Needham
Houston, TX 77013

I have have been at Furr. I feel like the teachers really try to help the students. They don't want anyone to fail the classes. The problem is, there is TOO much support for the students giving them every chance to complete work that should have been done 6 weeks prior. Teachers stay to tutor every day and even come early if a student needs it. Teachers will help students during their own lunch time, and planning periods. But very students take advantage of the tutoring offers. Many students roam the hall, hide in the Restrooms or simply leave campus. When we call parents about a child missing class, the parents have blamed staff and administration for letting them leave. When students are in class, they just sit on their cell phones. Most just don't care. Because of the district's credit recovery program, too many students don't care about working because they know they can makeup an entire semester on the computer and google the answers. Unfortunately, those students don't know that their original real GPA stays on their transcripts, not the apex gpa. This has kept a few of my students from getting into a college that they wanted. Most of the students are NOT college ready because they simply did not try to learn the high school material. As for safety, I must say this has been the best behavior of any high school or middle school I have taught in. Yes there are fights. They are in every school. But there are very few in comparison to other schools. Also, there are very few threats to staff. Which makes me feel better.

Hopefully with the upcoming year...there will be great and MUCH needed changes

I would highly not recommend Holland Middle School. On my daughter’s very first day, the counselor repeatedly called her a boy because she dresses like a tomboy. This happened on four different occasions in front of her teachers, which was completely unprofessional and damaging to her confidence.Even after leaving a voicemail for the principal, nobody from the school stepped in to help or address the issue. To make matters worse, there was also an incident where students messed with my daughter’s clothing. The teachers claimed they didn’t see anything and told me there was nothing they could do.This lack of accountability and care from both staff and administration is unacceptable. Parents should feel their children are safe, respected, and supported in school, but unfortunately, that has not been our experience here.