Alternative schools are those that serve students by providing them with a number of nontraditional options for completing their education. Programs range from those that serve pregnant teenagers to those that serve students who wish to participate in accelerated programs. All of HISD’s alternative schools (which include “contract” schools), offer individualized attention and instruction to students.

Click the links at right for more information.

Parents interested in enrolling their child in an HISD alternative school can obtain detailed information and an application for admission from the principal of the school or from the HISD administrative office that supervises that school. At some HISD alternative schools, a referral from the student’s current school is required for admission. Please check with the school in question for details.

For more information, click the links at right.

Below is a list of all HISD alternative and contract schools. Each school’s status (alternative or contract) is indicated beneath its name; however, all of these campuses report to the Department of Alternative and Charter Schools.

Carter Career Center
Alternative School
1700 Gregg (77020-2221)
713-226-2651

Originally designed to serve students in grades 6–12 who needed more individualized attention, in 2006 the Howard P. Carter Career Center also began serving pregnant students. (Pregnant students previously attended Kay On-Going Education Center, which is now closed.) Carter offers students job-readiness training; individual, family, career, and group counseling services; and pregnancy, parenting, and child-development classes. A health clinic is also located on-site.

Community Education Partners (CEP) Southeast
Contract School
8805 Ferndale (77017-6515)
713-428-0160

Community Education Partners (CEP) is a part of the Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) 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.

Community Education Partners (CEP) Southwest
Contract School
7055 Beechnut (77074-6003)
713-394-3500

Community Education Partners (CEP) is a part of the Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) 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.

Contemporary Learning Center
Alternative School
1906 Cleburne (77004-4131)
713-942-1440

This school began in 1973 as the Continuous Progress Learning and Development Center. Today’s Contemporary Learning Center offers individualized instruction to students in grades 7–12 who are “turned off” by traditional methods of instruction. Programs offer students a self-paced, accelerated model, and choices in completing graduation requirements such as dual-credit courses, and virtual classes. SAT/ACT preparation courses are also available.

Crossroads
Alternative School
300 West 17th (77008-3902)
713-867-5234

This school—named for the choices people face throughout their lives and the decisions they make that determine their destinies—opened in 1991 to serve students in grades 6–12 who are dealing with drug or addiction-related issues in their families.

A referral from a student’s current high school is required for admission.

Harper Alternative School
Alternative School
3200 Center (77007-5909)
713-802-4760

Harper students receive individualized instruction designed to prepare them to meet the challenge of living in a competitive and diverse world. Just a few of the specialized training classes offered there include small-engine repair and building trades. The school serves students in grades 6–12.

HCC (Houston Community College) Lifeskills
Contract School
1301 Alabama (77004-3908)
713-718-6882

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.

JJAEP/Excel Academy
Contract School
2525 Murworth (77054-1603)
713-669-0799

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.