Hastings High School

Hastings High School in Houston, TX, is a large comprehensive high school serving 3,786 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Alief Independent School District (Isd), a district that ranks in the bottom 26th percentile statewide. The school serves a predominantly low-income community, with over 82% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and has seen a consistent decline in its statewide rank over the past decade, falling from the 32nd percentile in 2016 to the 16th percentile in the most recent year.

Academically, Hastings significantly underperforms compared to both district and state averages on all STAAR End-of-Course exams. For instance, only 22.5% of students were proficient in Algebra I, versus 43.7% in the district and 54% statewide. This gap is consistent across subjects like Biology, English I & II, and U.S. History. However, the school shows a relative bright spot in its graduation rate, which has steadily improved to 89.5%, above the district average of 87.1%. Additionally, Hastings has demonstrated pockets of success for specific student subgroups, such as achieving a 5-star rating for its Multi-racial students in 2023.

Interestingly, Hastings is located within 2.5 miles of two high-performing magnet schools in the same district: Kerr High School (ranked 8th in Texas) and Alief Early College High School (ranked 19th), which achieve near-perfect test scores and 100% graduation rates. This creates a stark contrast within the district, where the comprehensive zoned school struggles while specialized programs excel. Nearby charter schools like Harmony School Of Innovation-Sugar Land (96th percentile) and Harmony Science Academy-Houston (79th percentile) also outperform Hastings, despite serving similar percentages of low-income students. Notably, Hastings spends over $10,600 per student, comparable to these high-performing schools, suggesting the performance gap is not primarily due to funding but other factors like school culture or instructional strategies.