Barrick died in August 1942. The campus named in his honor opened in 1949.

BASTIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5051 Bellfort

Mamie Sue Bastian was a respected Houstonian who devoted 46 years to serving HISD as teacher and principal. The campus that honors her opened in 1950 at 7350 Calhoun. It was replaced with a brand new facility at 5051 Bellfort Avenue in 2007.

BELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
12323 Shaftsbury

This school was built in 1978 to honor Kate Bell, known as the “first lady of education in Texas.” During her long and distinguished career, Dr. Bell served as teacher, principal, director of elementary schools, assistant superintendent of schools, and president of the Texas Retired Teachers’ Association. She was also one of the first honorees inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame.

BELLFORT ACADEMY
7647 Bellfort

Purchased by HISD in 1996, this school takes its name from the street on which it is located in southeast Houston. Originally opened as an alternative school, the Bellfort Academy began serving only fourth- and fifth-graders from nearby Lewis Elementary School in 1998. (Lewis serves grades prekindergarten through 3.)

BENAVÍDEZ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6262 Gulfton

This school was named in honor of Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavídez (1935–1998), a Green Beret in the U.S. Army and native Texan who fought and survived against incredible odds in Vietnam. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1981. The school named for him opened in 1992.

BENBROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
4026 Bolin

Joyce Benbrook Elementary School, constructed in 1966, is named for a noted professor at the University of Houston. Dr. Benbrook trained many teachers and was the author of a number of books on mathematics for children.

BERRY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2310 Berry

James A. Berry (1809–1876) fought for Texas’ independence and later served as treasurer and commissioner of schools for Harris County. His sons donated the land on which the original school was built in 1910. The campus moved to its present location (2310 Berry) in 1950.

BLACKSHEAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2900 Holman

Edward L. Blackshear served as the first principal of Emancipation Park School, then assumed the direction of Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College (now Prairie View A&M University), a preparatory school for black teachers. The school named for him was built in 1916 and expanded in 1960, 1965, and 1980.

BONHAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
8302 Braes River

James Butler Bonham Elementary School is named for an attorney from South Carolina who lost his life at the Alamo in 1836. The campus was built in 1962.

BONNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
8100 Elrod

Melinda Bonner taught her children at home until she and her husband built the first schoolhouse in Angelina County and personally paid teachers’ salaries. In 1929, her son donated the land on which the present school was built.

BOWIE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—See Paige Elementary School

BRAEBURN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7707 Rampart

This campus opened in 1956 under the principalship of the late Dorothy Swope, a leading Houston educator for more than half a century. During the 1950s and 60’s, many streets and residential developments in southwest Houston were given Scottish names such as braeburn, which means “hillside brook.”

BRAYS BAYOU ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED 1966
Almeda Road near Main Street

This school was named for one of the three main tributaries that drain into Buffalo Bayou. Braes Bayou (previously referred to as Bray’s or Brays Bayou) runs through what is now the Texas Medical Center. The school became a part of HISD in 1913 and closed in 1966.

BRECKENRIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—See Langston Early Childhood Development Center

BRIARGROVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6145 San Felipe

Opened in January 1958, this school is named for the residential development it serves in west Houston. It is located just nine blocks away from Henry Grady Middle School, which served as a temporary campus that year until construction of the new school was completed in September. A new facility was completed in 2007.

BRIARMEADOW CHARTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
3601 Dunvale
Briarmeadow opened in 1997 (as the Galleria-Area School) in leased facilities at 1331 Augusta, but moved into new facilities at 3601 Dunvale in time for the 2001–2002 school year. Named for a nearby subdivision, it was one of 10 schools built with funds from Rebuild 2002.

BRISCOE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
321 Forest Hill

Andrew Briscoe (1810–1849) was a leader in the battle for Texas’ independence and later chief justice of Harrisburg. The school named for him was erected in 1928.

BROCK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—See Crockett Early Childhood Center

Richard Brock (1814–1906), a former slave, opened a blacksmith shop in Houston and became the first African-American to earn the rating of master mechanic. Throughout his life he was a leader in civic and religious organizations and was instrumental in buying Emancipation Park, which was later turned over to the city. The school named for him was constructed in 1967.

BROOKLINE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6301 South Loop East

Brookline Elementary School, one of several campuses named after a residential community, was located on Telephone Road when it first opened in 1914. The new building on the South Loop was built in 1953.

BROWNING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
607 Northwood

Robert Browning Elementary School, built in 1927, is one of several campuses named for major literary figures of the nineteenth century. Browning was a British poet who lived from 1812 to 1889.

BRUCE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
510 Jensen

Blanche Kelso Bruce Elementary School, built in 1920 at 713 Bringhurst, was named for a distinguished former slave who founded a school for blacks in Missouri during the Civil War. Bruce went on to hold a number of important political posts before becoming the first African-American elected to the U.S. Senate (1875–1881). He subsequently served as registrar of the U.S. Treasury until his death in 1898. A replacement facility at 510 Jensen Drive was completed in 2007.

BURBANK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
216 Tidwell

Luther Burbank (1849–1926) was a horticulturist who developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants during his lifetime. Among his most well-known creations are the Burbank potato, which helped alleviate the food shortage during the Irish Potato Famine, and such things as the spineless cactus, white blackberries, and the Shasta daisy. HISD named a school for him in 1927.

BURGESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
4040 Blackshear

This school opened in September of 1962. It was named for George O. Burgess, the first mayor of Independence Heights, Texas. It closed in 1969 and the building became a part of the Booker T. Washington High School campus.

BURNET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5403 Canal

David G. Burnet was the first president of the Republic of Texas. The school that bears his name was constructed in 1926.

BURRUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
701 E. 33rd

James D. Burrus Elementary School opened in 1899 as the Independent Heights County School. It became part of HISD under its present name in 1924. Burrus was a former slave who became a successful African-American educator.

BUSH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
13800 Westerloch

Barbara Pierce Bush (born 1925) has had the honor of being both the wife and the mother of a U.S. President. Her husband, George Herbert Walker Bush, was President from 1989 to 1993, while her son, George W. Bush, became President in 2001. The school named in her honor opened in 1992.

CAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
4538 Leeland

In 1894, philanthropist and school board president Rufus Cage donated the land on Telephone Road where the Kirby School was erected in 1902. A newer structure was built across the street in 1906 and renamed in honor of Cage when he died in 1923. The school moved to its present site on Leeland Street in 1983.

CALDWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—See Hines-Caldwell Elementary School

CARNEGIE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED MAY 2002
10401 Scott

Andrew Carnegie Elementary School was erected in 1963 in memory of the famous Scottish immigrant who rose to become a steel tycoon and philanthropist.

CARRILLO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
960 S. Wayside

Edna M. Carrillo Elementary is located on the site of the former Parker Memorial Methodist Church, previously known as the Sims Estate. The school was built in 1993 and was named after Edna Moreno Carrillo, one of Houston’s most innovative educators. She pioneered the “open concept” model classroom and served as principal of Benjamin Franklin Elementary School from 1972 until her death in 1975.

CHATHAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED SUMMER 2006
8110 Bertwood

Robert C. Chatham Elementary School was built in 1965 in memory of a prominent black educator who served as teacher and principal at several HISD schools. One of his nieces became a teacher in the district, and another is a former principal.

CLEVELAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED 1977
320 Jackson Hill

William Davis Cleveland (1839–1912) was an Alabama native who moved to Texas at the age of 20. A Civil War veteran as well as a prominent Houston businessman and civic leader, Cleveland was also one of the founders of the Houston Cotton Exchange. The school that bore his name opened in 1927 and closed 50 years later.

CLINTON PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED MAY 2005
158 Mississippi

In 1941, HISD opened this campus to serve the Clinton Park housing project, located in east Houston. A newer building was constructed in 1958. It closed in 2005.

CODWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5225 Tavenor

During his 40 year career in HISD, John Elihue Codwell served as teacher, principal (Phillis Wheatley and Jack Yates High Schools), deputy director of the Education Improvement Program, and Area IV superintendent of instruction. Dr. Codwell retired in 1976, and a school was named in his honor the next year.

CONCORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—See Concord Early Childhood Center

CONDIT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7000 South Third, Bellaire

In 1909, the newly founded community of Bellaire built its first school. The campus moved to a new site on South Third Street in 1914, and an addition was built in 1927. At that time the school was named for AI J. Condit, a Bellaire civic leader.

COOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7115 Lockwood

Felix Y. Cook was a teacher and administrator at HISD for 36 years, starting in the 1940s. He served as a teacher and coach at E. O. Smith Junior High and Phillis Wheatley High School and as the principal of Sharpstown High School. Cook also served for 12 years as a deputy superintendent. The school named for him was built in 2006 on the site of the old James Sanderson Elementary School. It opened in August of that same year.

COOLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED 1980
300 West 17th

Daniel Denton Cooley, sometimes called “the father of the Heights,” was a land developer who came to Houston in 1890. His home at 1802 Heights Boulevard was one of the very first residences built in that neighborhood. Cooley, a lifelong champion of education, also helped establish some of the first schools in the Heights area. Now called the Cooley Center, this building currently houses the district's Alternative Certification Program headquarters.

COOP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
10130 Aldine Westfield

Ethel R. Coop was a trustee of the HISD Board of Education from 1928 to 1942, and then worked for the Food Services Department. The school named for her was built in 1950.

CORINTHIAN POINTE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—See Hines-Caldwell Elementary School

CORNELIUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7475 Westover

John Paul Cornelius Elementary School, constructed in 1960, is named for a teacher and administrator who served HISD for 28 years. He was principal of Charles Hartman Junior High School at the time of his death in 1957.

CRAWFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1510 Jensen

It was the first principal of this school, built in 1917, who suggested that it be named for Joseph H. Crawford, a professor of science at Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College (now Prairie View A&M University) and a former HISD teacher.

CRESPO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7500 Office City

Manuel Crespo (1903–1989) was a native of Spain who moved to America following the death of his father when he was 16. He settled in Houston in 1923 and became the city’s first Hispanic police officer in 1940. Crespo also cofounded Chapter #60 of the League of United Latin-American Citizens (LULAC) and ran a funeral home for more than 50 years on Navigation Street. The school named for him opened on the city’s southeast side in January 1992.

CROCKETT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2112 Crockett

Tennessee-born Davy Crockett died at the Alamo in the struggle for Texas’ independence. The school named for him was constructed in 1912 and replaced with a new building in 1980.

CUNNINGHAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5100 Gulfton

Leroy Taylor (“L. T.”) Cunningham Elementary School, constructed in 1953, is named for a prominent figure in local education during the first half of the 20th century. Cunningham was variously a school inspector, principal at several HISD schools, member of the school board, and director of Houston Night School.

DAILY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
12909 Briar Forest

Opened in January 2006, this school was named for Dr. Ray K. Daily (1891-1975), the first Jewish woman to graduate from a Texas medical school. A prominent Houston ophthalmologist, Dr. Daily served as president of the medical staff at Jefferson Davis Hospital and was the first woman ever elected president of HISD’s Board of Education. She advocated HISD’s first classes for children with disabilities, and she was instrumental in the founding of both the University of Houston and Texas Southern University.

DÁVILA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7610 Dahlia

This school was named for Jaime Dávila, the son of immigrant parents from Mexico. It opened its doors in August 1990, not far from the site on which Dávila was born in 1959. Dávila was a product of HISD and the first student from the east end of Houston to receive a full, paid scholarship to Harvard University.

DECHAUMES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
155 Cooper

Helen C. DeChaumes went to work for the Houston school system in 1890 and served the district as teacher and principal until her death in 1942. HISD named an elementary school in her honor in 1956.

DE ZAVALA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7521 Avenue H

Manuel Lorenzo Justiniano de Zavala (1789–1836) was a distinguished Mexican statesman and diplomat who was given the responsibility of colonizing Texas. De Zavala became so devoted to his new homeland that he led the struggle for its independence and was elected interim vice president of the new republic. The school that honors his memory was constructed in 1929.

DODSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1808 Sampson

Opened in 1921 as Bowie Elementary School, this campus was renamed in 1945 to honor the late Julius N. Dodson, the highly respected principal of Charles Luckie Elementary. Once the second-largest black elementary school in the Third Ward, Dodson is now best known for its Montessori Magnet program.

DOGAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
4202 Liberty

Matthew Winfred Dogan (1863–1942) was the author of the pioneering study The Progress of the Negro and for many years was president of Wiley College. The school named for him was built in 1949.

DOUGLASS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED MAY 2005
3000 Trulley

Frederick A. Douglass (1817–1895) escaped from slavery to become one of the towering figures in the history of African-Americans. A tireless abolitionist, Douglass served as advisor to President Lincoln, lecturer in Great Britain, and president of the Freedmen’s Bank and Trust Company, as well as in leading government positions in the District of Columbia, Haiti, and Santo Domingo. HISD named a school for him in 1927.

DOW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED IN 1993
1900 Kane

The original school on Washington Avenue was built in 1887 and named after Justin E. Dow, who served as principal of Houston High School (1882–1885) and superintendent of Houston Public Schools (1885–1887). The campus moved to 1900 Kane Street in Houston’s Old Sixth Ward in 1912 and closed in 1993.

DUNBAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED 1981
2202 St. Emanuel Street

Originally opened as Longfellow Junior High School in 1913, this school was converted to an elementary school and renamed for Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906) in 1961. Dunbar was an African-American poet who earned national acclaim for his work. The school closed in 1981.

DURHAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
4803 Brinkman

Mylie E. Durham Elementary School was dedicated on May 5, 1968. The school is named for a highly respected physician in the Houston Heights area who lived from 1893 to 1962. During his lifetime, he founded the Durham Clinic and served as president of the Harris County Medical Society.

DURKEE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7301 Nordling

John Edward Durkee was a land developer who named one of his holdings Little York after his home state, New York. He donated a plot on which the elementary school named in his honor was built in 1912. The school moved to its present site on Nordling Road in 1954, and Fonville Junior High School was built where the earlier school had been.

EASTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED SUMMER 2006
4435 Weaver

Rosa Lee Easter was a respected teacher, principal, and civic leader from the 1920s through the 1950s. The school named in her honor was built in 1959 and closed in 2006.

ELIOT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6411 Laredo

Charles Eliot was an important figure in the history of American education. He is best known for leading Harvard University to worldwide fame, and served as its president for 40 years. Eliot was also active in the improvement of secondary schools, influencing educators to adopt a more standardized and difficult course of study in high schools. Eliot Elementary School was built in 1926.

ELROD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6230 Dumfries

Horace W. Elrod served HISD as a respected principal for many years. The facility named for him, built in 1964, is a math/science Magnet school.

EMERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
9533 Skyline

Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School, erected 1963, is named for the distinguished nineteenth century writer and philosopher. Emerson is also noted for his study of the bee, which the school adopted as its mascot.

FAIRCHILD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED SUMMER 2007
8701 Delilah

In 1960, HISD built this facility in honor of Thornton McNair Fairchild (1875–1941), an eminent African-American educator, businessman, and philanthropist. After teaching in the public schools of Hempstead and Navasota, Fairchild began a very successful career in life insurance and real estate. He was also a major benefactor of what is today Texas Southern University.

FANNIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED 1971
2900 Louisiana

James Walker Fannin Jr. was a revolutionary in the Texas battle for independence from Mexico. He participated in the battle of Gonzales, and was executed after being captured by Santa Anna’s army in 1836.

FIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
703 East 17th

The “pink school on Studewood” opened in February 1929. It is named for author and poet Eugene Field (1850–1895), often known as “The Children’s Poet.” He created many beloved childhood figures, such as “Little Boy Blue” and Wynken, Blynken, and Nod—some of whom are depicted in a mural in the front hall of the school.

FOERSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
14200 Fonmeadow

Cecile Foerster was a highly respected teacher and administrator in Rosenberg and Houston for four decades. In addition, she was coauthor of the Working with Numbers mathematics workbooks. The campus that bears her name was established in 1967.

FONDREN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
12405 Carlsbad

HISD has two campuses named for Walter W. Fondren, one of the leaders of the petroleum industry in the 1920s and 1930s and founder of Humble Oil Company, which later became Exxon Corporation. The elementary school opened in 1949 and was replaced with a new structure in 1960.

FOSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
3919 Ward

In 1901, Marcellus E. Foster established the Houston Chronicle, which he controlled until 1926. He was editor emeritus of the Houston Press when he died in 1942. A school was built in his memory that same year.

FRANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7101 Canal

Benjamin Franklin Elementary School is one of several campuses named for major figures in early American history. Ben Franklin, though best known for his outdoor experiments with electricity, was also the inventor of bifocals, watertight ship bulkheads, and the lightning rod. He was also the only Founding Father to have signed all five documents that established American independence. The school’s original building, which opened in 1916, was replaced with a new structure in 1979.

FROST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5650 Selinsky

Robert Frost (1874–1963) used his brilliant creative talent to exalt patriotism and the pursuit of excellence. Houston named a school for “America’s Grand Old Man of Poetry” in the year of his death.

GALLEGOS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7415 Harrisburg

This school, named for the late husband of former HISD Board Member Olga Gallegos, opened in the fall of 1992. Mario Martínez Gallegos was a firefighter with the Houston Fire Department for 21 years. He died of cancer in 1990 after retiring as a captain. Gallegos also served in the Navy during World War II and was a commander in the American Foreign Legion.

GARCIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
9550 Aldine Westfield

This school was named after Marcario Garcia, a graduate of HISD’s Sam Houston High School and a soldier in the U.S. Army who fought in World War II. During the course of his military service, Garcia won two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars with Valor, and a Bronze Oak Leaf. He also won the nation’s highest award for valor, the Congressional Medal of Honor, which he was presented with in 1945 by President Harry Truman. By the time Garcia retired, he had attained the rank of command sergeant major, the highest enlisted rank possible. The school named for him opened in October 1992.

GARDEN OAKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
901 Sue Barnett

The Garden Oaks community was established in 1937, when Edward Lillo Crain purchased 750 acres and set about developing a new residential neighborhood. The school was completed in 1940 and replaced with a new building in 1981.

GARDEN VILLAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7185 Santa Fe

This campus, opened in 1931, is named for the residential community that it serves in south Houston. The school is now a music/fine arts Magnet.

GOLFCREST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7414 Fairway

This school is named for the Golfcrest residential area that it serves in south Houston. The campus opened in 1949.

GORDON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6300 Avenue B, Bellaire

Maud Watson Gordon was a much-admired administrator, teacher, and principal at HISD who died in 1948. The school named for her opened in 1953 and served as a neighborhood school until 1983. The following year, it was used temporarily by the Post Oak School, then by the district as an administrative building from 1985 to 1988. Gordon opened again in 1988 as a relief school for Horace Elrod and Leroy Cunningham Elementary Schools. It also serves Roy Benavídez and A. A. Milne Elementary Schools in that capacity.

GREGG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6701 Roxbury

Lucile Gregg Elementary School was built in 1954 in honor of a respected HISD teacher.

GREGORY LINCOLN EDUCATION CENTER
1101 Taft

Edgar M. Gregory was a colonel in the Civil War who served with the 91st Pennsylvania Regiment and the New York volunteers. After the war, he was appointed assistant commissioner of the Freedman’s Bureau, which managed relief work, education, labor contract supervision, and court protection in the South after the war. President Abraham Lincoln is credited with preserving the Union during the Civil War. The Gregory Lincoln Education Center opened in 1966. A brand-new facility is slated to open in 2008.

GRIMES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
9220 Jutland

Buchanan H. Grimes, a highly respected figure in local black history, rose from the position of janitor to that of teacher and then principal in the Houston Public Schools. The campus named for him opened in 1952.

GRISSOM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
4900 Simsbrook

Virgil I. Grissom Elementary School was built in 1967 as a memorial to the distinguished aviator and astronaut who died in a fire aboard the Apollo 1.

GROSS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
12583 South Gessner

Gross Elementary School actually existed as the private I. Weiner Jewish Secondary School for some years before HISD acquired it. It became a member of the HISD family in 2000, when the district purchased it, renovated it, and renamed it for local philanthropist Jenard M. Gross. Gross was a real-estate developer committed to the preservation and improvement of urban school systems. HISD opened the school named for him in fall 2001.

J. R. HARRIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
801 Broadway

John Richardson Harris Elementary School (originally Harrisburg School when it opened in 1895) is named for one of the “Old Three Hundred” Austin colonists in the early nineteenth century. Both the town of Harrisburg, which he founded, and Harris County are named for him. Another school is named after Adele Looscan, his granddaughter.

R. P. HARRIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1262 Mae

Roland Plunket Harris, a descendant of the family that founded Harrisburg, developed the Greens Bayou community in the 1930s. The school named for him was built in 1958.

HARTSFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5001 Perry

Victor Hugo Hartsfield Elementary School was named in honor of a noted teacher, coach, and superintendent of the Pasadena Independent School District. The building was completed in 1954 and enlarged in 1978.

HARVARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
810 Harvard

Originally the Harvard Street School, this facility opened in 1898 and became part of HISD in 1921. The main brick structure, which dated from 1912, was demolished in 1980, when a new addition was built. It was named for the street on which it is located in the Houston Heights.

HAWTHORNE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED 1959
1417 Houston Avenue

Hawthorne School opened in 1893 at the site of the former Houston Avenue School, which later became First Ward School. It was named for Nathaniel Hawthorne, an early American writer whose works include the novels The Scarlet Letter and The House of Seven Gables.

HELMS COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER
503 West 21st

Formerly known as Helms Elementary School, this facility was named for James F. Helms, who served as president of the Houston Heights Board of Education and later as chief clerk of the Harris County Court. The campus named for him was built in 1918, the year the Houston Heights became part of the city of Houston. It was renamed the Helms Community Learning Center in April 2001.

J. P. HENDERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1800 Dismuke

James Pinckney Henderson came to Texas in 1836 as commander of an army company in the fight for independence from Mexico. When Texas joined the Union in 1845, he was elected the first governor of the state. The school that bears his name opened in 1929.

N. Q. HENDERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
701 Solo

Nathaniel Q. Henderson, for whom this school was named in 1956, was one of the earliest graduates of Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College (now Prairie View A&M University) and principal of Blanche Bruce Elementary School from 1909 to 1942. Henderson also established the first African-American day-care center in Houston and the first home for African-American girls.

HEROD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5627 Jason

Captain Gary L. Herod of the Texas Air National Guard was flying in bad weather on the night of March 15, 1961, when his jet failed over the Maplewood Meyerland area of Houston. Instead of abandoning his aircraft over those residential neighborhoods, the pilot guided it into clear space but by then was too low to parachute to safety. The school that stands as a memorial to his bravery was built in 1965.

HERRERA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
525 Bennington

John J. Herrera was the 21st national president of the League of United Latin-American Citizens (LULAC). The son of a San Antonio policeman, he was descended from one of the 14 original families to settle that city. The school named for him was built in 1992.

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
865 Paul Quinn

Named for the neighborhood that it serves in north Houston, this campus opened in 1932. The present structure was built in 2006.

HINES-CALDWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5515 West Orem

A native Houstonian and product of HISD schools, Jean Hines-Caldwell began her HISD career as an audiologist, then served for 38 years as a home-economics teacher and guidance counselor at her alma mater, Phillis Wheatley High School. The school named in her honor opened in the fall of 2005. It was originally slated to be called Corinthian Pointe.

HOBBY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
4021 Woodmont

William Pettus Hobby (1878–1964) was a distinguished newspaper publisher (owner of the Houston Post) who also served as commissioner of highways, lieutenant governor (1914–1917), and governor (1917–1921). HISD built a school in his memory in 1965.

HOHL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED SUMMER 2009
5320 Yale

Henry L. Hohl Elementary School is named for a civic minded businessman who donated the land on which this school was built in 1901.

HOLDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED MAY 2004
812 West 28th

Percy Harrison Holden (1882–1954) joined the Houston Public Schools in 1907 and served the district for 45 years, including a 26 year tenure as principal of James Burrus Junior High School. The campus named for him originally opened as Twenty-Third Street Elementary School, but was closed due to a fire in 1959. It reopened as Holden in 1960.

HORN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
4535 Pine, Bellaire

Paul Whitfield Horn (1870–1932) was superintendent of Houston Public Schools from 1906 to 1923 andpresident of Texas Tech University from 1925 until his death. The school named for him was built in 1949.

HOUSTON GARDENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6820 Homestead

Opened in 1935 on Houston’s north side, this is one of several schools that take their names from the residential communities that they serve.

ISAACS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
3830 Pickfair

Rollin Lee Isaacs had a long and distinguished career in education, including 21 years as teacher and bursar at Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College (now Prairie View A&M University) and 18 years (through his retirement in 1944) as principal of Charles Atherton Elementary School. The facility that bears his name opened in 1962.

JANOWSKI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7500 Bowman

Peter Janowski was a Russian immigrant who hired a teacher for the children on his farm north of Houston and later built the first school in that area. The HISD school named for him opened in 1955.

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5000 Sharman

In 1950 HISD built this school in memory of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, founder of the Democratic Party, and third President of the United States.

A. JONES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED SUMMER 2006
2311 Canal

Built in 1892, this school was renamed in 1902 in memory of Anson Jones, last president of the Republic of Texas. A new building was constructed in 1966.

J. W. JONES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED SUMMER 2009
1810 Stuart

J. Will Jones had been serving unofficially as a director of a school glee club for 22 years when the Board of Education appointed him supervisor of music in 1926. He then created a music curriculum for the schools and oversaw it until his retirement in 1942. In 1956, the former Charlotte Allen Elementary School was renamed in honor of his contributions to HISD.

Elementary Schools (K-Z)

KASHMERE GARDENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
4901 Lockwood

This campus, established in 1949, was named for the residential neighborhood that it serves in northeast Houston.

KAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED 1978
1616 Hebert

This school opened at 7621 Elm in 1904 as the Harrisburg School, serving African-American students as a part of the Harrisburg Independent School District. In 1952, it was renamed for Savannah Georgia Kay, who served as the school’s first principal, and a new building was constructed at 1616 Hebert. The school closed in 1978 and is now used as a land lab for students at César Chávez High School.

KELSO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5800 Southmond

Anna B. Kelso Elementary School was constructed in 1951 in honor of an outstanding HISD teacher, principal, and supervisor of handwriting.

KENNEDY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
306 Crosstimbers

John Fitzgerald Kennedy Elementary School was built in 1964 as a memorial to the thirty fifth President of the United States, who was assassinated the year before.

KETELSEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
600 Quitman

This school was named after a local supporter of education: the creator of HISD’s Project GRAD program, James L. Ketelsen. A former CEO of Tenneco, Ketelsen initially conceived of Project GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams) as a way to increase graduation and college-attendance rates among students at Jefferson Davis High School. The school named in his honor opened in the autumn of 2002 and completely replaced both Mirabeau Lamar and Robert E. Lee Elementary Schools. It was one of 10 schools built with funds from Rebuild 2002.

KOLTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
9710 Runnymeade

Jennie Katharine Kolter Elementary School is a memorial to a heroic teacher. She gave her life protecting the children of Edgar Allan Poe Elementary School in 1959 by calmly talking a deranged bomber away from the crowded playground. The school that bears her name opened in 1960. James Montgomery Elementary School is named for a brave custodian who also died in the tragedy at Poe.

LAMAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED IN 2002
2209 Gentry

This school, like another in HISD, was named for Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar (1798–1859), the first president of the Republic of Texas and the “Father of Education” in the state. The elementary school named in his honor opened in 1962. It, along with Robert E. Lee Elementary School, was replaced by James Ketelsen Elementary School.

LANGSTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—See Langston Early Childhood Center

LANTRIP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
100 Telephone

Dora B. Lantrip was the first principal of Eastwood Elementary School, which opened in 1916. The name was later changed in recognition of Lantrip’s distinguished leadership. A new facility was completed in 2007 at the same location.

LAW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
12401 South Coast

James H. Law served HISD for 29 years, as a popular athletics director and coach at various schools, as founder of the Principals’ and Classroom Teachers’ Association of Houston, and finally as assistant principal of Wheatley High School. The campus that honors his memory opened the year Law died, 1966.

LEE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED IN 2002
2101 South Street

This school was named after Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Lee, a much loved figure in the South, was respected by Northerners for his military achievements and his outstanding personal character. Lee served as superintendent of West Point and president of Washington College, renamed Washington and Lee after his death. Lee Elementary School was built in 1921 and closed in 2002. It, along with Mirabeau Lamar Elementary School, was replaced by James Ketelsen Elementary School.

LEWIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7649 Rockhill

This school, built in 1958, was named for the first poet laureate of Texas. Judd Mortimer Lewis came to Houston from his native New York and in 1900 joined the staff of the Houston Post, where he remained for 45 years. His poetry reflected a love of children, and the school named for him has operated in partnership with the nearby Bellfort Academy since 1998. Lewis serves students in grades prekindergarten—3, while Bellfort serves those in grades 4 and 5.

LOCKHART ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
3501 Southmore

In 1962, HISD named this facility for Lucian L. Lockhart (1868–1955), a long time educator and leader of the African-American business community. He was also the father of Ruby Lockhart Thompson, after whom another school is named.

LONGFELLOW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
3617 Norris

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Elementary School was built in 1955 at 3614 Murworth in honor of the great nineteenth century American poet. A brand-new facility opened on the same site at 3617 Norris in 2007.

LOOSCAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
3800 Robertson

Adele B. Looscan belonged to a distinguished family of Texas historical figures. Her grandfather was one of Austin's first colonists and founder of Harrisburg, which was named for him (as was J. R. Harris Elementary School). Her father was Judge Andrew Briscoe, first chief justice of Harris County. For her part, Mrs. Looscan was very active in Houston literary and social circles, and she contributed articles to the pioneering A Comprehensive History of Texas. HISD named a school for her in 1936.

LOVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1120 West 13th

In 1914, Ben Kiam, a local businessman, donated the land for the first school in the Heights Annex on North Shepherd. The campus moved to its present location in 1923, and a new building was erected three years later. At that time the school was named for William Graston Love, a prominent lawyer and former mayor of the Houston Heights.

LOVETT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
8814 South Rice

Edgar Odell Lovett Elementary School is named for the first president of the Rice Institute, now Rice University. A noted authority on both mathematics and astronomy, Dr. Lovett taught at Johns Hopkins, Princeton, and the Universities of Virginia and Chicago. The school named in his honor opened in 1958.

LUBBOCK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED 1969
412 Sampson

This school was named for Francis Richard Lubbock, who served as Texas’ governor in 1861. He came to the state in 1836 and opened a general store in Houston the following year, serving as one of the city’s original Chamber of Commerce members. Lubbock also served in the Confederacy during the Civil War. The school named for him opened in 1907 and closed in 1969.

LUCKIE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED 1956
1104 Palmer

Named after Charles W. Luckie, a prominent African-American educator who served on Huntsville’s school board and as an English professor at Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College (now Prairie View A&M University), this school was established in 1909. It was replaced with the facility on Palmer after a fire destroyed the original structure in 1917. The school closed in 1956.  

LYONS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
800 Roxella

This school was named for Everett Augustus “Squatty” Lyons, a Harris County Commissioner who retired in 1990 after a record 48 years in office. It opened in January of 1993.

MACARTHUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED SUMMER 2009
5909 England

Douglas MacArthur Elementary School was named for the five star general who distinguished himself in World War II and the Korean War. The campus was established in 1968.

MACGREGOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
4801 LaBranch

Southmore Elementary School, built in 1921, was renamed in 1930 in honor of Henry F. MacGregor (1855–1923). The New Hampshire born banker and oilman was a noted civic leader in Houston.

MADING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
8511 Crestmont

Reagan Webb Mading (1888–1953) came to Houston in 1907 and opened the first drugstore in what was to become a citywide chain. Mading was a great benefactor of such organizations as Baylor College of Medicine and the Southwestern Poliomyelitis Respiration Foundation. A school was named for him in 1959.

MARTÍNEZ, C. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
901 Hays

Clemente Martínez Elementary was named for one of the first Hispanic principals in HISD. He also served as an assistant principal and district superintendent during the 1970s. The school named in his honor opened in 1994.

MARTÍNEZ, R. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7211 Market

Raul C. Martínez Elementary opened in 1994 as a relief school for Leeona Pugh Elementary and others in the area. In 1950, Martínez was inducted into the Houston Police Department, and in 1973, he became the first Hispanic constable elected in Harris County. He died in 1990.

MCDADE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5815 Hirsch

Jesse Caesar (“J. C.”) McDade was a noted teacher of chemistry at Phillis Wheatley High School and later principal of Frederick Douglass Elementary School. He was also a prominent public speaker as well as a founder and early board member of the first YMCA for black Houstonians. The school named in his honor was built in 1962.

MCNAMARA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
8714 McAvoy

Opened in 1958 as Richmond Elementary School, this campus was renamed in honor of Ila E. McNamara, the school’s first principal (1958–1979).

MEMORIAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6401 Arnot

Memorial Elementary School was constructed in 1926 and named for nearby Memorial Park. The City of Houston acquired the park the year before from a prominent Houston family, the Hoggs, who had leased it to the United States Army for use as a training base called Camp Logan during World War I.

MILAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED MAY 2004
1100 Roy

Brunner High School, built in 1912, subsequently became part of HISD and in 1926 was renamed in honor of Benjamin Rush Milam (1788–1835). After distinguished service in the War of 1812, Milam fought for the independence of Texas. He lost his life at the battle in which the Texas army captured San Antonio.

MILLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED 1977
5216 Feagan

This facility was named for Doris Miller (1919–1944), a naval hero who survived the bombing of Pearl Harbor and continued to serve his country in the Pacific Theatre. He was the first African-American soldier to receive the Naval Cross award for his bravery in battle. The school named for Miller closed in January 1977, and since then has served the district as the Library Services Center.

MILNE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7800 Portal

Alan Alexander (“A. A.”) Milne was the twentieth-century author of a beloved series of children’s books about a bear named Winnie-the-Pooh. He died in 1956. The school named in his honor opened in 1991.

MITCHELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
10900 Gulfdale

This school in far southeast Houston was built in 1967 in memory of James Chesley (“J. C.”) Mitchell, long time principal of Judd Lewis Elementary School.

MONTGOMERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
4000 Simsbrook

James Arlie Montgomery was the custodian at Edgar Allan Poe Elementary School in 1959 when a deranged intruder detonated a bomb. Montgomery, who risked his own life to protect the schoolchildren, was killed. Jennie Kolter Elementary School is named for a teacher who also died in that tragedy.

MORENO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
620 East Canino

This school was named for Joe E. Moreno, a Texas state legislator who died in a tragic auto accident on May 6, 2005. The school named for him opened in August of that same year. It was built from Rebuild HISD bond funds, and relieved overcrowding at John Durkee and Northline Elementary Schools.

NEFF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
8200 Carvel

This campus opened in 1964. It is named for Pat Morris Neff (1871–1952), a lawyer and educator who served as governor of Texas (1920–1924) and president of Baylor University (1932–1948).

NORTH DISTRICT ALTERNATIVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2310 Berry

Located originally on the same campus as James Berry Elementary School (now at Robert C. Chatham Elementary), this facility serves students who are having difficulty adjusting to a traditional classroom setting. The school allows students to continue their academic instruction while beginning to develop effective and appropriate self-management skills and coping strategies. It opened in 1996.

NORTHLINE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
821 Witcher

Like a number of other HISD campuses, Northline Elementary School takes its name from the community in which it is located. The school opened in 1962 on Houston’s north side.

OAK FOREST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1401 West 43rd

This campus is named for the residential community that it serves just outside of Loop 610 in northwest Houston. The school opened in 1949.

OATES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
10044 Wallisville

James Wyatt Oates, son of one of the early settlers of Texas, engaged teachers and established one of the state’s first schools in his home. The campus named for him originally opened in 1929 as a junior-high school and became an elementary school in 1957.

OSBORNE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
800 Ringold

John G. Osborne Elementary School, built in 1960, is named for a Houston physician who contributed much to the education of young people. Dr. Osborne taught at Booker T. Washington School and later at Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College (now Prairie View A&M University), where he established the School of Nursing.

PAIGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7501 Curry

Formerly known as both Woodland and James Bowie Elementary Schools, this school was erected in 1951 and replaced with a new facility at the same site in 2006. The following year it was renamed for Roderick Raynor Paige, who served as HISD's superintendent of schools from 1994 to 2001, when he became the first African-American to be appointed the U.S. Secretary of Education.

PARK PLACE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
8235 Park Place

Opened in 1914, this campus is named for the neighborhood in which it is situated. The school moved to new facilities located just north of the old building over the summer of 2002, but it kept the same address. One of 10 schools built with funds from Rebuild 2002, the new building opened its doors to students in the fall of 2002.

PARKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
10626 Atwell

Cynthia Ann Parker Elementary School opened in January 1959. It is named for one of the early Texas settlers. She was captured by Comanches at age nine and raised as a member of their tribe.

PATTERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5302 Allendale

Robert C. Patterson was a Tennessee born attorney who practiced in Houston until his death in 1952. The school named in his memory opened in 1957.

PECK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5130 Arvilla

Lora B. Peck was a long time HISD teacher and administrator as well as the author of children’s books. The school named for her opened in 1951.

PETERSEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
14404 Waterloo

Massachusetts born Henry A. Petersen was an outstanding surgeon and professor at Baylor College of Medicine. He also served for 23 years on the HISD Board of Education, which named a school in his honor in 1968.

PILGRIM ACADEMY
6302 Skyline

Thomas Judson Pilgrim joined Stephen F. Austin’s colony at San Felipe as a Latin teacher and Austin’s Spanish interpreter. In later years, he worked as a banker, farmer, and teacher in Gonzales and was a trustee of Gonzales College. The school named for him was built in 1957 at 3315 Barrington for the sesquicentennial of his birth. Originally known as Pilgrim Elementary School, the school changed its name in 2007 to the Pilgrim Academy, to reflect the school’s expansion to serve grades K–8. It moved to brand-new facilities at 6302 Skyline that same year.

PINEY POINT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
8921 Pagewood

Piney Point Elementary School is named for the community in which it is located, which dates back to 1865. The original school was built in 1917 and was replaced with a new facility in 1963.

PLEASANTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED JUNE 1991
1305 Benson

Sanderson Alexander Pleasants was a noted educator and statesman as well as pastor of St. John’s Baptist Church on Dowling Street. He served there from 1925 until his death in 1953. The school that bears his name opened in 1967 and was located at 1305 Benson. It is now the Pleasant Hill Academy, a charter school.

PLEASANTVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1431 Gellhorn

This school bears the name of the neighborhood that it serves. The campus opened in December 1955.

POE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5100 Hazard

Edgar Allan Poe Elementary School was named for one of the first great figures in American literature, renowned equally for his lyric poetry, detective and horror stories, and incisive criticism. The school was built in 1928.

PORT HOUSTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1800 McCarty

This campus was named for the community in which it is situated, near the Port of Houston. The school was constructed in 1909, five years before the official opening of the Houston Ship Channel.

PUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1147 Kress

Leeona Leroy Pugh was a leading figure in education in Harris County for more than 40 years. He served successively as principal of the Harrisburg School, a superintendent of schools, an assistant state superintendent, and a principal in HISD. The district named a school for Pugh in 1952, the year after his death.

RED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
4520 Tonawanda

Samuel Clark Red received the first diploma issued by the University of Texas in 1885. He went on to become a noted physician, established the first hospital in Houston, and organized the Harris County Medical Society. Dr. Red also served on the HISD Board of Education, which named this school in his memory in 1957.

REYNOLDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
9601 Rosehaven

In 1900, James R. Reynolds began a distinguished teaching career, which led eventually to his becoming a trainer of teachers throughout the state of Mississippi. A man of many talents, Reynolds also won recognition in botany and electrical engineering, for his work with the Boy Scouts in Houston, and as the author of Wolf Brother, a collection of poems and essays dedicated to his many students. An HISD school was named in his honor in 1959.

RHOADS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
4103 Brisbane

Built in 1957, the school is named for Joseph James Rhoads, a noted educator who held administrative posts throughout Texas and at the national level (National Vocational Guidance Association, American Academy of Political and Social Science, Office of Civilian Defense, and many other organizations). Dr. Rhoads was the first African-American president of Bishop College and the author of Democracy’s Debt of Honor, Democracy in Education, Charting the New Year, and Advancing the Cause of Democracy in Education.

THE RICE SCHOOL/LA ESCUELA RICE
7550 Seuss

This school is named for William Marsh Rice (1816–1900), the founder of Rice University. Rice was sensationally murdered by his butler when he was 84, but because he bequeathed most of his estate to the university, by the time it officially opened in 1912 it was one of the wealthiest in the United States. The HISD school named in his honor opened in August 1994.

RICHMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—See McNamara Elementary School

RIVER OAKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2008 Kirby

This campus was named for the nearby residential neighborhood that it serves. The school opened in 1929, just six years after the community south of Buffalo Bayou started being developed.

ROBERTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6000 Greenbriar

Oran Milo Roberts (1815–1898) made many contributions to Texas’ early statehood. After serving two terms as governor, he became the first administrator of the University of Texas in 1883 and taught law there for 10 years. The school that bears his name was built in 1936 and was enlarged in 1948.

ROBINSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
12425 Woodforest

Judson Robinson Elementary School was named after the first African-American City Councilman in Houston. Judson Robinson Jr., was elected nine times to a position on the council and also served twice as mayor pro tempore. The school named in his honor relieved overcrowded conditions at R. P. Harris Elementary School and opened in fall 2002. It was one of 10 schools built with funds from Rebuild 2002.

RODRÍGUEZ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5858 Chimney Rock

One of 10 schools built with Rebuild 2002 funds, this facility was named after Sylvan Rodríguez, the late KHOU-TV newsman who served as a city and community role model for more than 25 years. The school, located on almost 10 acres in southwest Houston, relieved overcrowded conditions at neighboring Roy Benavídez, Braeburn, Leroy Cunningham, and Samuel Red Elementary Schools. It opened during the first week of 2002.

T. H. ROGERS SCHOOL
5840 San Felipe

Thomas Horace Rogers was the principal of San Jacinto High School. He was killed in 1952 when a stray bullet from a police officer’s gun, intended for a fleeing burglar, struck him. The campus was a junior high from 1962 to 1979 and is now a mixture of Vanguard programs and programs for students with severe disabilities.

ROGERS, W. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED SUMMER 2006
3101 Weslayan

Will Rogers Elementary School, built in 1950, was named after the popular “cowboy philosopher” from Oklahoma, who was famous for his homespun humor and shrewd commentary about current events. It was sold in 2005 along with the district’s former headquarters, Human Resources building, and Weslayan complex (located at 3830 Richmond Avenue) for development as commercial property.

ROOSEVELT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6700 Fulton

Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School was built in 1929 in memory of the twenty sixth President of the United States.

ROSS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2819 Bay

Betsy Ross Elementary School, built in 1924, is named for the famous seamstress who sewed the first official flag of the United States for George Washington in 1777.

RUCKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5201 Vinett

Pearl Rucker served HISD as an art teacher and supervisor for more than 30 years and was recognized throughout the state for her creative talent. A school was named for her in 1953.

RUSK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2805 Garrow

Thomas Jefferson Rusk was a pivotal figure in the creation of the Republic of Texas and was elected one of Texas’ first two U.S. Senators after it became a state. The school named for him, built in 1902, was replaced with a new structure in 1959.

RYAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED MAY 2005
4001 Hardy

James D. Ryan Elementary School, built in 1954, was named for a noted African-American educator, civic leader, and philanthropist who began teaching in Houston in 1890. During his 45 year career, Ryan served as president of the Colored State Teachers of Texas, on the Board of Trustees of Wiley College, and as a member of the boards of Emancipation Park, Houston Negro Hospital, and many other institutions.

SÁNCHEZ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2700 Berkley

George Isidoro Sánchez (1906–1972) was a national authority on bilingual education and the social problems of Hispanics in this country. He taught the history and philosophy of education at the University of Texas, where he also served as chairman of the History Department in the 1950s. The school named for him opened in 1985.

SANDERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED 2006
8110 Bertwood

James Charles Sanderson Elementary School was built in 1950 as a tribute to an educator who devoted many years of outstanding service to HISD.

SANDS POINT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED SUMMER 2009
10550 West Office

Opened in 1998 as a relief school for Ralph Waldo Emerson, Piney Point, and Walnut Bend Elementary Schools, this school is actually located in Alief ISD—just outside HISD’s western boundary. It is housed in the Chinese Consulate Building, where HISD rents space. The school is named for a nearby street in the neighborhood.

SCARBOROUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
3021 Little York

Walter Welborn Scarborough, who served as a principal of James Berry and Ethel Coop Elementary Schools, worked diligently to improve educational opportunities for students in north Houston. The school named for him was built in 1952, a year after his death, and enlarged in 1959. Scarborough was married to Florine Davis Scarborough, who was superintendent of elementary schools and a principal of Coop Elementary School. A high school was also named for his brother.

SCHOOL AT POST OAK, THE—CLOSED IN JUNE 2007
1331 Augusta

This school was established in May 2001, in cooperation with the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) of Greater Houston. It was housed in the Post Oak YMCA branch building on Augusta Street. In 2007, the school moved to a new facility called The School at St. George Place, on which construction was completed the previous year.

SCHOOL AT ST. GEORGE PLACE, THE
5430 Hidalgo

Opened in 2006, this school was named for the community it serves. It is located near the Galleria shopping center at 5430 Hidalgo.

SCOTT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
3300 Russell

Emmett J. Scott had a long and fulfilling career, in which he served as secretary to Booker T. Washington, held important posts with the U.S. Department of War and Howard University, and edited the Texas Freeman, which later merged with the Houston Informer. In 1959, HISD named a school for this prominent figure in black history.

SCROGGINS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
400 Boyles

Mary E. Scroggins (1916–1964) was a popular teacher at Charles Eliot Elementary School and an influential member of the Denver Harbor community. The school that bears her name was built in 1968.

SEGUĺN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5905 Waltrip

Seguín Elementary School was named for Juan N. Seguín, a San Antonio resident who fought against Santa Anna in 1835 during the Texas Revolution. Seguín also served as that city’s provisional mayor and survived the first part of the Alamo siege. The school named for him opened in the fall of 2002. It is one of 10 schools built with funds from Rebuild 2002.

SHADOWBRIAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2650 Shadowbriar

This school, like several others, is named for a nearby subdivision in the area it serves in west Houston. It opened in the fall of 1992.

SHARPVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED MAY 2004
7734 Mary Bates Blvd.

Opened in August of 2000 as a relief school for the Sharpstown area, this school rented space from a Buddhist temple in southwest Houston and served grades prekindergarten–3.

SHEARN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
9802 Stella Link

Charles P. Shearn was the scion of a prominent Houston family and a teacher of history and military science at San Jacinto High School. He was captured by the Japanese during World War II at Corregidor and lost his life in December 1944 when the ship carrying him to a prison camp was sunk. The school named in memory of him was built in 1954.

SHERMAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1909 McKee

The Cascara School opened in 1893 and was renamed in 1906 for Sidney Sherman, a Kentuckian who headed an army of volunteers in the battle against Santa Anna. The original structure, the second-oldest school in the city, was demolished and rebuilt in 1967.

SINCLAIR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6410 Grovewood

Thomas Albert Sinclair was a noted physician, one of the founders of Heights Hospital, and a prominent civic leader. The school that bears his name opened in 1959.

SMITH EDUCATION CENTER
1701 Bringhurst

Ernest Ollington Smith was the first principal of Phillis Wheatley High School. The school was built in 1913.

SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
4802 Chrystell

Opened in 1954, this campus is named for educator Katherine Hoyt Smith (1896–1970). For 40 years, she taught at the White Oak Community School, near where Smith Elementary School stands today.

SOUTHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—See Thompson Elementary School

SOUTHMAYD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1800 Coral

In 1835, Joanna Kent Southmayd left her native Vermont to accompany her missionary husband to Texas, where she became the first teacher in the Harrisburg area. In 1936, HISD commemorated this pioneer by building a school near the site where her one room schoolhouse once stood.

ST. GEORGE PLACE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—See School at St. George Place

STEVENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1910 LaMonte

Lulu M. Stevens (1881–1943) was HISD’s director of music for many years. The school built in memory of her opened in 1952.

STEVENSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5410 Cornish

Cottage Grove High School first opened its doors in 1915. In 1927, the building was remodeled and renamed for the famous poet and author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894).

SUGARGROVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
8405 Bonhomme

Sugar Grove is a relief school that opened in February 1995 in southwest Houston. It was built in a church facility on six acres of property the district purchased. All repairs and renovations to the campus were completed in January of 1999. It is named after the community it serves.

SUNNYSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—See Ethel Young Elementary School

SUNSET HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—See Alamo Elementary School

SUTTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7402 Albacore

William S. Sutton Elementary School, built in 1958, was named for a distinguished educator. A professor and dean at the University of Texas and later president of the University of Houston, Sutton was superintendent of Houston schools from 1887 to 1897.

THOMPSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6121 Teirwester

In 1980, the HISD Board of Education renamed Southland Elementary School, built in 1915 at 3500 Tampa, to honor Ruby Lockhart Thompson, who retired after 46 years of service to the district as teacher and administrator. Thompson taught at Blanche Bruce Elementary School, served as principal of George Turner and Twenty Third Street Elementary Schools, and became the district’s first black female supervisor. She is also the daughter of Lucian Lockhart, for whom another HISD school is named. A new facility at 6121 Teirwester was completed in 2007.

TIJERINA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6501 Shannon

Felix Tijerina (1905–1965) was a leading figure in Houston’s Hispanic community. He founded a chain of popular restaurants and held important positions with such organizations as the League of United Latin-American Citizens (LULAC), the Variety Boys’ Club, the Rotary Club, Boys’ Harbor, and the Houston Symphony Society. The school named for him was built in 1980.

TINSLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
11035 Bob White

Tinsley Elementary School is one of 10 schools built with funds from Rebuild 2002. Tinsley opened in autumn of 2001 and relieved overcrowded conditions at Ralph Anderson and Horace Elrod Elementary Schools. It was named for former City Council member Eleanor Tinsley, who also served on the HISD Board of Education and played a pivotal role in the campus-beautification SPARK (school park) program.

TRAVIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
3311 Beauchamp

William Barrett Travis, a former teacher, was the leader of the 180 Texans who lost their lives in the cause of independence at the Alamo in 1836. The Beauchamp Springs School, built in 1903, was renamed in his memory and enlarged in 1908, 1926, and 1980. The original structure has since been razed.

TURNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
3200 Rosedale

Built in 1929 as William Sutton Elementary School, this campus was renamed in honor of the Reverend George B. M. Turner, who came to Houston in 1899 and began a 35 year career as educator and civic leader. He taught at Frederick Douglass Elementary School and served as principal of Frances Harper Alternative and Richard Brock Elementary Schools.

TWAIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7500 Braes

In 1950, HISD named this campus after Mark Twain, the famous pseudonym of author Samuel Clemens (1835–1910), who wrote the classic novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. A brand-new replacement facility opened at the same address in 2006.

TWENTY-THIRD STREET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—See Holden Elementary School

VALLEY WEST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
10707 South Gessner
Valley West opened as a new school in August 1996 in 10 classrooms on the campus of Sugar Grove Elementary. HISD subsequently purchased a building that had been a Food Lion grocery store and started remodeling the building. Valley West moved into this location on South Gessner in July 1997. The school takes its name from the adjacent Braeburn Valley West subdivision it serves.

WAINWRIGHT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5330 Milwee

Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright (1883–1953) served in both World Wars. After his release from a Japanese prison camp in 1945, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and promoted to general. The school that bears his name was built in 1962.

WALNUT BEND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
10620 Briar Forest

Like several other HISD campuses, this one is named for the community that it serves. The school opened in 1964 and was replaced with a brand-new facility in 2007.

WESLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
800 Dillard

Mabel B. Wesley was Houston’s first African-American female principal and the mother of the publisher of the Forward Times. The school in northwest Houston named for her opened in 1949.

WEST UNIVERSITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
3726 University

Opened in 1925, this school was named for the small residential township that it serves.

WHARTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
900 West Gray

William H. Wharton (1802–1839) came to Texas in 1831 and was active first in the struggle for independence and later in the political life of the republic. A school was named for him in 1929.

WHIDBY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
7625 Springhill

Tina E. Whidby (1892–1945) was a prominent civic leader, teacher, and principal for 25 years. The school named for her was built in 1960.

WHITE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
9001 Triola

Edward H. White Elementary School, opened in 1966, was named for the first astronaut to “walk” in space during the Gemini IV Mission. Lieutenant Colonel White and two other astronauts lost their lives in a fire aboard the Apollo I the following January.

WHITTIER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
10511 La Crosse

John Greenleaf Whittier Elementary School is named for the famous New England poet (1807–1892). The campus on the east side of town opened in 1948.

WILSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2100 Yupon

Woodrow Wilson Elementary School was built in 1925 as a memorial to the late twentieth eighth President of the United States (1856–1924). The site where it stands was once the summer home of Mirabeau B. Lamar, for whom another HISD school is named.

WINDSOR VILLAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
14440 Polo

The main building of this school opened in 1960, and a second wing was added four years later. Both the name of the surrounding housing development and the school that serves it reflect a British motif popular in the late 1950s and early 60s.

WOODLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—See Bowie Elementary School

WOODSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
10720 Southview

Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which publishes the Journal of Negro History. In 1919, Woodson became dean of liberal arts at Howard University, later moving to West Virginia State College. He was author of a definitive college text, The Negro in Our History. Woodson Elementary School was built in 1966 and originally opened as a middle school.

YOUNG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
3555 Bellfort

Formerly known as Sunny Side Elementary School, this school was renamed in June 1999 to honor Ethel Mosley Young, an HISD educator who began teaching at Sunny Side when it was just a two-room schoolhouse without electricity, heat, or indoor plumbing. Built in 1918 by Mr. H. H. Holmes, the school became a thriving two-story facility serving close to 1,400 children under Young’s leadership as principal. Young retired after 38 years of service to the district, and the Sunny Side community itself petitioned the board to rename the school in her honor. The school was originally named for the title given the community by Mr. Holmes.

Middle Schools

ATTUCKS MIDDLE SCHOOL
4330 Bellfort

Crispus Attucks was born into slavery in Massachusetts around 1723. As a young man, he ran away from home to become a harpooner on a whaling ship. Later, he became a leader of the American colonists who opposed British troops stationed in Boston. He was killed when British soldiers fired into a crowd of protesters. Attucks Middle School was built in 1958.

BLACK MIDDLE SCHOOL
1575 Chantilly

Frank M. Black started teaching at Houston’s Central High School when he was 23. Later, he was named principal of Travis School and South End Junior High (renamed San Jacinto High School). Black was one of the organizers of Houston Junior College, which is now the University of Houston. Black Middle School was built in 1957.

BRIARMEADOW CHARTER MIDDLE SCHOOL
3601 Dunvale
Briarmeadow opened in 1997 (as the Galleria-Area School) in leased facilities at 1331 Augusta, but moved into new facilities at 3601 Dunvale in time for the 2001–2002 school year. Named for a nearby subdivision, it was one of 10 schools built with funds from Rebuild 2002.

BURBANK MIDDLE SCHOOL
315 Berry

The original campus opened in 1927 with an educational emphasis on agriculture. The school was named for the famous horticulturalist, Luther Burbank (1849–1926), who developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants during his lifetime. Among his most well-known creations are the Burbank potato, which helped alleviate the food shortage during the Irish Potato Famine, and such things as the spineless cactus, white blackberries, and the Shasta daisy. Burbank Middle School was rebuilt in 1949.

CLIFTON MIDDLE SCHOOL
6001 Golden Forest

Ruby Sue Clifton was born in 1910 near Crockett, Texas. After a few years of teaching, she began working as a secretary in HISD. She spent 34 years in the Board Services office, retiring as assistant superintendent. Clifton Middle School was built in 1979.

CULLEN MIDDLE SCHOOL
6900 Scott

Ezekiel Wimberly Cullen came to Texas from Georgia in 1835 and settled in San Augustine. He served in the Texas House of Representatives where he introduced the plan on which Texas’ free system of schools was founded. Cullen Middle School was built in 1954.

DEADY MIDDLE SCHOOL
2500 Broadway

James S. Deady served as justice of the peace, mayor, and president of the school board of Harrisburg, which was later incorporated into the City of Houston. Deady impressed all who knew him as a wholly unselfish man who always put the welfare of others first. Deady Middle School was built in 1929.

DOWLING MIDDLE SCHOOL
14000 Stancliff

Richard W. Dowling (1838–1867) was a Confederate army officer who defended Fort Griffin at Sabine Pass from the Union fleet in 1863. The school named for him was built in 1968.

EDISON MIDDLE SCHOOL
6901 Avenue I

This school began as Park Junior High and was renamed in 1932 for renowned inventor Thomas Alva Edison. Edison is most famous for his invention of the incandescent light bulb and the phonograph. Edison was awarded a Congressional gold medal for “development and application of inventions that have revolutionized civilization in the last century.” The original Edison Middle School building was completed in 1925.

FLEMING MIDDLE SCHOOL
4910 Collingsworth

Lamar Fleming was the president and board chairman of Anderson Clayton, Inc. He was an internationally known authority on the cotton business, and served as a trustee of Rice University, the University of Houston, and the Kinkaid School. Fleming Middle School was built in 1968.

FONDREN MIDDLE SCHOOL
6333 South Braeswood

Walter W. Fondren was a prominent Houston oil man and philanthropist, whose family had extensive land holdings in southwest Houston. After the school was built in 1966, the Fondrens donated land for an access road to the school for the safety of its students.

FONVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL
725 East Little York

Richard Henry Fonville was the mayor of Houston from 1937 to 1939. A pharmacist, he owned several drug stores in the city. Fonville served on the Board of Health, the HISD Board of Education, and the Houston Fat Stock Show executive committee. Fonville Middle School was built in 1959.

GRADY MIDDLE SCHOOL
5215 San Felipe

Although originally built as an elementary school in the 1940s, Grady reopened as a middle school in 1992, after a period of use as an administration building. The school was named after Henry Woodfin Grady (1850–1889) a Georgian journalist and orator who made his reputation in the years following the Civil War. He was also a reporter–editor for the Atlanta Constitution. Grady donated the land for the original school building, which is currently the site of the Galleria’s Neiman Marcus store. In 1950, the school was relocated to its present 10-acre site at Sage and San Felipe, which was donated by Tanglewood developer William Farrington.

GREGORY-LINCOLN EDUCATION CENTER
1101 Taft

Edgar M. Gregory was a colonel in the Civil War who served with the 91st Pennsylvania Regiment and the New York volunteers. After the war, he was appointed assistant commissioner of the Freedman’s Bureau, which managed relief work, education, labor contract supervision, and court protection in the South after the war. President Abraham Lincoln is credited with preserving the Union during the Civil War. The Gregory Lincoln Education Center opened in 1966. It is slated for replacement with a brand-new facility in 2007.

HAMILTON MIDDLE SCHOOL
139 East 20th Street

The original building, built in 1919, was named Houston Heights Senior High School. In 1925, the name was changed to Alexander Hamilton Senior High in honor of the nation’s first secretary of the treasury and signer of the Declaration of Independence. When Reagan High School opened in 1926, the Hamilton campus became Hamilton Junior High and is now Hamilton Middle School.

HARTMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
7111 Westover

Charles F. Hartman began his Houston teaching career at the old Heights Senior High School (now Hamilton Middle School). He served as principal of both that school and Stonewall Jackson Junior High. Hartman also served as an army officer in both World Wars. Hartman Middle School was built in 1954. A new facility (that retained and renovated the original gymnasiums and auditorium and replaced the rest of the old building with new construction) was completed in 2007.

HENRY MIDDLE SCHOOL
10702 East Hardy

Patrick Henry was a leader and orator during the American Revolution whose stirring call to arms against Britain became a rallying cry for American patriots. His words “Give me liberty or give me death” assured the mobilization of the Virginia militia and Henry’s reputation as one of the most effective speakers in American history. Henry Middle School was built in 1964.

HOGG MIDDLE SCHOOL
1100 Mervill

James S. Hogg was the first native born governor of Texas. Before his election as governor, Hogg served as the county attorney of Wood County, district attorney for the Old Seventh District, and Texas’ attorney general. The Hogg estate donated the land on which Hogg Junior High School was built in 1926.

HOLLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL
1600 Gellhorn

William S. Holland, a native of Indiana, served as head coach and principal of Jack Yates High School and, later, Ryan Junior High. He also served as a trustee on the HISD Board of Education. Holland Middle School was built in 1979.

JACKSON MIDDLE SCHOOL
5100 Polk

Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson was a brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and once taught at the Virginia Military Institute. Jackson Middle School opened in 1925.

JOHNSTON MIDDLE SCHOOL
10410 Manhattan

Albert Sidney Johnston was a West Point graduate who served as a representative of Texas and the Confederacy. He was widely respected by both enlisted men and officers. Johnston was killed during the Battle of Shiloh. The Kentucky native’s body was buried in Texas. Johnston Middle School was built in 1959.

KALIEDOSCOPE/CALEIDOSCOPO
6501 Bellaire Blvd.

This school, located in southwest Houston, was actually a combination of three different schools under one roof. One of the schools, Las Américas, served two different student populations and was named for the apartment complex surrounding the building. It served prekindergarten and kindergarten students on the first floor and grades 6–8 on the second. Kaleidoscope, a charter school that occupied the building’s top floor, also served grades 6–8. Las Américas, originally a relief facility for Leroy Cunningham Elementary School, moved to its Glenmont location in 2000, and to 6501 Bellaire Blvd. in 2007.

KEY MIDDLE SCHOOL
4000 Kelley

Key Middle School was originally built in 1957 as Kashmere Senior High School. When the present Kashmere High was built, the junior-high part of the school was renamed for Francis Scott Key, an attorney who became famous for writing the words to “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

LANIER MIDDLE SCHOOL
2600 Woodhead

Sidney Lanier was born in Georgia in 1842. He achieved fame as a poet, critic, teacher, lawyer, and musician. His music oriented poetry is characterized by fresh observation, lofty spirit, and sustained rhythms. Lanier Junior High opened in 1926.

LAS AMÉRICAS MIDDLE SCHOOL
6501 Bellaire Blvd.

This school, located in southwest Houston, was actually a combination of three different schools under one roof. One of the schools, Las Américas, served two different student populations, and was named for the apartment complex surrounding the building. It served prekindergarten and kindergarten students on the first floor and grades 6-8 on the second. Kaleidoscope, a charter school that occupied the building’s top floor, also served grades 6–8. Las Américas, originally a relief facility for Leroy Cunningham Elementary School, moved to its Glenmont location in 2000, and 6501 Bellaire Blvd. in 2007.

LOCKETT JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL—CLOSED JUNE 1968
303 West Dallas

Richard G. Lockett was an African-American educator born in Houston in 1882. Along with fellow teacher and administrator Ernest Ollington Smith, Lockett was instrumental in founding a public library in Houston for African-Americans. He died in 1945. The school named after him opened in 1959 in the old Booker T. Washington High School building at 303 West Dallas.

LONG MIDDLE SCHOOL
6501 Bellaire

This school was named after Jane Wilkinson Long, the “Mother of Texas.” She was the first known woman of English descent to enter Texas and bore the first child of such parentage in the state. Her husband was killed leading an expedition to invade Texas when it was under Spanish rule. She opened a hotel in Richmond and died near there in 1880. Long Middle School was built in 1957.

LONGFELLOW JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL—See Dunbar Elementary School

MARSHALL MIDDLE SCHOOL
1115 Noble

The original name of this school was Northside Junior High School. It was renamed for John Marshall, the fourth chief justice of the United States Supreme Court. Marshall Middle School was built in 1913.

MCREYNOLDS MIDDLE SCHOOL
5910 Market

Mississippi born John Lowndes McReynolds came to Texas at the age of eight. After studying medicine in college, McReynolds switched to teaching and was eventually appointed principal of John Marshall Junior High. He was the first person to receive the title “Principal Emeritus” from HISD. McReynolds Middle School was built in 1957.

NORTH DISTRICT ALTERNATIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL
2310 Berry

Originally located on the same campus as James Berry Elementary School (now at the former Robert Chatham Elementary), this facility serves students who are having difficulty adjusting to a traditional classroom setting. The school allows students to continue their academic instruction while beginning to develop effective and appropriate self-management skills and coping strategies. It opened in 2003.

ORTIZ MIDDLE SCHOOL
6767 Telephone

Daniel Ortiz was a native Houstonian whose career with HISD spanned 33 years. He went from history teacher to deputy superintendent and was voted outstanding teacher of the year for 19791980. He also founded and served as president of the Mexican American Association of School Educators. His school is one of 10 built with funds from Rebuild 2002.

PERSHING MIDDLE SCHOOL
3838 Bluebonnet

General John J. Pershing fought successfully against Pancho Villa in Mexico with a group of African-American soldiers, resulting in his nickname, “Black Jack.” He served during World War II in France and became chief of staff of the U.S. Army in 1921. Pershing Middle School was built in 1928 and was originally located next to West University Elementary School. In 1949, the school was moved to a new facility at 7000 Braes. In January 2007, construction was completed on another new facility located right next to the old one at 3838 Bluebonnet Boulevard.

PILGRIM ACADEMY
3315 Barrington

Thomas Judson Pilgrim joined Stephen F. Austin’s colony at San Felipe as a Latin teacher and Austin’s Spanish interpreter. In later years, he worked as a banker, farmer, and teacher in Gonzales and was a trustee of Gonzales College. The school named for him was built in 1957 for the sesquicentennial of his birth. Originally known as Pilgrim Elementary School, the school changed its name in 2007 to the Pilgrim Academy, to reflect the school’s expansion to serve grades K–8.

PIN OAK MIDDLE SCHOOL
4601 Glenmont

Pin Oak Middle School, a long-awaited addition to the southwest side of town, relieved overcrowded conditions at Pershing Middle School when it opened in the fall of 2002. One of 10 schools built with funds from the Rebuild 2002 bond issue, it was named in honor of the Pin Oak Charity Horse show, which took place annually on the property where the school stands.

REVERE MIDDLE SCHOOL
10502 Briar Forest

Paul Revere was an American patriot who worked as an engraver and silversmith. He is remembered for his ride before the Revolutionary War to warn others of a planned British attack. Revere’s silverware was among the finest produced in America during his era. Revere Middle School was built in 1980.

THE RICE SCHOOL/LA ESCUELA RICE
7550 Seuss

This school is named for William Marsh Rice (1816–1900), the founder of Rice University. Rice was sensationally murdered by his butler when he was 84, but because he bequeathed most of his estate to the university, by the time it officially opened in 1912 it was one of the wealthiest in the United States. The HISD school named in his honor opened in August 1994.

T. H. ROGERS SCHOOL
5840 San Felipe

Thomas Horace “T. H.” Rogers was principal of San Jacinto High School. He was killed in 1952 when a stray bullet from a police officer's gun, intended for a fleeing burglar, struck him. The campus was a junior high from 1962 to 1979 and is now a mixture of Vanguard programs and programs for students with severe disabilities.

RYAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
2610 Elgin

The building that now houses Ryan was once Jack Yates Senior High (now Yates High School). James D. Ryan taught at Second and Third Ward schools and eventually became principal of Colored High School and Yates High School. Ryan Middle School was built in 1927.

SHARPSTOWN MIDDLE SCHOOL
8330 Triola

Sharpstown Middle School was built in 1968 and named for the community it serves. Originally known as Sharpstown Junior–Senior High, it became exclusively a middle school in 1969, when the high school moved to a new facility less than two miles away. The Sharpstown area was opened in 1955 and named for Frank Sharp, a major developer of that era.

SMITH EDUCATION CENTER
1701 Bringhurst

This school was the first black junior-high school in HISD. It was named after the first principal of Phillis Wheatley High, Ernest Ollington Smith. From its earliest days, E. O. Smith students have excelled at academics and sports. The school dominated area basketball for nine straight years. Smith Middle School was built in 1913.

STEVENSON MIDDLE SCHOOL
9595 Winkler

William Irving Stevenson was a noted educator and the first principal of Charles Milby High School, which opened in 1925. The school named after him was originally intended to serve as a relief school for James Deady Middle School; however, students from east of the Gulf Freeway and north of Telephone Road also attend Stevenson. The school opened its doors in January of 1994.

TERRELL MIDDLE SCHOOL—CLOSED IN 2001
4610 East Crosstimbers

Isaiah Milligan Terrell was born in 1859 in Anderson, Texas. One of the first African-American educators in Fort Worth, he served as principal of Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College (now Prairie View A&M University), as president of Houston College, and as superintendent of Union Hospital and Houston Negro Hospital. Terrell Middle School was built in 1966 and closed in 2001. It now serves as the HISD Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps headquarters.

THOMAS MIDDLE SCHOOL
5655 Selinsky

Albert L. Thomas was a long time United States Representative to Congress. He was a graduate of Rice University and held a law degree from the University of Texas. The present Thomas campus, once a part of Ross Sterling Junior–Senior High, opened in 1968.

WASHINGTON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL—CLOSED 1980
4701 Dickson

This school was named for George Washington (1732–1799), who served as the first president of the United States of America. It opened in 1925 and closed in 1980. The following year, the school reopened as the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice.

WELCH MIDDLE SCHOOL
11544 South Gessner

Louie Welch served as Mayor of Houston from 1964 to 1974. His tenure is remembered today for an aggressive annexation policy, the completion of work on Lake Livingston and Lake Conroe, and the planning of Intercontinental Airport. He was president of the Houston Chamber of Commerce from 1974 to 1985. Welch Middle School was built in 1979.

WEST BRIAR MIDDLE SCHOOL
13733 Brimhurst

West Briar Middle School, located on the west side of town, derives its name from the large boulevards on two sides of it: Westheimer and Briar Forest. This school opened its doors in fall 2002 and is one of 10 schools built with funds from Rebuild 2002.

WILLIAMS CHARTER MIDDLE SCHOOL
6100 Knox

The first secondary school in the Acres Homes area was named for the Reverend McKinley C. (“M. C.”) Williams, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church. The Williams campus began as a junior high, changed to a junior–senior high, and is now a middle school. Williams Middle School was built in 1962.

WOODSON MIDDLE SCHOOL
10720 Southview

Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which publishes the Journal of Negro History. In 1919, Woodson became dean of liberal arts at Howard University, later moving to West Virginia State College. He was author of a definitive college text, The Negro in Our History. Woodson Middle School was built in 1966.

High Schools

AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL
1700 Dumble

Stephen F. Austin was a frontiersman, statesman, and politician. Known as the “Father of Texas,” he was a key figure in the early settlement of the state. Both the state capital and Austin High School are named for him. Austin High School was built in 1936.

BELLAIRE HIGH SCHOOL
5100 Maple, Bellaire

This school is named for the community in which it was built. Bellaire was at that time a well-established suburb of Houston. When Bellaire High School opened in 1955, the citizens of the community were delighted to have a high school in the heart of their city.

CARNEGIE VANGUARD HIGH SCHOOL
10401 Scott

Originally part of Jones High School, the Vanguard program moved into facilities of its own in the autumn of 2002. It is named for Andrew Carnegie, the famous Scottish immigrant who rose to become a steel tycoon and philanthropist.

CHALLENGE EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL
5601 West Loop South

Opened in 2003, this school serves students who wish to obtain high-school diplomas while simultaneously earning college credits. Located on the campus of Houston Community College–Southwest at 5601 West Loop South in Bellaire, CECHS serves a student body of roughly 400 students. Its name indicates what awaits students bold enough to pursue an education within its walls: a challenge.

CHÁVEZ HIGH SCHOOL
8510 Howard

César Estrada Chávez (1927–1993) was the founder and president of the United Farm Workers of America, a union for migrant farm workers. The school named after him opened in August 2000.

COTTAGE GROVE HIGH SCHOOL—See Stevenson Elementary School

DAVIS HIGH SCHOOL
1101 Quitman

This school was named after Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Davis also served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, a member of the Senate, and a member of President Franklin Pierce’s cabinet. Davis High School was built in 1926.

DEBAKEY HIGH SCHOOL FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONS
3100 Shenandoah

Named for the legendary heart surgeon Michael Ellis DeBakey, this school was the nation’s first high school for students interested in medical and allied health careers. It was founded in 1972 and is operated jointly by Baylor College of Medicine and HISD.

EAST EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL
220 N. Milby

Opened in August 2006 on Houston Community College’s Southeast Campus, this high school is one of several in HISD that offer students the opportunity to earn both high-school and college credit simultaneously. A brand new stand-alone facility was built and opened in the fall of 2009.

EASTWOOD ACADEMY
1315 Dumble

The Eastwood Academy opened on the campus of Andrew Jackson Middle School in 1997 as the Academy for Academic Excellence. In 1998, it moved to its current location and changed its name in honor of the surrounding community. The school serves grades 9–12.

EMPOWERMENT COLLEGE PREPARATORY HIGH SCHOOL
5655 Selinsky Road

Opened in August 2005, this high school is one of several in HISD that offer students the opportunity to earn both high-school and college credits simultaneously. It is located on Houston’s south side.

FURR HIGH SCHOOL
520 Mercury

Ebbert L. Furr was a long time rancher who once owned the land where Furr High School is located. The area was originally identified as Oates Prairie. Furr’s land holdings also included the property now known as the Songwood Homes subdivision, which is adjacent to Furr High. Furr High School was built in 1961.

HIGH SCHOOL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
4701 Dickson

This program began in 1978 on three different campuses as a cooperative effort between HISD, the Mayor’s Office, and the Houston Police Department. In 1980, the program was consolidated as a vocational Magnet high school and relocated to the present campus.

HIGH SCHOOL FOR PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS
4001 Stanford

The creation of HSPVA in 1971 was the first attempt by any public high school in the nation to correlate an academic program with concentrated training in the arts. It was one of only three public schools in the country to offer programs in both the visual and performing arts.

HOUSTON ACADEMY FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
1810 Stuart

This school was named for its focus. Opened in August 2006, HAIS was created through a joint effort between HISD, the Houston A+ Challenge, the Asia Society, and Houston Community College (HCC). Originally located at the HCC campus at 1300 Holman, the school was designed to serve students who wish to acquire a comprehensive understanding of and appreciation for different cultures around the world. It moved to the former J. Will Jones Elementary School campus in 2009.

HOUSTON HIGH SCHOOL—CLOSED MAY 2008
9400 Irvington

One of the oldest public high schools in Texas, Sam Houston High School was originally called the Houston Academy when it opened in 1878. It underwent five subsequent name changes, the last being in 1955, when it was renamed for one of the most colorful figures in Texas history, General Sam Houston, and moved to its current location on Irvington. Houston served both as president of the Republic of Texas and as governor. The school was closed at the end of the 2007–2008 school year and replaced by two new schools: the Ninth-Grade College Preparatory Academy (which serves only freshmen) and the Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center (which serves grades 10 through 12).

INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL AT SHARPSTOWN
7504 Bissonnet

This school-within-a-school opened in the fall of 2007 on the campus of Sharpstown High School. It was named for its focus: preparing students for the challenges of working in the global marketplace of the 21st century.

JONES HIGH SCHOOL
7414 St. Lo

Jesse Holman Jones was born in Tennessee in 1874. He moved to Houston in 1898 to enter the lumber business. Before long, Jones became a civic leader and a founder of the Depression era Reconstruction Finance Corporation. One year after his death in 1956, Jones High School was built in his honor.

JORDAN HIGH SCHOOL FOR CAREERS
5800 Eastex Freeway

Barbara Jordan (1936–1996) was well known in Texas as an attorney, a state senator, United States Representative, and a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Her remarkable public-speaking abilities inspired untold numbers of young people to enter public life. The school named in her honor opened in January of 1980.

KASHMERE HIGH SCHOOL
6900 Wileyvale

Kashmere High School was named for its surrounding community, Kashmere Gardens. The original Kashmere Gardens Junior–Senior High School opened in 1957. That site became Key Middle School in 1968, when the new Kashmere High School opened.

LAMAR HIGH SCHOOL
3325 Westheimer

This school is named after Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, Texas’ “Father of Education.” He was also the second president of the Republic of Texas. When Lamar High School opened in 1937, Westheimer was not yet a paved road.

LEE HIGH SCHOOL
6529 Beverly Hill

This school was named after Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Lee, a much loved figure in the South, was respected by Northerners for his military achievements and his outstanding personal character. Lee served as superintendent of West Point and president of Washington College, renamed Washington and Lee after his death. Lee High School was built in 1962.

LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL
6400 Southwest Freeway, Suite A

Originally located on the campus on Lee High School, this school was originally named “Newcomer Charter High School” for the student population it serves: recent immigrants to the United States. It was renamed in June 2007 and is now situated in a shopping center off of I-59 South near Sharpstown Mall. It opened in January 2005.

MADISON HIGH SCHOOL
13719 Whiteheather

This school was named for James Madison, the fourth President of the United States and the father of the U.S. Constitution. One principal of Madison, Carrie McAfee, was the first black woman named principal of a high school in HISD. Madison High School opened in 1965.

MIDDLE COLLEGE FOR TECHNOLOGY CAREERS AT TSU—CLOSED SUMMER 2006
5655 Selinsky

The Middle College for Technology Careers High School (MCTC) was opened in 1994 on the campus of Houston Community College. In 1998, HISD entered into an agreement with Texas Southern University to house MCTC in TSU’s School of Technology Building. It was subsequently housed in the George Allen Building on that campus and also on the second floor of HISD’s Albert Thomas Middle School (5655 Selinsky). MCTC closed in 2006.

MILBY HIGH SCHOOL
1601 Broadway

Charles Henry Milby was the descendant of a well known pioneering family in Harrisburg, a town that included the east end of Houston. Milby was active in the city’s civic, educational, and charitable affairs. He was also instrumental in building the Houston Ship Channel. Milby High School opened in 1926.

NEWCOMER CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL—See Liberty High School

NINTH-GRADE COLLEGE PREPARATORY ACADEMY
1303 Tidwell

This was one of two new campuses created after Sam Houston High School was closed and restructured in the spring of 2008 (the other is the Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center). Serving only freshman students, this school opened in the fall of 2008.

NORTH HOUSTON EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL
99 Lyerly

This school opened in the fall of 2008 to give low-income youth, first-generation college students, English language learners, students of color, and other young people traditionally underrepresented in higher education the opportunity to earn a high-school diploma and an associate’s degree or up to two years of credit toward a bachelor’s degree simultaneously. As the name indicates, it is located on the city's north side.

REAGAN HIGH SCHOOL
413 East 13th Street

John H. Reagan served as postmaster general and secretary of the treasury of the Confederacy. He served for 10 years as chairman of the House of Representatives’ Commerce Committee and later was a member of the Senate Commerce Committee. He is best known today for his advocacy of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Reagan High School was built in 1926 and renovated in 2006.

REACH CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL
520 Mercury

An outgrowth of the eponymous program at HISD’s Furr High School, the “REACH” in this school’s name is an acronym for Realizing Educational Achievement in the City of Houston. The school was designed to help dropouts return to school and graduate. It serves students between the ages of 17 and 20, and it opened in the fall of 2006.

SAN JACINTO HIGH SCHOOL—CLOSED 1971
1300 Holman

Opened in 1925 on what is now the central campus of Houston Community College at 1300 Holman, this school was named for the battle that established Texas’ independence as a republic on April 21, 1836. It closed in 1971.

SAM HOUSTON MATH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER
9400 Irvington

This was one of two new campuses created after Sam Houston High School was closed and restructured in the spring of 2008 (the other is the Ninth-Grade College Preparatory Academy). Serving students in grades 10 through 12, this school opened in the fall of 2008. Its name is a tribute to both General Sam Houston and the old facility, which was one of the oldest public high schools in Texas.

SCARBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL
4141 Costa Rica

George Cameron Scarborough was born in Frankston, Texas. After moving to Houston, he taught and served as assistant principal of Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson and Thomas Edison Junior High Schools and as principal of Sidney Lanier Middle School. He was named acting superintendent of HISD in 1957 and served as superintendent of Northeast ISD from 1958 to 1965. Scarborough High School was built in 1968. Another school was named for his brother.

SHARPSTOWN HIGH SCHOOL
7504 Bissonnet

Sharpstown High School originally opened in 1968 as Sharpstown Junior–Senior High School on the present site of Sharpstown Middle School. The high school split apart from the middle school and moved to its present location the following year. Sharpstown was named for Frank Sharp, a major developer in southwest Houston.

SOUTH EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL
3100 Cleburne

South Early College High School became the latest HISD campus to offer its students a chance to earn college credits while also earning their high-school diploma in the fall of 2009. It was named for its location in the city, as it is situated on the south side.

STERLING HIGH SCHOOL
11625 Martindale

Ross Shaw Sterling was one of the men who shaped Houston’s destiny in the early part of this century. He served as president of the Humble Oil Company, developed real estate, and became chairman of the Houston National Bank and the Houston–Harris County Channel Navigation Board. Sterling High School was built in 1965.

WALTRIP HIGH SCHOOL
1900 West 34th

Stephen Pool Waltrip was born in Missouri in 1878 and began teaching school in Texas at the age of 16. In 1910, he moved to Houston, where he served as superintendent of schools in Harrisburg, Gruenen (West End), and the Houston Heights, all of which were later annexed by the City of Houston. He was named principal of John Reagan High School in 1918. Waltrip High School was built in 1959.

WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL
119 East 39th

This school, originally named Colored High School and located at 303 West Dallas, was renamed Booker T. Washington Junior–Senior High School in 1927. Booker T. Washington was a famous educator, founder of the Tuskegee Institute, and the author of Up from Slavery. The school opened in 1893, moved to its present location (119 East 39th Street) in 1959, and became a high school in 1978.

WESTBURY HIGH SCHOOL
11911 Chimney Rock

Westbury High School takes its name from the community that surrounds it. The community was named by its developer, who moved to Houston from Westbury, New York. It opened in 1961.

WESTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL
14201 Briar Forest

Like several other schools in HISD, Westside High School is named for the part of town in which it resides. It opened in August 2000.

WHEATLEY HIGH SCHOOL
4801 Providence

This school was named for Phillis Wheatley, a native of Africa who was sold as a slave in Boston. She became famous at age 13 as a poet. Wheatley was the first African-American person to publish a book in America. Wheatley High School was built in 1949 at 4900 Market Street. A brand-new replacement facility opened in 2006 just a few blocks away at 4801 Providence.

WORTHING HIGH SCHOOL
9215 Scott

Evan Edward Worthing was a Houston real-estate developer who set up a scholarship trust for African-American HISD students. A native of Michigan, he earned a mechanical engineering degree from Texas A&M University, where he was captain of the football team. Worthing High School was built in 1958.

YATES HIGH SCHOOL
3703 Sampson

This school was named in honor of the Reverend Jack Yates, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church, who was born a slave and became one of the foremost leaders of his day. Yates was considered a pioneer in education and the ministry. Originally built on Elgin Avenue in 1926, Yates High School was moved to its present location in 1958.

Alternative Schools

CARTER CAREER CENTER
1700 Gregg

Howard Payne Carter, a native of Tennessee, began his teaching career in Seguín, Texas. After military service, he came to Houston, eventually becoming the first African-American secretary of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). After organizing the first football team at Old Colored High School, he became the Texas manager for National Benefit Life Insurance Company. Carter Career Center was built in 1929.

COMMUNITY SERVICES ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL
No Address

This school, which opened in the early 1970s, is referred to as “the school without walls” because it consists of three main components (home-bound services, agencies, and hospitals) that provide various goods and services to diverse student populations citywide.

CONTEMPORARY LEARNING CENTER
1906 Cleburne

This school began in 1973 as the Continuous Progress Learning and Development Center. Today’s Contemporary Learning Center offers individualized instruction to students who are “turned off” by traditional methods of instruction.

CONTEMPORARY OCCUPATIONAL TRAINING CENTER—CLOSED 1991
2600 Travis

The center opened its doors in 1976 as a vocational school for uninvolved youth. Its primary objective was to motivate young people who did not function well in the regular school program. COTC’s pre employment laboratories enabled students to learn job skills while continuing their academic education. It closed in 1991.

CROSSROADS ALTERNATIVE
300 West 17th

This school was named for the choices people face throughout their lives and the decisions they make that determine their destinies. The school opened in 1991, and serves grades 6—12.

GULF COAST TRADES CENTER—SEVERED TIES WITH HISD IN 1988
143 Forest Service Road, New Waverly

The Gulf Coast Trades Center was named by the founders of the private component of this campus, which were the Gulf Coast Building Trades Council and the City of Houston Mayor’s Office. The school opened in 1971 to serve disadvantaged youth and severed ties with HISD in 1988.

HARPER ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL
4425 North Shepherd

Born in Baltimore in 1825, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was an African-American woman who was not of slave parentage. She became a famous poet and abolitionist. Harper Alternative School was built in 1927. Originally located at 3200 Center Street, the school moved to the building that formerly housed Kay On-Going Education Center at 4425 North Shepherd in fall 2007.

HARRIS COUNTY YOUTH VILLAGE—SEVERED TIES WITH HISD IN JUNE 1997
210 J. W. Mills Drive, Seabrook

Harris County Youth Village, which served troubled youth through a charter arrangement between the Harris County juvenile justice system and HISD, was founded in December 1972. It severed ties with HISD in 1997.

HOUSTON NIGHT HIGH SCHOOL—CLOSED SUMMER 2007
1906 Cleburne

As its name implies, this school was designed for young people who must work during the day and continue their education at night. Houston Night High School was created in 1975 as a comprehensive high school for grades 9—12.

KAY ON GOING EDUCATION CENTER—CLOSED SUMMER 2006; MOVED TO CARTER CAREER CENTER
4425 North Shepherd

The original name of this school was Harrisburg Elementary, named by the pioneers of Harrisburg, then the capital of Texas. HISD assumed control of the school in 1927, and Savannah Georgia Kay became principal. Upon her death in 1951, the school was renamed in her honor. Kay was changed in 1975 from an elementary school to an alternative school for pregnant students. In 2006, the program was incorporated into the Carter Career Center, and the building on North Shepherd became a temporary home for the HISD Police Department headquarters. Harper Alternative School moved into the facility in fall 2007.

NINTH GRADE ACADEMY—CLOSED NOVEMBER 2004
5655 Selinsky

This school was named for the student population it served. It opened in August 1997 in south Houston and closed in November 2004.

NORTH DISTRICT ALTERNATIVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2310 Berry

As its title implies, this school was named for the community that surrounds it. Opened in November 1995, it serves students in the District Alternative Education Program from age 6 through the sixth grade. It also acts as a School Community Guidance Center for all students in K—12.

SOUTH ADMINISTRATIVE ALTERNATIVE ELEMENTARY AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOL
3555 Bellfort

Located at 3555 Bellfort in south Houston, this facility shares a campus with Young Elementary School, which was formerly known as Sunny Side Elementary School. The school was renamed in June 1999 to honor Ethel Mosley Young, an HISD educator who began teaching at Sunny Side when it was just a two-room schoolhouse without electricity, heat, or indoor plumbing.

Early Childhood Centers

CONCORD EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER
4901 Lockwood

Opened in 1967 at 5426 Cavalcade as an elementary school, this facility was converted to an early childhood center in 2006. It was named to commemorate the Battle of Concord (April 19, 1775), one of two that marked the beginning of the Revolutionary War. The center moved to 4901 Lockwood in 2007.

CROCKETT EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
1417 Houston

Previously known as Richard Brock Elementary School, this facility was converted to an early childhood education center in 2006 and renamed for the Tennessee-born Davy Crockett, who died at the Alamo in the struggle for Texas’ independence.

ARMANDINA FARIAS EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
515 East Rittenhouse

Opened in August 2005, this facility was named for Armandina Farias, an HISD educator who worked for the district more than 35 years. She began her career in 1960 at Manuel De Zavala Elementary School, and served as the principal of both Robert E. Lee Elementary School and Thomas Jefferson Elementary School. Farias died while still at Jefferson. She was inducted into the National Hall of Fame of Hispanic Women in Leadership in 1990.

HALPIN EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
10901 Sandpiper

This school was named after Sharon Goldstein Halpin, an exceptionally dedicated HISD teacher who taught at David Burnet and William Travis Elementary Schools even after she was diagnosed with cancer. The school was dedicated to her in 1997.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
3930 West Fuqua

One of the very first facilities built by HISD to serve prekindergarten students exclusively, this school opened in the autumn of 2004. Its name honors the slain civil-rights leader who advocated nonviolent social protest in the pursuit of racial equality. King was named Time Magazine’s Man of the Year in 1963 and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his efforts. He was assassinated in April 1968.

LANGSTON EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM—CLOSED MAY 2004
2815 Campbell

John Mercer Langston rose to prominence as Virginia’s first African-American U.S. Representative and was acclaimed for his distinguished work as a diplomat, professor, and administrator at Howard University and inspector general of the Freedmen’s Bureau. In 1955, HISD renamed the former Breckenridge Elementary School (built in 1905) in his memory. In 1991 the school was closed. It reopened three years later as an early childhood center.

LAS AMÉRICAS EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CENTER—CLOSED SUMMER 2007
5909 Glenmont

This school was actually a combination of three different schools under one roof. Las Américas served two different student populations, and was named for the apartment complex surrounding the building. It served prekindergarten and kindergarten students on the first floor and grades 6–8 on the second. Kaleidoscope, a charter school that occupied the building’s top floor, also served grades 6–8. Las Américas was originally a relief facility for Leroy Cunningham Elementary School, but it moved to the Glenmont location in 2000. It closed in 2007.

NINFA LAURENZO EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
205 North Delmar

One of the first two facilities built by HISD to serve prekindergarten students exclusively, this school opened in the autumn of 2004. It is named for the late Ninfa Rodríguez Laurenzo, a much-loved Houston restaurateur and community leader who recognized the importance of education in child development early on. Ninfa Laurenzo opened her first Mexican-food restaurant in 1969 in a converted warehouse on Houston’s east side. Over the next 10 years, she parlayed that restaurant’s success into a multi-million-dollar empire. The school named after her is located at 205 North Delmar, in the same neighborhood as her original restaurant. She died in June 2001.

GABRIELA MISTRAL EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
6203 Jessamine

Opened in the fall of 2005, this facility is one of several built by HISD designed to serve prekindergarten students exclusively. It is named after a celebrated Chilean poet and educator who was the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (1945). Gabriela Mistral was the pen name of Lucila Godoy Alcayaga, who was born in 1889 and died in 1957. Both a writer and a teacher, she created educational programs for the poor under the Mexican Ministry of Education. She also taught at Vassar, Columbia University, Middlebury College, and the University of Puerto Rico.

WHEATLEY CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER—CLOSED 2007
4900 Market

Located on the campus of Phillis Wheatley High School, this facility was opened in August 2001 to serve the children of students attending Wheatley High School and preschool-age students from the surrounding neighborhood.

Contract Schools

CEP/JJAEP (SE)
8805 Ferndale

Community Education Partners (CEP) is a part of the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP) that serves southeast Houston. In 1995, the State of Texas adopted Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code to allow disruptive students to be removed from class and to provide a safety net assuring that students expelled from public schools in the state would remain within the education system and would continue to have an opportunity for public education. This school opened in 1998, and serves grades 6–12.

CEP/JJAEP (SW)
7055 Beechnut

Community Education Partners (CEP) is a part of the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP) that serves southwest Houston. In 1995, the State of Texas adopted Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code to allow disruptive students to be removed from class and to provide a safety net assuring that students expelled from public schools in the state would remain within the education system and would continue to have an opportunity for public education. This school opened in 1997, and serves grades 6–12.

HCC LIFE SKILLS
1301 Alabama

Affiliated with HISD’s Special Education Department, this school opened in 1994 as part of the Houston Community College System. It serves only twelfth-grade Special Education students who have completed home-school programs and need assistance learning independent living skills before graduation. At HCC Life Skills, students learn how to perform such everyday tasks as riding the bus, doing laundry, and finding a job. The school is located on the Gulfgate campus of HCC.

HOUSTON DROP BACK IN—CLOSED SUMMER 2006
1305 Benson

Opened in 1999, this school was designed to serve at-risk students in grades 9–12 who have either dropped out of school and wish to return and obtain their degree, or who have fallen so far behind in their coursework that they are out of step with their peers. The school shares space with Pleasant Hill Academy, an HISD charter school. The former site of HISD’s Northeast Administrative District offices, the Pleasant facility at 1305 Benson was purchased from the district in 2001.

JJAEP/EXCEL ACADEMY
2525 Murworth

Opened in September 1999, this school is part of the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP) that serves south central Houston. In 1995, the State of Texas adopted Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code to allow disruptive students to be removed from class and to provide a safety net assuring that students expelled from public schools in the state would remain within the education system and would continue to have an opportunity for public education. The Excel Academy serves students in grades 1–12.

MOUNT HEBRON ACADEMY—CLOSED SUMMER 2006
7817 Calhoun

Opened in 1996, Mt. Hebron Academy was a community-based alternative school located on the grounds of Mt. Hebron Baptist Church. It served grades 3–5 in southeast Houston and closed in the summer of 2006.

Charter Schools

ADVANCED VIRTUAL ACADEMY
4141 Costa Rica, Building 3

The Advanced Virtual Academy opened in August 2009 on the campus of Scarborough High School. Serving students in grades 9-12, this school offers a flexible alternative to traditional education through online courses and the assistance, supervision, and support of on-site teachers. Although students can access their courses from home, attendance is taken daily at the facility.

ADVANTAGE EAST END HIGH SCHOOL—CLOSED SEPTEMBER 2008
7135 Office City

Advantage East End High School opened in August 2008 through a partnership with the Houston-based nonprofit organization Leaders in Education, Inc. It was designed to provide at-risk students with the opportunity to get on-the-job training, vocational trade certifications, and college credits. The school never reopened after Hurricane Ike.

ALTA—CLOSED SUMMER 2008
8329 Lawndale

Formerly known as the Accelerated Learning and Transition Academy, this school is one of five facilities HISD added to its family of charter schools in March 2001. ALTA serves approximately 550 students in grades 6—9 in north-central Houston. It helps students who are at or below grade level, overage for their grades, recent immigrants, dropouts, imminent dropouts, or recovered dropouts to achieve academic success and make the transition into high school. The tools it uses include personalized instruction and emphasis on citizenship, community service, and flexible scheduling.

BANNEKER-MCNAIR MATH/SCIENCE ACADEMY—CLOSED AUGUST 2007
4929 Griggs

Sometimes abbreviated to “BAMA,” this school was one of five facilities HISD added to its family of charter schools in March 2001. Located in southeast Houston, the Banneker-McNair Math/Science Academy provided an early-childhood program and an integrated curriculum for students in prekindergarten through grade 3. It focused on personalized and computer-assisted instruction, diverse groupings, and flexible organization.

DIVERSITY, ROOTS, AND WINGS (DRAW) CHARTER SCHOOL—SEVERED TIES WITH HISD IN 2004
3920 Stony Brook

This school is one of five facilities HISD added to its family of charter schools in March 2001. The Diversity, Roots, and Wings Charter School served students in prekindergarten through grade 6 in southwest Houston. The interactive curriculum featured four-year cohorts and staggered school days that included personal-needs periods.

DOMINION ACADEMY
1102 Pinemont

The Dominion Academy opened in 2001 and serves grades 6—8. Located in northwest Houston at 1102 Pinemont, it was founded by the Reverend James W. E. Dixon II of Northwest Community Baptist Church. Its students enjoy instruction focusing on business, economics, leadership, and the entrepreneurial spirit, all of which, if mastered, will allow them to develop control—or dominion—over their own lives. It operates under contract with the nonprofit Good Gang U.S.A., Inc.

EIGHTH AVENUE CHARTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—CLOSED MAY 2004
727 Waverly

In 1911, a small school for African-American children in the Houston Heights community opened at 13th Street and Waverly. The campus moved to its present location two years later and was renamed. A newer structure was completed in 1958.

ENERGIZED FOR EXCELLENCE
2913 Louisiana

Opened in 1998, this school serves students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in southwest Houston. The school is named for the enthusiastic attitude the school’s staff hopes to foster in its students.

ENERGIZED FOR STEM ACADEMY
3703 Sampson

The Energized for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Academy (E-STEM) opened in August 2008 on the third floor of Jack Yates High School. It serves students in the ninth grade who are interested in participating in rigorous and challenging studies in a non-traditional setting. The E-STEM course of studies was designed for creative students who learn best through hands-on experiences and are able to use technology as a springboard to deeper understanding of their academic course work. E-STEM students will be able to earn college credits while still in high school that will prepare them for postsecondary academics as well as technical careers in a variety of fields.

ENERGIZED FOR STEM-WEST
6201 Bissonnet

E-STEM West opened in August 2009 to serve students in grades 6-12 who are economically challenged; underrepresented in science-, technology-, and math-related fields, including engineering; at risk of not meeting the requirements of college study; and/or first-generation college-goers. The program is part of the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (T-STEM) Academies.

HIGH SCHOOL FOR BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC SUCCESS
6000 Heatherbrook Dr.

Located alongside the Leader's Academy on the campus of Windsor Village United Methodist Church, this school opened in August 2009 and serves at-risk students in grades 7-12. During its first year of operation, its student body came exclusively from Gulf Shores Academy, a troubled state charter school that ceased to exist.

HOPE ACADEMY
3015 North MacGregor Way

This school opened in August 2009 and is operated by Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church for students in grades 9-12 with economic, academic, and behavioral challenges who are at risk of not earning a high-school diploma. Hope Academy's flexible program will focus on academics, credit and learning recovery, character education, family involvement, and a culture of success leading to postsecondary education or vocational trade certifications.

INSPIRED FOR EXCELLENCE NORTH
5426 Cavalcade

This is one of two charter schools created in partnership with Inspired for Excellence Academy, Inc., for average at-risk middle-school students. Now serving students in the fifth- and sixth-grade levels, the school opened in August 2008, and will eventually serve grades 5–8 at locations in all quadrants of the district. The education model incorporates a mentoring program using community role models, opportunities for service-learning activities that reinforce the curriculum, and comprehensive after-school tutoring and enrichment.

INSPIRED FOR EXCELLENCE WEST
6333 S. Braeswood

This is one of two charter schools created in partnership with Inspired for Excellence Academy, Inc., for average at-risk middle-school students. Now serving students in the fifth- and sixth-grade levels, the school opened in August 2008, and will eventually serve grades 5–8 at locations in all quadrants of the district. The education model incorporates a mentoring program using community role models, opportunities for service-learning activities that reinforce the curriculum, and comprehensive after-school tutoring and enrichment.

KANDY STRIPE ACADEMY
5310 Southlea

This school is one of five facilities HISD added to its family of charter schools in March 2001. The Kandy Stripe Academy accommodates approximately 150 students in prekindergarten through grade 8 in southeast Houston. Its offerings include small classes, foreign-language instruction, and parent education.

KAZI SHULE—CLOSED MAY 2006
3815 Live Oak

This school opened in 1996 and served students in grades 4–6 in Houston’s Third Ward, just south of downtown. The name comes from Swahili, an African language, and means “the working school.” It is pronounced “KA-zay SHOO-lay.”

LEADER'S ACADEMY
6011 West Orem

This school opened in fall 2007 in partnership with Kingdom Builder's Center, a nonprofit organization founded by Kirbyjon Caldwell. It was named for the character trait it most hopes to foster in its students—leadership—and was created to give tomorrow's leaders the solid academic foundation they need to succeed upon graduation. It will serve students in grades 9–12.

MOUNT CARMEL ACADEMY
7155 Ashburn

Previously known as Mt. Carmel High School (6700 Mount Carmel St., 77087), this former parochial school became an HISD charter school in August 2008 and moved to its current location. The school now serves students in grades 9–12, offering credit courses including Advanced Placement and dual-credit courses in a small, academically challenging high-school program. The goal is to give students—including those who are in at-risk situations—access to quality, flexible, and differentiated instruction that fits the needs of students pursuing the Recommended High School Program or the Distinguished Achievement Program.

NEW ASPIRATIONS
7055 Beechnut

New Aspirations is a new credit-recovery and dropout-prevention program associated with Community Education Partners (CEP). It is located at the same campus as CEP’s southwest campus and serves students in grades 9–12.

PLEASANT HILL ACADEMY—CLOSED MAY 2008
1305 Benson

Pleasant Hill Academy once shared space with HISD’s Northeast Administrative District offices, whose Pleasant Facility at 1305 Benson it purchased from the district in 2001. According to the first acting principal, George Casey, the school utilizes the concepts found in Gordon Cawelti’s book, Portraits of Six Benchmark Schools: Diverse Approaches to Improving Student Achievement, to serve students primarily interested in art. It opened in the fall of 2002.

PRO-VISION
4422 Balkin

Known as “a place of second chances,” this school opened in 1989 under the name of Centripet I. Its objective was to provide boys with a small, highly structured, intimate, single-sex environment. Pro-Vision demands intensive parental involvement, including mandatory parenting classes, community-service projects, mentoring, and camping trips. The school became affiliated with HISD in 1995, and in 1997 it became the first Houston school supported by both public and private interests to offer boarding facilities. The residential program ran from 1997 to 1999 in a facility located in Pasadena, but the school was renamed and moved back into its current location in Houston when the boarding program was discontinued. Pro-Vision serves young men in grades 5–8.

PROJECT CHRYSALIS
4528 Leeland

Project Chrysalis is a charter school developed in 1995 by two former Teach for America participants, Kelly Garrett and Dennis Lee. It serves 105 students in grades 6—8 on the campus of Rufus Cage Elementary School. The name represents the transformation that occurs in children when they emerge from a nurturing, educational environment.

ST. JOHN’S ACADEMY—CLOSED MAY 2008
2019 Crawford

This school is operated through a unique partnership with St. John’s United Methodist Church in downtown Houston. The brainchild of Rudy and Juanita Rasmus, this school (now affiliated with HISD) strives to serve children from preschool through second grade in especially challenging situations, such as homelessness or health crises. Construction began on the school in 1998.

3-D ACADEMY—SEVERED TIES WITH HISD IN 2005, NOW A KIPP SCHOOL
1510 Jensen

The 3-D Academy was named for the qualities its teachers hope to instill in their young charges: desire, discipline, and dedication. Serving roughly 320 students in grades five through eight, this facility became a part of the HISD family of charter schools in 2001. It is located at 4610 East Crosstimbers in northeast Houston.

TEXAS CONNECTIONS ACADEMY AT HOUSTON
950 Threadneedle #130

Launched in December 2008 as an electronic-course pilot program, the Texas Connections Academy at Houston combines home-schooling with personalized distance learning, strong parental involvement, and traditional public education to serve students in grades 3-8.

TSU/HISD LAB SCHOOL
3100 Cleburne, 1st Floor

This school is located on the Texas Southern University campus near downtown Houston. It opened in August 1995 and serves students in prekindergarten through grade 5. Working in partnership with TSU’s College of Education, this school is noted for pioneering new methods of teaching in smaller learning environments. It became a charter school in 2006.

VISION ACADEMY
4590 Wilmington

Opened in August 2009, the Vision Academy is an offshoot of the Pro-Vision School, which has been serving HISD male middle-school students for the past 13 years. The school's nontraditional program is designed to prepare male students in grades 9-12 to pursue postsecondary education or vocational trade certifications, and to serve students' families through a socio-educational program that includes parent support groups, parent training, student community-service initiatives, and community involvement.

WILLIAM A. LAWSON INSTITUTE FOR PEACE AND PROSPERITY (WALIPP)
3100 Cleburne

WALIPP was housed temporarily on the campus of Julius Dodson Elementary School until the renovation of a facility at 3810 Ruth Street was completed in the spring of 2003. The school was named for the Reverend William A. Lawson Jr., a social activist who marched with the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the pastor and founder of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church. The school moved again in 2007 to 3100 Cleburne.

WESLEY CHARTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
800 Dillard

Mabel B. Wesley was Houston's first African-American female principal and mother of the publisher of the Forward Times. The school in northwest Houston named for her opened in 1949.

YMCA OF GREATER HOUSTON AREA CHARTER SCHOOL—SEVERED TIES WITH HISD IN MAY 2004
5614 H. Mark Crosswell

Opened and affiliated with HISD in August 1997, this charter school was located in a branch of the YMCA near the Medical Center. It served prekindergarten through grade 2.

YOUNG LEARNERS
3333 Bering Drive

Opened in January 2001, Young Learners is a charter school system that serves only prekindergarten students at 21 HISD schools. Young Learners collaborates with community day-care and Head Start centers to ensure that Houston’s “youngest learners” have a solid academic foundation. Their main office is located in southwest Houston.

YOUNG SCHOLARS ACADEMY FOR EXCELLENCE
1809 Louisiana

Opened in August 1997, this school serves prekindergarten and kindergarten students exclusively. The curriculum was designed to ensure that youngsters are prepared for the rigors of academia and features developmentally appropriate practices based on principles established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.