Alief Independent School District is a school district that is based in southwest Houston, Texas, United States.
Alief ISD, which covers of land, covers a small portion of southwest Houston and parts of unincorporated Harris County. In Houston, Alief ISD serves the Alief community, almost all of the district of Westchase, Keegan's Glen, Leawood, Ashford Park, Bellaire West, and Royal Oaks Country Club. It also serves a small portion of Brays Oaks. In unincorporated Harris County, Alief ISD serves Wingate, portions of the Mission Bend CDP, and Enclave Crescent Park Village . The Alief ISD area is a part of the Houston Community College System tax base.
History
In 1894, Jacamiah Seaman Daughtery founded the town of Dairy. Until 1906, Addicks, Barker, and Dairy constituted a single School District. From 1906 to 1917, Alief was a Common School District known as Dairy School District #46. In 1917, the district was renamed Alief (since the community was renamed after Alief Ozelda Magee, its postmistress). Alief had only one school until a separate elementary school, Alief Elementary School (now Youens Elementary School), was built in 1964. Bonds passed in the 1960s caused the first modern campuses to open.
In 2011 the Brays Oaks district expanded. A small portion of Alief ISD became a part of the district.
Governance
The district offers prekindergarten to children meeting set criteria. To qualify for enrollment in a prekindergarten program, children must be 4 years old by the district's cut-off date. Children also must be either unable to speak or comprehend English or come from families which have a household income at or below the subsistence level as defined by the State Board of Education. Students between the ages of 5 years old and 21 may attend kindergarten through twelfth grade in the district. In addition, students who are between the ages of 21 and 26 may attend high school in the district to complete their high school diploma requirements.
Finances
As of the 2010–2011 school year, the appraised valuation of property in the district was $10,678,843,000. The maintenance tax rate was $0.113 and the bond tax rate was $0.022 per $100 of appraised valuation.
Academic achievement
In 2011, the school district was rated "recognized" by the Texas Education Agency. Thirty-five percent of districts in Texas in 2011 received the same rating. No state accountability ratings will be given to districts in 2012. A school district in Texas can receive one of four possible rankings from the Texas Education Agency: Exemplary (the highest possible ranking), Recognized, Academically Acceptable, and Academically Unacceptable (the lowest possible ranking).
Historical district TEA accountability ratings
2017: Exemplary
2016: Exemplary
2011: Recognized
2010: Recognized
2009: Academically Acceptable
2008: Academically Acceptable
2007: Academically Acceptable
2006: Academically Acceptable
2005: Academically Acceptable
2004: Academically Acceptable
School uniforms
Students in elementary, intermediate, and middle schools are required to wear school uniforms.
List of schools
Grades K through 4 are considered to be elementary school, 5 to 6 intermediate school, 7 through 8 middle school and 9 through 12 high school. Each house in the district is assigned to an elementary school, an intermediate school, and a middle school. Alief ISD has an alternative elementary zoning boundary set for bilingual students, as some Alief ISD elementary schools do not offer bilingual programs.
High school attendance is chosen by a computer lottery, which can result in the student going to Alief Elsik High School, Alief Hastings High School or Alief Taylor High School. High school students may apply to attend Alief Kerr High School, a magnet school, or they can apply to the newest school Alief Early College High School, which in combination with HCC, provides students the chance to get their associate degree at the same time as their diploma.
Secondary schools
High schools
There are four high schools in Houston and one in unincorporated Harris County, a total of five high schools in the district.
Regular (zoned) Alief Elsik High School and Alief Elsik Ninth Grade Center (Houston) (opened 1975) Alief Hastings High School and Alief Hastings Ninth Grade Center (Houston) (formerly Alief Junior-Senior High School) (opened 1972) Alief Taylor High School (unincorporated area) (opened 2001)