Yates High School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jack Yates High School |
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| Address | |
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3650 Alabama Street
, 77004
United States
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| Coordinates | 29°43′22″N 95°21′17″W / 29.7228°N 95.35467°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Established | February 8, 1926 |
| School district | Houston Independent School District |
| Principal | Stephanie Square |
| Teaching staff | 51.49 (FTE) |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 879 (2018–19) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 17.07:1 |
| Color(s) | Crimson and Gold |
| Nickname | "Tha Yard" |
| Team name | Lions |
Jack Yates Senior High School is a public high school located in the historic Third Ward in Houston, Texas. It is close to Texas Southern University. This school serves students from ninth to twelfth grade. It is part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and can be found at 3650 Alabama Street.
The school was named after Reverend John Henry "Jack" Yates. He was a former slave and a minister. Reverend Yates and other important Black leaders started the Houston Baptist Academy. This school was very successful. Because of this, Reverend Yates later changed it to Houston College. This college gave Black children in the community a special chance for education. It was an alternative to the public school system's Colored High School.
Yates High School has special programs called magnet programs. One program focuses on communications. This includes broadcast TV, radio, print, and photography. Yates also has a magnet program for maritime studies. This program teaches about the ocean and ships.
In 2010, a writer named Paul Knight said that Yates "remains a symbol of solidarity in the Third Ward." This means it is still an important sign of unity for the community.
In June 2016, people from Jack Yates and HISD started building a new campus. A new school building costing $59.4 million was finished in summer 2018. It was built right next to the old campus.
Contents
History of Jack Yates High School
Early Years and Segregation
Yates High School opened on February 8, 1926. It was first called Yates Colored High School. It started with 17 teachers and 600 students. The school was located at 2610 Elgin. It was the second school in Houston for African-American students. At that time, schools were separated by race.
Before Yates, Houston had only one high school for Black students. It was called Colored High School. In 1925, the school board decided to build a new high school for Black students. This was because the Black population was growing. The Houston Informer newspaper suggested naming the schools after important Black people. The new high school was named after Jack Yates. The original Colored High School was renamed Booker T. Washington High School.
The first Yates High School was built using money from a $4 million bond program. This program also included money to fix up 17 existing schools and build new ones. Clifton Richardson, the editor of the Houston Informer, was unsure about this plan at first. But he later asked Houston's African-Americans to vote for the bond. In 1925, HISD first planned to build the school for $100,000. Richardson disagreed with this plan. This led the district to change the bond amount. The first principal, James D. Ryan, led the school from its opening until he passed away in 1941. William S. Holland became the second principal that year.
In 1927, the Yates building also became home to Houston Colored Junior College. This college later became Houston College for Negroes.
Before schools were desegregated, Black families who were middle and upper class sent their children to Yates.
By February 1951, Yates had 2,100 students. An addition was built that slightly increased the school's size. However, the school was still too crowded. It was designed for 1,600 students. By March 1954, there were over 3,000 students. Because of the overcrowding, the Southern Association of Secondary Schools removed Yates's accreditation. This meant the school was no longer officially recognized.
In 1955, a new Allen Elementary School opened. The old Allen campus became the Yates Annex. This was a school for Black 7th graders. In 1956, the annex was changed into J. Will Jones Elementary School.
On January 27, 1958, Worthing High School opened. This helped reduce the overcrowding at Yates. Yates moved to its Sampson Street location in September 1958. The old Yates site became Ryan Colored Junior High School. It is now Ryan Middle School. It was named after Yates's first principal. The HISD school board made Principal Holland stay at Ryan Middle School. He could not move to the new Yates. A petition from the community did not change this decision.
Schools in HISD were later named after former principals William S. Holland and James E. Codwell.
After Desegregation
After schools were desegregated in 1970, HISD started magnet programs. Many Black students from middle and upper-class families began attending schools like Bellaire High School and Lamar High School. These schools were previously only for White students. Also, many Black families moved from the Third Ward to the suburbs.
The Yates photography magnet school program started in the fall of 1978.
In the 1990s, superintendent Rod Paige brought in Robert Worthy to improve the school. Worthy changed many things. He replaced about half of the staff to bring in new ideas. Worthy also added more Advanced Placement courses.
In 1997, an area south of Interstate 45 was changed. Students from that area who used to go to Austin High School were now sent to Yates. After Chávez High School opened in 2000, some parts of the Yates area were changed back to Austin High School.
From 1998 to 2002, the school reported that almost all graduating students planned to go to college. However, some people doubted these numbers.
Around 2003, Yates' principal hired teachers who were not fully certified. They replaced some experienced teachers. Also, around that time, Yates did not have a school library for over a year.
In 2006, Houston mayor Bill White declared February 7 as "Jack Yates Senior High School Day."
In 2008, William G. Ouchi, an author, said that Yates had improved. He noted the "pride" at the school. He also mentioned that students followed the uniform policy.
Yates, along with Sam Houston High School and Kashmere High School, had low test scores from 2001 to 2004. Because of this, there were talks about the state taking over the schools. Yates received an "acceptable" rating from the Texas Education Agency in 2005.
In 2005, the number of students was less than half of what it was 20 years before. Many students in the Yates area chose to attend other high schools.
In June 2015, Ericka Mellon wrote that the Third Ward community had "concerns about leadership turnover, weak academic performance and safety problems" at Yates.
In May 2015, Donetrus Hill, the principal of Yates, resigned. Kenneth Davis became the new principal.
In June 2018, Tiffany Guillory became the principal. In December 2022, she was placed on leave by HISD. The community supported her, and the HISD board decided to keep her as principal.
In 2023, Stephanie Square became the principal.
Neighborhoods Served
Yates High School serves many neighborhoods in Houston. These areas are inside the 610 Loop and south of Downtown. Some of these neighborhoods include the Third Ward, Timbercrest, University Oaks, Oak Manor, and Riverside Terrace.
Cuney Homes, which is a public housing complex, is also in the Yates attendance zone.
Additionally, Cambridge Oaks, a housing complex for University of Houston students with children, is zoned to Yates.
School Campus
The current Yates campus has a cafeteria called the Crimson & Gold Café. It also has eight science laboratories. The campus is located between Texas Southern University and the University of Houston.
In 2012, Richard Connelly of the Houston Press said the previous 1958 Yates campus was the second most beautiful high school campus in Greater Houston. He liked its "proud `60s style."
Student Population
In 2018, Yates High School had about 900 students. About 90% of them were African-American. The other 10% were Hispanic.
In 2010, the school had about 1,200 students. Most of them were African-American. A smaller number were Hispanic, Asian, and White.
In the 2015–2016 school year, Yates gained over 110 students from other HISD schools. However, 738 high school students who were at Yates moved to other HISD schools.
Yates had 3,600 students in the mid-1980s. In 2001, students voted for an Asian American as "Mr. Yates." This showed that more non-Black students were attending schools that were mostly Black in Houston.
School Uniforms
Students at Yates High School are required to wear a school uniform. Parents can ask for an exception if they have a good reason, like religious beliefs.
Academics and Programs
In 2020, Yates became the fifth HISD high school to offer the International Baccalaureate program. This is a special program for advanced students.
Yates has HISD's magnet program for communications. This program teaches about broadcast TV, radio, print, and photography. Yates also has a maritime studies magnet program.
Before 2015, students who missed too many classes could do cleaning work to make up for their absences. HISD asked Yates to change this policy.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports at Yates
Yates High School has many sports teams. Boys' basketball is one of the most successful sports at the school. In 1994, Andrew W. Miracle wrote that sports programs at Yates are very important to the Third Ward community. They are as important as sports are to small towns in Texas.
During the time of segregation, Yates did not play against white high schools. It was part of the Prairie View Interscholastic League. This was a sports league only for Black schools. Yates was in this league from 1940 until 1968. In 1969, the Prairie View League ended. Yates then joined the University Interscholastic League (UIL).
In February 2012, Yates was reclassified as a UIL 3A school. This was a change from the 4A level.
Basketball
In 2010, Paul Knight of the Houston Press said that "no high school basketball team in the state and perhaps the country has played better than Yates." As of 2010, most of the basketball players were from the Third Ward.
In March 2010, Yates' boys basketball team was ranked number one in the nation by USA Today. They often won games by very large margins. On January 6, 2010, the basketball team beat Lee High School (now Wisdom High School) 170–35. This set a state record for points in a game. It also started a discussion about sportsmanship.
Jacques Armant, the basketball coach at Lee High, criticized the high scoring. He worried it could lead to problems. ESPN writer Rick Reilly also criticized Yates basketball Coach Greg Wise. He suggested that USA Today should remove Yates from its national rankings.
As of 2015, the Jack Yates boys' basketball team has won four state titles since the 2009 season.
Football
During the segregation era, schools for Black students played their football games on weekdays. Schools for White students played on Fridays.
In 1939, Yates coach Andrew "Pat" Patterson asked the principal to meet with the president of Prairie View A&M University. They wanted to create a football league for Black schools. The Prairie View Leagues started a football league in 1940. Yates was part of this league until 1968. Rick Sherrod, an author, called Patterson the "architect" of the PVIL football league.
Historically, the football game between Yates and Wheatley High School was very famous. Starting in 1927, the two schools played each Thanksgiving Day at the Jeppeson Stadium. This game was described as "the most important noncollege football game in the country." It often had over 30,000 people watching. The rivalry became less intense after Yates joined the UIL. The Thanksgiving Day Yates-Wheatley game also ended after football leagues became integrated.
Coach Patterson had a great record in the PVIL league. His team won 200 games, lost 64, and tied 9. They also won four state titles from PVIL.
Yates lost to Lake Highlands High School in the 1981 Texas state football championship game. Even with the loss, the principal of Yates said there was a "positive atmosphere" in the Third Ward. This was because Yates had made it to the championships.
Yates won the 1985 Texas 5-A football championship game. They defeated the Odessa Permian High School at Texas Stadium in Irving.
In 1994, the head football coach of Yates said that "You cannot deny that football affects the community in a big way."
Feeder Schools
Several elementary schools send their students to Yates High School. These include:
- Blackshear
- Foster
- Hartsfield
- Lockhart (partial)
- J. P. Henderson
- Peck
- Thompson
- Whidby
Parts of Cullen Middle School's attendance zone also feed into Yates. This includes areas that used to be zoned to Ryan Middle School.
Notable Alumni
Jack Yates High School has many famous former students. Here are some of them:
- Debbie Allen – actress
- Harold Bailey – former NFL football player
- Johnny Bailey – former NFL football player
- Michelle Barnes – artist
- Aubrey Beavers – former NFL football player
- Jewel Brown – jazz singer
- Grady Cavness – former NFL football player
- Garnet Coleman – state representative
- Albert Collins – Blues guitarist and singer
- Alex Davis - basketball player
- Alphonse Dotson – former NFL football player
- Damyean Dotson – NBA player
- Santana Dotson – former NFL football player and Super Bowl Champion
- Bo Farrington – former NFL football player
- George Floyd – Class of 1993; an African-American man who passed away on May 25, 2020.
- Albert Fontenot – former NFL football player
- Steve Henderson – former Major League Baseball (MLB) player
- Booker Huffman – professional wrestler known as Booker T
- Andrew L. Jefferson Jr. – Texas attorney and judge
- Conrad O. Johnson – jazz saxophonist
- Monica Lamb-Powell – former member of the Houston Comets
- Orie Lemon – NFL football player
- Mike Lewis – former NFL football player
- Dexter Manley – former NFL football player and Super Bowl Champion
- Louise Martin – photographer
- Roland S. Martin – journalist
- McCoy McLemore – former NBA player
- Robert Miller – former NFL running back
- Jerald Moore – former NFL player
- Big Moe (Kenneth Moore) – rapper
- Elvis Patterson – former NFL football player and two-time Super Bowl Champion
- Reggie Phillips – former NFL football player and Super Bowl XX champion
- Phylicia Rashad – actress, known for her role on The Cosby Show
- John Roper – Former NFL football Player
- Gloria Randle Scott (graduated in 1955), educator
- Damion Square – current NFL player
- Hobart Taylor Jr. – important government official
- Robyn Troup – American singer
- Rickie Winslow – former NBA basketball player
- Joe Young – Former NBA player
- Michael Young – former NBA player and director of basketball operations at the University of Houston
See also
In Spanish: Escuela Preparatoria Yates para niños
