Record number of Houston Schools Make Nation’s Top 9 Percent

Houston ISD high schools made their strongest showing ever this year in the prestigious Washington Post High School Challenge rankings that were released this week. 

The rankings are based on the number of college-level Advanced Placement exams attempted, the number of students passing at least one AP or International Baccalaureate exam, and the percentage of students from low-income families at each campus. Only the nation’s top 9 percent of schools make the rankings. This year, HISD landed 33 high schools on the list, the best showing since 2010 when 25 HISD schools made the cut.  Statewide, 146 high schools appeared in the rankings, meaning Houston high schools account for 23 percent of all Texas campuses named in the annual report.

HISD’s strong showing in the Washington Post rankings are the result of a 2009 decision by the Board of Education to boost the number of AP course offerings in all schools, and to waive the AP exam fees for all students in those courses.  Since then, the number of AP exams taken by HISD students earning a score high enough to earn college credit has increased 45 percent to 7,106 in 2012.

“Students and teachers in high school classrooms across Houston are proving they are more than capable of rising to meet higher expectations when we give them the tools they need,” Superintendent Terry Grier said.  “This is another encouraging sign that our schools are becoming great all over.”

For the second year in a row, HISD earlier this month was named one of just four national finalists for the most prestigious award in public education: The Broad Prize for Urban Education.  The Broad Foundation cited HISD’s strong performance on AP exams as one of the many reasons why the district is the only Texas finalist for the prize that comes with a minimum of $150,000 in scholarships for HISD seniors.

 

Washington Post High School Challenge

 

Thirty-three HISD high schools earned recognition in the Washington Post High School Challenge, a list of 1,900 schools representing the top 9 percent in the nation when it comes to preparing graduates for college. Only 146 Texas high schools made the list, and HISD campuses – Carnegie Vanguard, Eastwood Academy, High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, and DeBakey High School for Health Professions – represent four of the national top 100.

HISD high schools that made the Washington Post list include:

 

Rank         School Name

 

13                    Carnegie Vanguard

50                    Eastwood Academy

79                    High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice

99                    DeBakey HS for Health Professions

136                  High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

174                  Furr

192                  Houston Academy for International Studies

280                  Lamar

332                  Challenge Early HS

363                  Bellaire

427                  East Early College

514                  Sharpstown

542                  Westside

551                  North Houston Early College

655                  Westbury

736                  Scarborough

953                  Milby

1,088               Wheatley

1,089               Chavez

1,133               Davis

1,140               Lee

1,155               Jordan

1,200               Sam Houston

1,277               Reagan

1,304               Waltrip

1,333               Washington

1,410               Austin

1,540               Worthing

1,570               Jones

1,581               Kashmere

1,708               Mt. Carmel

1,726               Madison

1,844               Sterling