• Clear Creek ISD earned a Recognized status in 2006 and 2007 as well from the Texas Education Agency. Many of its campuses earned an Exemplary rating during the same years.
  
  
• Friendswood ISD has earned a Recognized rating since 2004, while many of its campuses earned Exemplary ratings during the same time period.
  
  
• La Porte ISD has held an Academically Acceptable rating since 2004, with many of its campuses earning a Recognized rating during that time.
  
  
• Pasadena ISD has held an Academically Acceptable rating since 2005, following a Recognized rating in 2004. Many of the district's campuses have received a Recognized rating during the same time period.
  
  
• Dickinson ISD has held an Academically Acceptable rating since 2004, with many of its campuses earning a Recognized rating during that time.

Quality public schools with high school graduation rates of over 90 percent traditionally have served well as an attraction for new company employees and residents. Bay Area Houston’s regional high school graduates also score well on SAT scores, an average of 1061.

Nationally, these school districts rank high in comparison to other noted technology cities (click chart below for full page view).

“The science, math and technology culture bred over the past 40 years that NASA’s Johnson Space Center has been in existence is clearly evident in the school systems [of Clear Creek].”

School districts in the Bay Area Houston region continue to seek out programs that will give their students and edge on science, math and engineering. A sample of these programs include:

• The Aerospace Academy
  This is an innovative K-18 education/industry/government collaboration addressing the skills development of engineering and other high technology workers and the mathematics and science teachers needed to produce that workforce.

• COSMOS (Community Oriented Science Mathematics Opportunities for Students)
  COSMOS is designed to prepare secondary students for careers in the aerospace, petrochemical and medical industries.

  COSMOS is using $145,000 in grant funding from the Houston Foundation, a major charitable organization, to develop secondary school curricula in engineering, medical sciences and information technology. UH-Clear Lake, the San Jacinto College District, Prairie View A&M University and the Houston Area Technology Advancement Center are helping develop the engineering and information technology curricula, and Baylor College of Medicine, the UT Medical Branch at Galveston and the San Jacinto College District are creating the medical curriculum.

  These curricula are being used in the Clear Creek and Pasadena school districts with plans to role the program out to additional schools in the region.

• KC-135 Student Flight Program
  NASA - Johnson Space Center has awarded a three-year contract to the Aerospace Academy to coordinate the KC-135 program. The goal of this program is to address the nation's need for science and engineering graduates by encouraging students to pursue such careers. This program provides a unique academic experience for undergraduate students to successfully propose, design, fabricate, fly and evaluate a reduced-gravity experiment of their choice over the course of six months. The overall experience includes scientific research, hands-on experimental design, test operations, and education / public outreach activities. For more information contact the project coordinator at this address.

• SpaceTEC, a National Aerospace Science Technical Education Center (SpaceTEC)
  SpaceTEC will set a national direction and focus for space technology education through the development of an industry-driven, government-endorsed, national program to train aerospace technicians. The goals area to foster interest in science, mathematics, and technology education in the U.S. and to provide education for the technical workforce using a national alliance of representatives from business and industry, governmental agencies and academic institutions. Local colleges participating in SpaceTEC are College of the Mainland and San Jacinto College.

• Texas Aerospace Scholars (TAS) Program
  TAS is comprised of three one-year educational programs, middle school, high school and community college. These programs enable students and teachers to explore science, math, engineering and technology through interaction with practicing professionals at the Johnson Space Center. The TAS program creates a pipeline providing students the support and exposure necessary to stay focused on a degree and career in math, science, engineering or technology.

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