Houston

==Education==
{{Main|Education in Houston}}
[[File:HoustonISDWhiteHQ.jpg|thumb|The first Hattie Mae White Administration Building; it has been sold and demolished.]]
[[List of school districts in Houston|Nineteen school districts]] exist within the city of Houston. The [[Houston Independent School District]] (HISD) is the seventh-largest school district in the United&nbsp;States and the largest in Texas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eschoolnews.com/2006/02/21/houston-isd-automates-lunch/ |title=Houston ISD automates lunch |website=eSchool News online |date=February 21, 2006 |access-date= December 16, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807170255/https://www.eschoolnews.com/2006/02/21/houston-isd-automates-lunch/ |archive-date= Aug 7, 2022 }}</ref> HISD has over [[List of Houston Independent School District schools|100 campuses]] that serve as magnet or vanguard schools—specializing in such disciplines as health professions, visual and performing arts, and the sciences. There are also many charter schools that are run separately from school districts. In addition, some public school districts also have their own charter schools.

The Houston area encompasses more than 300 private schools,<ref>{{cite web |url-status=dead |url=http://www.houston-texas-online.com/privateschools.html |title=Private Schools |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070127220155/http://www.houston-texas-online.com/privateschools.html |archive-date=January 27, 2007 |website=Houston-Texas-Online |access-date=January 10, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.houstonareaweb.com/private_schools/ |title=Houston Private Schools |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070110231722/http://www.houstonareaweb.com/private_schools/ |archive-date=January 10, 2007 |website= HoustonAreaWeb.com |access-date= January 10, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20080101054600/http://www.hlsr.com/ed/sa/sa_p.aspx School Art Participation]". ''[[Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo]]''. Retrieved on January 10, 2007. Archived at the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.</ref> many of which are accredited by Texas Private School Accreditation Commission recognized agencies. The Greater Houston metropolitan area's independent schools offer education from a variety of different religious as well as secular viewpoints.<ref>[http://houstonprivateschools.org/index.cfm?CFID=15996033&CFTOKEN=41756059&MenuItemID=96&MenuGroup=Home%20New About HAIS] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070328010101/http://houstonprivateschools.org/index.cfm?CFID=15996033&CFTOKEN=41756059&MenuItemID=96&MenuGroup=Home+New |date=March 28, 2007 }}. ''Houston Area independent schools''. 2007. Retrieved on March 27, 2007.</ref> The Greater Houston area's Catholic schools are operated by the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston]].

===Colleges and universities===
{{further|List of colleges and universities in Houston}}

Houston has four state universities. The [[University of Houston]] (UH) is a [[List of research universities in the United States#Universities classified as "R1: Doctoral Universities – Highest Research Activity"|research university]] and the flagship institution of the [[University of Houston System]].<ref name="Tier One Research">{{cite web |url=http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2011articles/Jan2011/011811CarnegieTierOne.php |title=Carnegie Foundation Gives University of Houston its Highest Classification for Research Success, Elevating UH to Tier One Status |author=Bonnin, Richard |publisher=University of Houston |access-date=February 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920083350/http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2011articles/Jan2011/011811CarnegieTierOne.php |archive-date=September 20, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Tier One Research 2">{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/print-edition/2011/01/21/uh-achieves-tier-one-status-in-research.html |title=UH achieves Tier One status in research |work=Houston Business Journal |access-date=July 6, 2011 |date=January 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102234709/http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/print-edition/2011/01/21/uh-achieves-tier-one-status-in-research.html |archive-date=November 2, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Tier One Research 3">{{cite web |url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7386162.html |title=UH takes big step up to Tier One status |work=Houston Chronicle |date=January 18, 2011 |access-date=July 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021171030/http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/UH-takes-big-step-up-to-Tier-One-status-1685940.php |archive-date=October 21, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> The {{nowrap|third-largest}} university in Texas, the University of Houston has nearly 44,000 students on its {{Convert|667|acre|hectare|adj=on}} campus in the [[Third Ward, Houston|Third Ward]].<ref name="State of the University: Fall 2011">{{cite web |url=http://www.uh.edu/president/communications/university-community/fall-address-highlights/Fall_Address_Slides_10-3-2011.pdf |title=State of the University: Fall 2011 |publisher=University of Houston |date=October 4, 2011 |access-date=October 5, 2011 |author=Khator, Renu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027101812/http://uh.edu/president/communications/university-community/fall-address-highlights/Fall_Address_Slides_10-3-2011.pdf |archive-date=October 27, 2011}}</ref> The [[University of Houston–Clear Lake]] and the [[University of Houston–Downtown]] are {{nowrap|stand-alone}} universities within the University of Houston System; they are not branch campuses of the University of Houston. Slightly west of the University of Houston is [[Texas Southern University]] (TSU), one of the largest [[Historically black colleges and universities|historically black universities]] in the United States with approximately 10,000 students. Texas Southern University is the first state university in Houston, founded in 1927.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chron.com/local/history/major-stories-events/article/Houston-s-public-higher-education-history-a-9175498.php |title=Histories of TSU and UH marked by segregation |website=Chron.com |date=August 21, 2016 |access-date=February 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021184202/http://www.chron.com/local/history/major-stories-events/article/Houston-s-public-higher-education-history-a-9175498.php |archive-date=October 21, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Several private institutions of higher learning are within the city. [[Rice University]], the most selective university in Texas and one of the most selective in the United States,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/education/article/The-25-hardest-universities-to-get-into-in-Texas-11081467.php |title=Rice tops the list of 25 hardest colleges to get into in Texas |last=Ramirez |first=Fernando |date=April 19, 2017 |work=Houston Chronicle |access-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327084245/https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/education/article/The-25-hardest-universities-to-get-into-in-Texas-11081467.php |archive-date=March 27, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> is a private, secular institution with a high level of research activity.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rice University, Best Colleges 2009 |work=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=March 27, 2009 |url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/items/3604 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216191034/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/items/3604 |archive-date=February 16, 2009}}</ref> Founded in 1912, Rice's historic, heavily wooded {{Convert|300|acre|hectare|adj=on}} [[Campus of Rice University|campus]], adjacent to [[Hermann Park]] and the [[Texas Medical Center]], hosts approximately 4,000 undergraduate and 3,000 post-graduate students. To the north in [[Neartown Houston|Neartown]], the [[University of St. Thomas (Texas)|University of St. Thomas]], founded in 1947, is Houston's only Catholic university. St. Thomas provides a [[Liberal arts education|liberal arts]] curriculum for roughly 3,000 students at its historic 19-block campus along Montrose Boulevard. In southwest Houston, [[Houston Christian University]] (formerly Houston Baptist University), founded in 1960, offers bachelor's and graduate degrees at its [[Sharpstown, Houston|Sharpstown]] campus. The school is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and has a student population of approximately 3,000.

Three community college districts have campuses in and around Houston. The [[Houston Community College|Houston Community College System]] (HCC) serves most of Houston proper; its main campus and headquarters are in [[Midtown, Houston|Midtown]]. Suburban northern and western parts of the metropolitan area are served by various campuses of the [[Lone Star College System]], while the southeastern portion of Houston is served by [[San Jacinto College]], and a northeastern portion is served by [[Lee College]].<!--Huffman ISD--><ref>[http://www.lee.edu/about/ "About Lee College"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429094735/http://www.lee.edu/about/ |date=April 29, 2013 }} [[Lee College]]. Retrieved on May 6, 2013.</ref> The Houston Community College and Lone Star College systems are among the [[List of United States colleges and universities by enrollment#US Department of Education Ranking|10 largest institutions of higher learning]] in the United States.

Houston also hosts a number of graduate schools in law and healthcare. The [[University of Houston Law Center]] and [[Thurgood Marshall School of Law]] at Texas Southern University are public, [[American Bar Association|ABA-accredited]] law schools, while the [[South Texas College of Law]], in Downtown, serves as a private, independent alternative. The [[Texas Medical Center]] is home to a high density of health professions schools, including two [[medical school]]s: [[McGovern Medical School]], part of [[The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston]], and [[Baylor College of Medicine]], a highly selective private institution. [[Prairie View A&M University]]'s nursing school is in the Texas Medical Center. Additionally, both Texas Southern University and the University of Houston have [[pharmacy school]]s, and the University of Houston hosts [[University of Houston College of Medicine|a medical school]] and a college of [[optometry]].
<gallery class="center" heights="110" widths="160">
File:New library 35.jpg|[[Texas Southern University]], in the [[Third Ward, Houston|Third Ward]], is the first public institution of higher education in Houston and the most comprehensive [[HBCU]] in Texas.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hbculifestyle.com/largest-hbcu-by-enrollment/#:~:text=Nestled%20on%20a%20sprawling%20150,diverse%20institutions%20in%20the%20state. |title=Largest HBCU In The Nation: Top 10 Black Colleges By Enrollment |website=hbculifestyle.com |date=August 25, 2018 |access-date=August 17, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://abc13.com/barbara-jordan-mickey-leland-michael-strahan-yolanda-adams/6001128/ |title=4 Texas Southern University graduates turned black history trailblazers |work=ABC13.com |date=March 12, 2020 |access-date=August 17, 2021 }}</ref>
File:University of Houston-Downtown Commerce Building.jpg|The [[University of Houston–Downtown]], in [[downtown Houston|Downtown]], is the second-largest institution of higher education in Houston.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uhd.edu/finishuhdstrong/Pages/default.aspx |title=Finish UHD Strong |publisher=University of Houston Downtown |access-date=August 17, 2021 }}</ref>
File:Roy Gustav Cullen Building.JPG|The [[University of Houston]], in the Third Ward, is a public research university and the third-largest institution of higher education in Texas.<ref>{{cite web |title=University of Houston |url=https://uhsystem.edu/uh-system/uh/ |access-date=August 17, 2021 |publisher=University of Houston System}}</ref>
File:Lovett Hall.jpg|[[Rice University]], near the [[Houston Museum District|Museum District]] and [[Texas Medical Center]], is the most selective private institution in Texas.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://oir.rice.edu/rankings |title=What They're Saying About Rice |publisher=Rice University |access-date=August 17, 2021 }}</ref>
</gallery>