The Katy Independent School District (KISD) is a public school district based in Katy, Texas, United States, with an enrollment of over 85,700 students. In 2022, the district was given a grade of "A" by the Texas Education Agency.
The district serves in parts of Harris County, Fort Bend County and Waller County. Most of the district lies within the boundaries of the City of Houston, the City of Katy or their municipalities' extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Unincorporated areas in Katy ISD include Barker, Cinco Ranch, and Cimarron.Johnson, Trish. "Location helps make Cimarron popular." Houston Chronicle. April 7, 2009. Retrieved on March 25, 2010.
All residential areas of the district are assigned to an elementary school, a junior high school, and a high school by subdivision.
History
From Katy CSD to Katy ISD (1898–1919)
In 1898, the Katy Common School District (Katy CSD) was formed and the city built a 32 square foot, one-room school for all grade levels on 6th Street (now called George Bush Drive), where Katy Elementary is today. Winds from the catastrophic 1900 Galveston hurricane blew across the open prairie as far as Katy and destroyed the school building. The city rebuilt the school, and several other schools were built in quick succession in all three of Katy's counties.
In 1909 a new Katy CSD building was built next to the original one-room school on 6th Street. This was called Katy School, and it was a two-story building with a bell tower to call the students to class each morning. High school students attended classes in the new building, while elementary students continued to study in the smaller one. The bell is now above the entrance of Katy Elementary.
In 1918–1919, Katy's residents voted to separate the school from municipal control (called "divorcement") and to consolidate Katy CSD and other nearby schools within Katy's three counties into an independent school district (that is, a special-purpose district that is independent from local government control).
Covid (2020) In March 2020, classes, campus events, field trips, student trips and competitions were postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas. Virtual learning was put in place using Canvas, and was extended throughout the 2020–2021 school year during which two options were offered for returning students. The first involved in-person instruction, combining face-to-face teaching with digital learning through Canvas, including daily attendance tracking. The second option, the Katy Virtual Academy (KVA), offered real-time, live instruction via Canvas, allowing students to follow the KISD curriculum and meet Texas graduation requirements. Both in-person and virtual students adhered to the same grading guidelines, but the attendance requirement for the fall 2020 final exam eligibility was waived, allowing high school students to exempt a final exam if they met semester average and behavior requirements.
In adherence to safety measures, facial coverings were mandated for all district staff and students in grades 4 through 12, while students in pre-k through grade 3 were encouraged to wear face coverings. The protocol also included instructional day temperature checks for new district enrollees and late arrival students.
Academics
For students who started ninth grade in 2019–2020, 94.9% graduated within four years.
For students in grades 9–12 during the 2022–2023 school year, 0.7% dropped out.
During the 2022–2023 school year, 12.4% were chronically absent (absent at least 10% of the school year).
During the 2022–2023 school year, 36.1% of students in grades 11 and 12 took at least one Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exam, and of those 83.1% received a passing score.
The average SAT score for students graduating in 2022–2003 was 1087, and the average ACT score was 25.3.
Staff
1% of the staff hold a doctorate; 26.6% hold a master's degree; 72.1% hold a bachelor's degree; and 0.3% have no degree. On average, teachers have 10.9 years experience.
For the 2023–2024 school year, there was on average 14 students for each teacher.
District awards The United States Department of Education's National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes exemplary schools. These Katy ISD schools have been awarded this honor: Elementary schools: Edna Mae Fielder Elementary (1999) Zelma Hutsell Elementary (2001) Katy Elementary (2006) Memorial Parkway Elementary (1999) Hazel S. Pattison Elementary (1994) Diane Winborn Elementary (2012) Junior high schools: Rodger and Ellen Beck Junior High (2002) Memorial Parkway Junior High (2000) High schools: Cinco Ranch High (2008) Seven Lakes High (2008) Katy High (1998) James E. Taylor High (1996)
Demographics Katy ISD has over 100,000 students.
The Katy Independent School District (Katy ISD) A+ Pay 'N' Go is an online payment system that provides a way for parents, students, and other community members to make payments for various school-related fees and services. It is an online web store that simplifies transactions for a range of district services.
Features and Functionality Katy ISD's A+ Pay 'N' Go system is designed to provide a convenient and secure way to handle school finances without the need for cash or checks. The platform accepts credit cards and e-checks, and notably, it does not charge transaction fees.
Race and ethnicity: 36.5% Hispanic, 26.8% White, 14.5% Black, 17.2% Asian. In 2016, it was reported that 34.4% of the students were Hispanic because Katy has a sizeable Colombian, Mexican, and Venezuelan population.
Risk factors: 44.3% at-risk of dropping out of school, 44% economically disadvantaged, 25.6% limited English proficiency
Program enrollment: 25% bilingual/ESL, 16.2% special education, 8.9% gifted and talented
Schools High schools
High School Location Year Established Cinco Ranch High School Unincorporated Fort Bend County 1999 Freeman High School Unincorporated Harris County 2024 Jordan High School Fulshear 2020 Katy High School Katy 1947 Mayde Creek High School Unincorporated Harris County 1984 Morton Ranch High School Unincorporated Harris County 2004 Patricia E. Paetow High School Unincorporated Harris County 2017 Seven Lakes High School Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2005 James E. Taylor High School Unincorporated Harris County 1979 Obra D. Tompkins High School Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2013
In addition, the Katy ISD website lists under high schools: Miller Career & Technology Center: Offers students from other campuses specialized career and technology programs as well as core classes. Opportunity Awareness Center: The discipline alternative campus for the school district. Martha Raines Academy: A project-based learning campus that allows students to earn credits at an accelerated pace.
Junior high schools Junior High School Location Year Established Joe M. Adams Junior High Fulshear 2019 Rodger & Ellen Beck Junior High Unincorporated Fort Bend County 1995 Beckendorff Junior High Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2004 Cardiff Junior High Unincorporated Harris County 2008 Cinco Ranch Junior High Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2001 Cindy Haskett Junior High Unincorporated Harris County 2021 Katy Junior High Katy 1965 (former location); 1995 (present location) Mayde Creek Junior High Unincorporated Harris County 1980 T. H. McDonald Junior High Unincorporated Harris County 1991 Garland McMeans Junior High Unincorporated Harris County 2000 Memorial Parkway Junior High Unincorporated Harris County 1982 Morton Ranch Junior High Unincorporated Harris County 2003 Nelson Junior High Unincorporated Harris County 2024 Seven Lakes Junior High Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2012 Stockdick Junior High Unincorporated Harris County 2017 James & Sharon Tays Junior High Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2016 West Memorial Junior High Unincorporated Harris County 1976 WoodCreek Junior High Katy 2008
Elementary schools Elementary School Location Year Established Roosevelt Alexander Elementary Unincorporated Fort Bend County 1998 Bear Creek Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 1978 Catherine Bethke Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 2016Alfred & Ann Boudny ElementaryUnincorporated Harris County2025 Robert & Felice Bryant Elementary Unincorporated Waller County 2017 Amy Campbell Elementary Fulshear 2018 Cimarron Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 1980 Betty Sue Creech Elementary Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2000James & Mitzi CrossUnincorporated Waller County2025 Keiko Davidson Elementary Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2014 Jo Ella Exley Elementary Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2004 Russell & Cindie Faldyn Elementary Katy 2023 Edna Mae Fielder Elementary Unincorporated Fort Bend County 1993 Franz Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 2004 Loraine T. Golbow Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 1989 Michael Griffin Elementary Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2006 Jeanette Hayes Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 1995 Bonnie Holland Elementary Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2008 Zelma Hutsell Elementary Katy 1978 MayDell Jenks Elementary Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2016 Katy Elementary Katy 1898, 1951 (former locations); 1965 (present location) Odessa Kilpatrick Elementary Unincorporated Fort Bend County 1953-1978 (former location); 2003 (present location) Robert E. King Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 2001 Olga Leonard Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 2019 Mayde Creek Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 1983 Peter McElwain Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 2020 Polly Ann McRoberts Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 1997 Memorial Parkway Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 1978 Morton Ranch Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 2008 Nottingham Country Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 1981 Hazel S. Pattison Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 1989 James E. Randolph Elementary Fulshear 2014 Jack & Sharon Rhoads Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 2004 Steve & Elaine Robertson Elementary Katy 2022 Roberta Wright Rylander Elementary Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2004 Jean & Betty Schmalz Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 2001 Fred & Patti Shafer Elementary Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2012 Stan C. & Patsy Stanley Elementary Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2009 Ursula Stephens Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 2007 Sundown Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 1982 West Memorial Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 1974 James E. Williams Elementary Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2000 Tom Wilson Elementary Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2012 Diane Winborn Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 1981 Maurice L. Wolfe Elementary Houston 1968 Ray & Jamie Wolman Elementary Unincorporated Fort Bend County 2012 WoodCreek Elementary Katy 2007 David & Terri Youngblood Elementary Unincorporated Harris County 2023
Support facilities Administration Building Leonard E. Merrell Center Rhodes Stadium Transportation Center (East) (adjacent to Mayde Creek High School) Transportation Center (West) (adjacent to Katy Junior High School) Transportation Center (South) (adjacent to Rylander Elementary School) Gerald Young Agricultural Science Center L. D. Robinson Pavilion & Rodeo Arena Katy ISD Law Enforcement Center (adjacent to Morton Ranch High School) Katy ISD Storage Annex (Danover Street, former Kilpatrick Elementary) Legacy Stadium
Other campuses Katy ISD Virtual School Robert R. Shaw Center for STEAM Simon Youth Academy
Katy ISD maintains and updates District Growth and Facilities Planning Studies.
Departments