At the end of last year, school data website Niche named the 25 best school districts in Texas for 2020, with Tomball ISD — where Empire’s Fairway Farms and Reserve at Spring Lakes communities are zoned — ranking eighteenth. The rankings are based on key statistics and reviews from students and parents, with factors that include state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT and ACT scores, teacher quality, public school district ratings and more.
Tomball Independent School District is a top-rated public school district with over 18,000 students enrolled in pre-kindergarten through to grade twelve across 20 campuses. Established as a school district in 1936, Tomball ISD has a current student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1. Read on to learn more about why Tomball ISD is one of the state’s top-rated school districts.
1. It has the Tomball star academy
During the 2017-2018 school year, Tomball ISD celebrated the opening of Tomball Star Academy, an early college high school that was founded as a joint initiative between Tomball ISD and Lone Star College. The program enables high school students to earn their diploma while also working towards up to 60 college credit hours free of charge. According to Tomball ISD’s website, the Tomball Star Academy “provides a rigorous, supportive learning environment that blends high school and the first two years of college. Students have the ability to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities as well as intramural sports.”
2. It’s constantly expanding and evolving
Tomball ISD has enjoyed a continued wave of growth and expansion, beginning in 2000 when voters approved a $98.4 million bond referendum that enabled the district to renovate Tomball High School as well as expand its extracurricular and instructional programs. Voters passed a second bond years later in 2007 that saw the establishment of three new elementary schools, a high school and additional support facilities; in May 2013, another $160 million bond program was introduced that funded four new schools and addressed security and technology district-wide.
More recently, a $275 million bond — the largest in the district’s history — was passed in 2017 that will address improvements in all areas of academic success at Tomball ISD, from fine arts to technology and athletics. It will also fund the renovations of existing campuses and the construction of new district facilities, including an agricultural barn, swim training facility and stadium.
3. It’s an award-winning district
Tomball ISD is a proud member of the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA), which provides annual Star Awards in recognition for the outstanding education communications and projects of its members. Tomball ISD has won over 50 Gold, Silver and Bronze awards.
Tomball ISD was also a recipient of the H-E-B Excellence in Education Award in 2018. The award recognizes outstanding school districts and their commitment to student achievement through innovative programs, parent and community involvement and professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators.
To learn more about Tomball ISD, including school and department information, visit their website.
Images courtesy of Welcome to Tomball (Tomball ISD); Har (Tomball High School).