| Huntsville High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
650Farm to Market Road 2821 East ,, 77320 United States | |
| Coordinates | 30°44′32″N95°32′09″W / 30.742200°N 95.535798°W /30.742200; -95.535798 |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| School district | Huntsville Independent School District |
| NCES School ID | 482403002658[1] |
| Principal | Robert Gilbert |
| Staff | 129.78 (FTE)[1] |
| Enrollment | 1,847[1] (2023-24) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 14.23[1] |
| Colors | Green and white[2] |
| Athletics conference | UIL Class 5A |
| Mascot | Hornets |
| Website | Huntsville High School |
Huntsville High School is apublic high school located inHuntsville, Texas and classified as a 5A school by theUIL.[3] It is part of theHuntsville Independent School District inWalker County.
In 1906,Samuel Walker Houston founded theGalilee Community School for black students. It was consolidated with the Huntsville Negro School in 1926, and in 1929 was consolidated with the Huntsville School System.[4] In 1930, Samuel Walker Houston High School (or just Sam Houston High School) was built for black students.[5] For white students, a separate Huntsville High School building was constructed in 1931.[6] Elementary schools began tointegrate before 1965, and in 1965, black students could apply to attend Huntsville High School rather than Sam Houston High School. In 1968, Sam Houston High School closed as full integration was completed.[4]
The modern high school was likely built in the late 1980s. There was a small expansion in 1998.[7] No further expansions would occur until a 2021 bond, which added anauditorium to the high school along with new athletic facilities.[8]
Richard Linklater, a director who attended Huntsville High School, heavily based his 1993 filmDazed and Confused on his experiences there. In October 2004, three of Linklater's former classmates from the school filed adefamation lawsuit against Linklater, claiming to be the basis for the similarly named characters on the film.[9] The suit was subsequently dismissed.[10]
In March 2025, fourHuntsville ISD staff members were arrested for sex-related offenses. Two of the four were employed at the high school: a 33-year-old cheerleading coach and a 42-year-old teacher. Both were arrested for having inappropriate relationships with students and were subsequently fired.[11]
As of the 2023-2024 school year, there are 1,847 students enrolled at Huntsville High School.Around 68.7% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The ethnic distribution of students is as follows:[1]
For the 2024-2025 school year, the school was given an overall rating of "D" from theTexas Education Agency.[12] The school offers Dual Credit courses, which allow students to earn both high school and college credit at the same time throughSam Houston State University, theLone Star College system, and the Advanced Technical Credit Program.[13] A variety ofAdvanced Placement (AP) courses are offered as well.[14]
Huntsville High School offers art,band,choir,jazz band, andtheatre as fine arts course options. One fine arts credit is required to graduate.[15]
In 2015, the school placed second in the UIL State Film Contest'sdocumentary category with their short film "A Shot at Equality."[16]
The Huntsville Hornet MilitaryMarching Band uses a military marching style and therefore competes against other military-style bands in Texas, rather than the more common corps-style bands.[17] The band has made UIL State Military Marching Band Contest finals appearances in 2017[18] and 2021.[19]
The Huntsville Hornets compete in the following sports:[14]