CHILDREN AT RISK Announces Houston's Best Schools

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Research and advocacy think tank Children At Risk reviewed and analyzed data from the 2019-2020 school year for all public schools in Texas. The organization ranked 1,371 schools - 185 high schools, 313 middle schools, and 873 elementary schools from the eight counties in the Houston metro area. For the fourteenth consecutive year, DeBakey HS for Health Professions ranked number 1 in the Houston region. T.H. Rogers School is the number 1 middle school and number 1 elementary school.

Due to the pandemic, this year's rankings will focus on three-year analyses that showcase campus and district consistency over time via its Three Year Strong ranking. Overall, in Houston, there are 430 high performing schools which are A or B Pandemic Edition Ranked schools: 237 elementary schools, 117 middle schools and 76 high schools. Houston has 35 Pandemic Proof Schools: 19 elementary schools, 10 middle schools and 6 high schools. There are 13 Consistent Gold Ribbon Schools: 12 elementary schools and 1 middle school. For the newest ranking, Pace Setter Schools, Houston has 35: 31 elementary schools and four middle schools.

Compiling and Analyzing the Data
While this year's School Rankings will look very different, this iteration will contain some 2020 data that will be highlighted and analyzed, specifically: High School Graduation Rates. In addition to this new 2020 data, Children At Risk will be analyzing pre-COVID data in new ways to better highlight school consistency and growth over time. This three-year analysis is the foundation for a new three-year analysis that includes:

New Indicators:
Pace Setters. Pace Setters are Gold Ribbon eligible schools (schools with 75% or more of a campus' students classified as low-income, that do not classify as charter or magnet programs), that have shown significant improvements from prior years. These Pace Setters are on track to becoming Gold Ribbon schools in the future.
Pandemic Proof High Schools. Pandemic Proof Schools are schools with 75% or more of a campus' students classified as low-income that have been classified as high performing campuses (receiving A or B C@R Grades) for three years running.
New Ranking: Three Year Strong. Three-year average; weighted by minority student performance from the 2017-2019 CHILDREN AT RISK School Rankings to provide more context on consistency and growth over that time, relative to campus demographics.
New Rating: Making the Difference, An Equity Score. A new district analysis using three-year average data that takes a more in-depth look at district performance relative to race and ethnicity, via a district composite score.

Top 10 Public High Schools in Houston
1. DeBakey HS for Health Professions, Houston ISD
2. Kerr HS, Alief ISD
3. Eastwood Academy, Houston ISD
4. Alief Early College HS, Alief ISD
5. Carnegie Vanguard HS, Houston ISD
6. East Early College HS, Houston ISD
7. Challenge Early College HS, Houston ISD
8. Clear Horizons Early College HS, Clear Creek ISD
9. Young Women's College Prep Academy, Houston ISD
10. Seven Lakes HS, Katy ISD

Top 5 Middle Schools in Houston
1. T.H. Rogers School, Houston ISD
2. Cornerstone Academy, Spring Branch ISD
3. Fort Settlement Middle, Fort Bend ISD
4. Mandarin Immersion Magnet School, Houston ISD
5. Project Chrysalis Middle, Houston ISD

Top 5 Elementary Schools in Houston
1. T.H. Rogers School, Houston ISD
2. Creekside Forest Elementary, Tomball ISD
3. Commonwealth Elementary, Fort Bend ISD
4. Devers Elementary, Devers ISD
5. Cornerstone Elementary, Fort Bend ISD

Consistent Gold Ribbon Elementary Schools
Gold Ribbon Schools are schools that are neither a charter nor magnet, have a high concentration of economically disadvantaged students, and receive an A or B grade. The top Gold Ribbon Schools:
1. Park Place Elementary, Houston ISD
2. Lyons Elementary, Houston ISD
3. DeAnda Elementary, Houston ISD
4. Taylor Ray Elementary, Houston ISD
5. De Chaumes Elementary, Lamar CISD

Pace Setter Elementary Schools
Pace Setters are Gold Ribbon eligible schools (schools with 75% or more of a campus' students classified as low-income, that do not classify as charter or magnet programs), that have shown significant improvements from prior years. These Pace Setters are on track to becoming Gold Ribbon schools in the future.
1. Joan Link Elementary, Spring ISD
2. Heritage Elementary, Spring ISD
3. T.W. Ogg Elementary, Brazosport ISD
4. Looscan Elementary, Houston ISD
5. Mission Bend Elementary, Fort Bend ISD

Pandemic Proof Elementary Schools
Pandemic Proof Schools are schools with 75% or more of a campus' students classified as low-income that have been classified as high performing campuses (receiving A or B C@R Grades) for three years running.
1. Park Place Elementary, Houston ISD
2. Lyons Elementary, Houston ISD
3. Burbank Elementary, Houston ISD
4. DeAnda Elementary, Houston ISD
5. Taylor Ray Elementary, Lamar CISD

To see the complete school rankings analyses and results for the state of Texas in English and Spanish, go to texasschoolguide.org.