Energy Institute High School (EIHS) is a

magnet high school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

in the Third Ward area in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. It is a part of the

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and ...

and is the first high school in the United States that focuses on the

energy industry The energy industry is the totality of all of the industries involved in the production and sale of energy, including fuel extraction, manufacturing, refining and distribution. Modern society consumes large amounts of fuel, and the energy indu ...

.Radcliffe, Jennifer.
Energy Institute thrives in inaugural year
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Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

''. February 24, 2014. Retrieved on March 16, 2014
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The Indiana Gazette The ''Indiana Gazette'' is a public newspaper printed for Indiana County, Pennsylvania, and surrounding areas. It is delivered daily except for holidays and special occasions. It is located on Water Street in Indiana, Pennsylvania Indiana i ...

History

The district announced that the school would be created in the spring of 2013. It opened in the former Holden Elementary School in the

Houston Heights Houston Heights (often referred to simply as "The Heights") is a community in northwest-central Houston, Texas, United States. "The Heights" is often referred to colloquially to describe a larger collection of neighborhoods next to and including ...

. There were 650 applicants for 217 slots in the 2014-2015 9th grade class. Circa December 2013 its waiting list had about fifty students. In 2014 many area corporations offered assistance to the Energy Institute. such as the

Independent Petroleum Association of America The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) is a lobbying group for oil and gas producers in the United States. Overview It was founded on June 10, 1929, by President Herbert Hoover. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. In 2019, ''P ...

which partnered with the school to provide mentors, field trips and monthly guest speakers. The school was later located in the former Dodson Elementary School in

East Downtown East Downtown Houston (EaDo) is a district in Houston, Texas, United States. The East Downtown Management District (EDMD), manages the area with offices headquartered at START Houston, a co-working space 1121 Delano Street. The community is locat ...

. It had moved there in the summer of 2014. Dodson Elementary was formerly the second-largest elementary school serving the Third Ward.Elementary Schools (A-J)
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. Retrieved on June 15, 2016. "Once the second-largest black elementary school in the Third Ward, .. The

Arabic Immersion Magnet School Arabic Immersion Magnet School (AIMS) is a magnet school in the Montrose area of Houston, Texas. A part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD), it currently covers elementary school grades. It uses a grant from the Qatar Foundation,

opened in the former Holden/Energy Institute facility in the fall of 2015. The current campus opened in 2018.
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Operations

Students are permitted to use smartphones during class time. This practice differs from most high schools. The school also permits students to listen to music during class as long as it does not impair the learning environment. The school focuses on

project-based learning Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy that involves a dynamic classroom approach in which it is believed that students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems. Students le ...

. This basically means that the learning style is all based on projects. Students practice their presentation skills, leadership skills and team-working skills.

Campuses

In order to emulate a corporate setting, the school district arranged for the school-style desks at Holden to be replaced with tables, and the regular walls were replaced with glass. Each classroom has a television that is connected to the internet. The district also used this design at the former Dodson. VLK Architects Inc. designed the current campus, an
Anslow Bryant Construction Ltd.
constructed the one of a kind project. The groundbreaking for the current campus was held on November 19, 2016. The dedication ceremony was held on September 19, 2018. This building was built to hold about 813 students, on 12 acres of land located along Southmore Boulevard at Tierwester. VLK planned and designed the $37 million school based on professional corporate and industry settings. The school is designed for collaboration and focused study with three main multi-level buildings for project-based learning areas as well as a main courtyard to enlarge learning and social space. When the campus was first developed there were concerns that it would not have enough parking space for staff and students and that this would put pressure on parking spaces in the surrounding community. While the Houston municipal code would have normally required 647 parking space, HISD had asked for special permission to put in 357 parking spots.

Corporate Partnerships

As a 21st-century school, Energy Institute focuses on maintaining corporate partnerships to host field trips, provide guest speakers, and fund student activities. Partnerships include: *BP *BSEE *Chevron *ExxonMobil *FMC Technologies *IPAA/PESA *Hasty-Bake *HEB Tournament of Champions *Lyondell Basell *NASA *Phillips 66 *Schlumberger *Shell *Texas Workforce Commission *Noble Energy

Curriculum

In order to earn the STEM and Multidisciplinary endorsements, all students are required to complete four years of engineering coursework as part of their elective credits. Students are offered 16 Pre-AP/Honors courses and 19 AP courses. Every subject taught in the school includes topics related to energy. The school is a project-based learning school meaning that it does not rely on standard school testing but instead, it relies more heavily on the use of group work projects.

Student body

Energy Institute High School is a diverse school that draws in students from nearly all zip codes in the Houston ISD area. The school attracts students from charter schools, private schools, and home schooling as well as from other Houston ISD middle schools. The most recent demographic report available lists the school's demographics as 3.3% Asian, 24.1% African American, 44% Hispanic, 25.4% White, 3.2% other. The school mirrors the city demographics well. The school has a 59.8% economically disadvantaged population.CAMPUS DEMOGRAPHIC REPORT, 2021–2022
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. July 7, 2022. Retrieved on August 16, 2022.

References

External links

Energy Institute High School

Energy Institute High
- VLK Architects {{authority control Houston Independent School District high schools Public high schools in Houston Magnet schools in Houston Educational institutions established in 2013 2013 establishments in Texas