Alief, Houston, Texas
Encyclopedia
Alief is a community in Harris County
, Texas
, United States
that is mostly within the city limits of Houston
. The Alief Community Association defines the boundaries of Alief as, "Westheimer
on the north, Sam Houston Tollway on the east, Fort Bend County Line on the west and Highway 59
on the south," while the Alief Independent School District
boundaries extend as far east as Gessner in some places. Portions of Alief are in Southwest Houston while portions of Alief are within unincorporated Harris County.
. Surveyors named the town Dairy, Texas. The first two town settlers, Dr. John S. Magee and his wife, Alief Ozelda Magee, moved from Ellis County
to Dairy the same year.
Alief Ozelda Magee, acting as the town's first postmistress, applied to open the first post office
in 1895. On August 16, 1895 the post office opened. The postal service referred to the office as "Alief" in her honor to help avoid confusion with mail intended for the similarly named town of Daisy, Texas. The site of the post office, which was operated from her home, was honored with a Texas State Historical Marker in 1990. The marker (number 10644) is located on the south side of 7th Street between F Street and G Street.
Meston deeded property to Dr. John S. Magee, Newton Gentry, and Hardy Price for use as a cemetery in 1900. Alief Ozelda Magee, who died in 1899, is buried in the cemetery. The cemetery is located at what is now the intersection of Bellaire Blvd. and Dairy Ashford. The Texas Historical Commission
recognized Alief Cemetery with a historical marker (number 10589) in 1984.
The Flood of 1899 and the Galveston Hurricane of 1900
destroyed the Methodist Episcopal Church along with the town's cotton
and corn
crops, forcing 24 of the 30 families that resided in Alief to relocate. The town reverted to prairie
and wolves openly roamed during daytime. Daugherty found a positive side to the flooding; He persuaded the remaining six families that rice
was better suited to grow in Alief's flood plains than previous crops and spent his own money to help cultivate the first rice crops. Daugherty succeeded: his rice
became an instant cash crop
that persuaded many to return to Alief. In 1901, Alief's first immigrant families, a small group of Germans
arrived. In 1904, the majority of those who had left in the wake of the 1900 hurricane returned. The rapid growth period created a commercial district along the railroad tracks, convincing the San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railway to construct a depot
.
Due to its propensity for flooding, the citizens established the Harris County Flood Control District
in Alief in 1909. The chairman of the Harris County Drainage District was Daugherty. Trustees S.B. (Shorter) Burleson and Will and Eddie Garmond for the Prairie Grove Missionary Baptist Church purchased land in 1910 which would later become the church's home. The historic African American church's congregation met in the home of S.B. (Shorter) Burleson before the construction of the sanctuary. Credit for the church's name is primarily attributed to Mamie Burleson. In 1911, the Dairy School District was established and a three-story school was built.
The town was officially renamed "Alief, Texas" in 1917 and the Dairy School District became the Alief Independent School District
(Alief ISD).
, eight miles north of Richmond
, through Alief and south to Alvin
," according to the Westchase District, was completed in 1934. Daugherty promoted the canal, which was used for irrigation by rice farmers. The year after the canal was completed, Alief obtained electricity. Education in Alief was segregated. From 1927 to 1937, African American children used Prairie Grove Missionary Baptist Church's sanctuary as a schoolhouse. Previously, African American children attended school in a one-room schoolhouse. Alief ISD's three-story schoolhouse was condemned in 1939, and its students attended classes in a nearby building until a new school annex was added in 1940. Also in 1940, Melissa Outley died. Outley was the first African American educator in Alief. Hers is the first known burial in Prairie Grove Cemetery, which was adjacent to Prairie Grove Missionary Baptist Church. The church's sanctuary was demolished in the 1940s as attendance fell. Alief Community Church first opened its doors in 1941. Population fluctuated wildly, ranging from a low of 35 in the 1930s to 200 by 1942. Population fluctuated wildly, ranging from a low of 35 in the 1930s to 200 by 1942. Alief acquired telephone service in 1943. E.W.K. "Andy" Andrau opened Andrau Airpark
in 1946. In 1964, Alief ISD built its oldest remaining school, Alief Elementary School (later renamed for teacher Cynthia Youens). By the same year, oilman Robert E. "Bob" Smith owned 11,000 acres of land including the Westchase area.
In 1970, Alief was still primarily pastureland and major thoroughfares, such as the Sam Houston Tollway, were still gravel roads. The 1970s were a prosperous time for Houston, and Alief continued to grow as people came to the area in search of housing. Houston began expanding westward with the development of River Oaks and Memorial, and the trend continued to Alief. Many of the new residents were low-income apartment dwellers. The community's population increased by a factor of four between 1970 and 1985. Alief's increase in population accounted for half of the population growth in Harris County between 1980 and 1985. The Alief Independent School District struggled to find room for all of the new students.
As the population of Alief increased in the 1980s, the community began to diverify. In 1978, close to 80% of the people in the community were white. Less than 4% of the people in the community were African American. The shift was primarily for socio-economic reasons. Many low-income Spanish-speaking immigrants settled in traditionally low-income areas of Houston inside Loop 610. Many African-Americans who could afford to left traditional African-American neighborhoods to move to Alief and other parts of Southwest Houston during the 1980s. White people who could afford to move to newer suburbs further from Houston than Alief began to leave the community. In addition, many people of Asian ancestry settled in Alief, Sharpstown, and Westwood, creating one of the largest Asian-American concentrations in Houston. Southwest Houston's Asian population included mainly immigrants from China
, India
, Pakistan
, Vietnam
, Cambodia
, and Korea
. In addition, Southwest Houston became home to many people from Taiwan
, the Philippines
, Japan
, Laos
, and Indonesia
. By the late 1980s, white students accounted for less than half of the students enrolled in Alief ISD.
Crime began to increase during the 1980s in Alief as well. The murder count in Houston surpassed the 700 mark in 1981 Drug trafficking became more common in the 1980s. Although the Houston Police Department had downplayed the existence of criminal gangs in the city, Westside Tactical Unit Officer R.L. Spurgeon revealed in a 1988 Houston Chronicle interview that the Los Angelos Crips were attempting to recruit the loosely formed Alief Gangsters. Later the same year, the Houston Chronicle reported that although there were many gangs in Houston, several were in the Alief area, and that some Alief youths claimed to be Crips or Latin Kings. According to Police Chief Lee P. Brown
, Houston's gang problem was smaller in scale than other major U.S. cities had at the same time.
In addition changes in population and demographic, the community underwent several other important changes. Robert E. "Bob" Smith died in 1973, and his widow sold 760 acres of land to the Westchase Corporation which began developing the Westchase District. Houston began annexing Alief in 1977. The City of Houston voted to annex the Alief-Fondren area on November 23, 1977. In 1978, Brown and Root built a large engineering complex at the corner of Bellaire Blvd. and Beltway 8. Houston continued to annex pieces of Alief into the 1980s. West Oaks Mall
opened in 1984 and was annexed by the City of Houston the same year. The community feared that annexation would lead to neglect by Houston's government and protested further annexations. Despite these efforts, Houston succeeded in annexing most of the area. Agriculture began to fade. The last cotton gin in Alief closed in 1976, and the area ceased growing cotton altogether by 1982. Alief was one of the last places where cotton had been grown in Harris County. Dairy, cattle, vegetable production, and rice production also declined. Urban development took the place of agriculture. In the spring of 1985, Houston Fire Station #76 was opened to serve the Alief area. The Alief Branch Library (since renamed the David M. Henington-Alief Regional Library) was also opened in 1985. As a sign of the community's growing diversity, the Houston Chronicle noted that the library staff spoke, "a variety of languages, including Hindi, Mandarin Chinese and Farsi," when the library first opened. West Houston Medical Center was constructed in 1985 as well. The Alief General Hospital building was abandoned. The Fame City entertainment complex and water park (which later became Fun Plex and Adventure Bay) held its grand opening in 1986. Fame City featured roller skating, movie theaters, a sound studio, miniature golf, bumper-cars, bowling, alley, games, rides, an arcade, restaurants and shops indoors, and a 10 acre water park outdoors. The Alief Brown and Root building closed in May 1987, but was reopened in November 1988 when the industry saw increased growth. Andrau Airpark was sold to the Camden Trust in 1988, although the airport continued to operate.
Mik Giglio of the Houston Press
said in 200 that in 1997 Alief "was a blend of its affluent, white former self and the predominantly poor, ethnic enclave it has since become."
By 1997, street signs in Alief near Bellaire and Corporate were in both English and Chinese. The Chinese signs had the Chinese phonetic pronunciations of the English names so that English and Chinese speakers could understand each other. In 1997, Hong Kong Development announced plans to build a center called Hong Kong City at the corner of Bellaire and Boone. The developers hoped that building west of Beltway 8 would move the center of the growing Asian business community further west. The Hong Kong City Mall opened in 1999. At the same time that the African American, Hispanic, and Asian populations increased, the white population decreased. Researchers cited social class differences as the reason most white people moved away from Alief. People with greater financial means of all ethnicities moved to further outlying suburbs with greater amenities and better performing schools during the period, while people with lesser financial means moved into the area to take advantage of newer housing and better amenities and schools than those that they left behind. The change was seen disproportionately in the white population since the white population was disproportionately wealthier. Allen G. Breed of the Associated Press
wrote: "Alief is an impoverished, multicultural enclave where many of the business and street signs are in both English and one of several Asian languages. The district's 47,000 students speak nearly 70 tongues, and the number of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch over 70%.".
Alief continued to encounter common urban problems during the 1990s. Crimes committed by juveniles rose significantly, and by 1990, there were 60% more murders committed by juveniles in Harris County than there had been in 1986. Violence associated with criminal gangs escalated. In 1993, five people were arrested when a dispute between rival gangs resulted in the murder of a teenager at a Halloween party. Reactions to the rise in crime varied. In 1991, the candidates for the District F city council seat agreed that crime and drugs were the most important issues. By the same year, Alief ISD had added rules to its dress code forbidding students to wear gang attire. In 1992, Alief ISD began setting up metal detectors at high schools and athletic events to prevent students from carrying weapons. Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack declared 11 parks in his precinct, including Alief-Amity Park, drug-free zones with stiffer penalties for people caught possessing drugs. Alief ISD tested a uniform policy at three middle schools in 1996 and then mandated uniforms for all elementary, intermediate, and middle schools in 1997.
Poverty increased in the area. Between 1991 and 1992, one area food bank received 43% more requests for food than it had in the preceding year. By 1995, large numbers of undocumented workers had moved to the area and were working for less than minimum wage. The House of Amos opened in 1995 to help provide food and clothes to impoverished residents.
Many developments in education took place in the 1990s in Alief. In 1993, Alief ISD instituted a rule which made passing the statewide standardized test, the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills
(TAAS) Exit Exam, a requirement for high school graduation. Many parents protested the measure. In 1995, voters decided to allow Alief ISD to build the Hastings and Elsik Ninth Grade Centers. In 1998, voters approved funds for Alief ISD to use to build a new high school, which would later become Alief "Doc" Taylor.
The period was also marked with political scandals. In 1991, a ballot box from the Boone Elementary polling location containing over 700 ballots went missing after the poll closed.
In late 1994, David M. Henington, the director of the Houston Public Library, retired. In an article about his retirement plans he told the reporter he wanted personal computers placed in all of Houston's branch libraries so that all Houstonians could access the internet "information superhighway" during their visits. In 1996, the Henington-Alief Library began offering free internet access to the public. The service was text-only and was limited to 20 minutes when other users were waiting to use the computers. The move by the Houston Public Library was intended to bring internet access to Houstonians who did not have a home computer and therefore did not have home access to the internet.
In 2005, Alief became home to many Hurricane Katrina
evacuees. More than 3,000 evacuees enrolled in Alief ISD schools. Alief ISD spent $12 million to accommodate Hurricane Katrina evacuees in 2005. The United States government promised to reimburse the district, but in 2006 Alief had not yet received the money. Many of the students who were displaced by the hurricane were academically behind their Texas peers. In 2006, former United States President George H. W. Bush
and Houston Mayor Bill White led a fundraising campaign to help Alief ISD and other districts pay for educating the displaced students. The influx of evacuees caused an escalation of gang violence. Murders in Houston increased by 29% in 2005.
In the first 1991 Mayor of Houston election, most Alief voters voted for Bob Lanier
. However, in the community Sylvester Turner, Lanier's opponent, had a large second-most following in terms of votes. In 2008, M. J. Khan represented the District F (which includes Alief). By December 3, 1991, increases in crime and changes of demographics in southwestern Houston neighborhoods led to many challengers desiring to fill the city council seat of District F.
As of 2011 Houston City Council
District F covers the parts of Alief in Houston.
The portion of Alief in Houston is within Super Neighborhood #25 Alief. Its recognized council was established on June 25, 2000. Each super neighborhood represents a group of civic clubs, places of worship, businesses, and other institutions and community interests.
." According to the Alief Independent School District in 2011, "Virtually every culture of the modern world is represented in [the district's] 45,000 student enrollment; more than 80 languages and dialects are spoken," among its students. The population was 11.1% white(non-Hispanic), 27.4% black(non-Hispanic), 21.2% Asian, and 37.9% Hispanic in the annexed portion of Alief in 2009. The number of Asians and Hispanics in the annexed portion of Alief increased between the years 2000 and 2009 while the number of people from all other ethnic groups listed by the City of Houston Planning Department either declined or showed no change. The number of households in the annexed portion of Alief increased from 31,033 in 2000 to 33,654 in 2009. The average size of households in the area increased as well, from 3.15 to 3.22. The median age of residents in the annexed portion of Alief was 29.6 in 2009. The median household income in 2009 was $50,028 annually and the average household income was $54,295 annually for Alief households located in Houston. The unemployment rate increased significantly, from 7.4% in 2000 to 11.5% in the annexed portion of Alief.
(Alief ISD). To enroll in Alief ISD, students must present a state-certified birth certificate (prekindergarten and kindergarten students must have an original birth certificate), their most recent report card, immunization records, two proofs of their residence (which can be in the form of a deed, lease, bank statement, and/or most recent utility bill), the student’s social security number. A parent/legal guardian must accompany children under the age of 18 who wish to enroll and the parent or guardian must present his or her photo ID. The district offers prekindergarten to children meeting set criteria. To qualify for enrollment in a prekindergarten program, children must be 4 years old by the district's cut-off date. Children also must be either unable to speak or comprehend English or come from families which have a household income at or below the subsistence level as defined by the State Board of Education. Students between the ages of 5 years old and 21 may attend kindergarten through twelfth grade in the district. In addition, students who are between the ages of 21 and 26 may attend high school in the district to complete their high school diploma requirements.
As of 2011, the Alief Independent School District has 24 elementary schools. Youens Elementary and Chancellor Elementary go all the way to fifth grade, however most students are also zoned to an intermediate school for fourth and fifth grade. The district has six intermediate schools as of 2011. Students attend middle school for the sixth through eighth grades. The district has six middle schools as of 2011. High school students in Alief ISD are assigned by lottery to either Alief Elsik High School
, Alief Hastings High School
, or Alief Taylor High School
during October of their eighth grade year. They can also choose to apply for admission to Alief Kerr High School
. Students selected to attend Hastings High School attend the Hastings Ninth Grade Center during their ninth grade year, and students selected to attend Elsik High School attend the Elsik Ninth Grade Center during their ninth grade year. In 2010, the district opened an additional high school in partnership with Houston Community College. The Alief Early College High School allows students to take courses for dual credit and graduate with both a high school diploma and the equivalence of an associates degree at the same time. Admission to the Alief Early College High School is by application only. According to the Houston Chronicle, admission to the school is not based on ability, rather, "Students who will be selected are mostly under-represented at four-year colleges or will be the first in their family to attend college." The district also has two alternative schools. The Alief Learning Center has its own campus, while the Crossroads/ Night High School/ LINC/ SOAR (Crossroads) meets in the annex between Hastings and Elsik. The Crossroads program is designed for "at-risk students with discipline problems who are behind in academic credit and are at risk of not graduating from high school," as well students who are pregnant or parenting, emancipated minors, and students who have failed the TAKS/ TAAS tests.
In addition to school campuses, the district has several other facilities for students, staff, and administrators. The Leroy Crump Stadium is home to many athletic events. The Steven Lloyd Ness Natatorium, located on High Star across the street from the Elsik campus, houses the districts swimming pools. The district administration offices are on High Star. The maintenance office and nutrition annex are on High Star as well. The district bus depot is on Synott. The district has its own police force. The police station is located on 12135 1/2 High Star. The police force enforces the district's "Zero Tolerance
" policy.
s are an alternative to public school education. The schools are partially funded by taxpayers and are not allowed to charge tuition. The schools enjoy more freedom of administration than public schools. They are not affiliated with local school districts.
Alief Montessori Community School is a charter school
which offers prekindergarten through the fifth grade following Montessori philosophy. Students are typically between 3 and 12 years old. The school was ranked among the top schools in the Houston area in 2011. The school has also been a Texas Exemplary School and a recipient of the Honor Roll School Award from the Texas Business and Education Coalition. The school is located at 12013 6th Street. As of July 2011, the school is undergoing an expansion. Groundbreaking on the expansion was held on March 26, 2010.
Two Harmony Public Schools
charter schools are in Alief (when Gessner is considered the boundary line for Alief). They are:
Harmony School of Innovation, which offers grades K-8, and
Harmony Science Academy High, which offers grades 9-12.
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that is mostly within the city limits of Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. The Alief Community Association defines the boundaries of Alief as, "Westheimer
Westheimer Road
Westheimer Road is an arterial road in the western half of Houston, Texas, United States. It runs from Bagby Street west to the Westpark Tollway. Westheimer Road runs roughly parallel to and south of Buffalo Bayou throughout its course. The street was named after Michael Louis Westheimer, a...
on the north, Sam Houston Tollway on the east, Fort Bend County Line on the west and Highway 59
U.S. Route 59 in Texas
In the U.S. state of Texas, U.S. 59 is named the Lloyd Bentsen Highway, after Lloyd Bentsen, former U.S. Senator from Texas. In northern Houston, US 59 is the Eastex Freeway...
on the south," while the Alief Independent School District
Alief Independent School District
Alief Independent School District is a school district that is based in southwest Houston, Texas, United States.Alief ISD, which covers of land, covers a small portion of southwest Houston and parts of unincorporated Harris County...
boundaries extend as far east as Gessner in some places. Portions of Alief are in Southwest Houston while portions of Alief are within unincorporated Harris County.
Early settlement (1861–1917)
In 1861, Reynolds Reynolds claimed 1250 acres (5.1 km²) of land near Brays Bayou. The land was sold to Jacamiah Seaman Daugherty in 1888 and in the following year, he allowed the San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railway to build on his land. Daugherty sold his land in 1893 to Francis Meston who planned to engineer a community. Daugherty stayed to oversee land sales in Meston's Houston office. In 1894, the community was surveyed and recognized by Harris CountyHarris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
. Surveyors named the town Dairy, Texas. The first two town settlers, Dr. John S. Magee and his wife, Alief Ozelda Magee, moved from Ellis County
Ellis County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 111,360 people, 37,020 households, and 29,653 families residing in the county. The population density was 118 people per square mile . There were 39,071 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile...
to Dairy the same year.
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
in 1895. On August 16, 1895 the post office opened. The postal service referred to the office as "Alief" in her honor to help avoid confusion with mail intended for the similarly named town of Daisy, Texas. The site of the post office, which was operated from her home, was honored with a Texas State Historical Marker in 1990. The marker (number 10644) is located on the south side of 7th Street between F Street and G Street.
Meston deeded property to Dr. John S. Magee, Newton Gentry, and Hardy Price for use as a cemetery in 1900. Alief Ozelda Magee, who died in 1899, is buried in the cemetery. The cemetery is located at what is now the intersection of Bellaire Blvd. and Dairy Ashford. The Texas Historical Commission
Texas Historical Commission
The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas....
recognized Alief Cemetery with a historical marker (number 10589) in 1984.
The Flood of 1899 and the Galveston Hurricane of 1900
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on the city of Galveston in the U.S. state of Texas, on September 8, 1900.It had estimated winds of at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale...
destroyed the Methodist Episcopal Church along with the town's cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
and corn
Corn
Corn is the name used in the United States, Canada, and Australia for the grain maize.In much of the English-speaking world, the term "corn" is a generic term for cereal crops, such as* Barley* Oats* Wheat* Rye- Places :...
crops, forcing 24 of the 30 families that resided in Alief to relocate. The town reverted to prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
and wolves openly roamed during daytime. Daugherty found a positive side to the flooding; He persuaded the remaining six families that rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
was better suited to grow in Alief's flood plains than previous crops and spent his own money to help cultivate the first rice crops. Daugherty succeeded: his rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
became an instant cash crop
Cash crop
In agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for profit.The term is used to differentiate from subsistence crops, which are those fed to the producer's own livestock or grown as food for the producer's family...
that persuaded many to return to Alief. In 1901, Alief's first immigrant families, a small group of Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
arrived. In 1904, the majority of those who had left in the wake of the 1900 hurricane returned. The rapid growth period created a commercial district along the railroad tracks, convincing the San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railway to construct a depot
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
.
Due to its propensity for flooding, the citizens established the Harris County Flood Control District
Harris County Flood Control District
Harris County Flood Control District is a government agency that was established to reduce the effects of flooding in Harris County, Texas, United States. The flood control district has its headquarters in Houston....
in Alief in 1909. The chairman of the Harris County Drainage District was Daugherty. Trustees S.B. (Shorter) Burleson and Will and Eddie Garmond for the Prairie Grove Missionary Baptist Church purchased land in 1910 which would later become the church's home. The historic African American church's congregation met in the home of S.B. (Shorter) Burleson before the construction of the sanctuary. Credit for the church's name is primarily attributed to Mamie Burleson. In 1911, the Dairy School District was established and a three-story school was built.
The town was officially renamed "Alief, Texas" in 1917 and the Dairy School District became the Alief Independent School District
Alief Independent School District
Alief Independent School District is a school district that is based in southwest Houston, Texas, United States.Alief ISD, which covers of land, covers a small portion of southwest Houston and parts of unincorporated Harris County...
(Alief ISD).
Development (1918–1969)
Automobiles arrived in Alief by 1920. The sanctuary for Prairie Grove Missionary Baptist Church was constructed between 1921 and 1922. The Cane Belt Canal, which "ran from the Brazos RiverBrazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...
, eight miles north of Richmond
Richmond, Texas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 11,081 people, 3,413 households, and 2,628 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,975.4 people per square mile . There were 3,595 housing units at an average density of 965.3 per square mile...
, through Alief and south to Alvin
Alvin, Texas
Alvin is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area and Brazoria County. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 21,413. Alvin's claim to fame is Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, who moved with his family to the city in 1947 as...
," according to the Westchase District, was completed in 1934. Daugherty promoted the canal, which was used for irrigation by rice farmers. The year after the canal was completed, Alief obtained electricity. Education in Alief was segregated. From 1927 to 1937, African American children used Prairie Grove Missionary Baptist Church's sanctuary as a schoolhouse. Previously, African American children attended school in a one-room schoolhouse. Alief ISD's three-story schoolhouse was condemned in 1939, and its students attended classes in a nearby building until a new school annex was added in 1940. Also in 1940, Melissa Outley died. Outley was the first African American educator in Alief. Hers is the first known burial in Prairie Grove Cemetery, which was adjacent to Prairie Grove Missionary Baptist Church. The church's sanctuary was demolished in the 1940s as attendance fell. Alief Community Church first opened its doors in 1941. Population fluctuated wildly, ranging from a low of 35 in the 1930s to 200 by 1942. Population fluctuated wildly, ranging from a low of 35 in the 1930s to 200 by 1942. Alief acquired telephone service in 1943. E.W.K. "Andy" Andrau opened Andrau Airpark
Andrau Airpark
Andrau Airpark was a public use airport located in the Alief community of Houston, Texas, United States, formerly an unincorporated section of Harris County, from the late 1940s through 1998. The airport was southeast of the intersection of Old Westheimer road and Richmond Avenue...
in 1946. In 1964, Alief ISD built its oldest remaining school, Alief Elementary School (later renamed for teacher Cynthia Youens). By the same year, oilman Robert E. "Bob" Smith owned 11,000 acres of land including the Westchase area.
Growth, diversification, and annexation (1970–1989)
As the population of Alief increased in the 1980s, the community began to diverify. In 1978, close to 80% of the people in the community were white. Less than 4% of the people in the community were African American. The shift was primarily for socio-economic reasons. Many low-income Spanish-speaking immigrants settled in traditionally low-income areas of Houston inside Loop 610. Many African-Americans who could afford to left traditional African-American neighborhoods to move to Alief and other parts of Southwest Houston during the 1980s. White people who could afford to move to newer suburbs further from Houston than Alief began to leave the community. In addition, many people of Asian ancestry settled in Alief, Sharpstown, and Westwood, creating one of the largest Asian-American concentrations in Houston. Southwest Houston's Asian population included mainly immigrants from China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. In addition, Southwest Houston became home to many people from Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. By the late 1980s, white students accounted for less than half of the students enrolled in Alief ISD.
Crime began to increase during the 1980s in Alief as well. The murder count in Houston surpassed the 700 mark in 1981 Drug trafficking became more common in the 1980s. Although the Houston Police Department had downplayed the existence of criminal gangs in the city, Westside Tactical Unit Officer R.L. Spurgeon revealed in a 1988 Houston Chronicle interview that the Los Angelos Crips were attempting to recruit the loosely formed Alief Gangsters. Later the same year, the Houston Chronicle reported that although there were many gangs in Houston, several were in the Alief area, and that some Alief youths claimed to be Crips or Latin Kings. According to Police Chief Lee P. Brown
Lee P. Brown
Lee Patrick Brown had a long-time career in law enforcement, leading police departments in Atlanta, Houston and New York over the course of nearly four decades. During this time he helped to implement a number of techniques in community policing that appeared to result in substantial decreases in...
, Houston's gang problem was smaller in scale than other major U.S. cities had at the same time.
In addition changes in population and demographic, the community underwent several other important changes. Robert E. "Bob" Smith died in 1973, and his widow sold 760 acres of land to the Westchase Corporation which began developing the Westchase District. Houston began annexing Alief in 1977. The City of Houston voted to annex the Alief-Fondren area on November 23, 1977. In 1978, Brown and Root built a large engineering complex at the corner of Bellaire Blvd. and Beltway 8. Houston continued to annex pieces of Alief into the 1980s. West Oaks Mall
West Oaks Mall (Houston, Texas)
West Oaks Mall is a retail shopping mall in the Alief area of Houston, Texas, USA, that opened in 1984. It is located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Westheimer Road and Highway 6. Anchor stores include Dillard's, Macy's, and Sears...
opened in 1984 and was annexed by the City of Houston the same year. The community feared that annexation would lead to neglect by Houston's government and protested further annexations. Despite these efforts, Houston succeeded in annexing most of the area. Agriculture began to fade. The last cotton gin in Alief closed in 1976, and the area ceased growing cotton altogether by 1982. Alief was one of the last places where cotton had been grown in Harris County. Dairy, cattle, vegetable production, and rice production also declined. Urban development took the place of agriculture. In the spring of 1985, Houston Fire Station #76 was opened to serve the Alief area. The Alief Branch Library (since renamed the David M. Henington-Alief Regional Library) was also opened in 1985. As a sign of the community's growing diversity, the Houston Chronicle noted that the library staff spoke, "a variety of languages, including Hindi, Mandarin Chinese and Farsi," when the library first opened. West Houston Medical Center was constructed in 1985 as well. The Alief General Hospital building was abandoned. The Fame City entertainment complex and water park (which later became Fun Plex and Adventure Bay) held its grand opening in 1986. Fame City featured roller skating, movie theaters, a sound studio, miniature golf, bumper-cars, bowling, alley, games, rides, an arcade, restaurants and shops indoors, and a 10 acre water park outdoors. The Alief Brown and Root building closed in May 1987, but was reopened in November 1988 when the industry saw increased growth. Andrau Airpark was sold to the Camden Trust in 1988, although the airport continued to operate.
Decline
The size and diversity of Alief's population continued to grow. Alief's population increased by 45% from 1990 to 2005. By 1991, Alief ISD was growing at a rate of approximately 1,500 new students per year. Houston City Council District F (which included Alief and Sharpstown) had a population that was approximately 46% white with quickly growing African American, Hispanic, and Asian segments. Previously, District F had a mostly white population. Alief ISD's student population was 24% African American by 1991. By 1993, there were 34% more Asian businesses than there had been in 1982. Canterbury United Methodist Church began offering services in Vietnamese in 1995. By 1996, Alief was one of the most ethnically diverse school districts in the country. The district's student population was approximately 33% African American, 25% Hispanic, 20% White, and 20% Asian. Students spoke a total of 57 different languages. Christ the King Episcopal Church was offering an "African Thanksgiving Feast" since many of the church members had African heritage. The district's main high schools, Hastings and Elsik, were the two largest high schools in Texas. Alief ISD estimated a total enrollment of 39,000 students in the district, with 8,582 students attending either Hastings or Elsik.Mik Giglio of the Houston Press
Houston Press
The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in Downtown Houston....
said in 200 that in 1997 Alief "was a blend of its affluent, white former self and the predominantly poor, ethnic enclave it has since become."
By 1997, street signs in Alief near Bellaire and Corporate were in both English and Chinese. The Chinese signs had the Chinese phonetic pronunciations of the English names so that English and Chinese speakers could understand each other. In 1997, Hong Kong Development announced plans to build a center called Hong Kong City at the corner of Bellaire and Boone. The developers hoped that building west of Beltway 8 would move the center of the growing Asian business community further west. The Hong Kong City Mall opened in 1999. At the same time that the African American, Hispanic, and Asian populations increased, the white population decreased. Researchers cited social class differences as the reason most white people moved away from Alief. People with greater financial means of all ethnicities moved to further outlying suburbs with greater amenities and better performing schools during the period, while people with lesser financial means moved into the area to take advantage of newer housing and better amenities and schools than those that they left behind. The change was seen disproportionately in the white population since the white population was disproportionately wealthier. Allen G. Breed of the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
wrote: "Alief is an impoverished, multicultural enclave where many of the business and street signs are in both English and one of several Asian languages. The district's 47,000 students speak nearly 70 tongues, and the number of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch over 70%.".
Alief continued to encounter common urban problems during the 1990s. Crimes committed by juveniles rose significantly, and by 1990, there were 60% more murders committed by juveniles in Harris County than there had been in 1986. Violence associated with criminal gangs escalated. In 1993, five people were arrested when a dispute between rival gangs resulted in the murder of a teenager at a Halloween party. Reactions to the rise in crime varied. In 1991, the candidates for the District F city council seat agreed that crime and drugs were the most important issues. By the same year, Alief ISD had added rules to its dress code forbidding students to wear gang attire. In 1992, Alief ISD began setting up metal detectors at high schools and athletic events to prevent students from carrying weapons. Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack declared 11 parks in his precinct, including Alief-Amity Park, drug-free zones with stiffer penalties for people caught possessing drugs. Alief ISD tested a uniform policy at three middle schools in 1996 and then mandated uniforms for all elementary, intermediate, and middle schools in 1997.
Poverty increased in the area. Between 1991 and 1992, one area food bank received 43% more requests for food than it had in the preceding year. By 1995, large numbers of undocumented workers had moved to the area and were working for less than minimum wage. The House of Amos opened in 1995 to help provide food and clothes to impoverished residents.
Many developments in education took place in the 1990s in Alief. In 1993, Alief ISD instituted a rule which made passing the statewide standardized test, the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills
Texas Assessment of Academic Skills
The TAAS, or Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, was a standardized test used in Texas between 1991 and 2002, when it was replaced by the TAKS test from 2003 to 2009. Prior to 1990, the test was known as the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills or TEAMS . It was used from grades 3...
(TAAS) Exit Exam, a requirement for high school graduation. Many parents protested the measure. In 1995, voters decided to allow Alief ISD to build the Hastings and Elsik Ninth Grade Centers. In 1998, voters approved funds for Alief ISD to use to build a new high school, which would later become Alief "Doc" Taylor.
The period was also marked with political scandals. In 1991, a ballot box from the Boone Elementary polling location containing over 700 ballots went missing after the poll closed.
In late 1994, David M. Henington, the director of the Houston Public Library, retired. In an article about his retirement plans he told the reporter he wanted personal computers placed in all of Houston's branch libraries so that all Houstonians could access the internet "information superhighway" during their visits. In 1996, the Henington-Alief Library began offering free internet access to the public. The service was text-only and was limited to 20 minutes when other users were waiting to use the computers. The move by the Houston Public Library was intended to bring internet access to Houstonians who did not have a home computer and therefore did not have home access to the internet.
In 2005, Alief became home to many Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
evacuees. More than 3,000 evacuees enrolled in Alief ISD schools. Alief ISD spent $12 million to accommodate Hurricane Katrina evacuees in 2005. The United States government promised to reimburse the district, but in 2006 Alief had not yet received the money. Many of the students who were displaced by the hurricane were academically behind their Texas peers. In 2006, former United States President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
and Houston Mayor Bill White led a fundraising campaign to help Alief ISD and other districts pay for educating the displaced students. The influx of evacuees caused an escalation of gang violence. Murders in Houston increased by 29% in 2005.
In the first 1991 Mayor of Houston election, most Alief voters voted for Bob Lanier
Bob Lanier (politician)
Bob Lanier is a businessman in the real estate industry who served as mayor of the city of Houston, Texas from 1992 to 1998...
. However, in the community Sylvester Turner, Lanier's opponent, had a large second-most following in terms of votes. In 2008, M. J. Khan represented the District F (which includes Alief). By December 3, 1991, increases in crime and changes of demographics in southwestern Houston neighborhoods led to many challengers desiring to fill the city council seat of District F.
Municipal
Alief is partially annexed by the City of Houston, and partially unincorporated. This section pertains only to the annexed portion of Alief. Please see the "County" section for unincorporated Alief.As of 2011 Houston City Council
Houston City Council
The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas.Currently, there are fourteen members, nine elected from council districts and five at-large. The members of the Council are elected every two years, in odd-numbered years...
District F covers the parts of Alief in Houston.
The portion of Alief in Houston is within Super Neighborhood #25 Alief. Its recognized council was established on June 25, 2000. Each super neighborhood represents a group of civic clubs, places of worship, businesses, and other institutions and community interests.
| Represents | Name | First Elected | District Boundaries |
|---|---|---|---|
| District F | Al Hoang | 2009 | Map of District F (after 2011 redistricting) |
| At-Large Position 1 | Stephen Costello | 2009 | All of Houston |
| At-Large Position 2 | Sue Lovell Sue Lovell Sue Lovell is a local Houston politician currently serving on the Houston City Council, holding the at-large position 2, which she has held since 2005.-Background and Personal Life:... |
2005 | All of Houston |
| At-Large Position 3 | Melissa Noriega Melissa Noriega Melissa Meisgeier Noriega is a member of the Houston City Council in Houston, Harris County, Texas, holding . Noriega is a former educator and civic leader in Houston and Harris County, Texas, as well as a former member of the Texas House of Representatives.-Early life and education:Melissa... |
2007 | All of Houston |
| At-Large Position 4 | Clarence Bradford Clarence Bradford Clarence O'Neal Bradford, known as C.O. "Clarence" Bradford , is a Houston City Council member-Elect, a former Chief of Police of Houston, Texas and lost as the Democratic Party candidate for District Attorney of Harris County, Texas in 2008.In the 2011 election, Bradford won a second term as... |
2009 | All of Houston |
| At-Large Position 5 | Jolanda "Jo" Jones | 2007 | All of Houston |
County
| Commissioner | Name | Party | First Elected | Current Term Ends | District Boundaries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precinct 3 | Steve Radack | Republican | 1988 | 2012 | Map of Precinct 3 | |
State representation
| Senators | Name | Party | First Elected | Current Term Ends | District Boundaries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 13 Texas Senate, District 13 District 13 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves portions of Fort Bend and Harris counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 13 is Rodney Ellis.-2006:-2002:-1998:-1994:... |
Rodney Ellis Rodney Ellis Rodney Glenn Ellis is an African-American politician from the state of Texas. He has served on the Texas State Senate since 1990, representing Texas Senate District 13.Senator Rodney Ellis was elected to the Texas Senate in 1990... |
Democrat | 1990 | 2014 | Map of District 13 | |
| District 17 Texas Senate, District 17 District 17 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves portions of Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Senator Kyle Janek announced his resignation on May 29, 2008. Governor Rick Perry called for a special... |
Joan Huffman Joan Huffman Joan J. Huffman is a former felony court judge in Houston, Texas, and an incoming Republican member of the 31-member Texas State Senate from District 17, which includes a portion of populous Harris County. Huffman will also be the sixth currently serving female member of the chamber... |
Republican | 2008 | 2012 | Map of District 17 | |
| Representatives | Name | Party | First Elected | Current Term Ends | District Boundaries | |
| District 133 | Jim Murphy | Republican | 2010; Also served 2006-2008 | 2012 | Map of District 133 | |
| District 149 | Hubert Vo Hubert Vo Hubert Vo is a member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 149. He is the first and only Vietnamese American to be elected to the Texas legislature.-Personal life:... |
Democrat | 2004 | 2012 | Map of District 149 | |
National representation
| Senators | Name | Party | First Elected | Current Term Ends | Level | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate Class 1 | Kay Bailey Hutchison Kay Bailey Hutchison Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S.... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
1993 | December 2011 | Senior Senator | |
| Senate Class 2 | John Cornyn John Cornyn John Cornyn, III is the junior United States Senator for Texas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 111th U.S. Congress.... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
2002 | December 2014 | Junior Senator | |
| Representatives | Name | Party | First Elected | Current Term Ends | District Boundaries | |
| District 9 | Al Green Al Green (politician) Alexander N. "Al" Green is the U.S. Representative from Texas' 9th congressional district . The district includes most of southwestern Houston, including most of that city's share of Fort Bend County. It also includes most of Missouri City.-Early life and career:Green was born in New Orleans,... |
Democrat Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
2004 | January 2013 | Map of District 9 | |
Demographics
The annexed portion of Alief had a population of 108,971 people which was growing at a rate of 1.15% annually in 2009. The City of Houston stated on its website that the "legendary diversity" in Alief "is evident in the large section of Asian residents and businesses along Bellaire BoulevardBellaire Boulevard
Bellaire Boulevard is an arterial road in western Houston, Texas, United States. The street also goes through unincorporated areas in Harris County and the cities of Bellaire, Southside Place, and West University Place....
." According to the Alief Independent School District in 2011, "Virtually every culture of the modern world is represented in [the district's] 45,000 student enrollment; more than 80 languages and dialects are spoken," among its students. The population was 11.1% white(non-Hispanic), 27.4% black(non-Hispanic), 21.2% Asian, and 37.9% Hispanic in the annexed portion of Alief in 2009. The number of Asians and Hispanics in the annexed portion of Alief increased between the years 2000 and 2009 while the number of people from all other ethnic groups listed by the City of Houston Planning Department either declined or showed no change. The number of households in the annexed portion of Alief increased from 31,033 in 2000 to 33,654 in 2009. The average size of households in the area increased as well, from 3.15 to 3.22. The median age of residents in the annexed portion of Alief was 29.6 in 2009. The median household income in 2009 was $50,028 annually and the average household income was $54,295 annually for Alief households located in Houston. The unemployment rate increased significantly, from 7.4% in 2000 to 11.5% in the annexed portion of Alief.
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools
Public school students in Alief are served by the Alief Independent School DistrictAlief Independent School District
Alief Independent School District is a school district that is based in southwest Houston, Texas, United States.Alief ISD, which covers of land, covers a small portion of southwest Houston and parts of unincorporated Harris County...
(Alief ISD). To enroll in Alief ISD, students must present a state-certified birth certificate (prekindergarten and kindergarten students must have an original birth certificate), their most recent report card, immunization records, two proofs of their residence (which can be in the form of a deed, lease, bank statement, and/or most recent utility bill), the student’s social security number. A parent/legal guardian must accompany children under the age of 18 who wish to enroll and the parent or guardian must present his or her photo ID. The district offers prekindergarten to children meeting set criteria. To qualify for enrollment in a prekindergarten program, children must be 4 years old by the district's cut-off date. Children also must be either unable to speak or comprehend English or come from families which have a household income at or below the subsistence level as defined by the State Board of Education. Students between the ages of 5 years old and 21 may attend kindergarten through twelfth grade in the district. In addition, students who are between the ages of 21 and 26 may attend high school in the district to complete their high school diploma requirements.
Alief Elsik High School
Alief Elsik High School is a secondary school located in the Alief region of Houston, Texas.Elsik is divided into two campuses: the main campus , and the Alief Elsik Ninth Grade Center , which serves ninth graders...
, Alief Hastings High School
Alief Hastings High School
Alief Hastings High School is a secondary school in the Alief neighborhood of Houston, Texas, United States. Originally named Alief Junior-Senior High School, the school's present location opened in 1972....
, or Alief Taylor High School
Alief Taylor High School
Alief Taylor High School is a public high school, located in Alief Independent School District in unincorporated Harris County, Texas. Opened in 2001, Alief Taylor is the newest high school in Alief ISD...
during October of their eighth grade year. They can also choose to apply for admission to Alief Kerr High School
Alief Kerr High School
Alief Kerr High School is a secondary school located in the Alief community, near the city of Houston in an unincorporated area of Harris County, Texas, in the United States. The school is a part of the Alief Independent School District and serves grades 9 through 12...
. Students selected to attend Hastings High School attend the Hastings Ninth Grade Center during their ninth grade year, and students selected to attend Elsik High School attend the Elsik Ninth Grade Center during their ninth grade year. In 2010, the district opened an additional high school in partnership with Houston Community College. The Alief Early College High School allows students to take courses for dual credit and graduate with both a high school diploma and the equivalence of an associates degree at the same time. Admission to the Alief Early College High School is by application only. According to the Houston Chronicle, admission to the school is not based on ability, rather, "Students who will be selected are mostly under-represented at four-year colleges or will be the first in their family to attend college." The district also has two alternative schools. The Alief Learning Center has its own campus, while the Crossroads/ Night High School/ LINC/ SOAR (Crossroads) meets in the annex between Hastings and Elsik. The Crossroads program is designed for "at-risk students with discipline problems who are behind in academic credit and are at risk of not graduating from high school," as well students who are pregnant or parenting, emancipated minors, and students who have failed the TAKS/ TAAS tests.
In addition to school campuses, the district has several other facilities for students, staff, and administrators. The Leroy Crump Stadium is home to many athletic events. The Steven Lloyd Ness Natatorium, located on High Star across the street from the Elsik campus, houses the districts swimming pools. The district administration offices are on High Star. The maintenance office and nutrition annex are on High Star as well. The district bus depot is on Synott. The district has its own police force. The police station is located on 12135 1/2 High Star. The police force enforces the district's "Zero Tolerance
Zero tolerance
Zero tolerance imposes automatic punishment for infractions of a stated rule, with the intention of eliminating undesirable conduct. Zero-tolerance policies forbid persons in positions of authority from exercising discretion or changing punishments to fit the circumstances subjectively; they are...
" policy.
Charter schools
Charter schoolCharter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
s are an alternative to public school education. The schools are partially funded by taxpayers and are not allowed to charge tuition. The schools enjoy more freedom of administration than public schools. They are not affiliated with local school districts.
Alief Montessori Community School
Alief Montessori Community School is a charter school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
which offers prekindergarten through the fifth grade following Montessori philosophy. Students are typically between 3 and 12 years old. The school was ranked among the top schools in the Houston area in 2011. The school has also been a Texas Exemplary School and a recipient of the Honor Roll School Award from the Texas Business and Education Coalition. The school is located at 12013 6th Street. As of July 2011, the school is undergoing an expansion. Groundbreaking on the expansion was held on March 26, 2010.
Harmony Schools
Two Harmony Public Schools
Harmony Science Academy
Harmony Science Academy is a college-preparatory charter school system in Texas. The Harmony schools are founded, organized, and operated by the non-profit Cosmos Foundation...
charter schools are in Alief (when Gessner is considered the boundary line for Alief). They are:
Harmony School of Innovation, which offers grades K-8, and
Harmony Science Academy High, which offers grades 9-12.