Rigorous courses can help students prepare for and get into college, including coursework in STEM subjects. Benjamin Adesakin is heading to Cornell University in the fall. To me, it was out of comprehension, said Adesakin, a graduating senior. This school is far above the state average in key measures of college and career readiness. Before the world knew Brittney Griner as the WNBA star at the center of an international scandal, Houston knew her as a local basketball phenom. This is a carousel. Fifth grader Zurisadai Dhir shares her award-winning story about her grandfather during a tour of the Harmony Science Academy of Sugar Land. How do you feel about being mom and dads to those kids who dont have a parent to go home to?. A student works through questions on the STARR test during a tour of the Harmony Science Academy of Sugar Land. At Harmony School of Innovation, 20 percent of students are African-American, 43 percent Asian, 20 percent Hispanic, 2 percent American Indian and 15 percent white. Even at schools with strong college and career readiness, there may be students who are not getting the opportunities they need to succeed. I didnt think it was something I could do.. Merchant said the school strives to serve students from all communities with 53 percent coming from economically disadvantaged homes. To understand how well this school serves all its students. What struck me is that our kids dont segregate themselves, said Amanda Frost, a middle school teacher at Harmony School of Innovation. GreatSchools is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Being small, our teachers are always welcoming us. 2019, 2020, and 2021 College Success Award. Principal Afreen Merchant smiles at her desk during a tour of the Harmony Science Academy of Sugar Land. review the information below in the Equity section, What you should consider when choosing a high school, 9 probing questions for a high school tour, You should care (a lot) about a school's curriculum, schools approach to at-risk students affects your child. Houston Chronicle reporter erooke Lewis interviews a trio of first graders during a tour of the Harmony Science Academy of Sugar Land. Click here to search your school and district. We are focused on our results and continue to grow. 1998-2022 GreatSchools.org All Rights Reserved. They opened their first campus at a former Hebrew day school in Meyerland. Students transition between classes at Harmony School of Innovation Sugar Land. Houston doctors warn Texas heat affects blood pressure medicine, Katy family is shocked with quadruplets, now needs bigger van, HPD called to Finner's home during argument over COVID test, Bakers Dodger days cant thaw Astros icy All-Star reception, Chris Shepherd departing Underbelly Hospitality restaurants, Diamondbacks to part ways with ex-Astros star Dallas Keuchel, Man charged with capital murder over home invasion shooting, Houston police officer attacked by dog near Galena Park, Uvalde gunman's mother has fiery exchange with victims family. What matters to us is the success of our kids.. Students at this school are making average Now, 2,100 are on the wait list. Some students who attend Harmony have dreams of making it as engineers, working in the medical field or with technology, but some end up giving back to their school. What should I do if I test positive for COVID? At Cornell University, Adesakin plans to study biological sciences and biochemistry and hopefully go onto become an orthopedic surgeon, combining his passion for basketball and the human body. He knows that hes come a long way since the fourth-grader who arrived at Harmony. Does this school offer opportunity for all its students, or leave some behind? Sugar Land charter schools rank high in school report card, Progress has students excited and proud, Brittney Griner's former teammates don't see her as criminal. Assistant Principal Ghazal Ahmad smiles as she listens to students and teachers during a tour of the Harmony School of Innovation in Sugar Land. Principal Afreen Merchant stops to tie first grader Naiya Stewart's shoe during a tour of the Harmony Science Academy of Sugar Land. The list below is a sample of available courses at this school. Seniors at Harmony School of Innovation Sugar Land gather for lunch outside. best practices of College Success Award winning schools. Trophies won by students adorn a table during a tour of the Harmony Science Academy of Sugar Land. How do you feel about serving a low-income population? said Merchant. The annual Children At Risk rankings show how Texas public schools fared on state standardized tests for math and reading, accounting for the demographics of each school's student population. Annie Mulligan, Freelance / Annie Mulligan. As students, we uplift each other and we always try to push each other, striving for the highest A, striving for that 100, trying to be the best in our class, said Adesakin. Its kind of like an extended family.. Signs indicating STARR testing pop up on classroom doors during a tour of the Harmony Science Academy of Sugar Land. You could be a genius, but if you dont have good character and if youre not well-rounded, then your smarts are really no good to society, said Afreen Merchant, principal at Harmony Science Academy. Even high-performing schools can have disparities between student groups. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. The vision of STEM remains years later, with kindergarten students learning about erosion. The charter system, born in 2000, has over 50 campuses and serves roughly 33,500 students across Texas and maintains high rankings year after year. In Sugar Land, Harmony Science Academy and Harmony School of Innovation both ranked in the top 20 schools for the region this year, according to 2018 Houston-area school rankings data released by Children at Risk. Support our mission. Despite the charter schools vision becoming a success, Harmony Public School system has met with controversy over the years. academic progress given where they were last year, compared to similar students in the state. Successful schools understand how to. But Fatih Ay, CEO of Harmony Public Schools, said the accusations have not stopped the school district from educating thousands of students and continuing to strive for success. He originally started attending a Harmony school in Dallas in seventh grade and now the 25-year-old teaches physics, engineering and a biomedical courses at Harmony School of Innovation. There is not a hesitancy to go sit with somebody else or to work with somebody else on a project. Whenever we hire our staff, the first question we ask is, how do you feel about diversity? We hear the negative comments, and the TEA has thoroughly reviewed them and found they had no merit. Learn about the, Students who are unprepared for college-level work may find themselves in. Were really looking to bring strong, well-rounded citizens who will do the right thing when nobody is watching.. Their doors are always open.. The 2018 rankings show a continuing performance gap between wealthier and lower-income schools across the Houston area's 87 districts. GreatSchools is the leading nonprofit providing high-quality information that supports parents pursuing a great education for their child, schools striving for excellence, and communities working to diminish inequities in education. GreatSchools is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, 13522 West Airport Boulevard, Sugar Land, TX 77478, How do high schools help students succeed in college? The school district has been accused of using an illegal visa scheme to hire staff from a Turkish background, being tied to a Turkish scholar who was accused of plotting to overthrow Turkeys government and also favoring Turkish vendors. When Harmony Science Academy opened 10 years ago, about 320 students enrolled. The elementary schools growth reflects that of the charter systems, which began when founder Soner Tarim and other graduate students at Texas A&M University saw a need for better math and science education at the grade-school level. Feds want to build a massive wind farm off the Galveston coast. First-grade students Victor Anyian, Naiya Stewart and Maham Thobani already know what they want to be when they grow up: engineer, teacher and veterinarian. Adesakin, who studied Turkish and played on the basketball team at Harmony, credits the support of his teachers, counselors and classmates for broadening his aspirations and pushing him toward a new dream of becoming an orthopedic surgeon. Schools that create a positive culture help all students thrive. SCHOOL REPORT CARD: See how your school and district ranked. He didnt dream of attending an Ivy League school before becoming a student at Harmony School of Innovation in Sugar Land. This year, over 35,000 Texas families entrusted their kids with us, said Ay. Ban on banks that discriminate against guns costs Texas plenty. Many successful high school students end up in remedial math courses in college. Many students, teachers and other faculty echoed the sentiments about how the Harmony Public Charter system is reshaping student lives and propelling them forward, crediting the charters success to its focus on science, technology, engineering and math at an early age and the diverse backgrounds their students hail from. Underserved students at this school are performing far better than other students in the state, and this school is successfully closing the achievement gap. Matt Lanza on what to know. Seniors chat with Assistant Principal Ghazal Ahmad as they begin one of their final weeks at Harmony School of Innovation Sugar Land. They dont segregate with race, income or politics, or interests theyre all together. The two schools received high marks for campus performance, growth, student achievement and college readiness. Nicholas Gonzalez is one of them. Average progress with high test scores means students have strong academic skills and students in this school are learning at the same rate as similar students in other schools. When will the Texas heat wave end? First graders Maham Thobani, Victor Aniyan and Naiya Stewart pose for a picture in the gymnasium at Harmony Science Academy of Sugar Land. Students and faculty say diversity is one of the schools strengths. The Robotics club at Harmony Science Academy is active, and 50 percent of its members are girls.