Harvard Elementary School is a public primary 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 ...

neighborhood of

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 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Harvard, 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 ...

, serves grades Pre-Kindergarten through 5. Harvard Elementary School, in Houston Heights block 248, serves a section of that community.Harvard Elementary Attendance Boundary
"

. Retrieved on April 8, 2019. Harvard, as of 2013, is the oldest school in Houston that has been continually in operation.

History

Harvard opened as Harvard Street School on September 18, 1898, serving the South-End area of the Houston Heights. The school received a main brick structure when it was constructed in 1911; at that time it was renamed to its current name, without the word "Street". In 1921 the school became a part of the Houston Independent School District.School Histories: the Stories Behind the Names
." ''

''. Accessed September 24, 2008. Harvard was previously reserved for white children but it

desegregated Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races. Desegregation is typically measured by the index of dissimilarity, allowing researchers to determine whether desegregation efforts are having impact o ...

by 1970. In 1980 the original brick structure was demolished and the school received a new addition. In 2004 the school's attendance boundary, along with that of Travis Elementary School of Woodland Heights, was modified due to a vehicular traffic increase on Studewood Street, affecting 20 children. The adjustment was done so children would not have to cross the street. Prior to 2006 the Harvard building was under-utilized. In 2006 a group of area parents asked Harvard principal Kevin Beringer to help them improve the school. By 2008 Harvard became in-demand and had parents requesting to have houses zoned to Harvard; because of its popularity it developed a waiting list for prospective students and area property values increased. The school was named a

National Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

in 2008.

Demographics

In 2004 80% of the students were classified as low income, and 80% of the students were Hispanic or Latino. Kevin Beringer, the principal, established an

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB D ...

program after several area parents made requests to see improvements at the school. By 2014 the percentage of low income students declined to 30%, and 40% of the students were non-Hispanic white. By 2016, 45% of the students were non-Hispanic white, 41% were Hispanic or Latino, and 21% were low income.

School uniforms

Harvard Elementary School requires its students to wear school uniforms. The

Texas Education Agency The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the branch of the government of Texas responsible for public education in Texas in the United States.

specified that the parents and/or guardians of students zoned to a school with uniforms may apply for a waiver to opt out of the uniform policy so their children do not have to wear the uniform; parents must specify " bona fide" reasons, such as religious reasons or philosophical objections.

Feeder patterns

People zoned to Harvard Elementary School are also zoned to Hogg Middle School and

Heights High School Heights High School, formerly John H. Reagan High School, is a senior high school located in the Houston Heights in Houston, Texas. It serves students in grades nine through twelve and is a part of the Houston Independent School District. Height ...

(formerly Reagan High School).Heights High School Attendance Boundary
"

. Retrieved on April 8, 2019.

References

External links

Harvard Elementary School

Harvard Elementary PTA
* * {{Houston ISD Houston Independent School District elementary schools Public elementary schools in Houston 1898 establishments in Texas Educational institutions established in 1898 Houston Heights