With an enrollment of more than 44,400 students, the Pasadena Independent School District is making its mark in the 21st century. For the fifth consecutive year, the district has been named a Texas Recognized District by the Texas Education Agency. Pasadena ISD is one of only two school districts in the state with more than 40,000 students, to claim "Recognized" status for five consecutive years.

More than 80 percent of our campuses earned individual recognition from the state during the 2001-2002 school year, including 15 exemplary schools and 24 recognized schools.
Pasadena ISD high schools rose to the challenge this past year with three of the four earning Texas Recognized status. The fourth high school was named a District Commended School for missing recognized status by less than two indicators.

The Pasadena community is committed to the continuous achievement of our students, with taxpayers approving a $199.05 million "Make Room for Children" bond issue in February 2000. A new campus for Genoa Elementary and the De Zavala Fifth Grade Center in North Pasadena are now open. In addition, a new Dobie High School campus and the district’s fifth high school, Pasadena Memorial, are scheduled to open in August 2003. Another fifth grade center is also planned for the seven South Belt area elementary campuses. Also included in the bond issue is air conditioning in secondary gymnasiums and renovations or expansions to several different campuses, including major renovations at South Houston and Sam Rayburn high schools.

Pasadena ISD covers 85.5 square miles in portions of Pasadena , South Houston and Houston and offers area residents 34 elementary schools, 10 intermediate schools, four high schools and three alternative campuses. The Pasadena Independent School District has been educating children since March 26, 1898 and now, more than a century later, our students continue to prove that "our light is still shining" as their accomplishments are recognized yearly through local, state and even national awards.

In addition to the school district being named a " Texas Recognized School District ," 39 Pasadena ISD schools received individual honors this past year.

For the 2001-2002 school year, Atkinson, Burnett, Frazier, Garfield , Matthys, Meador, Moore , Morales, Parks, Pearl Hall, Pomeroy, Mae Smythe, Stuchbery, Teague and Turner elementary schools were rated "exemplary."

"Recognized" campuses included Bailey, Fisher, Freeman, Gardens, Golden Acres, Jensen, Jessup, Kruse, McMasters, Red Bluff, L.F. Smith, South Houston, South Shaver, Sparks and Young elementary schools; Beverly Hills, Bondy, Park View, Queens, South Houston and Thompson intermediate schools; and Dobie, Sam Rayburn and South Houston high schools.

Six schools received "district commendation" because they missed receiving recognized status by two or fewer indicators. They were Richey and Williams elementary schools; Miller, San Jacinto and Southmore intermediate campuses and Pasadena High School . All remaining campuses earned an "acceptable" rating.

The Pasadena Independent School District is under the leadership of Superintendent Dr. Rick Schneider and a seven-member Board of Trustees, which meets once a month at 7:30 p.m. in the Board Room of the district’s Administration Building . Agendas may be picked up in the Administration Building , which is located at 1515 Cherrybrook, or they can be viewed through the school district website.

Trustees are elected at-large in May and serve three-year terms. Board members for the 2002-03 school year are:

Frank Braden	President
Vickie Morgan	Vice-President
Carmen Orozco	Secretary
Marshall Kendrick	Assistant Secretary
Fred Roberts	Member
Jerry Speer	Member
Nelda Sullivan	Member

For more information about the Board of Trustees, contact the Superintendent’s office at 713-920-6818.

Registration for the new school year takes place approximately two weeks before school starts each year. To find out which school your child will attend and specific registration dates, contact the Student Services Office at 713-920-6803.

To register for kindergarten, students must have reached age five on or before September 1. First grade students must be six years old by September 1 as well. Parents need to present an official birth or hospital certificate, proof of residency in Pasadena ISD, immunization records and their latest report card if they are transferring from another school.

A pre-kindergarten program is available at 24 elementary campuses to four-year-old students to help prepare them for the classroom setting they will face the following year. The program is open on a first-come, first-serve basis to students who are limited English proficient or come from low-income families, as defined by qualifying for the free/reduced lunch program. Morning and afternoon pre-kindergarten sessions are offered. School boundary zones do not apply to the pre-kindergarten program, so if the campus a student is zoned to does not offer the program or is full, the student can be enrolled at another campus in his/her neighborhood.

The Pasadena school system provides bus transportation to and from school for students who live more than one mile from their home campus. A fleet of about 150 buses serves the district. For more information, call 713-948-4477.

Breakfast and lunch are served daily at every school. Breakfast prices are $1 for elementary students and $1.25 for intermediate and high school students. Lunch prices are $1.75 for elementary students, $2 for intermediate students and $2.25 for high school students.

Federal programs providing free and reduced-price meals are also available. Qualification is based on the size and income of the student’s family. Confidential applications may be filed in the Food Service Office in the Administration Building . For more information call 713-920-4628.

Students with limited English proficient skills can enroll in Spanish bilingual programs at many of the district’s 34 elementary schools. English as a Second Language is provided for students in intermediate and high school, as well as elementary children who speak a language other than Spanish. Transportation is provided for elementary students whose home schools do not provide these language programs. For more information, contact the Bilingual/ESL Office at 713-920-6921.

H.O.S.T.S. stands for Helping One Student To Succeed and is a nationally-recognized, structured program that pairs a student who needs help learning to read and write with a community member who wants to make a difference in a student's life. With help from volunteer mentors, students receive the extra attention and encouragement they need to become better students. If you are interested in becoming a HOSTS volunteer, call 713-920-4678 or visit them on the web.

Students ages 3-21 with physical, mental and emotional disabilities are served by the school district. Services for hearing and visually impaired infants and toddlers are available as well. For more information on special education for students with disabilities, call 713-920-6985.

Pasadena ISD identifies and serves students in the Gifted/Talented Program who exhibit exceptional potential in general intellectual ability. In kindergarten through 12th grade, district personnel identify approximately five percent of the students as gifted. An enriched and accelerated academic program focuses on enhancing the development and the abilities of each student. By taking the Advanced Placement (AP) and Pre-AP classes and exams, they may gain advanced placement and/or credit in college. The secondary program also includes participation for seventh graders in the Duke University Talent Search and specialized training opportunities for the SAT and PSAT. For more information, contact the Gifted/Talented Office at 713-920-6952.

Comprehensive career and technology education programs are in place at each of the four high schools and at the L.P. Card Skill Center . Training offered at the high schools includes Industrial Technology, Agriculture, Home Economics, Law Enforcement, Automotive Technology, Cosmetology, Cooperative Training Programs, and Automotive Collision Repair and Refinishing.

The L.P. Card Skill Center offers career and technical training in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, Automotive Technology, Building Trades, Electronics, Business Computer Programming and Welding. These programs are available to 11th and 12th grade students throughout the school district in three-hour blocks both in the morning and afternoon. The district provides buses for transportation to the center. Students prepare to enter the working world or to pursue additional technical training and/or a college degree. For more information, call 281-998-5525.

Pasadena ISD offers three schools for students requiring alternative educational settings. Students who have fallen behind in the traditional fifth and sixth grade classrooms may attend the Challenger School. The school, under the guidance of Principal Stan Honeycutt, adapts to these children's different learning styles to bring them back up to speed with the students in their regular classes. The school can be reached at 713-948-4444.

Tegeler Career Center serves as the district's vocational headquarters housing School-to-Work initiatives and Tech Prep programs. Tegeler's career and technology efforts, which are aimed at students who have dropped out of high school, provide district students with opportunities to complete an academic program infused with school-to-work applications. This prepares them for a successful future, whether in the job world, junior college or a four-year university. The school, under the direction of Principal Jean Cain, can be reached at 713-998-5548.

The Guidance Center is a separate, short-term facility for students with disciplinary problems. Students are assigned to the Guidance Center as a disciplinary measure to deal with issues such as conflict resolution and building self-confidence. For more information, call Principal Doyle Alexander at 713-948-4400.

Pasadena ISD is also part of CEP (Continuing Education Partners), a non-traditional day school for youth in grades six through twelve. It gives adjudicated or expelled youth a second chance to succeed. The goal is to help students succeed to the point that they can return to a regular program on their home campus to complete their education or to obtain their GED.