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Needville High School

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Coordinates: 29°22′15″N 95°48′09″W / 29.37083°N 95.80250°W / 29.37083; -95.80250
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Needville High School
Address
Map
16319 Highway 36 South

Fort Bend County
77461

United States
Coordinates29°22′15″N 95°48′09″W / 29.37083°N 95.80250°W / 29.37083; -95.80250
Information
School typePublic high school
MottoCommitted to Educational Excellence
Established1948
School districtNeedville Independent School District
NCES District ID4832310[1]
SuperintendentPaul Drake
CEEB code445030
NCES School ID483231003584[2]
PrincipalSteven Janacek[3]
Teaching staff80.38 (FTE)[4]
Grades9-12 (Formaly, Grades 7-12 from 1947 until Bef. 1980)
Enrollment1,120 (2023-2024)[4]
 • Grade 9317
 • Grade 10293
 • Grade 11256
 • Grade 12254
Student to teacher ratio13.93[4]
Campus typeRural
Color(s)    Royal Blue & White
Athletics conferenceUIL Class AAAA
NicknameBluejays/Lady Jays
YearbookBluejay
Websitewww.needvilleisd.com/o/needville-high-school

Needville High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas (with a Needville postal address)[5] and a part of the Needville Independent School District. It is classified as a 4A school by the UIL. The school serves residents of Needville, Fairchilds, a portion of Pleak,[6] and the unincorporated communities of Guy and Long Point.[citation needed] In 2015, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency.[7]

Students in grades 9-12 from the neighboring Damon Independent School District also attended Needville High School prior to the opening of Damon High School.[citation needed] Damon ISD signed a contract with Needville ISD in 1949 so Damon ISD residents could go to school at Needville High.[8]

Athletics

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The Needville Blue Jays compete in[9] Volleyball, Cross Country, Football, Basketball, Powerlifting, Golf, Tennis, Track, Baseball & Softball, Interior Design, and Exterior Design.

State titles

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  • Softball[10]
    • 2009(3A)
  • Boys Track[11]
    • 1979(2A), 1980(2A)
  • Volleyball[12][13]
    • 1975(2A), 1976(2A), 1977(2A), 1992(3A), 2017(4A)

History

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The Establishment of the School

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Needville High School's origins trace back to December 17, 1946, when community leaders, including county commissioners Otto Graeber and Louis Teykl, converged to form the Needville Rural High School District. This newly established district, encompassing approximately 200 square miles, brought together students from various smaller, pre-existing schools such as Big Creek, Marlow, Guy, Brown, Forester, Seiler, Modena, Williams, Long Point, and Concord. The primary objective was to construct a central high school in Needville.

The school's foundational administrative body, a board of educators, held its inaugural meeting on January 9, 1947. They engaged Rudolph G. Schneider, an architect from Houston, to design the new facility. Funding for this ambitious project was secured through a combination of the Value Tax and the School Tax. The construction phase lasted approximately a year and a half.

The building featured a pier and beam foundation made of yellow and white pine. Its exterior walls were built with vanilla clay fiber bricks, topped with white pine crown molding engraved with Art Deco designs. Inside, the pine walls included Grade 2 wainscoting coated in pine stain and lacquer. The roof was constructed with trusses, three-and-three-quarter-inch-thick plywood, tarpaper, and plain shingles. Despite its architectural features, the building lacked air conditioning and a heating system. However, it had two 100-foot-deep water wells and an extensive electrical system with 14 gauges, two breakers (one in the gymnasium), a load center in the kitchen, a fully functional public address (P/A) system, and Romex wiring coated in wax and plastic. The school housed approximately 23 rooms, each with a specific purpose.

In 1948, a significant step in establishing the school's identity occurred when Tarver Snedecor and Principal W.R. Womack collaborated to select the Blue Jay as the school mascot and white and royal blue as its official colors.

Leadership and Growth

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James L. Boone, notable for his involvement in organizing the Needville Youth Fair, presided over the Needville School District from 1948 to 1950. He was succeeded by Mr. Ludwig, who later received assistance from Mr. Harrison. Both Mr. Ludwig and Mr. Harrison remained in their leadership roles until their retirement in the 1980s. The two decades spanning from 1960 to 1980 are frequently recalled as a period of significant flourishing and success for Needville High School.

Challenges and Expansion

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A major incident occurred in the fall of 1976 when a fire, caused by an electrical short, consumed the gymnasium during a district championship game. The wooden structure of the gym contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. In the aftermath, the school undertook the construction of a new gymnasium and a new cafeteria. Over the subsequent two to three decades, the campus underwent considerable expansion, with the addition of new facilities like a science wing and a new band hall, which replaced the old two-room Brown School building.

Mr. Sage assumed the role of superintendent in 1981. His tenure saw the acquisition of a radio tower for educational programming and the creation of a school website for teachers. Mr. Gazaway served as superintendent from 2002 to 2006, followed by Mr. Rhodes. However, the school's trajectory was drastically altered by a tragic event on April 24, 2007.[14]

An aerial photograph of the school. Circa 1950.
The School just after completion. The architect of the building was Rudolph Schneider. Circa 1948.
Another aerial photograph of the school. Circa 1957.

2007 fire

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The original Needville High School building was reported on fire at around 3:45 AM on April 24, 2007. 21 area fire departments responded but by 6:00 AM the building was still a fireball. As of 7:00 PM, the 1937 building was reduced to smoldering rubble with fire fighters and investigators still at the scene along with spectators. One computer lab, two mobile computer labs, three copiers, one Coke machine, and TAKS tests taken last week were lost to the fire.

The fire came in the wake of a $60 million bond issue, $49 million of which was earmarked for a new high school.

(sources:[15] [16] [17] [18] [19])

2018 Stoneman Douglas walkout suspensions

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In the aftermath of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, the school received backlash after superintendent Curtis Rhodes threatened to suspend students who participated in walk out protests.[20] The school's Facebook page was subsequently taken down.[21]

2020 mask incident

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After the George Floyd protests of 2020, a student was asked to remove their "BLM Mask" as it could cause conflict with fellow pupils. However, this was not enforced for students who wore masks with messages in support of Presidential Candidate Donald Trump. Eventually, the school revised this ban to apply to all political messages, with only plain masks (surgical or cloth), or masks with the US flag, Texas flag, or the Needville High School logo.[22]

2022 hair incident

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A family filed a lawsuit against Needville ISD over student saying he was denied graduation because of the length of his hair.

Administration

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  • Principal: Steve Adamson[3]
  • Assistant principals: Derek Maresh, Kristin Wyatt, Heather Cordova
  • Administration Secretary: Berni Reyes

References

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  1. ^ "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for {{{district_name}}}". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  2. ^ "Search for Public Schools - NEEDVILLE H S (483231003584)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Needville High School". www.needvilleisd.com. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "NEEDVILLE H S". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  5. ^ "Needville High School". Needville Independent School District. Retrieved February 1, 2021. 16400 Fritzella Road Needville, Texas TX 77461 - It has a Needville address but is outside of the Needville city limits
  6. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Fort Bend County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  7. ^ "2015 Accountability Rating System" (PDF). Texas Education Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 10, 2015.
  8. ^ "History of the District Archived 2017-01-17 at the Wayback Machine." Needville Independent School District. Retrieved on December 5, 2016.
  9. ^ The Athletics Department
  10. ^ UIL Softball Archives Archived December 10, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ UIL Boys Track Archives Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ UIL Volleyball Archives Archived December 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "Needville volleyball win state championship".
  14. ^ "Czechs^J Germans^J and Poles of the 19th centur-.pdf". The History of Needville High School (PDF) 4/27/2024.
  15. ^ Local Paper report 1[usurped]
  16. ^ Local Paper report 2[usurped]
  17. ^ Dunn, Bob (April 23, 2007). "Major Fire Destroys 2 Buildings At Needville High School Campus". Fort Bend Now. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
  18. ^ Hanson, Eric (May 8, 2007). "Teen admits to Needville school fire". Houston Chronicle.
  19. ^ FOX report[usurped]
  20. ^ "Needville ISD not allowing student demonstrations amid national call for walk outs". February 21, 2018.
  21. ^ "Texas school's Facebook page down after superintendent threatens to suspend students who walk out". February 22, 2018.
  22. ^ "Needville ISD bans all political masks following dispute over student's Black Lives Matter mask". September 20, 2020.
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