Wheatley High School (Houston) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Phillis Wheatley High School |
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Wheatley High School
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| Location | |
| Coordinates | 29°46′17″N 95°19′11″W / 29.7713°N 95.31982°W |
| Information | |
| Opened | 1927 |
| School board | Houston Independent School District |
| Teaching staff | 54.36 (FTE) |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 969 (2017-18) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 17.83 |
| Campus size | 14 acres (5.7 ha) |
| Campus type | Urban |
| Color(s) | |
| Team name | Wildcats |
| Last updated: 29 December 2017 | |
Phillis Wheatley High School is a high school located in Houston, Texas, United States. It is part of the Houston Independent School District. The school is named after Phillis Wheatley, a famous poet. It is found in the Fifth Ward area of Houston.
Wheatley High School has a special program focused on technology. This program started in 2006. In 1979, the school's principal, Charles Herbert, said that for many people, the Fifth Ward is Wheatley High School. He noted that African Americans who grew up there still felt a strong connection to the school, even if they moved away.
Contents
History of Wheatley High School
Early Years: Before Desegregation
Wheatley High School first opened its doors on January 31, 1927. It was located in the old McGowan Elementary School building.
In 1927, Wheatley High School was one of the biggest schools for Black students in the United States. It had 2,600 students and 60 teachers. This was during the Jim Crow era, when schools were separated based on race. By 1949, the first school building was too crowded. Students had to attend classes in different shifts.
That same year, a new campus opened at 4900 Market Street. It was a large, 14-acre (5.7 ha) campus that cost $2.5 million. This made it the most expensive high school built in Houston at the time. The new campus had a big auditorium that could seat 1,500 people. It also had a gym, a place for industrial arts, and a swimming pool. The school district spent a lot of money on Wheatley. They wanted to show that separate schools for minority students could be just as good as schools for White students. The old Wheatley campus later became E.O. Smith Middle School.
In May 1965, a youth minister named William Lawson asked Wheatley students to consider a school boycott. The school district was slowly integrating schools, but African American leaders felt it was too slow. Five days later, a boycott happened, and only 10% of Wheatley students went to classes.
After Desegregation: Changes and Challenges
In the 1970s, Houston schools became desegregated, meaning students of all races could attend together. The Fifth Ward neighborhood saw an increase in crime. Houston ISD changed the school zones, sending White students from Denver Harbor to Wheatley. However, many Hispanic students in the area preferred to go to Austin High School or Furr High School.
Some people felt that the school's pride and discipline started to weaken in the 1970s. Counselors worried about low student morale. The school stopped using physical punishment around this time. This was because White parents did not want Black teachers to punish White students, and Black parents did not want White teachers to punish Black students. Many new White teachers at Wheatley did not live in the Fifth Ward. They also had less experience teaching Black students from the inner city.
In 1979, Principal Herald said that the best students and teachers left the school after desegregation. In 1976, Wheatley's reading scores were very low. In 1977, they dropped even more. In 1978, the school district suggested smaller classes and higher teacher salaries to help Wheatley.
However, Principal Herald also said in 1979 that the school was more peaceful than during the Civil Rights Movement. He noted that half of Wheatley students were trying to get into college.
Wheatley High School in the 2000s and 2010s
In the 1990s, Wheatley had low test scores and many students dropping out. In 1995, it had the highest dropout rate and the lowest math scores among Houston ISD high schools. By 1997, none of the teachers at Wheatley lived in the school's attendance area. Also, less than 1,000 of the 1,800 high school-aged children zoned to Wheatley actually attended the school.
A study in 2007 called Wheatley a "dropout factory." This meant that at least 40% of students who started as freshmen did not make it to their senior year.
A new campus for Wheatley High School was built on the same land as the old 4900 Market Street campus. The address changed to 4801 Providence Street. The new campus opened in fall 2006. The old 4900 Market Street campus was torn down. The new building cost $35 million.
In 2019, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) gave Wheatley a failing grade. It was the only high school in Houston ISD to get this grade that year. This was the seventh year in a row the school had a failing grade. The TEA said that if a school fails any of its four main categories, it fails overall. Wheatley officials said that if this rule didn't exist, the school would have received a "D" grade. The TEA rejected an appeal from Wheatley to waive student scores due to Hurricane Harvey.
In 2023, the Wheatley community was unsure if the TEA would keep the school open after taking control of HISD.
Student Population at Wheatley
During the segregation era, Wheatley had one of the largest student populations among schools for Black students, with about 2,600 students.
In 1979, the school had 1,197 Black students, 125 Hispanic students, and 8 White students.
In the 2004–2005 school year, Wheatley had one of the lowest enrollments for a zoned Houston ISD high school, with 836 students. By 2008, the enrollment increased to 1,235 students.
Neighborhoods Served by Wheatley
Wheatley High School serves several neighborhoods in Houston. These include the Fifth Ward (like Frenchtown), Denver Harbor, and a part of East Downtown. It also serves some areas of Kashmere Gardens.
Several public housing complexes are also zoned to Wheatley. These include Clayton Homes, Kelly Village, and Kennedy Place.
School Campus
The current Wheatley campus opened in June 2006 and cost $35 million. The architects, ESPA Group, won an award for their design of the campus. The school was featured in School Planning & Management's Education Design Showcase in 2008.
In 2012, Richard Connelly of the Houston Press called Wheatley the fifth most beautiful high school campus in Greater Houston. He liked its unique, geometric design.
Wheatley is located in the Fifth Ward, close to an Interstate 10 access road and a park.
In 2014, the HISD school board approved tearing down the original 1929 Wheatley High School building. Some lawsuits tried to stop the demolition, but a judge dismissed them. The district then tore down the rest of the building. HISD plans to build a new school on that site.
Sports at Wheatley
In the years before desegregation, Wheatley was very strong in Black high school basketball in Texas. However, it was not as strong in American football.
Basketball Success
The school won many state basketball tournaments. For 25 years, ending in 1974, 15 of its teams reached the state championships. Wheatley first played in separate leagues for Black schools. Around 1968, the University Interscholastic League (UIL) allowed Black schools to join.
In 1968, Wheatley won the first high school basketball playoffs in Texas. They beat Thomas Jefferson High School from Dallas with a score of 85–80 in overtime. This win gave Wheatley a perfect 36–0 record. From 1968 to 1974, Wheatley won four state championships. They won 219 games and lost only 11.
Historically, many great basketball players from Wheatley went on to play at Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University. By 1974, bigger universities also started looking to recruit Wheatley players.
Football Rivalries
In the segregation era, schools for Black students played their football games on weekdays. Schools for White students played on Fridays.
The football game between Wheatley and Yates High School was historically one of the most important games in the United States. Before desegregation, Wheatley did not play against White high schools. Starting in 1927, the Wheatley and Yates football teams played each other every Thanksgiving Day at Jeppeson Stadium. This Thanksgiving football game was very popular. It often had crowds of over 30,000 people. The rivalry became less intense after Yates joined the UIL. The Thanksgiving Day game ended after football leagues became integrated.
Music Programs
In the 1930s, Percy McDavid was one of the few American music teachers who taught both classical music and jazz in orchestra classes. He developed Wheatley's music programs during this time. Duke Ellington, a famous jazz musician, visited in 1935 to hear Wheatley's orchestra. Many well-known musicians, like Arnett Cobb and Illinois Jacquet, graduated from Wheatley during this period.
Notable Alumni
- Tom Archia, Jazz Tenor Saxophonist
- Archie Bell, musician
- Arnett Cobb, musician
- George Foreman, boxing champion
- Lester Hayes, former NFL player for the Oakland Raiders
- Xavien Howard, American football cornerback
- William Jackson III, American football cornerback
- Illinois Jacquet, jazz musician
- Cliff Johnson, retired MLB player
- Barbara Jordan, first African-American U.S. Congresswoman from the Southern United States
- Mickey Leland, member of the Texas House of Representatives
- Joe Sample, member of The Crusaders
- Ruth Simmons, president of Brown University
- Hubert Laws, flautist and member of The Crusaders
- Sid Williams, former NFL player and United States Ambassador to the Bahamas
Feeder Schools
Elementary schools that send students to Wheatley include:
- Dogan
- Eliot
- N.Q. Henderson
- R. Martinez
- Pugh
- Scroggins
- Bruce (partial)
- Burnet (partial)
- Isaacs (partial)
- Lantrip (partial)
- Ross (partial)
- Scott (partial)
Middle schools that send students to Wheatley include:
- McReynolds
- Fleming (partial)
- Yolanda Black Navarro (partial)
Images for kids
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The building that used to be Wheatley High School, now the Carter Career Center/DeVry Advantage Academy.
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The Fine Arts Complex and John F. Codwell Auditorium at Wheatley High School.
See also
In Spanish: Escuela Preparatoria Wheatley (Houston) para niños
