Houston ISD announces schools added to New Education System for 2024-2025
HOUSTON - Nineteen of the two dozen Houston ISD schools that were given the choice have opted in to join the New Education System next school year, Superintendent Mike Miles announced on Friday.
Last month, the district announced that 26 schools that received F or low-D ratings would become NES schools for the 2024-2025 school year. Twenty-four schools that received high D ratings were given the option to opt in.
RELATED: HISD school ratings, NES school lineup released
Superintendent Miles says 19 of those schools chose to opt-in to the NES, so a total of 45 new schools will join the NES next year.
The five schools that chose not to opt in were Braeburn Elementary School, Emerson Elementary School, Hines Caldwell Elementary School, Love Elementary School, and Shearn Elementary School.
Schools that decided to opt-in:
- Austin High School: 66
- Bell Elementary School: 66
- Deady Middle School: 69
- Foerster Elementary School: 69
- Frost Elementary School: 69
- Gross Elementary School: 65
- Jefferson Elementary School: 69
- Ketelsen Elementary School: 69
- Marshall Middle School: 69
- Montgomery Elementary School: 69
- Navarro Middle School: 66
- Neff Elementary School: 67
- Petersen Elementary School: 66
- Reynolds Elementary School: 67
- Ross Elementary School: 68
- Sanchez Elementary School: 69
- Southmayd Elementary School: 68
- Tinsley Elementary School: 68
- Valley West Elementary School: 69
The new schools will join 85 existing NES schools, so a total of 130 HISD will be a part of the NES next school year.
Houston ISD school ratings for 2022-2023
In January, Houston ISD released school ratings for the 2022-2023 school year. It used the Texas Education Agency's data and methodology to calculate its rating because of a lawsuit filed against TEA by dozens of districts stopping the release of their ratings. The lawsuit alleges the TEA's new school evaluation methodology will lead to unfair drops in their schools' ratings.
According to HISD's assessment, the district had 35 A-rated schools, 58 B-rated schools, 52 C schools, 65 D schools, and 58 F schools. These ratings play a role in determining which schools are eligible for HISD's New Education System (NES) for the 2024-2025 school year.
The NES will enroll six schools that received a low D-rating and twenty schools that received an F-rating in the fall of 2024 that aren't already NES or NES-aligned campuses.
What is the New Education System?
According to HISD, NES is an effort to transform K-12 education, focusing on addressing academic challenges and preparing students for the modern workplace.
The district also highlights that NES schools offer Art of Thinking courses for critical thinking and problem-solving skills and specialty classes in fitness, music, fine arts, 21st-century media and technology, and hands-on science. Free trips for students to experience new places and cultures are also provided.
Additionally, there will be increased salaries for teachers who are a part of the NES.