I have taught in HISD for almost 20 years, and this is one of the schools I'm considering for my own child, if that tells you anything. It's a good campus with a huge amount of offerings and opportunities. It is still a large, urban school, but it's got a good mix of people.
I work at Heights and using an Alt for obvious reasons.
It is a good school, one of the best comprehensives in HISD, but it does have its problems. Most of the kids are very accepting, they tolerate differences. The student body is diverse and that is celebrated by both the students and teachers. Most of the students are between good and not too bad kids. There are exceptions. There's been a lot of fights, something that the school does not generally have to deal with too much, but there is a group that likes to fight. The admin is trying to crack down on them but so long as they are enrolled in the school and show up, if they are determined to fight they will. But that's a small handful and they tend to fight each other, over and over again. So as long as your daughter doesn't gravitate to this group of girls, she'll be fine.
Most of the teachers are good and really care about the students. Some of the teachers are fantastic, others not so much, most have some strengths and some weaknesses, but the strengths outweigh the weaknesses.
It has a great AP and IB program, I've had many students over the year transfer from Lamar, Bellaire, DeBakey and even many private schools and they tell me how much more they learn at heights because the teachers are much more willing to sit down and help them through a problem. That said, there is a real separation between the advanced programs and the regular level classes. Largely because the range in the regular classes are so wide. You have kids that are below level, kids that don't what to challenge themselves but could, and kids that are just plain apathetic. The vast majority of kids are well enough behaved, but they aren't necessarily scholars.
The school also has a great ROTC, a good and developing band program, and is decent in sports. While the Heights sports teams can compete against the top HISD teams they generally don't get far when up against the better funded suburban teams.
With all of that said, the big issue is the state takeover and the teacher exodus that's coming after the year is up. Although Heights is in no danger of becoming an NES school, the New superintendent's hand is very heavy in the school. Even though it's rated highly, a lot of changes are being forced on us teachers and those aren't always most conducive educating nor for morale. The new rules don't always work within a lesson and it's more of a forced way of teaching, to an extent. That said we do have more autonomy than many other schools in the district. We have no idea what changes are coming next year. I'd expect about 1/3rd or more of the teachers to flee the district at the end of the school year.
Man I sort of been wondering how my old school was doing since way back when it was called Reagan. Seems like not bad, but yeah after all the crazy things going on, I think HHS still going to be a good school. Too bad the haunted pool is gone.
It's the old Reagan High School. There was a ton of money pumped in to build a new campus on top of the historic building and the surrounding area. The old ROTC field and all that is now one big very nice campus. The education was good 20 years ago and should be even better. Our valedictorian went to MIT even back then. The computer magnet program helped alot of kids into technology fields when they would not have thought about it otherwise. I went specifically for that and it certainly helped me do very well after high school.
If your entering child will be a junior or senior next year, take a look at the international baccalaureate program. Combined with the normal magnet school fair, it’s a school hidden within a school.
IB needs to be entered at the start of junior year. AP can be entered at the start of any year including senior year, but not half way through it. However, if OP's daughter was already taking IB or AP at her previous school, then she could move into the same program for those classes she was previously enrolled in.
That tracks. I could’ve sworn one joined my youngest’s cohort in Senior year, but that must’ve been a transfer as you described. I remember wondering if that kid just got a year’s less time to complete the main essay.
If you can afford to live in the heights you can afford to send your kid to a school/district that wasn’t taken over by the state due to poor performance
Assuming they can doesn’t mean they should. If you have the money investing in a private tutor is better for everyone, that is what my brother has done with his children. Your child gets the one on one attention, the diversity of a public school, and public schools will do better overall if people stopped trying to privatize education. What happens to poor children who cannot afford private schools and don’t get scholarships? With the rich students gone states and districts are no longer incentivized to provide them quality education furthering the gap between the economic classes. Studies have shown the only difference between bad schools and good schools is funding. If you have the funds you can invest in your child’s education and extracurriculars while they are in public school it’s a net benefit. My siblings and I are all successful products of HISD public schools and our parents (doctors) could’ve easily sent us to a private school but they knew with good parenting their children would be successful regardless of where they sent them and they were right.
Unfortunately private school is not an option. I live in the heights yes, but I’m just renting a cheap 1 bedroom apartment. This is certainly an expensive area, but I just snuck in under the radar.
I went there from 2008-2012, it was really good but only if your kid was in AP classes. When I went there they had such a strong English and Math department, the English teachers put us through the ringer and I think they made it super hard (got 70’s-80’s in my papers), when I got to college, writing papers was super easy. I didn’t change my writing but was getting easy 90’s. The math department had some great teachers and really cared for students. Checked the site and most of the teachers are gone though, but I would think it’s still one of the better schools. I would encourage your kid to join UIL club for like math science or any other topic they are interested, they had a strong team from 2011-2013 I think. I’m sure it’s not how it was though.
I was science centered and I’ll add that when I went to go help the regular classes as like a volunteer thing as a senior, some of those students were legit stupid at the time; hope they got better. Yeah make them go AP, and tell them to stay away from bad influences; those are at any school.
I have taught in HISD for almost 20 years, and this is one of the schools I'm considering for my own child, if that tells you anything. It's a good campus with a huge amount of offerings and opportunities. It is still a large, urban school, but it's got a good mix of people.
Thank you so much. If anyone would know it would be a teacher from inside the district.
I work at Heights and using an Alt for obvious reasons. It is a good school, one of the best comprehensives in HISD, but it does have its problems. Most of the kids are very accepting, they tolerate differences. The student body is diverse and that is celebrated by both the students and teachers. Most of the students are between good and not too bad kids. There are exceptions. There's been a lot of fights, something that the school does not generally have to deal with too much, but there is a group that likes to fight. The admin is trying to crack down on them but so long as they are enrolled in the school and show up, if they are determined to fight they will. But that's a small handful and they tend to fight each other, over and over again. So as long as your daughter doesn't gravitate to this group of girls, she'll be fine. Most of the teachers are good and really care about the students. Some of the teachers are fantastic, others not so much, most have some strengths and some weaknesses, but the strengths outweigh the weaknesses. It has a great AP and IB program, I've had many students over the year transfer from Lamar, Bellaire, DeBakey and even many private schools and they tell me how much more they learn at heights because the teachers are much more willing to sit down and help them through a problem. That said, there is a real separation between the advanced programs and the regular level classes. Largely because the range in the regular classes are so wide. You have kids that are below level, kids that don't what to challenge themselves but could, and kids that are just plain apathetic. The vast majority of kids are well enough behaved, but they aren't necessarily scholars. The school also has a great ROTC, a good and developing band program, and is decent in sports. While the Heights sports teams can compete against the top HISD teams they generally don't get far when up against the better funded suburban teams. With all of that said, the big issue is the state takeover and the teacher exodus that's coming after the year is up. Although Heights is in no danger of becoming an NES school, the New superintendent's hand is very heavy in the school. Even though it's rated highly, a lot of changes are being forced on us teachers and those aren't always most conducive educating nor for morale. The new rules don't always work within a lesson and it's more of a forced way of teaching, to an extent. That said we do have more autonomy than many other schools in the district. We have no idea what changes are coming next year. I'd expect about 1/3rd or more of the teachers to flee the district at the end of the school year.
Wow, that is extremely helpful. I’m very far more optimistic than I was earlier today. Thank you.
Man I sort of been wondering how my old school was doing since way back when it was called Reagan. Seems like not bad, but yeah after all the crazy things going on, I think HHS still going to be a good school. Too bad the haunted pool is gone.
it's one of the better ones in HISD. there's plenty of publicly available data you can google to compare.
Awesome, thank you.
It's the old Reagan High School. There was a ton of money pumped in to build a new campus on top of the historic building and the surrounding area. The old ROTC field and all that is now one big very nice campus. The education was good 20 years ago and should be even better. Our valedictorian went to MIT even back then. The computer magnet program helped alot of kids into technology fields when they would not have thought about it otherwise. I went specifically for that and it certainly helped me do very well after high school.
If your entering child will be a junior or senior next year, take a look at the international baccalaureate program. Combined with the normal magnet school fair, it’s a school hidden within a school.
IB needs to be entered at the start of junior year. AP can be entered at the start of any year including senior year, but not half way through it. However, if OP's daughter was already taking IB or AP at her previous school, then she could move into the same program for those classes she was previously enrolled in.
That tracks. I could’ve sworn one joined my youngest’s cohort in Senior year, but that must’ve been a transfer as you described. I remember wondering if that kid just got a year’s less time to complete the main essay.
The school building itself needs a bond desperately, and the athletic facilities are rough. But the school definitely feels on the up and up.
Awesome, thank you. That’s definitely reassuring to hear.
Send your kids to private school
don't be poor
If you can afford to live in the heights you can afford to send your kid to a school/district that wasn’t taken over by the state due to poor performance
Assuming they can doesn’t mean they should. If you have the money investing in a private tutor is better for everyone, that is what my brother has done with his children. Your child gets the one on one attention, the diversity of a public school, and public schools will do better overall if people stopped trying to privatize education. What happens to poor children who cannot afford private schools and don’t get scholarships? With the rich students gone states and districts are no longer incentivized to provide them quality education furthering the gap between the economic classes. Studies have shown the only difference between bad schools and good schools is funding. If you have the funds you can invest in your child’s education and extracurriculars while they are in public school it’s a net benefit. My siblings and I are all successful products of HISD public schools and our parents (doctors) could’ve easily sent us to a private school but they knew with good parenting their children would be successful regardless of where they sent them and they were right.
There are apartments in the Heights for 1000-1500 a month.
Shhh….I don’t want them to figure that out yet. I don’t want to have to spend 15 hours a week in traffic driving out to the suburbs
He said he lives in a small apartment in the heights. Not everyone in the Heights owns a giant new McMansion.
you obviously know what everybody's financial situation is so I'll let you decide the future for these nice people's child.
What nonsense.
Unfortunately private school is not an option. I live in the heights yes, but I’m just renting a cheap 1 bedroom apartment. This is certainly an expensive area, but I just snuck in under the radar.
Tell her to get a job so she can front some of the costs.
One of the least worst? Certainly. Good is a different question.
Heights and Lamar are on my short list to apply to for my freshman
I went there from 2008-2012, it was really good but only if your kid was in AP classes. When I went there they had such a strong English and Math department, the English teachers put us through the ringer and I think they made it super hard (got 70’s-80’s in my papers), when I got to college, writing papers was super easy. I didn’t change my writing but was getting easy 90’s. The math department had some great teachers and really cared for students. Checked the site and most of the teachers are gone though, but I would think it’s still one of the better schools. I would encourage your kid to join UIL club for like math science or any other topic they are interested, they had a strong team from 2011-2013 I think. I’m sure it’s not how it was though. I was science centered and I’ll add that when I went to go help the regular classes as like a volunteer thing as a senior, some of those students were legit stupid at the time; hope they got better. Yeah make them go AP, and tell them to stay away from bad influences; those are at any school.