Houston Christian High School (HCHS) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

, non-profit,

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

, Christian

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compa ...

which educates students in grades 9–12. HC is accredited by a member of the

National Association of Independent Schools The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1962, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boa ...

, and the

Independent Schools Association of the Southwest The Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) is a nonprofit association of 89 independent schools located in the U.S. states of Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. ISAS is a member of the National Associ ...

. It is a campus located in Spring Branch in western

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 i ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, at the intersection of Beltway 8 and Kempwood Drive, inside

Beltway 8 Beltway 8 (BW8), the Sam Houston Parkway, along with the Sam Houston Tollway, is an beltway around the city of Houston, Texas, United States, lying entirely within Harris County. Beltway 8, a state highway maintained by the Texa ...

and outside Interstate 610.

History

Houston Christian High School was founded in 1970 under the name Northwest Academy. The city of Houston's extension of a street to the new school was cited as an example of government aid to a

segregation academy Segregation academies are private schools in the Southern United States that were founded in the mid-20th century by white parents to avoid having their children attend desegregated public schools. They were founded between 1954, when the U.S. ...

. In 1998, Northwest Academy (K-12) split into First Baptist Academy and Houston Christian High School. Multiple churches collectively cofounded Houston Christian to cater to residents of the western portions of Greater Houston. - Available from the

Houston Public Library Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States. History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in 1 ...

and ''Houston Chronicle'' archives, hosted by

NewsBank NewsBank is a news database resource that provides archives of media publications as reference materials to libraries. History John Naisbitt, the author of the book ''Megatrends'', founded NewsBank.Andrews 1998, p. 17. The company was launched ...

. First Baptist Academy moved to a location next to Houston First Baptist Church, and Houston Christian remained at the Northwest Academy site until its current facility opened. - Available from the

and ''Houston Chronicle'' archives, hosted by

. In turn the

British School of Houston The British International School of Houston (BISH), formerly the British School of Houston (BSOH), is a non-sectarian, co-educational college preparatory day school in the Greater Katy region of the Houston area. BISH, which opened in September 2 ...

occupied the former Northwest Academy/Houston Christian site. In fall 1998 Houston Christian began operations. Metro National Corp. sold the land, for under $4,000,000, to a group that intended to use the land for the permanent Houston Christian location. The cost of building was, in 1998, thought to be approximately $20 million. Construction was to begin in 1999. - Available from the

and ''Houston Chronicle'' archives, hosted by

. The school opened in the beginning of the school year in 2000. The following year multiple classrooms, a chapel, and the fine arts facilities were scheduled to open. The ultimate cost was $11 million. Student enrollment increased from 155 in 1998 to 338 in 2001. Circa 2018, the school decided to create a fine arts endowment from a donation worth $1,000,000.

Campus

The campus has a total of of area. It is along

and Kempwood Drive. It is in proximity to Spring Shadows. The George and Barbara Bush Center for Scholars and Leaders is a program located on campus that opened in 2012. The center offers courses for students to learn leadership skills and each student at the school receives at least 30 hours of leadership training. The original campus had of area.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Independent Schools Association of the Southwest Private high schools in Harris County, Texas Private high schools in Houston Educational institutions established in 1998 Christian schools in Houston Segregation academies in Texas Spring Branch, Houston 1998 establishments in Texas