Growth in Houston ISD Magnet Applications YOY

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The arrival of online applications greatly increased the volume of submissions for Houston ISD magnet schools for the 2014-2015 academic year. As a whole, applications increased from 32,361 to 47,718 or nearly 47% year over year. However, as the data below shows, many Houston schools are outpacing the average growth rate.

Note that this count includes in-zone families who submitted applications but did not technically need to; it also examines data from similar time points year over year since families can technically apply throughout the year.

Compare this list to Most Selective, Most Popular, and Most Coveted Houston ISD schools.

These tables are sortable; you can click on a header (bold text in green row) to sort by that criteria. Sorting is alphabetical or numerical, highest to lowest or lowest to highest. You can even sort multiple columns simultaneously by holding down the shift key and clicking a 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th column.

Top 10 Schools with Most Growth Overall

Rank	School Name	Grades	Apps in 2013	Apps in 2014	YOY #	YOY%
1	T.H. Rogers K-8	E,M	1,202	2,659	1457	121%
2	Baylor College of Medicine @ Ryan	M	0	859	859	N/A
3	River Oaks Elementary School	E	677	1489	812	120%
4	The Rice School K-8	E,M	1,149	1,942	793	69%
5	Lanier  Middle School	M	1,033	1,679	646	63%
6	Lamar High School	H	1,668	2,265	597	36%
7	Energy Institute High School	H	0	596	596	N/A
8	Pershing Middle School	M	846	1,388	542	64%
9	Pin Oak Middle School	M	1,819	2,333	514	28%
10	Johnston Middle School	M	993	1,438	445	45%

Top 10 Elementary Schools with Most Growth

The growth in applications for these elementary schools far outpaced that of the system-wide average. This growth rate further emphasizes that competition to get into some of Houston ISD's most sought after elementary schools is only increasing.

Rank	School Name	Grades	Apps in 2013	Apps in 2014	YOY #	YOY%
1	T.H. Rogers K-8	E,M	1,202	2,659	1457	121%
2	River Oaks Elementary School	E	677	1489	812	120%
3	The Rice School K-8	E,M	1,149	1,942	793	69%
4	Oak Forest Elementary School	E	339	739	400	118%
5	Travis Elementary School	E	224	591	367	164%
6	Herod Elementary School	E	297	647	350	118%
7	Horn Elementary School	E	543	886	343	63%
8	Harvard Elementary School	E	337	657	320	95%
9	Roberts Elementary School	E	598	893	295	49%
10	Garden Oaks Elementary School PK-8	E,M	419	698	279	67%

Top 10 Middle Schools with Most Growth

While growth in middle school applications is also strong, the good news here is that parents seem to have quickly taken to the new BCMA at Ryan Middle School; no doubt the association with a top-tier medical school probably helped. However, it's good to see that HISD is successfully opening new, sought-after programs to meet rising demand.

Rank	School Name	Grades	Apps in 2013	Apps in 2014	YOY #	YOY%
1	T.H. Rogers K-8	E,M	1,202	2,659	1457	121%
2	Baylor College of Medicine @ Ryan	M	0	859	859	N/A
3	The Rice School K-8	E,M	1,149	1,942	793	69%
4	Lanier  Middle School	M	1,033	1,679	646	63%
5	Pershing Middle School	M	846	1,388	542	64%
6	Pin Oak Middle School	M	1,819	2,333	514	28%
7	Johnston Middle School	M	993	1,438	445	45%
8	Young Women's College Prep. 6-12	M,H	300	712	412	137%
9	Hamilton Middle School	M	320	611	291	91%
10	Garden Oaks Elementary School PK-8	E,M	419	698	279	67%

Top 10 High Schools with Most Growth

With the exception of a handful of schools in this list, growth in high school applications mirrors the overall trend. The rise in applications at Lamar is somewhat startling given that HISD has no plans to dramatically increase capacity there. However, since yield rates at Lamar are relatively low, the increase in applications could be driven by the online system simply making it easier for students to apply even though they don't necessarily want to attend. Also, kudos to the new Energy Institute school and Young Women's College Prep for strong growth.

Rank	School Name	Grades	Apps in 2013	Apps in 2014	YOY #	YOY%
1	Lamar High School	H	1,668	2,265	597	36%
2	Energy Institute High School	H	0	596	596	N/A
3	Young Women's College Prep. 6-12	M,H	300	712	412	137%
4	Reagan High School	H	801	1,176	375	47%
5	South Early College	H	0	300	300	N/A
6	HS Performing & Visual Arts	H	1,027	1,325	298	29%
7	Carnegie Vanguard	H	1,150	1,447	297	26%
8	Westside High School	H	787	1,069	282	36%
9	DeBakey HSHP	H	1,185	1,407	222	19%
10	Bellaire High School	H	1,618	1,838	220	14%

Methodology

After submitting a request in accordance with the Texas Public Information Act, the Houston School Survey (HSS) acquired magnet application data examining first round applicants for the 2012-2013 academic year with the 2013-2014 academic year.

Download our original data set here.

Article last updated on May 7, 2014.

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