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GreatSchools Rating

Ab Harrison Intermediate School

Public | 5-6 | 610 students
 

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  • Not a great school at all. The easiest way to describe this school would be...

  • We were sorely disappointed with this school last year. Our daughter was in...

  • My daughter has truly excelled at Harrison. The teachers are tough but fair...

  • This school is disorganized, poorly managed, and the staff is uncaring. As...

  • The teachers are reasonably tough and they truly care about bringing out the...

 

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Last modified
Community Rating

3 stars

Based on 5 ratings
Community Rating by Year
2013:
No new ratings
2012:
Based on 2 ratings
2011:
Based on 1 rating
2010:
Based on 1 rating

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5 reviews of this school

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Posted December 14, 2012
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Not a great school at all. The easiest way to describe this school would be militant and uncaring. Harrison uses a trust card system, which is essentially a require name badge for the students. The principal and staff would tell you it's a privilege-based system, giving students special privileges for wearing them. It's actually a tool for organized teacher bullying. Students are punished by getting their cards removed. Kids without cards, either because they were taken away or because they left them at home, are forced to sit at lunch in desks facing a concrete wall. With a few exceptions, teachers are rude and uncaring for students and parents alike. Parental concerns are never addressed...in fact they are often mocked. If you have it within your ability to avoid this school, please consider doing so. My child said it best when the conversation of bullying came up a while back. When discussing what to do when a student bullies you, my student said, "But the teachers are the bullies, what do I do about that?"
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted October 3, 2012
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We were sorely disappointed with this school last year. Our daughter was in 6th grade. Having moved from another school where she was in the Gifted/Talented program, it was disappointing to find that Harrison only has 1 GT class, Language Arts. The teacher of that class is disorganized and knows nothing about what it truly means for a student to be gifted. It is not simply being smarter than the other children. They need particular attention, helping them foster their critical thinking skills, etc. This teacher does nothing for that. The other 6th grade teachers that my daughter had seemed to focus their efforts on the struggling students and would ignore the brighter children. My daughter ended up having a mediocre year of school because of the lack of interest in her education and as a child. My daughter loves science and would frequently go to the science teacher and ask an 'out of the box' type question, she would normally be shrugged off and told to "go look it up". HORRIBLE school and pathetic teachers. I'm glad we are done with that place.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted July 14, 2011
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My daughter has truly excelled at Harrison. The teachers are tough but fair and the principal provides great leadership. We are looking forward to another positive year at Harrison.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted May 24, 2010
Report it

This school is disorganized, poorly managed, and the staff is uncaring. As long as you are athletic, you are okay in this school. If you are geeky or nerdy, God help you!
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted April 2, 2009
Report it

The teachers are reasonably tough and they truly care about bringing out the very best in the students. They seem focused on true achievement, not just 'feel good' teaching. Gifted and Talented program is great. Our son is actually asking about college! At this school, its more than teaching to the TAKS, they are on track for real education. This school is a fresh breath.
—Submitted by a parent

Write your own review

Community ratings and reviews do not represent the views of GreatSchools nor does GreatSchools check their accuracy or verify the reviewers' identities. Use your discretion when evaluating these reviews.

About these ratings

The Community Rating is the school’s average rating from its community members (e.g., parents, students, and school staff). The highest possible rating is five stars; the lowest is one star.

The test results by subgroup show how the designated group of students is performing in comparison to the general population.
Math

The state average for Math was 81% in 2011.

279 students were tested at this school in 2011.

2011

 
 
97%

2010

 
 
97%

2009

 
 
97%

2008

 
 
96%
Reading

The state average for Reading was 82% in 2011.

278 students were tested at this school in 2011.

2011

 
 
92%

2010

 
 
96%

2009

 
 
94%

2008

 
 
97%
Science

The state average for Science was 87% in 2011.

277 students were tested at this school in 2011.

2011

 
 
91%

2010

 
 
97%

2009

 
 
93%

2008

 
 
89%
Scale: % meeting or exceeding standards

About the tests

In 2010-2011, the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) was used to test students in reading in grades 3 through 9; in writing in grades 4 and 7; in English language arts in grades 10 and 11; in mathematics in grades 3 through 11; in science in grades 5, 8, 10 and 11; and in social studies in grades 8, 10 and 11. TAKS is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Texas. The grade 11 Exit Level TAKS is a high school graduation requirement. The goal is for all students to score at or above the state standard.

See Texas' state standards

Source: Texas Education Agency

Math

The state average for Math was 83% in 2011.

335 students were tested at this school in 2011.

2011

 
 
95%

2010

 
 
97%

2009

 
 
93%

2008

 
 
83%
Reading

The state average for Reading was 84% in 2011.

333 students were tested at this school in 2011.

2011

 
 
92%

2010

 
 
93%

2009

 
 
98%

2008

 
 
95%
Scale: % meeting or exceeding standards

About the tests

In 2010-2011, the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) was used to test students in reading in grades 3 through 9; in writing in grades 4 and 7; in English language arts in grades 10 and 11; in mathematics in grades 3 through 11; in science in grades 5, 8, 10 and 11; and in social studies in grades 8, 10 and 11. TAKS is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Texas. The grade 11 Exit Level TAKS is a high school graduation requirement. The goal is for all students to score at or above the state standard.

See Texas' state standards

Source: Texas Education Agency

Math

All Students97%
Female96%
Male98%
Black or African American91%
Asian100%
Hispanic93%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
White99%
Economically disadvantaged94%
Not economically disadvantaged98%
Special education80%
Not special education98%
Limited English proficient (LEP)80%
Proficient in English98%
Migrantn/a
Non-migrant97%
Gifted/talented100%

Reading

All Students92%
Female94%
Male90%
Black or African American83%
Asian80%
Hispanic91%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
White94%
Economically disadvantaged86%
Not economically disadvantaged95%
Special education67%
Not special education93%
Limited English proficient (LEP)67%
Proficient in English93%
Migrantn/a
Non-migrant92%
Gifted/talented100%

Science

All Students91%
Female92%
Male90%
Black or African American83%
Asian100%
Hispanic89%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
White92%
Economically disadvantaged84%
Not economically disadvantaged94%
Special education67%
Not special education92%
Limited English proficient (LEP)67%
Proficient in English92%
Migrantn/a
Non-migrant91%
Gifted/talented100%
Scale: % meeting or exceeding standards

About the tests

In 2010-2011, the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) was used to test students in reading in grades 3 through 9; in writing in grades 4 and 7; in English language arts in grades 10 and 11; in mathematics in grades 3 through 11; in science in grades 5, 8, 10 and 11; and in social studies in grades 8, 10 and 11. TAKS is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Texas. The grade 11 Exit Level TAKS is a high school graduation requirement. The goal is for all students to score at or above the state standard.

The different student groups are identified by the Texas Education Agency; if there are a small number of students in a particular group, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See Texas' state standards

Source: Texas Education Agency

Math

All Students95%
Female94%
Male95%
Black or African American84%
Asian100%
Hispanic94%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
White96%
Economically disadvantaged92%
Not economically disadvantaged96%
Special education79%
Not special education96%
Limited English proficient (LEP)78%
Proficient in English95%
Migrantn/a
Non-migrant95%
Gifted/talented100%

Reading

All Students92%
Female98%
Male87%
Black or African American97%
Asian100%
Hispanic86%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
White93%
Economically disadvantaged89%
Not economically disadvantaged93%
Special education56%
Not special education94%
Limited English proficient (LEP)67%
Proficient in English93%
Migrantn/a
Non-migrant92%
Gifted/talented100%
Scale: % meeting or exceeding standards

About the tests

In 2010-2011, the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) was used to test students in reading in grades 3 through 9; in writing in grades 4 and 7; in English language arts in grades 10 and 11; in mathematics in grades 3 through 11; in science in grades 5, 8, 10 and 11; and in social studies in grades 8, 10 and 11. TAKS is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Texas. The grade 11 Exit Level TAKS is a high school graduation requirement. The goal is for all students to score at or above the state standard.

The different student groups are identified by the Texas Education Agency; if there are a small number of students in a particular group, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See Texas' state standards

Source: Texas Education Agency

  • In 2010-2011, this school was rated "Recognized".
  • In 2009-2010, this school was rated "Exemplary".
  • In 2008-2009, this school was rated "Exemplary".

About the tests

Texas uses Accountability Ratings to indicate the overall performance of each school and district. The ratings are based on TAKS test results, dropout rates for grades 7 and 8 and school completion rates for grades 9 through 12. Schools and districts rated under standard accountability procedures are designated as Exemplary, Recognized, Academically Acceptable or Academically Unacceptable. Schools and districts rated under alternative education accountability (AEA) procedures are designated as either AEA: Academically Acceptable or AEA: Academically Unacceptable.

See Texas' state standards

Source: Texas Education Agency

Breaking down the GreatSchools Rating

GreatSchools Ratings are based on the most recent standardized test results for schools. Use the breakdown ratings below to compare types of students at this school. Learn more »

Student ethnicity

Ethnicity This school State average
White 64% 31%
Hispanic 22% 50%
Black 8% 13%
Asian 3% 3%
Two or more races 2% 2%
American Indian/Alaska Native 0% 0%
Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander 0% 0%
Source: NCES, 2010-2011

Student subgroups

  This school District averageState average
Special education 10%N/A10%
Gifted/talented students 9%N/A8%
Economically disadvantaged 27%N/A55%
Limited English proficient (LEP) 4%N/A17%
Source: TX Education Agency, 2007-2008

Student-teacher ratio

  This school District averageState average
Students per FTE teacher 15N/A15
Source: NCES, 2008-2009

Teacher experience

  This school District averageState average
Beginning teachers 0%N/A8%
1 to 5 years 29%N/A30%
6 to 10 years 33%N/A20%
11 to 20 years 19%N/A23%
21 or more years 19%N/A19%
Source: TX Education Agency, 2007-2008

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1001 S Ballard
Wylie, TX 75098
Website: Click here
Phone: (972) 429-3300

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