Phone +1 713-845-7405 | ||
Address 7475 Westover St, Houston, TX 77087, USA District Houston Independent School District Similar Reynolds Elementary School, Lewis Elementary School, Crespo Elementary School, Tsu Charter Lab School, Young Elementary School | ||
John Paul Cornelius Elementary School, also known as the Cornelius Science Academy, is an elementary school in Houston, Texas. It is a part of the Houston Independent School District. It includes a magnet program.
Contents
A portion of Glenbrook Valley is in the Cornelius zone.
History
The school opened in 1960. It was named after John Paul Cornelius, a principal of Hartman Middle School who died in 1957.
Principal Rhelda Ball stated that when she began her term as principal circa 1986, most of the residents consisted of older people living in single family housing, but as time passed the previous residents sold residents to families and the population per house increased. As of 1991 the school had an enrollment cap.
In 2001 the school, designed for 650 students, had 1,050 students. That year, Ball stated that students in the surrounding neighborhood had to be turned away and sent to other schools due to the lack of space, and that "We have been filled to the brim without one square inch of extra space for the past seven to eight to nine years." At Cornelius, at the time over 52% of the students were housed in facilities outside of the main school building. In 2002 Juan N. Seguin Elementary School, ten blocks from Cornelius, was scheduled to open, relieving Cornelius.
As of 2008, there were 250 students on a waiting list to get into Cornelius. That year, the number of students attending Cornelius was 1,070.
Admissions
As of 2008 Cornelius uses a "first come, first served" system for its magnet admissions instead of testing students.
Student body
As of 2008 the school had 1,070 students, with 60% being Hispanic and 35% being Black. Of the students 470 were classified as having limited English proficiency and 80% were eligible for free or reduced lunch. As of 2008 many students live in households with one parent each.
Academic performance
As of 2008, the school had a 96% daily attendance and its average scores on Texas state tests were in the 99th percentile.
Feeder patterns
Some residents of the Cornelius zone are also zoned to Hartman Middle School and Sterling High School. Some residents of the Cornelius zone are also zoned to Ortiz Middle School and Chávez High School.