Milby High School

History

Milby began its life in March 1926, replacing the former Harrisburg High School, which was located several blocks south of Milby. Thirteen teachers and 212 students formed Milby's initial population. The $180,000 United States dollar campus had and still has a Romanesque exterior. Since its opening, Milby had various expansions and renovations. Originally a predominately non-Hispanic White school, Milby became mostly Hispanic as the population of the East End area increased.

Prior to the 1970s, desegregated Milby admitted White and Hispanic students while it did not admit Black students.

Milby High School was one of the locations where the movie My Best Friend Is a Vampire was filmed in 1986. The school was renamed "Milton High School" in the movie. Many interior scenes, including scenes of the main character in his bedroom, were filmed inside the school and the school's exterior was used in the movie as well. Students at Milby were extras in many scenes, as the filming took place during school hours. After the movie was completed, the sign on the exterior of the school that had been in disrepair was replaced with a new one by the production company.

In September 1991, Milby was one of 32 HISD schools that had capped enrollments; in other words, the school was filled to capacity and excess students had to attend other schools.

On November 14, 1991, 18-year-old Francisco Contreras received four gunshot wounds in his feet and leg outside of the cafeteria at Milby. Police arrested a 16-year-old described by HISD officials as a "disturbed freshman."

In December 1991, Milby was one of the largest high schools in Texas, with 3,617 students. Due to the overcrowding, by that month Houston ISD trustees approved a plan to open a new high school in September 1995 instead of in 1997. By 1997 the new high school had not yet been constructed; area community leaders and parents anticipated the construction of César Chávez High School, as Austin and Milby were still overcrowded. Prior to 1997 residents zoned to Furr also had the option to attend Austin and Milby high schools; in 1997 the school district canceled the option.

In the fall of 2000, Chávez opened and took most of Milby's traditional neighborhoods. In turn Milby absorbed some students from Austin. Areas that were zoned to Milby in 1998 were rezoned to Chávez. In turn Milby absorbed attendance areas from Austin and Furr high schools.

In 2007, Johns Hopkins University referred to Milby as a "dropout factory," where at least 40 percent of the entering freshman class does not make it to their senior year. During that year, 20 percent of high schoolers zoned to Milby chose to attend a different Houston ISD school.

A petroleum academy opened in Milby in fall 2008. Halliburton donated $27 million to provide engineering and geoscience software while Shell Oil Company donated laptops altogether worth $115,000. The first petroleum academy class graduated in 2011.

Around 2014, the school began digitizing its old yearbooks.

As of August 2014, the Milby campus closed for reconstruction. The school administration and the 9th grade students were temporarily housed in trailers at Attucks Middle School in Sunnyside, while students in grades 10-12 were housed at Jones Futures Academy in South Park.

On December 18, 2014, groundbreaking for a new campus occurred. The project comes from the 2012 bond. The original 1926 building, made of concrete and brick, will remain, while other portions were demolished and replaced with new construction.

Student Population

The total student population for the 2014-15 school year was 1,591 students.

As of 2014, many students are children of first generation immigrants.

In 1960, Milby High School was majority Anglo White with students of Mexican origin making up less than 9% of the student body.

In 1948, Milby had 1,230 students.

Campus

By 1998 the campus had a total of seven additions made, reflecting the growth of the student population in the East End. The school had established a new track and American football field and acquired neighboring property to make room for new additions. In 2012, Richard Connelly of the Houston Press ranked Milby as the fourth most architecturally beautiful high school campus in Greater Houston. The school library at the time was previously an auditorium. As of 1998 it had 30,000 titles available. A computer laboratory and reading room were, as of 1998, located in the former second floor gymnasium. By 1998 the school locker rooms had been upgraded.

Academics and academic performance

As of 2012, Milby offers technical English courses meant to improve comprehension of non-fiction texts. These courses are offered in addition to standard literature classes.

Students from Milby and Austin High School who are taking computer-related courses that qualify them for an A+ certification in computer troubleshooting or an N+ certification in networking go to the Rudy C. Vara Center for Technology every other day.

Of the non-Petroleum Academy Milby students graduating in 2011, 46% entered community colleges and 37% entered four-year universities and colleges. Of the 80 students who started in the first Petroleum Academy class, 62 moved on to four year colleges and universities and most of the remainder went on to community colleges..

School uniform

Since 1999, Milby High School has had a school uniform policy.

For the school year 2010-2011, the shirts must be collared and only white, same rule applies for undershirt.

Pants may only be khaki, no shorts.

The Texas Education Agency specified that the parents and/or guardians of students zoned to a school with uniforms may apply for a waiver to opt out of the uniform policy so their children do not have to wear the uniform; parents must specify "bona fide" reasons, such as religious reasons or philosophical objections.

Extracurricular activities

By 1998 extracurricular clubs in general had declined since many students were too busy to participate in them; by then many of them had after school jobs.

Athletics

Historically the player on the American football team considered to be the most valuable would receive the Looney Trophy. Mike Vance, author of Houston's Sporting Life: 1900-1950, described Milam "Mike" Jones, the first football player from Milby to appear in the Texas North-South All-Star Game, as "an early star of Milby football". Jones won the Looney Trophy and, as a 12th grade student, appeared in the 1941 North-South All-Star Game.

In a period beginning around 1972, and as of 1997 the Milby basketball team was mostly made up of African-Americans.

By 1998 the school had gained a pep squad with both boys and girls. The previous Girls' Booster Club declined due to a decreasing number of students and ended in 1994.

By 1998 the Coed Cadettes, a marching group that included only female students, had a small number of students. Berryhill wrote that it was the "mainstay" of Milby when the school first opened.

Other clubs

The school previously had a Future Farmers of America club but by 1989 it was disbanded.

Neighborhoods served by Milby

Several neighborhoods inside and outside the 610 Loop, including Harrisburg, Pecan Park, Pecan Park Place, Mason Park, Manchester, Pineview Place and most of Magnolia Park are located in Milby's attendance zone.

Prior to the opening of Chávez, Milby served the communities of Park Place and Glenbrook Valley.

Feeder patterns

The following elementary schools feed into Milby: All of the attendance zone:

Some of the attendance zone

Portions of the attendance zones of Deady, Edison, and Stevenson Middle Schools feed into Milby.

Alumni

As of 1998, Milby has two alumni groups, one that is majority Hispanic and one that is majority Anglo White.

Notable alumni