Waltrip High School
| S.P. Waltrip High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Waltrip High School in 2009 | |
| Location | |
 | |
| , United States | |
| Coordinates | 29°49′10″N 95°26′03″W / 29.819442°N 95.434284°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Established | 1959 |
School district | Houston Independent School District |
Principal | Margaret Randall |
| Staff | 105.83 (FTE) (2022–23)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,597 (2022–23)[1] |
Student to teacher ratio | 15.09:1 (2022–23)[1] |
| Colors | Red and gray |
| Mascot | Rams |
| Newspaper | The Waltrip Tribune |
| Yearbook | Aries |
| Website | www |
Stephen Pool Waltrip High School is a public high school located at 1900 West 34th Street in Houston, Texas, United States. It serves grades 9 through 12 and is a part of the Houston Independent School District.
The school's namesake is a former principal at the defunct Houston Heights High School,[2] who transferred to Reagan High School (now renamed Heights High School) after that school replaced the original Houston Heights High.[3]
History
[edit]
Waltrip High School opened in 1960 to serve many newly developed post-World War II subdivisions, and relieved Reagan High School of many students when it did so. It was relieved by Scarborough Junior-Senior High School when that school opened in 1969. The school was named after Stephen Pool Waltrip, a funeral home owner in the Houston Heights named principal of Reagan High School in 1918.[4]
The school remained majority white until the early 1990s, when the school was equally white, black, and Hispanic.[5]
In 1997 a portion of the Reagan High School boundary was rezoned to Waltrip.[6] By the 2000s, Waltrip became majority Hispanic.[5]
Waltrip has become one of the highest performing comprehensive high schools in Houston ISD by being named "Recognized" by the Texas Education Agency[when?], one of the few urban high schools in Houston ISD to receive such a designation. (Reference: Texas Education Agency website).[7][citation needed]
Around 2012, each year a total of 400 students transfer from Booker T. Washington High School to Waltrip and Reagan.[8]
In 2015 Andria Schur got a job as the principal of a charter school in Dallas, Texas, causing her to leave her post as principal of Waltrip. Dale Mitchell, previously the principal of Sterling High School, became the principal of Waltrip.[9]
The campus began receiving a renovation around 2015.[10]
Student body
[edit]The makeup of the 1,597 students enrolled during the 2022-2023 school year was:
- 77% Hispanic
- 8% White
- 14% Black
- <1% Asian
- <1% Native American
Approximately 74% of the students qualified for free or reduced lunch programs.
Facilities
[edit]In 2012 it housed the Waltrip High School Child Development Center, a preschool program for low income children.[11] Since 2015 it no longer does so.[citation needed]
Academic performance
[edit]The Texas Education Agency rankings in 2009-2010 and 2011 were "Recognized" and "Academically Acceptable". Downing stated in 2012 that "Waltrip High is neither the worst nor the best high school in HISD."[12]
Notable alumni
[edit]- Mark Calaway (Class of 1983) - Retired WWE professional wrestler known as The Undertaker.[13]
- David Owen Brooks - convicted murderer and accomplice of serial killer Dean Corll
- Shelley Duvall (Class of 1967) - Producer and actress [14]
- Denzel Livingston (Class of 2011), basketball player for Hapoel Kfar Saba of the Israeli Liga Leumit[15]
- Debra Maffett (Class of 1975) - Miss America 1983.[14]
- Van Malone (Class of 1988) - Professional American football player for the Detroit Lions and college football coach[14]
- Keenan McCardell (Class of 1988) - Professional American football wide receiver coach for the Minnesota Vikings[14]
- Barbara Olson (Class of 1974) - Conservative commentator and September 11, 2001 attacks victim [16]
- Patrick Swayze (Class of 1971) - Actor and dancer.[14]
- Ric Gonzalez (Class of 1992) - Distribution Savant and Entrepreneur.[14]
- Jermaine Rogers (Class of 1991) - Gig-poster artist and vinyl collectible designer.[14]
- John H. Whitmire (Class of 1967) - A Texas senator, Mayor of Houston[14]
- Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman - murder victims - Waltrip High School contains a memorial to the girls [17]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Search for Public Schools - WALTRIP H S (482364002604)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
- ^ Sloan, Anne. Houston Heights. Arcadia Publishing, 2009. ISBN 0738571180, 9780738571188. p. 35.
- ^ Sloan, Anne. Houston Heights. Arcadia Publishing, 2009. ISBN 0738571180, 9780738571188. p. 36.
- ^ "Origins of Leader-area Street/School Names". The Leader News. Houston, TX: Jonathan McElvey. July 26, 2014.
- ^ a b "A Brief History of: S. P. Waltrip High School Archived 2010-03-04 at the Wayback Machine." Waltrip High School. Retrieved on April 20, 2009.
- ^ "1996-1997 HISD ATTENDANCE BOUNDARIES," Houston Independent School District. June 30, 1997. Retrieved on December 13, 2010. "Redirect students residing in a geographic "arm" west of Shepherd from Reagan to Waltrip"
- ^ Texas Education Agency
- ^ Radcliffe, Jennifer. "Effort to save historic Booker T. High gains steam." Houston Chronicle. Thursday February 2, 2012. Retrieved on February 2, 2012.
- ^ Mellon, Ericka. "HISD names Yates, Sterling, Westbury High principals" (Archived November 20, 2015, at the Wayback Machine). Houston Chronicle. June 5, 2015. Retrieved on November 20, 2015.
- ^ "Waltrip High School getting a modern makeover". Houston Independent School District. January 29, 2015. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
- ^ Lee, Renée C. "Program gives low income kids an early boost." Houston Chronicle. Tuesday April 24, 2012. Retrieved on April 25, 2012.
- ^ Downing, Margaret (April 19, 2012). "Wrong Time, Wrong Place". Houston Press. Archived from the original on April 28, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ "World Wrestling Entertainment Bio"
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Distinguished HISD Alumni Archived May 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine." Houston Independent School District.
- ^ [1] [dead link]
- ^ " Waltrip Trivia Page Archived 2012-08-31 at the Wayback Machine," Waltrip High School
- ^ "In Memory of Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman - 1993 Archived March 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine." Waltrip High School. Retrieved on March 6, 2010.
Further reading
[edit]- Dr. Enloe, Jon. "Community energy needed for Waltrip resurgence" (Archive" (Archive) (editorial). The Leader. September 5, 2013.
External links
[edit]
- Waltrip High School
- Waltrip High School (hs.houstonisd.org/waltriphs/) at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
| Authority control databases: Geographic |
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