Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center
Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center (SHMSTC) is a secondary school located at 9400 Irvington Boulevard in Houston, Texas, United States. Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center handles grades nine through twelve and is part of the Houston Independent School District. Before 1955, it was located in Downtown Houston. Established in 1889, Sam Houston operates the oldest high school newspaper in Texas, the "Aegis". Additionally, the school boasts the world's first female-only military drill squad initially known as the "Black Battalion" but now called the "Tigerettes". The school is  often referred to simply as "Sam" by students, alumni, and faculty. Sam Houston High School Baseball Field is located at . History. It was founded in Downtown Houston in 1878 as Houston Academy. Since then, it had several name changes. Until the 1950s the block bordered by Austin, Capitol, Caroline, and Rusk in Downtown Houston housed the institutions that make up what is now Sam Houston High School. Houston Academy was there in the 1850s. In 1894 Central High School was built. J.R. Gonzales of the "Houston Chronicle" said that the school was "[d]escribed as one of the finest high schools  in this part of the country" and "also attracted negative attention for its incredible cost." The school had a price tag of $80,000, $1.9 million in 2010 dollars. In March 1919 the school burned down. A new Sam Houston opened two years later. According to a 1936 "Houston Chronicle" article, Sam Houston was to be renamed after Dick Dowling, while the Sam Houston name would be taken by a new high school in southwestern Houston. This did not occur, and the school remained named after Sam Houston. In 1955, Houston High School moved from its Capitol Street location  in Downtown to its current location. The previous Sam Houston High School became the Houston Independent School District administrative headquarters. In July 1970 the first Hattie Mae White Administration Building became the new HISD administrative offices. The Downtown Sam Houston building was demolished. As of 2011 a parking lot owned by HISD now occupies that site. A historical marker is on the south side of that block. In meetings it had been proposed as a new location for the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Sam Houston has Texas' oldest high school newspaper, the "Aegis", started in 1889 . In addition, the world's first girls' Military Drill Squad (formerly known as the Black Battalion, but now called the Tigerettes) originated at the school. Sam Houston was previously reserved for white children (Hispanics being categorized as white prior to 1970) but it desegregated by 1970. Today has a mostly Hispanic student body. The names of the individual schools currently occupying the Sam Houston campus were chosen in 2008. On Saturday February 12, 2011, a state historic marker was dedicated at Sam Houston. The Oran M. Roberts Chapter 440 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy organized the event. Lynna  Kay Shuffield, the president of the chapter, wrote a historical narrative about the school and its former location in Downtown. The Reconstruction of the Campus started in late 2016 and its estimated completion would be in 2019. The Sam Houston Tiger football team holds the distinction of having the both the longest active and all time district game losing streak in the entire state of Texas with 99 consecutive losses in district play as of 2021. Rating. Sam Houston, with Jack Yates High School and Kashmere High School, are the three high schools in Houston ISD that were consistently low -performing in test scores from 2001 to 2004. Because of this problem, there were movements to have the state or another organization take over the schools for a period so the test scores will be at acceptable levels. While Yates got an acceptable rating in 2005, Houston and Kashmere continued to get unacceptable ratings. Abelardo Saavedra, the superintendent of HISD, described Houston as being "close" to getting an acceptable rating. In August 2006 the school learned that it again got an unacceptable rating from the Texas Education Agency. HISD threatened to close Sam Houston. Sam Houston was not closed and  it received another unacceptable rating from the TEA. Houston ISD, stated that the board would consider spending $300,000 to find a method to improve Sam Houston's marks from the TEA. In 2008 the Texas Education Agency Commissioner Robert Scott ordered the closure of Sam Houston; the "Houston Chronicle" said that HISD would likely replace 75% of the teachers and change the name of the school. The campus now houses Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center for 2010–2012 and a ninth grade academy. The administration hopes that the changes would cause Sam Houston to get an acceptable rating . In 2007, an Associated Press/Johns Hopkins University study referred to Sam Houston as a "dropout factory" where at least 40% of the entering freshman class does not make it to their senior year. Student body. During the 2005–2006 school year, the school had 2,678 students. No Native Americans were enrolled during that school year. Approximately 89% of the students qualified for free/reduced lunch. Neighborhoods served by Sam Houston. Several areas of Houston outside of the 610 Loop that are far north of Downtown and south of Aldine are zoned to Sam Houston. Neighborhoods include Melrose Park, Hardy Acres , Hardy Heights, Assumption Heights, Roos Acres, Virginia Acres, Sunnyland Farms, Oakwood, and Northline Terrace. Two Houston Housing Authority public housing complexes, Heatherbrook Apartments and Oxford Place, are zoned to the school. Some small sections of unincorporated Harris County are zoned to Sam Houston High School. Feeder patterns. Elementary schools that feed into Sam Houston include: (partial) All of Fonville Middle School-zoned areas and some areas of the Burbank Middle and Henry Middle School zones feed into Sam Houston.