Evan Edward Worthing High School is a secondary school located in the Sunnyside area of Houston, Texas, United States.[1]
Worthing serves grades 9 through 12 and is a part of the Houston Independent School District.
Worthing has Houston ISD's magnet program for Mathematics, Science and Technology.
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Worthing Junior-Senior High School was built in 1958,[2] and it opened on January 27, 1958. The students zoned to Worthing previously attended Miller Junior High School and Yates High School.[3] The school is named after Evan Edward Worthing, a Houston real-estate developer who set up a scholarship trust for African-American HISD students. A native of Michigan, he earned a mechanical engineering degree from Texas A&M University, where he was captain of the American football team. His will stated that African-Americans should inherit his wealth; this led to the opening of Worthing. The school originally covered grades 7 through 12. Worthing was originally located at 4330 Bellfort Boulevard; as the first building became overcrowded a new high school campus opened. Worthing moved to 9215 Scott Street at Reed Road, and Attucks Middle School opened at the former location.[2]
In 2007, prosecutors charged a student for "felony assault of a public servant." According to the charge, on Friday, May 11, 2007, a 15-year-old male student beat home economics Teacher Vanesta Marshall on the left side of her face, from her eyebrow to her chin, in retaliation for sending him to the principal. Marshall said that the other students restrained the attacker.[4]
That same year, a Johns Hopkins University/Associated Press study referred to Worthing as a "dropout factory" where at least 40% of the entering freshman class does not make it to their senior year.[5]
In 2011, two persons opened fire during a powder-puff football game at Worthing. One man, an 18-year old former student named Tremaine De Ante’ Paul, died. Five other people received injuries.[6]
In November 2008 Houston ISD proposed to rebuild Carnegie Vanguard High School on a site adjacent to Worthing, rebuild Worthing, and have the two schools share the same cafeteria and other facilities. School board member Larry Marshall, whose jurisdiction includes Carnegie and Worthing, expressed support for this proposal or otherwise to house Carnegie and Worthing on the same plot of land.[7]
Parents at Worthing accepted the proposal while parents at Carnegie rejected it and asked for it to be discontinued.[8] The Carnegie parents said that the higher violence levels at Worthing and the parents' fears of backlash against Carnegie students at Worthing cause them to be opposed to HISD's proposal.[9] Peter Brown, the Houston City Council At-Large Position 1, opposed the idea. Brown said that the renovation of Worthing would be less costly than the consolidation. Brown also cited a Gates Foundation study to support his point.[10]
On December 4, 2008 Abelardo Saavedra,the HISD superintendent, said that he would for now shelve plans since they had insufficient support from the board of trustees. School board trustee Paula M. Harris expressed support for the consolidation plan, arguing that magnet schools and small neighborhood schools, many of which were closed by the district, should be treated in the same manner.[11] Margaret Downing of the Houston Press added that Worthing parents did not like how the controversy "denigrated" the school.[12]
Worthing had a total of 1,026 students during the 2006-2007 school year.[13]
The school is solidly African American; 92% of Worthing students were African American during that year. About 7% of the students were Hispanic American. About 1% of the students were White American. Less than one percent of the students each were Asian American and Native American.
Approximately 62% of Worthing students qualified for free or reduced lunch during that school year.
Worthing High School serves[14] Sunnyside, Sugar Valley, Cullen Estates, Brookhaven, a portion of South Acres, a portion of South Acres Estates, Cloverland, Regal Oaks [1] [2], a portion of Minnetex Place, City Park, Almeda, and Skyview Forest [3] [4]. Hence, Worthing's logo is "Sunnyside Pride." Worthing also serves unincorporated portions of Harris County (such as Brunswick [5] [6] [7], Brunswick Lakes [8], Brunswick Meadows [9], and Morningside Place).
Portions of the city of Pearland are in the Worthing attendance zone.
Worthing requires school uniforms.[15]
Elementary schools that feed into Worthing[14] include
Elementary schools that partially feed into Worthing include:
Middle schools that feed into Worthing include Attucks,[26] Dowling,[27] Thomas, and Woodson K-8 School's middle school program[26]; no one school has all of its attendance boundary zoned to Worthing.
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