Tag Archives: college

Graduating Seniors Receive Record-Breaking Scholarship Offers

More than 9,000 seniors will graduate from HISD high schools in the coming days. So far, HISD seniors have been offered more than $172 million in college scholarships, a record-breaking amount that surpasses last year’s total by more than $40 million and the total for the Class of 2012 is still growing.

Almost 90 percent of HISD’s graduates have been accepted into college and half of these students were accepted into a 4-year university. In fact at Davis High School, for the first time in the school’s history, the entire graduating class applied and got accepted into a two or four year college or university. Plus, the district currently boasts the highest graduation rate and the lowest dropout rate ever.

These are all results of the district’s efforts to ensure every student is prepared for college and one of the reasons HISD’s high schools continue to be among the nation’s best.

Twenty-one HISD high schools recently earned recognition in the Washington Post High School Challenge, a list of 1,800 schools representing the top 9 percent in the nation when it comes to preparing graduates for college. Only 125 Texas high schools made the list, and HISD campuses – Carnegie Vanguard, Eastwood Academy, and DeBakey High School for Health Professions – represent three of the national top 100.

In addition, HISD high schools also occupy 9 out of 1,000 positions on Newsweek’s list of America’s Best High Schools. Only 86 Texas high schools made the Newsweek list.

These national rankings are a result of the district’s Advanced Placement initiative that began in 2009 to ensure all HISD students have access to at least 15 college-level AP courses in every high school.

Last year students earned a score of 3 or higher, which is the score most colleges require for course credit, on 6,657 AP exams, which is a 35 percent increase from 2009.

Such strong AP initiative is also one of the reasons HISD is among the four finalists for the Broad Prize for Urban Education, the nation’s most prestigious education award which recognizes the top urban school district in America for its strong academic achievement and narrowing the achievement gap.

In keeping with the district’s mission of creating a college-bound culture in every school, HISD opened the Energized for STEM Academy in 2008 in an effort to help students earn college credits that will prepare them for postsecondary academics as well as technical careers in a variety of fields. On June 2, the inaugural Energized for STEM Academy Class of 2012 will be graduating with college credits and have all been accepted into college or the United States Military and were awarded scholarships totaling nearly $2 million.

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier will attend the following graduation ceremonies.

Saturday, June 2 10:00am Chavez High School Hofheinz Pavilion, University of Houston
Saturday, June 2 4:00 pm Scarborough High School George R. Brown Convention Center
Sunday, June 3 4:00 pm Sharpstown High School Delmar Sports Complex

Click here for the entire list of graduation ceremonies.

Participate in GenTX Day to Help Promote Higher Education

GenTX Day will be returning to the Lone Star State for its second year on May 4, 2012, and Superintendent Terry Grier is encouraging all HISD students and employees to show their support by wearing their favorite college T-shirt that day.

Generation TX (pronounced “Generation Texas”) is a statewide movement supported by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board that is focused on building a college-going and career-ready culture.

Last year, Generation TX held its first statewide GenTX Day celebrating the achievements of Texas students, especially graduating seniors who are continuing their education beyond high school.

To learn more about how to participate in this year’s GenTX Day and access free GenTX Day kits and materials, visit http://gentx.org/gentxday.

HISD Students Help Launch National College Planning Website

Superintendent Terry Grier on Friday will visit Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center staff and students to celebrate the Houston Independent School District being chosen to launch the BigFuture college planning website.   BigFuture, a free comprehensive website offered by the College Board, will serve as a nationwide resource for students, counselors, teachers, and parents seeking information about preparing for, applying to and paying for college.  

Who: HISD Superintendent Dr. Terry Grier, Board of Education Trustee Anna Eastman, Richard Middleton College Board Regional Vice-President, Sam Houston Principal Jane Crump, and HISD Students

What: Dr. Grier recognizes HISD as the first school district to work with the College Board to create forthcoming videos to be included on the BigFuture college planning website.  

When: Friday, April 20, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.

Where: Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center, 9400 Irvington

Scenes from the NACAC Houston National College Fair

HISD students had the opportunity to meet with admissions representatives from nearly 260 colleges and universities at the Houston National College Fair on Thursday, April 12 at Reliant Center. Info on financial aid, virtual campus tours, and advice on writing college essays was provided.

Click through the photos below to see more from the fair.

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Learn More about College Options at the Free Houston National College Fair

The Houston National College Fair will be held on Thursday April 12, 2012 at the Reliant Center (1 Reliant Park) in Hall A from 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. The event, which is FREE and open to the public, is sponsored by the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Students and parents will be able to meet with representatives from more than 250 national, international, public, private, two-year and four-year colleges and universities. Counselors will be available to discuss individual admission requirements, financial assistance options, course offerings, and other information pertinent to the college-selection process. At the fair’s counseling center, students and parents can discuss their individual needs with college experts.

To make it easier to navigate the fair and to collect information from multiple schools, students are encouraged to register before attending the event. By registering in advance students can print a bar coded confirmation to be used on-site at the fair as an electronic ID. Online registration is available at https://www.gotomyncf.com/.
Houston Independent School District students who have already registered should check with the College Access Coordinator at their campus for their registration code.

HISD students continue to make great strides in the pursuit of higher education. In 2011, the number of HISD graduates accepted into 4- or- 2 year colleges and universities reached 88 percent. Additionally, the amount of scholarship money awarded to HISD students has steadily increased throughout the past few years. In the 2011 HISD students were offered nearly $130 million in scholarship money, compared to $81 million in 2009.

Now in its 40th year, the National College Fair program annually helps more than 650,000 students and families nationwide explore their options for higher education, making it one of the most visible college recruitment fairs in the country.