2008 School Ratings are Out

[mrfootball]

Exemplary Districts - None

Recognized Districts - Cy-Fair, Clear Creek, Friendswood, Katy

Acceptable Districts - All others

Unacceptable Districts - None

Find your school's rating here

[citizen4rmptown]

for the whole state of texas?

whoah not that hot but none are unacceptabel, which is great.

[Jeebus]

With all the stink the news is making about North Forest, you would think they would have done worse.

[KinkaidAlum]

Interesting to see so few exemplary high schools in the area. They include Friendswood, several of the YES College Preps, HISD's HSPVA and DeBakey Health, and something called Early Victory College Prep in Aldine.

Not a single Fort Bend, Cypress, Klein, Pearland, Spring, The Woodlands or even Spring Branch high school made the top list.

Also very surprised to see The Woodlands, all the Kleins, Katy Taylor, Pearland, most of the Clears (Creek, Brook, and Lake), 80% of the Fort Bends, and Stratford only make acceptable ratings. Stratford really surprises me. It doesn't take much to make acceptable, especially in the math and science fields.

[Texas Wahoo]

Interesting to see so few exemplary high schools in the area. They include Friendswood, several of the YES College Preps, HISD's HSPVA and DeBakey Health, and something called Early Victory College Prep in Aldine.

Not a single Fort Bend, Cypress, Klein, Pearland, Spring, The Woodlands or even Spring Branch high school made the top list.

Also very surprised to see The Woodlands, all the Kleins, Katy Taylor, Pearland, most of the Clears (Creek, Brook, and Lake), 80% of the Fort Bends, and Stratford only make acceptable ratings. Stratford really surprises me. It doesn't take much to make acceptable, especially in the math and science fields.

It appears that Taylor didn't make it because they didn't meet the 70% requirement in one category. Only 69% of their African American students passed the math part. Might be partly because the school only has 5% African American students.

[BryanS]

Interesting to see so few exemplary high schools in the area. They include Friendswood, several of the YES College Preps, HISD's HSPVA and DeBakey Health, and something called Early Victory College Prep in Aldine.

Not a single Fort Bend, Cypress, Klein, Pearland, Spring, The Woodlands or even Spring Branch high school made the top list.

Also very surprised to see The Woodlands, all the Kleins, Katy Taylor, Pearland, most of the Clears (Creek, Brook, and Lake), 80% of the Fort Bends, and Stratford only make acceptable ratings. Stratford really surprises me. It doesn't take much to make acceptable, especially in the math and science fields.

Was the grading/ranking criteria changed this year? Or did things really go down hill this year as compared to previous years? Maybe there were too many exemplary schools in the past?

[Aldine]

/\As far as I know, nothing has changed from previous years in the way that their TAKS criteria is to make the accountability rating. It has been that every ethnic group must make 70% passing rates since the TAKS was started after the TAAS. Things didn't go "downhill" that much, they just "cooled off." I'm so suprised about Stratford. I thought for sure it would be Recognized or Exemplary. I'm also suprised about Klein Oak as well.

[mrfootball]

/\As far as I know, nothing has changed from previous years in the way that their TAKS criteria is to make the accountability rating. It has been that every ethnic group must make 70% passing rates since the TAKS was started after the TAAS. Things didn't go "downhill" that much, they just "cooled off." I'm so suprised about Stratford. I thought for sure it would be Recognized or Exemplary. I'm also suprised about Klein Oak as well.

It is very difficult for a HS, especially a 5A public HS in Houston, TX to attain an Exemplary rating. Cy-Fair HS did it a few years back, but they are few and far b/w.

[sheeats]

Aw, Stratford...what's happened to you over the years? Have we really fallen into the same category as Spring Woods and Northbrook??? Puma, where are you? These idiot children are ruining our alma mater! At least my elementary and middle schools got exemplary ratings...

Spring Branch only being "acceptable" doesn't surprise me at all. It's very evenly divided between great schools and terrible schools, so it only makes sense that it would average an "acceptable" rating. But I am surprised that Spring and The Woodlands didn't do better. I'm even more surprised that Cy-Fair was rated as "recognized." There are some truly scary schools in that district and I sure didn't think the decent ones were balancing them out, much less overtaking them!

Edited August 5, 2008 by sheeats

[Aldine]

Aw, Stratford...what's happened to you over the years? Have we really fallen into the same category as Spring Woods and Northbrook??? Puma, where are you? These idiot children are ruining our alma mater! At least my elementary and middle schools got exemplary ratings...

Spring Branch only being "acceptable" doesn't surprise me at all. It's very evenly divided between great schools and terrible schools, so it only makes sense that it would average an "acceptable" rating. But I am surprised that Spring and The Woodlands didn't do better. I'm even more surprised that Cy-Fair was rated as "recognized." There are some truly scary schools in that district and I sure didn't think the decent ones were balancing them out, much less overtaking them!

Although I don't go to Stratford, I know it has not fallen into the same category as SWHS or NHS, and even SWHS isn't as bad as NHS. I also think you got it switched around because although Cy-Fair has some schools that aren't considered the best like Cy-Springs or Cy-Ridge, it still is a great academic district, whereas Spring ISD has Westfield, Dekaney, and Spring (oh, that's all three of their high schools) that aren't good. The Woodlands, well, I don't know. I guess just because you live in a nice area doesn't mean you go to Recognized schools. Lastly, kids who don't pass the TAKS test aren't idiots (I passed all mine though), and they don't ruin schools. I believe lazy teachers, weak administration, and poor attitudes of kids towards education ruin schools. That may sound like I'm disagreeing with the point about kids who don't pass the TAKS ruining schools, but there are lots of kids who don't pass because they genuinely tried and don't understand the information.

Edited August 7, 2008 by Aldine

[cnote]

Aw, Stratford...what's happened to you over the years? Have we really fallen into the same category as Spring Woods and Northbrook??? Puma, where are you? These idiot children are ruining our alma mater! At least my elementary and middle schools got exemplary ratings...

Spring Branch only being "acceptable" doesn't surprise me at all. It's very evenly divided between great schools and terrible schools, so it only makes sense that it would average an "acceptable" rating. But I am surprised that Spring and The Woodlands didn't do better. I'm even more surprised that Cy-Fair was rated as "recognized." There are some truly scary schools in that district and I sure didn't think the decent ones were balancing them out, much less overtaking them!

Hmm...I have been to nearly every high school campus in the Cy-Fair district...I would not label any one of them truly scary....

Although, I went to Humble High School and regularly went to Nimitz, Aldine, Eisenhower, Westfield, and Spring for games...there were some issues at some of those campuses at times, but I was never scared, and Cy-Fair schools are not even close.

[TAK]

Interesting to see so few exemplary high schools in the area. They include Friendswood, several of the YES College Preps, HISD's HSPVA and DeBakey Health, and something called Early Victory College Prep in Aldine.

Not a single Fort Bend, Cypress, Klein, Pearland, Spring, The Woodlands or even Spring Branch high school made the top list.

Also very surprised to see The Woodlands, all the Kleins, Katy Taylor, Pearland, most of the Clears (Creek, Brook, and Lake), 80% of the Fort Bends, and Stratford only make acceptable ratings. Stratford really surprises me. It doesn't take much to make acceptable, especially in the math and science fields.

The "good / best schools" discussion is mostly myth. When you hear "good schools" around here, it is generally a disguise for "better demographics" which is the PC way of saying "fewer blacks and latinos, and hopefully, only the ones with money or college degrees". As noted, of the (allegedly) BEST high schools in Houston, none are in the areas of the so-called "best" schools or "best" school districts. How can that be? Are the elementary and middle schools great, but the high schools average? Hmmmm, possible... Younger kids are more motivated (and adapted) to learn more... but I doubt it.

For example, 'something called Early Victory...' which is actually Victory Early College Prep, just opened in 2007 and is on the border of Inwood Forest and Acres Homes (actually, I think it's in Acres Homes, but hard to tell what starts where.) Parents who are REALLY interested in the best education for their kids should know about Early College Prep schools (granted, they don't get advertised much. Spread the word.). Kids get 10 credits per year (instead of 7) go to summer school, and get 60 college hours of credit by the time they graduate high school - AT NO ADDITIONAL COST. 100 or so kids per incoming freshman class?! Not in Katy or The Woodlands or any other school where football is king (and education is almost important as which subdivision you live in.)

We need more College Prep schools (smaller, education focused schools) throughout Houston and fewer College Football Prep Schools (Newer, bigger, more players to choose from)... ***As a high school and college football player in Texas, I can't believe I just wrote that... must be getting old... or it's the 2 kids I now have.*** These schools are just as good as, if not better than, private schools, but at no additional cost, because they are better utilizing our tax dollars.

Folks, the "good schools" are only good when they're relatively new (and far away, apparently). As soon as something further away and newer is open, your formally "good school" will be average...

Kinda like your suburb or whatever. Some people call it "white flight" or "flight to quality".

It is what it is. YOU are the greatest determinant in your child's education - schools are a distant second (unless you fail to do your part.)

Carry on.

[Aldine]

/\ I could not agree more. People need to see that having demographics that qualify a school as a "good school" does not mean that the school will get better TAKS scores than a school with minority demographics like MacArthur which got a Recognized rating for its second year in a row.

[Montrose1100]

I'm not surprised Klein didn't make it...

[BryanS]

We need more College Prep schools (smaller, education focused schools) throughout Houston and fewer College Football Prep Schools (Newer, bigger, more players to choose from)... ***As a high school and college football player in Texas, I can't believe I just wrote that... must be getting old... or it's the 2 kids I now have.*** These schools are just as good as, if not better than, private schools, but at no additional cost, because they are better utilizing our tax dollars.

Hmmm... As long as Texas has the automatic, no questions asked top 10% admission to any college you want in Texas... I would say that you want to be the smartest student in those LARGE, REALLY LARGE (maybe slightly "dumber") college football prep schools. Why go to a college prep school where everybody has a GPA of 3.8 or higher and you, with a lousy 3.7 GPA get second pickings and are forced to HCC or San Jac. Not that those are bad schools... Whereas, if you had just a 2.5 in a really crappy school district - you could have been Salutatorian, and well on your way to UT or A&M, or where ever in a million years that you knew had no business going

Edited August 12, 2008 by BryanS

[cnote]

Hmmm... As long as Texas has the automatic, no questions asked top 10% admission to any college you want in Texas... I would say that you want to be the smartest student in those LARGE, REALLY LARGE (maybe slightly "dumber") college football prep schools. Why go to a college prep school where everybody has a GPA of 3.8 or higher and you, with a lousy 3.7 GPA get second pickings and are forced to HCC or San Jac. Not that those are bad schools... Whereas, if you had just a 2.5 in a really crappy school district - you could have been Salutatorian, and well on your way to UT or A&M, or where ever in a million years that you knew had no business going

[KatieDidIt]

Aw, Stratford...what's happened to you over the years? Have we really fallen into the same category as Spring Woods and Northbrook??? Puma, where are you? These idiot children are ruining our alma mater! At least my elementary and middle schools got exemplary ratings...

Spring Branch only being "acceptable" doesn't surprise me at all. It's very evenly divided between great schools and terrible schools, so it only makes sense that it would average an "acceptable" rating. But I am surprised that Spring and The Woodlands didn't do better. I'm even more surprised that Cy-Fair was rated as "recognized." There are some truly scary schools in that district and I sure didn't think the decent ones were balancing them out, much less overtaking them!

Sheeats. Stratford is still a great school. The parents around here have no problem with the schools not teaching TAKS format education. Memorial HS isn't either. Just because a majority of the kids who attend the school test acceptable, doesn't mean there isn't a great education. The bonus is that kids get to learn to live with all walks of life.

There is also rumbling that they are still cycling out the Katrina crowd that killed Spring Forest a couple years back. But I don't 100% buy that one.

I don't think we'll have any problem sending our boys there. One really wants to go and play football for them. The Top 10% thing bothers me, but I don't want either to go to college in Texas. Spread your wings and journey out is what I believe in.

The Woodlands Schools sucked mainly because they had low expectations for achievement and it was a "TAKS education." Plain and simple. We moved there for them ( and the fact we could get a custom house for a song compared to Houston) and left because of them. I'm not surprised they have slipped in rating. Just MHO after comparing it to HISD and observing SBISD.

Edited August 12, 2008 by KatieDidIt