# Northbrook High School

Northbrook High School (NHS) is a high School in Spring Branch, Houston, Texas. Northbrook is located inside Beltway 8 and outside the 610 Loop in western Houston. The school is one of four zoned high schools that are part of the Spring Branch Independent School District. Northbrook provides courses in the traditional academic subjects, as well as several foreign languages (such as Spanish and French), athletics, and fine arts. Several Advanced Placement (AP) courses are offered at Northbrook. Northbrook High's principal is Dr. H. P. Hyder III, the former principal of nearby Northbrook Middle School. Northbrook's attendance area includes several neighborhoods throughout Spring Branch's Northern and Central districts such as Binglewood, Spring Oaks, Holley Terrace, and Langwood.

## History

Northbrook High School was established in 1973 at Spring Woods High School's Campus in the T-Shacks. Northbrook High School's Campus opened during the 1974–75 school year to ease overcrowding at Spring Branch High School and Spring Woods High School. Upon Northbrook’s establishment, it initially enrolled students from multiple grade levels. However, the first class to have completed all four years at the school, from freshman to senior year, graduated in 1979. In the 1980s, the Spring Branch Independent School District experienced a sharp decline in population due to job losses caused by the oil crisis affecting the Houston area. As many families moved away from the Spring Branch area, schools became underutilized. To address the decline in student enrollment, the district chose to close Spring Branch High School and Westchester High School during the 1985-86 school year. As a result, many former Spring Branch students were reassigned to Northbrook High School, leading to a significant increase in its student population.
Northbrook was named a 1988-89 National Blue Ribbon School.
In 2005, Northbrook received 'Academically Acceptable' as the Texas Education Agency Accountability Rating.
In 2020 Spring Branch Independent School District acquired 4.7 acres (1.9 ha) of formerly commercial land so it could build a detention pond to control flooding. On September 28, 2022, Spring Branch ISD cut a ribbon to mark a new set of classrooms at Northbrook High School. The new wing was funded by the district’s Bond Program of 2017, approved in November of that year by a vote of 80%. The work is one of a sequence of efforts to better buildings in the district that began with the Bond Program of 2007.
PBK Architects designed the additions and renovations to Northbrook High School in conjunction with the Project Advisory Committee, school staff, parents, and community members. The primary contractor for the construction work was Satterfield & Pontikes Construction.
Northbrook High School has been added to and renovated many times ever since its opening in 1974. The new wing brings 42,265 square feet to the school’s original size of 394,609 square feet, maintaining its distinctive architectural style. The work included new classrooms, interior and exterior improvements, sports area upgrades, and a new roof.
In 2022, Dr. H. P. Hyder became the principal, replacing the longtime head, Dr. Antonio Avalos, in the summer of 2022. With this administration change came more stringent safety measures, including the requirement to wear an ID badge to enter the school.

## Athletics

Northbrook competes athletically with other schools in the sports of baseball, basketball, cross country, diving, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field and volleyball. Northbrook has had a long-standing rivalry with fellow SBISD high school Spring Woods Senior High School ever since Northbrook's establishment in 1974 and every year since then, both schools have faced off at their annual homecoming football games.

## Football

Northbrook has never been to the playoffs in football in the school's history. The best football record was set during the 1981 season with a 7–3 record under then head coach Bob French, who was the offensive coordinator for the '78 Texas 4A State Champion Stratford Spartans.
The Raiders first head coach was Horace "Buzzy" Allert. He was head coach from the school's first season in 1974 until the 1979 football season. He was forced to retire due to knee problems he obtained during his playing days in the NFL and CFL. Allert finished his career at Northbrook with a 28–29–3 record, with his best season record at NHS was a 6-3-1 in '75 & '76.
After Allert, Bob French came in from Stratford two years after being part of the 1978 Stratford Coaching Staff. French finished his career at Northbrook with a 27–29–4 record, with his best season at NHS being the school record 7–3 in 1981. After French came Howell Ferguson, whom finished his career at NHS with a 20–38–1 record, with his best season being in 1988 with a 6–3 record, Northbrook's 2nd best season ever. One game was cancelled due to Hurricane Gilbert. The 1988 team fell one game short of the state playoffs by losing to Katy 21–9 late in the season.
Hernandez followed after Ferguson and finished his career at NHS after only 3 seasons with an 11–19 record; his best season at NHS was a 6–4 record in 1993. L.P. Jones took over at Northbrook in 1995 and stayed until 1998 finishing at NHS with an overall record of 10–30, with his best season being a 4–6 in '97.
Pat Alvarado took over at Northbrook from 1999 to 2005. Alvarado finished his career at NHS with a 9–61 record with his best two seasons being in 2000 & 2001 with a 3–7 record. After going 0–10 for two consecutive seasons in 2004 and 2005 the Northbrook Raiders led by new head coach Craig Cripps went 2–8 in 2006 and improved in 2007 with a 3–7 record and in '08 finished 1–7 after two games were cancelled due to Hurricane Ike. Cripps finished his career at NHS 6-22.
After Cripps' departure to district rival Stratford, the Raiders finished the 2009 season 0–10 led by new head coach Ron Rogers. In 2010 the UIL announced that Northbrook would be placed in district 17-4A along with Stratford, Spring Woods, Brenham, Montgomery, Waller, Magnolia, and Magnolia West. In their first season in 4A the Raiders finished the 2010 season 2–8. Ron Rogers finished his career at Northbrook with a 2–18 record. He was replaced by former offensive coordinator Dave Cope.

## Soccer

The Northbrook Raider boys' soccer program has enjoyed some success in the last 14 seasons under Coach Justin Wheeler. Jonathan Claydon became the Raiders Soccer head coach in the 2023 season and led the Raiders to the District Championship and later on the state playoffs but would lose the first round against the Lamar Texans. The Raiders have earned playoff appearances in 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2023. They have made the state playoffs as representatives of class 4A, 5A and 6A. They were district champions in 2000, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2012, and 2023. They were a regional quarter-finalist in 2003 and a Regional Champion and 5A State Semi-Finalist in 2004. The Northbrook boys' soccer team competes in district 18AAAAAA along with Spring Woods, Stratford, Memorial, Klein, Klein Forest, Klein Collins and Klein Oak.

## Feeder patterns

The following elementary schools feed into Northbrook High School
* Buffalo Creek
* Cedar Brook
* Edgewood
* Hollibrook
* Ridgecrest
* Spring Shadows
* Housman (partial)
* Pine Shadows (partial)
* Terrace (partial)
The following middle schools feed into Northbrook High School:
* Northbrook Middle School
* Landrum Middle School (partial)
* Spring Woods Middle School (partial)

## Partnership

In 2015, YES Prep Northbrook opened inside the campus. It served a full 9–12 grade campus. It's part of the SKY Partnership in which the students came from YES Prep Northbrook Middle school and KIPP Courage College Prep @ Landrum Middle School. These students take regular classes at YES Prep, but they join regular Northbrook students in extra-curricular activities. In 2024, due to budget issues with SBISD, the district had to close down the SKY partnership.

## Notable alumni

* Ty Allert, former NFL linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles
* Juan Gabriel Pareja, American actor