HOUSTON – Students in 12 districts across the Houston area are dusting off their backpacks and lunchboxes Wednesday as they head back to school.
Creech Elementary School, in the Katy Independent School District, is one of the hundreds of schools where teachers will welcome students for the new school year.
The school was flooded with about two feet of water during Hurricane Harvey last year. Officials were forced to close it and relocate students to a nearby satellite campus of the University of Houston.
Wednesday, students will walk into a renovated school that looks brand new. There are new books in the library, colorful murals on the walls and smart boards in the classrooms. Security has also been enhanced, and every classroom has a window to the hall that can be shuttered in an emergency.
The Alief Independent School District is celebrating the opening of its new career and technology center as students there head back to school.
It was built thanks to a 2015 bond referendum, and the program lets students get hands-on experience in fields like automotive repair, carpentry, welding, cooking, information technology, veterinary services and robotics.
Officials said the goal is to give students the skills they can use right after high school to enter the workforce. Students can even get certifications for some jobs before they graduate.
Click here to read more about the new center.
Here is a list of the other districts where students are returning to class Wednesday:
- Spring Independent School District
- Fort Bend Independent School District
- Conroe Independent School District
- La Porte Independent School District
- Splendora Independent School District
- Brazos Independent School District
- Brazosport Independent School District
- Columbus Independent School District
- Friendswood Independent School District
- Stafford Municipal School District
On Monday, Santa Fe Independent School District students will return to school. It will be their first school year after a mass shooting at the high school that killed 10 people and injured 13 others.
Students of the Houston Independent School District head back to class Aug. 27.