Harvard Elementary School, in Houston Heights block 248,[1] serves a section of that community.[2][3]
Harvard, as of 2013, is the oldest school in Houston that has been continually in operation.[4]
History
Harvard opened as Harvard Street School on September 18, 1898, serving the South-End area of the Houston Heights.[5] 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".[6]
In 1921 the school became a part of the Houston Independent School District.[7]
In 1980 the original brick structure was demolished and the school received a new addition.[7]
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.[8]
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.[9]
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 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.[12] By 2016, 45% of the students were non-Hispanic white, 41% were Hispanic or Latino, and 21% were low income.[13]
School uniforms
Harvard Elementary School requires its students to wear
school uniforms.[14] The
Texas Education Agency 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.[15][16]
Feeder patterns
People zoned to Harvard Elementary School are also zoned to Hogg Middle School and
Heights High School (formerly Reagan High School).[2][17][18]
References
^Harris County Block Book Maps. Volume 20: Houston Heights Index Map. Version 1 (
PDF and
JPG) and Version 2 (
PDF and
JPG). Also Volume 20, Page 244: Houston Heights Block 248:
JPG and
PDF. Marked as the Harvard School.
^"
MapArchived 2008-09-05 at the
Wayback Machine." Houston Heights. Accessed October 7, 2008. Also see Harris County Block Book Maps. Volume 20: Houston Heights Index Map. Version 1 (
PDF and
JPG) and Version 2 (
PDF and
JPG).
^"
School Uniforms",
Texas Education Agency. June 2, 2008. Retrieved on June 20, 2017. "(c) A parent or guardian of a student assigned to attend a school at which students are required to wear school uniforms may choose for the student to be exempted from the requirement or to transfer to a school at which students are not required to wear uniforms and at which space is available if the parent or guardian provides a written statement that, as determined by the board of trustees, states a bona fide religious or philosophical objection to the requirement."