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Guide to the Houston Independent School District – HISD

Interested in relocating to the Houston area? If you have school age children it is a good idea to educate yourself about the school system in Houston so you will be able to choose the best option for your child.

The school system in Houston falls under the supervision of the Houston Independent School District. The HISD is the largest public school system in the state of Texas. Nationwide, it ranks as the 7th largest in the country. The goal of the school system is to provide all students with the best education possible. This is accomplished through instructional career programs and an intensive core curriculum. The district was originally founded in 1923.

In 2002, the Houston Independent School District was determined to be the top performing urban school district in the country by the Board of Education. In addition, HISD has been designated as the winner of the inaugural Broad Prize for Urban Education. This prize is awarded on an annual basis for outstanding overall improvement as well as for narrowing the achievement gap between ethnic and economic groups.

According to the Texas Education Agency, the Houston Independent School District is rated as Academically Acceptable. Six of the schools within the district have earned Exemplary status while another 29 schools have earned Recognized status as well.

The Houston Independent School District has become highly regarded for providing bilingual education to the large Hispanic student body within the district. In fact, the school district has recruited more than 300 teachers from Mexico as well as Spain, Central and South America and Puerto Rico. Teachers have also been recruited from China to serve that population within the student body as well.

The magnet schools in the HISD are considered to be a model for other urban school districts across the country. Top performing students frequently attend these schools rather than private schools as is commonly the case in other school districts. The school district includes 55 elementary magnet schools, 30 magnet middle schools and 27 magnet high schools.

306 campuses are operated in the Houston Independent School District across an area that is approximately 301 square miles. 29,000 full and part time professionals as well as staff personnel are employed by the district. As a result, the district is the largest employer in the Houston metro area. Several teachers and employees of the district have gone on to fame including Laura Bush, Alberto Gonzales and Rod Paige; First Lady of the United States, United States Attorney General and United States Secretary of Education.

The stated goal of the district is to strengthen the economic foundation as well as the social foundation of the city by ensuring the highest quality elementary and secondary education within the city.

 
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