Education in Galveston, Texas
Encyclopedia
As one of the oldest and more historically significant cities in Texas, Galveston has had a long history of advancements and offerings in education, including: the first parochial school (Ursuline Academy) (1847), the first medical college (now the University of Texas Medical Branch
) (1891), and the first school for nurses (1890).
Established in 1891 with one building and fewer than 50 students, today the University of Texas Medical Branch
(UTMB) campus has grown to more than 70 buildings and an enrollment of more than 2,500 students. The 84 acres (339,936.2 m²) campus includes schools of medicine
, nursing
, allied health professions, and a graduate school
of biomedical sciences, as well as three institutes for advanced studies & medical humanities, a major medical library, seven hospitals, a network of clinics that provide a full range of primary and specialized medical care, and numerous research facilities.
In addition, the UTMB campus includes an affiliated Shriners Burns Institute
. In 2003 UTMB received funding from the National Institutes of Health
to construct a $150 million National Biocontainment Laboratory on its campus, one of only two in the United States and the only one on a university campus. It houses several Biosafety Level 4
research laboratories, where studies on highly infectious materials can be carried out safely.
, a junior college that opened in 1967, serves an ethnically diverse population of approximately 2,400 students each semester in credit programs and nearly 8,000 individuals annually in continuing education and workforce development programs.
Texas A&M University at Galveston
is an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University
offering undergraduate degrees in marine biology
, marine fisheries, marine engineering
technology, marine sciences, marine transportation, maritime administration, maritime studies, maritime systems engineering, oceans and coastal resources, and university studies such as marine environmental law
and policy. In addition, the graduate programs include: a masters of marine resources management and a masters or Ph.D. (thesis and non-thesis) in marine biology.
. Several district public elementary schools, including L. A. Morgan, Greta Oppe, Gladneio Parker, and Early Childhood University, serve grades pre-Kindergarten through 4. Several middle schools and high school programs exist within the district: Weis Middle School for grades 5 through 6, Central Middle School for grades 7 through 8, and Ball High School
for grades 9 through 12. Galveston Early College High School (a GISD Charter School) will open across the street from Ball High in the Fall of 2010. Austin Magnet Middle School (a STEM program), has grades 5 through 8.
GISD provided several firsts in the state of Texas: the first public elementary school (Rosenberg - now a KIPP campus), the first public High School (George Ball - moved to a different location, and consolidated) and the first public African American High School (Central School, now Central Middle School).
Prior to 1968, Galveston operated Ball High School for White students and Central High School for Black
students. Central School, the first Texas public school for African-Americans, opened in 1885 and became a high school in 1886. In 1968 the two high schools consolidated and the Central campus became a junior high school. Travis Elementary School, which opened in 1948, closed in the 1970s. Crockett Elementary School closed by 1978. The tax base of the Galveston ISD grew by 13% in 2005 while Galveston ISD lost many district-zoned non-Hurricane Katrina
evacuee students. San Jacinto Elementary School closed in 2006. Alamo Elementary School, which opened in 1935 and received renovations in 1980 and 1986, closed in 2007. Prior to fall 2008, Galveston ISD had a different school configuration: Elementary schools served pre-Kindergarten through grade 5 and Austin, Weis, and Central middle schools served grades 6 through 8.
not affiliated with local school districts, including Kindergarten through 5th Grade Ambassadors Preparatory Academy and Pre-Kindergarten through 8th Grade Odyssey Academy. In addition KIPP: the Knowledge Is Power Program
opened KIPP Coastal Village as a part of GISD in 2009.
operates two Roman Catholic private schools, including Holy Family Catholic School (K through 8th) and O'Connell College Preparatory School
(9-12). O'Connell Consolidated High School opened in 1968 as a consolidation of Kirwin, Dominican
and Ursuline, three Galveston Catholic high schools. Galveston Catholic School opened in 1986 as a consolidation of Dominican School, Our Lady of Guadalupe School, Saint Patrick's School, and O’Connell Junior High School. In 2010, with the closure of all seven of the Galveston Island & Bolivar parishes, and establishment of one new area-wide parish, Galveston Catholic was renamed Holy Family Catholic School Saint Patrick's opened in 1881 and received its final campus in 1926. Some parents protested plans to consolidate the schools before the consolidation became final. O'Connell was renamed to O'Connell College Preparatory School in 2007. Satori Elementary School, a non-religious Kindergarten through Grade 6 school, is on the island. Trinity Episcopal School, a PreK-8 Episcopal Church school, is on the island. Two Kindergarten through 12th grade schools, Seaside Christian Academy (affiliated with Seaside Baptist Church in Jamaica Beach) and Heritage Christian Academy, are in Galveston.
The city is served by the Rosenberg Library
. The library serves as headquarters of the Galveston County Library System, which opened in 1941. The Rosenberg Library's librarian also functions as the Galveston County Librarian.
University of Texas Medical Branch
The University of Texas Medical Branch is a component of the University of Texas System located in Galveston, Texas, United States, about 50 miles southeast of Downtown Houston...
) (1891), and the first school for nurses (1890).
Healthcare and research
University of Texas Medical Branch
The University of Texas Medical Branch is a component of the University of Texas System located in Galveston, Texas, United States, about 50 miles southeast of Downtown Houston...
(UTMB) campus has grown to more than 70 buildings and an enrollment of more than 2,500 students. The 84 acres (339,936.2 m²) campus includes schools of medicine
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
, nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
, allied health professions, and a graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
of biomedical sciences, as well as three institutes for advanced studies & medical humanities, a major medical library, seven hospitals, a network of clinics that provide a full range of primary and specialized medical care, and numerous research facilities.
In addition, the UTMB campus includes an affiliated Shriners Burns Institute
Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of 22 non-profit hospitals across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’...
. In 2003 UTMB received funding from the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
to construct a $150 million National Biocontainment Laboratory on its campus, one of only two in the United States and the only one on a university campus. It houses several Biosafety Level 4
Biosafety level
A biosafety level is the level of the biocontainment precautions required to isolate dangerous biological agents in an enclosed facility. The levels of containment range from the lowest biosafety level 1 to the highest at level 4 . In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and...
research laboratories, where studies on highly infectious materials can be carried out safely.
Higher education
Galveston is home to two post-secondary institutions offering traditional degrees in higher education. Galveston CollegeGalveston College
Galveston College is a comprehensive community college located on Galveston Island in Galveston, Texas, United States. GC is led by a president who answers to nine member publicly elected Board of Regents....
, a junior college that opened in 1967, serves an ethnically diverse population of approximately 2,400 students each semester in credit programs and nearly 8,000 individuals annually in continuing education and workforce development programs.
Texas A&M University at Galveston
Texas A&M University at Galveston
Texas A&M University at Galveston is an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University offering undergraduate degrees in marine biology, marine fisheries, marine engineering technology, marine sciences, marine transportation, maritime administration, maritime studies, maritime systems...
is an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
offering undergraduate degrees in marine biology
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
, marine fisheries, marine engineering
Ocean engineering
Ocean engineering is an ambiguously defined term that may refer to:*Oceanographic engineering, also called marine electronics engineering, concerned with the design of electronic devices for use in the marine environment, such as the remote sensing systems used by oceanographers*Offshore...
technology, marine sciences, marine transportation, maritime administration, maritime studies, maritime systems engineering, oceans and coastal resources, and university studies such as marine environmental law
Environmental law
Environmental law is a complex and interlocking body of treaties, conventions, statutes, regulations, and common law that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity...
and policy. In addition, the graduate programs include: a masters of marine resources management and a masters or Ph.D. (thesis and non-thesis) in marine biology.
Public schools
The city of Galveston is served by Galveston Independent School DistrictGalveston Independent School District
Galveston Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Galveston, Texas, United States.In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.- Catchment area :...
. Several district public elementary schools, including L. A. Morgan, Greta Oppe, Gladneio Parker, and Early Childhood University, serve grades pre-Kindergarten through 4. Several middle schools and high school programs exist within the district: Weis Middle School for grades 5 through 6, Central Middle School for grades 7 through 8, and Ball High School
Ball High School
Ball High School is a public secondary school in Galveston, Texas, United States. Ball, which covers grades 9 through 12, is a part of Galveston Independent School District....
for grades 9 through 12. Galveston Early College High School (a GISD Charter School) will open across the street from Ball High in the Fall of 2010. Austin Magnet Middle School (a STEM program), has grades 5 through 8.
GISD provided several firsts in the state of Texas: the first public elementary school (Rosenberg - now a KIPP campus), the first public High School (George Ball - moved to a different location, and consolidated) and the first public African American High School (Central School, now Central Middle School).
Prior to 1968, Galveston operated Ball High School for White students and Central High School for Black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
students. Central School, the first Texas public school for African-Americans, opened in 1885 and became a high school in 1886. In 1968 the two high schools consolidated and the Central campus became a junior high school. Travis Elementary School, which opened in 1948, closed in the 1970s. Crockett Elementary School closed by 1978. The tax base of the Galveston ISD grew by 13% in 2005 while Galveston ISD lost many district-zoned non-Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
evacuee students. San Jacinto Elementary School closed in 2006. Alamo Elementary School, which opened in 1935 and received renovations in 1980 and 1986, closed in 2007. Prior to fall 2008, Galveston ISD had a different school configuration: Elementary schools served pre-Kindergarten through grade 5 and Austin, Weis, and Central middle schools served grades 6 through 8.
Charter schools
Galveston has several state-funded charter schoolsCharter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
not affiliated with local school districts, including Kindergarten through 5th Grade Ambassadors Preparatory Academy and Pre-Kindergarten through 8th Grade Odyssey Academy. In addition KIPP: the Knowledge Is Power Program
KIPP: the Knowledge Is Power Program
KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a nationwide network of free open-enrollment college-preparatory schools in under-resourced communities throughout the United States. KIPP schools are usually established under state charter school laws and KIPP is America’s largest network of charter schools...
opened KIPP Coastal Village as a part of GISD in 2009.
Private and parochial schools
Several private schools exist in Galveston. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-HoustonRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston encompasses of ten counties in the southeastern area of Texas: Galveston; Harris; Austin; Brazoria; Fort Bend; Grimes; Montgomery; San Jacinto; Walker; and Waller.The chancery of the diocese is located in Downtown Houston. The Archdiocese's...
operates two Roman Catholic private schools, including Holy Family Catholic School (K through 8th) and O'Connell College Preparatory School
O'Connell College Preparatory School
O'Connell College Preparatory School is a 4-year coeducational parochial/private high school in Galveston, Texas, United States that offers university-preparatory programs...
(9-12). O'Connell Consolidated High School opened in 1968 as a consolidation of Kirwin, Dominican
Dominican High School (Galveston, Texas)
Dominican High School was a Catholic high school that existed in Galveston, Texas, USA from 1882 to 1968.-Consolidation and Closure:In the autumn of 1967, the religious orders operating Dominican High School and the two other Galveston Catholic high schools agreed on consolidation as a means of...
and Ursuline, three Galveston Catholic high schools. Galveston Catholic School opened in 1986 as a consolidation of Dominican School, Our Lady of Guadalupe School, Saint Patrick's School, and O’Connell Junior High School. In 2010, with the closure of all seven of the Galveston Island & Bolivar parishes, and establishment of one new area-wide parish, Galveston Catholic was renamed Holy Family Catholic School Saint Patrick's opened in 1881 and received its final campus in 1926. Some parents protested plans to consolidate the schools before the consolidation became final. O'Connell was renamed to O'Connell College Preparatory School in 2007. Satori Elementary School, a non-religious Kindergarten through Grade 6 school, is on the island. Trinity Episcopal School, a PreK-8 Episcopal Church school, is on the island. Two Kindergarten through 12th grade schools, Seaside Christian Academy (affiliated with Seaside Baptist Church in Jamaica Beach) and Heritage Christian Academy, are in Galveston.
Public libraries
Rosenberg Library
Rosenberg Library, a public library located at 2310 Sealy Street in Galveston, Texas, United States, is the oldest continuously operating library in Texas...
. The library serves as headquarters of the Galveston County Library System, which opened in 1941. The Rosenberg Library's librarian also functions as the Galveston County Librarian.
See also
- Education in TexasEducation in TexasTexas has six public university systems and four independent public universities. The state has three nationally recognized public research universities: The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, and the University of Houston....
- Education in the United StatesEducation in the United StatesEducation in the United States is mainly provided by the public sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. Child education is compulsory.Public education is universally available...
- List of colleges and universities in Houston
- List of colleges and universities in Texas