Kempner High School
Address
14777 Voss Road

Sugar Land, Texas

United States
Coordinates29°38′36″N 95°38′46″W / 29.64333°N 95.64611°W / 29.64333; -95.64611
Information
TypePublic secondary school
Motto"Knowledge, Honor, Success, we are KHS!”
Established1988 (1988)
School districtFort Bend ISD
PrincipalDanielle Jackson
Teaching staff116.71 (FTE) (2021–22)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,962 (2021–22)[1]
Student to teacher ratio16.81 (2021–22)[1]
Campus55.88 acres (22.61 ha)
Color(s)
  • Maroon, silver, and white
  •      
MascotCougar
NewspaperCougar Tracks
Websitefortbendisd.com/khs

I.H. Kempner High School, better known simply as Kempner High School, is a public high school in Sugar Land, Texas and a part of the Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD).

A small portion of the City of Houston is in the school's boundary.[2][3] It also includes the former census-designated place of Town West (Townewest).[4]

History

In 1984, FBISD authorized a bond issue to allow the construction of a fourth high school within the district.

The school was named after Isaac Herbert Kempner, founder of Imperial Sugar, who contributed much to the development of early Sugar Land. Wayne Emerson was chosen by the board on January 11, 1988, to be the first principal of Kempner. The school opened its doors to the first Open House on August 30, 1988. The school, which was constructed at a cost of $15,522,300, contained 55.88 acres of pecan trees, a 750-seat auditorium, and 100 faculty and staff members. The school was initially populated in the fall of 1988 by students from William P Clements High School, which was becoming overcrowded due to population growth in Fort Bend county. In 1990 Kempner graduated its first senior class. Kempner was FBISD's fourth comprehensive high school.[5]

When Kempner first opened, the area surrounding it was remote and mostly agricultural. In the years since, the school has seen growth in enrollment related to suburban development in the surrounding areas.

In the 1999–2000 school year, James May became the new principal, replacing Wayne Emerson, and remained in the role until his retirement in June 2008. Troy Mooney became the third principal of Kempner High School and served in that capacity until July 2010. During that time KHS achieved recognition as a Recognized High School from the Texas Education Agency as well as a 96th percentile National ranking from Newsweek magazine.

Student body

At one point (1995), Kempner had 3,000 students.

In the 2005–2006 school year, Kempner had a population of 2,616 students: 723 freshmen, 683 sophomores, 597 juniors, and 613 seniors.

According to the 2015–2016 Texas Education Agency, Kempner's student body comprises 37% non-Hispanic White, 30% Asian/Pacific Islander, 19% Hispanic, 13% African American, and <1% American Indian/Alaskan Native.

In 2013, Navjinder Singh, a worker at the Indian grocery shop Keemat Grocers who was quoted in The New York Times, stated that Kempner has hallways known for particular ethnic groups; for instance, "Desi hallway" refers to an area where students of Indian origins congregate.[6]

Boundaries and feeder patterns

Kempner High School, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Fort Bend Independent School District. Kempner serves portions of Sugar Land and a very small section of Houston.[7] Kempner serves a portion of the First Colony development.[7][8] Most of Telfair is zoned to Kempner.[9]

The attendance boundary included the Smithville housing complex, which was employee housing of the Central Prison Unit housing minor dependents of Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) staff,[7][10] until the unit's 2011 closure.[11]

The following elementary schools feed into Kempner:[12]

  • Barrington Place (partial)
  • Drabek
  • Fleming (partial)
  • Lakeview (partial)
  • Sugar Mill
  • Townewest

The following middle schools feed into Kempner:[12]

  • Hodges Bend (partial)
  • Sugar Land

Notable alumni

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Search for Public Schools - Kempner H S (481965006540)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Kempner High School Attendance Zone" (PDF). Fort Bend ISD. July 6, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  3. ↑ "City of Houston / ETJ" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 10, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  4. ↑ "1990 COUNTY BLOCK MAP (RECREATED): FORT BEND County" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. pp. 13, 20. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  5. ↑ Solomon, Jerome (August 28, 1997). "Football 1997/High School/Fort Bend Bonanaza/Phillips, Dulles in hunt to add to town's memories". Houston Chronicle. p. Special 33. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2011. It remained the lone high school in the area until Willowridge opened in 1979[...]Kempner (1988),[...]
  6. ↑ Maclaggan, Corrie. "What Ethnic Diversity Looks Like: Fort Bend." The New York Times. November 24, 2013. Retrieved on May 24, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 "High School Attendance Zones." Fort Bend Independent School District. Retrieved on July 21, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Interactive Mapping." First Colony Association. Retrieved on April 4, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Community Map Archived 2011-09-05 at the Wayback Machine." (Flash file Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine) Telfair. Retrieved on October 2, 2011.
  10. ↑ "WEB0425central_unit_391623k.jpg Archived 2010-12-03 at the Wayback Machine." Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved on May 9, 2010.
  11. ↑ Goodwin, Liz. "Texas to close prison for first time in state history". Retrieved on August 4, 2011.
  12. 1 2 "Fort Bend ISD Feeders 2022-23" (PDF). Fort Bend ISD. August 3, 2022 [August 28, 2020]. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Classfinders.com | Brittney Karbowski".
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