E. O. Smith Education Center

Coordinates: 29°46′36″N 95°20′05″W / 29.7768°N 95.3346°W / 29.7768; -95.3346

E. O. Smith Education Center (now the Young Men's College Preparatory Academy)

Edward O. Smith Education Center was a combined primary and secondary school located at 1701 Bringhurst in the Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas, United States. Smith serves grades 1 through 8 and is a part of the Houston Independent School District.

By Spring 2011 Atherton Elementary School and E. O. Smith were consolidated with a new K-5 campus in the Atherton site.^[1]

History

Carter Career Center, the former location of E. O. Smith

E. O. Smith Education Center opened in the former Wheatley High School/McGowen Elementary School building in 1950. The school was named after Professor Ernest Ollington Smith,^[2] the first principal of Wheatley.^[3] During the beginning of the 1979–1980 school year, E. O. Smith moved into its final facility.^[2] Carter Career Center opened in the McGowen/Wheatley/Smith former building.^[3]

In 2010, the Houston Independent School District Board of Education voted in favor of creating an all-boys academy, the Young Men's College Preparatory Academy. It is located at the current site of E. O. Smith.^[4] The boys school was be modeled on Urban Prep Academies of Chicago, Illinois.^[5]

Students formerly zoned to E. O. Smith Elementary School^[6] were rezoned to Atherton,^[7] Bruce,^[8] Dogan,^[9] Nat Q. Henderson,^[10] Ross,^[11] and Sherman.^[12]

Students formerly zoned to E. O. Smith Middle School^[13] were zoned to Fleming,^[14] Gregory-Lincoln,^[15] Jackson,^[16] and McReynolds middle schools.^[17]

By 2014 the boys' school had moved to the former Crawford Elementary School.^[18]

Student body

During the 2006–2007 school year Smith's elementary division had 203 students while its middle school division had 412 students.^[19][20]

Of the elementary school students:

• 70% were African-American
• 28% were Hispanic
• 1% was White American
• Less than 1% was Asian American

No Native American students were enrolled. All of the students qualified for free or reduced lunch.

Of the middle school students:

• 64% were African-American
• 35% were Hispanic
• 1% was Asian-American
• Less than 1% was White American

No Native American students were enrolled. 99% of the students qualified for free or reduced lunch.

Neighborhoods served by Smith

Smith served much of the Fifth Ward area,^[6][13] including portions of Frenchtown, for both elementary and middle school. The school served the Fifth Ward area, most of Downtown Houston, and a section of East Downtown for middle school.

Two Houston public housing complexes, Clayton Homes and Kelly Village, were zoned to Smith for middle school.

A Houston mixed-income housing complex, Kennedy Place, was zoned to Smith for middle school.

School uniforms

Smith students were required to wear school uniforms.^[21]

Shirts were required to be green, blue, or white collared shirts.

Bottoms must be khaki or navy blue.

The Texas Education Agency specified that the parents and/or guardians of students zoned to a school with uniforms may apply for a waiver to opt out of the uniform policy so their children do not have to wear the uniform;^[22] parents must specify "bona fide" reasons, such as religious reasons or philosophical objections.

Notable alumni

• Dwight Elmo Jones^[23]

See also

References

External links

• E.O. Smith Education Center