Alief Hastings High School Explained

Alief Hastings High School
Motto:“Dream! Believe! Achieve!”
Established:1972
Enrollment:3,930 (2022-2023)
Ratio:14.14
Teaching Staff:277.87
Grades:9-12
Free Label 1:Rival schools
Principal:Lynette Miller (2017- present)
Location:

4410 Cook Road
Houston, TX 77072-1105
Ninth grade center: 6750 Cook Road
Houston, TX 77072.

Campus:City: Large
Athletics:Football, basketball, cheerleading, track and field, tennis, golf, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, swimming and diving
Mascot:Fighting Bears
Team Name:Bears
Yearbook:Bear Tracks

Alief Hastings High School is a public high school in the Alief area of Houston, Texas, United States. Originally Alief Junior-Senior High School, which became Alief Middle School, housed all of the secondary students in the district. The school's present location opened, while still under construction, for the fall semester of 1972. All high school students moved to that building, with the first graduating class in May 1973.

Alief Hastings is a part of the Alief Independent School District and it serves grades 9 through 12. Ninth-graders are in the Alief Hastings Ninth Grade Center (6750 Cook Road, City of Houston, 77072) while tenth through twelfth graders are on the main campus (4410 Cook Road, City of Houston, 77072). The campuses had a combined enrollment of 4207 students as of the 2002-2003 school year. The opening of Alief Taylor High School reduced the overall class size at Alief Hastings significantly. Alief Hastings is considered to be the brother school of Alief Elsik High School. The two schools enjoy a friendly rivalry that heats up each year in the final football game when they play each other in a shared football stadium.

The ninth grade campus is located in the International District although the main high school building is outside of it.[1]

In 2022, Hastings received a score of 69 out of 100 from the Texas Education Agency. Alief Hastings is one of the largest high schools in the state.[2]

Campus students

All Alief ISD elementary, intermediate, and middle schools feed into Hastings as high school placement in Alief ISD is determined by a computerized lottery: the lottery can result in either Elsik, Hastings, or Taylor.[3] If a student was selected by lottery to attend a high school different from the high school of a relative currently attending or graduated from, the student may opt to transfer to that respective school.

Students may also complete an application for the district's magnet high school, Kerr.

Neighborhoods served by AISD include Alief, most of the New Chinatown, most of Westchase, Bellaire West, and most of Leawood.

Peggy Miller, a teacher, said that when she started being the school's yearbook advisor at Hastings, 18 years prior to 2008, the number of copies of yearbooks sold was 80% of the total number of students. Around 2008, the copies of yearbooks sold was 10-15% that of the total number of students. In 2008 Miller said "They all want them, but it's like, who's got $60? They would rather go buy their tennis shoes or buy a grill for their mouth or something. A book is not as significant today to a child."[4] In 2008 Miller introduced color pages in an effort to entice students to buy more yearbooks.[4]

Demographics

In the 2023-2024 school year, there were 3,930 students. 1.0% were American Indian, 8.6% were Asian, 26.2% were African American, 60.0% were Hispanic, 0.1% were Pacific Islander, 3.7% were White, and 0.4% were two or more races. 83.1% of students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academics

For each academic year, the Texas Education Agency rates school performance using statistical data. For 2017–2018, the school scored 73 out of 100, classified as "Met Standard." The following year, the school received a score of 78 and a C grade. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools were not rated in 2019–2020 and 2020–2021. For 2021–2022, the school received a score of 69 and was not rated.[5]

Notable alumni

Notes and References

  1. Web site: International District with Campus Network, 2010. International District. 2019-08-14.
  2. Web site: 2024 Largest High Schools in the Houston Area . 2024-06-05 . Niche . en.
  3. "2010-2011 Alief ISD Registration Times, Dates, & Requirements ." Alief Independent School District. Retrieved on October 16, 2011. "Students receive their assignments to Elsik, Hastings, or Taylor High School by means of a computerized random-draw system. Following the draw assignment, those who are interested in attending Kerr High School may apply for admission"
  4. Viren, Sarah. "Yearbooks vanish from Houston schools in Facebook era." Houston Chronicle. Tuesday May 13, 2008. Retrieved on October 25, 2011.
  5. https://txschools.gov/?view=school&id=101903001&tab=performance|accountability&lng=en Accountability Overview: Hastings HS
  6. News: Rice . Laura . From Houston, Going Viral: Arab-American Comedian Mo Amer Gets A Netflix Special . August 9, 2022 . Texas Standard . May 21, 2018.
  7. Web site: Lodhia . Pooja . History in the courtroom: Meet the youngest Harris County Attorney ever . 26 May 2021 . ABC13 . September 19, 2022.