Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center

History

It was founded in Downtown Houston in 1878 as Houston Academy. Since then, it had several name changes.

Until the 1950s the block bordered by Austin, Capitol, Caroline, and Rusk in Downtown Houston housed the institutions that make up what is now Sam Houston High School. Houston Academy was there in the 1850s. In 1894 Central High School was built. J.R. Gonzales of the Houston Chronicle said that the school was "[d]escribed as one of the finest high schools in this part of the country" and "also attracted negative attention for its incredible cost." The school had a price tag of $80,000, $1.9 million in 2010 dollars. In March 1919 the school burned down. A new Sam Houston opened two years later.

According to a 1936 Houston Chronicle article, Sam Houston was to be renamed after Dick Dowling, while the Sam Houston name would be taken by a new high school in southwestern Houston. This did not occur, and the school remained named after Sam Houston.

In 1955, Houston High School moved from its Capitol Street location in Downtown to its current location. The previous Sam Houston High School became the Houston Independent School District administrative headquarters. In July 1970 the first Hattie Mae White Administration Building became the new HISD administrative offices. The Downtown Sam Houston building was demolished. As of 2011 a parking lot owned by HISD now occupies that site. A historical marker is on the south side of that block. In meetings it had been proposed as a new location for the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

Sam Houston has Texas' oldest high school newspaper, the Aegis, started in 1889. In addition, the world's first girls' Military Drill Squad (formerly known as the Black Battalion, but now called the Tigerettes) originated at the school.

The school was originally all white; it was desegregated in 1970 and today has a mostly Hispanic student body.

The names of the individual schools currently occupying the Sam Houston campus were chosen in 2008.

On Saturday February 12, 2011, a state historic marker was dedicated at Sam Houston. The Oran M. Roberts Chapter 440 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy organized the event. Lynna Kay Shuffield, the president of the chapter, wrote a historical narrative about the school and its former location in Downtown.

Rating

Sam Houston, with Jack Yates High School and Kashmere High School, are the three high schools in Houston ISD that were consistently low-performing in test scores from 2001 to 2004. Because of this problem, there were movements to have the state or another organization take over the schools for a period so the test scores will be at acceptable levels. While Yates got an acceptable rating in 2005, Houston and Kashmere continued to get unacceptable ratings. Abelardo Saavedra, the superintendent of HISD, described Houston as being "close" to getting an acceptable rating. In August 2006 the school learned that it again got an unacceptable rating from the Texas Education Agency. HISD threatened to close Sam Houston. Sam Houston was not closed and it received another unacceptable rating from the TEA. Houston ISD, stated that the board would consider spending $300,000 to find a method to improve Sam Houston's marks from the TEA.

In 2008 the Texas Education Agency Commissioner Robert Scott ordered the closure of Sam Houston; the Houston Chronicle said that HISD would likely replace 75% of the teachers and change the name of the school. The campus now houses Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center for 2010–2012 and a ninth grade academy. The administration hopes that the changes would cause Sam Houston to get an acceptable rating.

In 2007, an Associated Press/Johns Hopkins University study referred to Sam Houston as a "dropout factory" where at least 40% of the entering freshman class does not make it to their senior year.

Student body

During the 2005-2006 school year, the school had 2,678 students.

No Native Americans were enrolled during that school year.

Approximately 89% of the students qualified for free/reduced lunch.

Neighborhoods served by Sam Houston

Several areas of Houston outside of the 610 Loop that are far north of Downtown and south of Aldine are zoned to Sam Houston.

Neighborhoods include Melrose Park, Hardy Acres, Hardy Heights, Assumption Heights, Roos Acres, Virginia Acres, Sunnyland Farms, Oakwood, and Northline Terrace.

Some small sections of unincorporated Harris County are zoned to Sam Houston High School.

School uniform

As of 2006, each Sam Houston student is required to wear a school uniform that consists of a polo shirt with the school's logo. Before fall 2006, students were required to wear khaki or denim trousers or skirts. As of school year 2006 - 2007 the school uniform has been modified to just official Sam Houston High School polo collared shirts. Students are allowed to wear trousers of their choosing.

The Texas Education Agency specifies 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.

Feeder patterns

Elementary schools that feed into Sam Houston include:

(partial)

All of Fonville Middle School-zoned areas and some areas of the Burbank Middle and Henry Middle School zones feed into Sam Houston.

Notable alumni

Antonio R. Garcia Jr. Certified Welding Inspector. Class of 1994

Marcus A. Peña: Tax Assessor-Collector of Austin County, class of 1996.

Notable faculty