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North Forest High School

Q: Is North Forest High School a good school?

North Forest High School ranks 1160 th of 2009 Texas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1160^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,009 Texas High Schools

Better than 42% of Texas high schools

Summary

North Forest High School in Houston, TX, serves 905 students in grades 9-12 and is part of the Houston Independent School District (Isd), a large urban district serving a community with high economic need, where over 96% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school is in the midst of a remarkable turnaround. After ranking in the bottom 10-12% of Texas high schools for years, North Forest has surged to the 42nd percentile in the most recent data—its highest ranking in a decade. This 31-percentile-point jump far outpaces nearby schools like Kashmere High School and MacArthur High School, which have remained stagnant in the lower quartiles. The school is also becoming increasingly competitive with local charter schools; for example, it now outperforms KIPP Northeast College Preparatory in Algebra I and Biology, despite serving a similarly high-needs population.

North Forest’s improvement is especially notable for specific student groups. Its Special Education students have jumped from the 7th to the 89th percentile, earning a 4-star rating, while English Language Learners and African American students have also seen dramatic gains. The school’s Biology proficiency rate (77%) now exceeds the state average and surpasses every nearby comprehensive high school, including Summer Creek High School. With a low student-teacher ratio of 11.9:1 and a graduation rate that has risen from 74.7% to 81.6%, North Forest is proving that its resources are being used effectively to drive real, measurable progress for all students.

905

Students ?

11.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,973

Per pupil spending ?

96.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

10726 Mesa Dr
Houston, TX 77078-1401

(713) 636-4300

District: Houston Independent School District (Isd)

Feeder schools for North Forest High School:

Elementary:	Hilliard Elementary
	Marshall Elementary
	Shadydale Elementary
Middle:	Forest Brook Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

49.1%

African American:

49.0%

White:

1.0%

See top rated Texas high schools

Compare North Forest High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 7th percentile in 2016 → 42nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 35 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (56% vs 62% meeting standards)

!English I Reading scores 17 pts below the Texas average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg62%

Texas avg62%

1,160^th of 2,009

Texas public high schools ?

Bottom 42%▲ up 35 pts since 2016

From bottom 7% (2016) to bottom 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

26^th of 45High Schools in the Houston Independent School District (Isd)

438^th of 951Houston Independent School District (Isd) among Texas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	42.8	1160 of 2009	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.1	1352 of 1974	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	17.0	1671 of 1990	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.3	1746 of 1961	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.4	1682 of 1876	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.8	1678 of 1861	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.8	1627 of 1857	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.0	1580 of 1797	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	7.8	1621 of 1777	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	6.4	1638 of 1762	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	54.5	385 of 1086	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	19.9	876 of 1065	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.8	932 of 1069	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.4	901 of 1031	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.2	847 of 1020	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.0	835 of 1024	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.2	848 of 1013	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	19.1	1612 of 1837	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.7	1651 of 1829	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	22.5	1560 of 1810	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.1	1487 of 1784	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	55.5	379 of 1195	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	31.2	937 of 1437	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.9	1081 of 1371	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.3	1072 of 1278	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.3	1112 of 1195	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	22.5	966 of 1136	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.9	858 of 1113	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	44.6	1058 of 1936	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	16.7	1595 of 1880	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.2	1723 of 1891	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.1	1661 of 1841	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.5	1659 of 1815	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.7	1608 of 1798	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.3	1606 of 1781	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	57.3	684 of 1206	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	12.4	1088 of 1182	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	29.9	992 of 1172	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.5	1028 of 1177	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	0.7	1124 of 1137	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	44.4	971 of 1860	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.7	1442 of 1805	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	1583 of 1820	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	1456 of 1762	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.6	1550 of 1743	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.0	1511 of 1714	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.6	1478 of 1691	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	52.4	758 of 1937	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	19.0	1605 of 1884	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.9	1686 of 1897	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	1632 of 1847	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.9	1643 of 1848	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.1	1614 of 1818	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.8	1598 of 1794	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	38.2	1190 of 1954	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	11.1	1714 of 1891	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.6	1707 of 1913	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.3	1668 of 1853	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.6	1663 of 1840	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.0	1673 of 1824	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.6	1651 of 1803	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	77.3	175 of 1581	88.9%	★★★★☆
2024	41.3	859 of 1548	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	18.1	1368 of 1478	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.2	1284 of 1418	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.2	1331 of 1382	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.5	980 of 1357	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.5	1157 of 1347	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2023	2.9	1516 of 1576	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2026)89th percentile+47 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)68th percentile+26 vs school

African American (2026)65th percentile+22 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)61st percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2026)48th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)45th percentile+3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)43rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)39th percentile-3 vs school

At Risk (2022)12th percentile~ school

White (2023)4th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Biology77%+6 vs state

U.S. History60%-10 vs state

English II Reading56%-4 vs state

Algebra I50%-4 vs state

English I Reading38%-17 vs state

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Schools Near North Forest High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAAR EOC Algebra I (2026)	STAAR EOC Biology (2026)	STAAR EOC English I Reading (2026)	STAAR EOC English II Reading (2026)	STAAR EOC U.S. History (2026)	STAAR Reading (2026)			STAAR Mathematics (2026)			STAAR Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR EOC Algebra I End of Course	STAAR EOC Biology End of Course	STAAR EOC English I Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC English II Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC U.S. History End of Course	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
North Forest High School	Public	9-12	10726 Mesa Dr	Houston	77078	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 636-4300	905	76	11.9	96.2%	9 (1.0%)	443 (49.0%)	444 (49.1%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	42.8	1160^th of 2009 public high schools	42.3%		32.1	1352^nd of 1974 public high schools	31.5%	192	50.0	77.0	38.0	56.2	60.3								$14,973
KIPP Northeast College Preparatory	Public, Charter	9-12	9680 Mesa Dr	Houston	77078	Harris County	KIPP Texas Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(832) 230-0567	614	37	16.6	94.1%	1 (0.2%)	184 (30.0%)	423 (68.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.8%)	38.2	1281^st of 2009 public high schools	36.2%		32.4	1345^th of 1974 public high schools	31.9%	64	26.5	62.3	37.1	57.1	65.0								$9,890
Yes Prep North Forest	Public, Charter	6-12	6602 Winfield Rd	Houston	77050	Harris County	Yes Prep Public Schools Inc	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 967-8699	991	62	16.0	94.0%	6 (0.6%)	89 (9.0%)	887 (89.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.6%)	71.7	393^rd of 2009 public high schools	80.4%		50.7	893^rd of 1974 public high schools	54.8%	500	69.2	80.0	68.0	73.4	85.1	48.3	50.0	64.1	34.4	40.9	39.4	30.3	$11,881
Kase Academy	Public	10-12	8530 C E King Pkwy	Houston	77044	Harris County	Sheldon Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(281) 727-3600	104	11	9.4	72.1%	5 (4.8%)	29 (27.9%)	70 (67.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	0.0		7.1	12.9	51.1								$16,586
C E King High School	Public	9-12	11433 E Sam Houston Pkwy N	Houston	77044	Harris County	Sheldon Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(346) 378-7000	3,716	211	17.6	77.4%	136 (3.7%)	1,130 (30.4%)	2,367 (63.7%)	18 (0.5%)	9 (0.2%)	1 (0.0%)	55 (1.5%)	35.7	1345^th of 2009 public high schools	33.1%		27.2	1461^st of 1974 public high schools	26.0%	116	33.8	60.4	45.4	49.1	63.7								$9,862
Kashmere High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	6900 Wileyvale St	Houston	77028	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 636-6400	655	60	10.9	96.9%	10 (1.5%)	312 (47.6%)	328 (50.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	27.4	1529^th of 2009 public high schools	23.9%		23.7	1545^th of 1974 public high schools	21.7%	16	50.8	60.1	31.6	38.9	55.0								$19,729
MacArthur High School	Public	9-12	4400 Aldine Mail Rt	Houston	77039	Harris County	Aldine Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 985-6330	3,501	202	17.3	85.5%	55 (1.6%)	160 (4.6%)	3,263 (93.2%)	3 (0.1%)	8 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (0.3%)	21.9	1628^th of 2009 public high schools	19.0%		21.8	1571^st of 1974 public high schools	20.4%	57	28.9	46.8	28.6	39.5	61.4								$7,853
Highpoint School East (Daep)	Public	7-12	8003 E Sam Houston Pkwy N Hy	Houston	77049	Harris County	Galena Park Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(281) 459-1190	11			90.9%	0 (0.0%)	1 (9.1%)	10 (90.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Highpoint East	Public	6-12	8003 E Sam Houston Pkwy N	Houston	77049	Harris County	Humble Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(281) 641-7400	33			69.7%	2 (6.1%)	20 (60.6%)	8 (24.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (9.1%)								(n/a)
Highpoint	Public	7-12	8003 E Sam Houston Pkwy N	Houston	77049	Harris County	Aldine Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(281) 449-1011	27			81.5%	0 (0.0%)	12 (44.4%)	15 (55.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about North Forest High School

Is North Forest High School a good school?

North Forest High School ranks 1160^th of 2009 Texas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is North Forest High School in?

Houston Independent School District (Isd)

How many students attend North Forest High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 905 students attended North Forest High School.

What is the racial makeup of North Forest High School?

Students at North Forest High School are 49% Hispanic, 49% African American.

What schools feed into North Forest High School?

North Forest High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Hilliard Elementary
Elementary : Marshall Elementary
Elementary : Shadydale Elementary
Middle : Forest Brook Middle

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Education Agency.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.