Due to a high overall report, Tompkins High School ranks number 11 in the Niche Top 25 Best High Schools in the Houston Area for 2018.

After only four years of serving the children in Katy ISD, Obra D. Tompkins High School gains a spot in the top 25 list of the nationally-recognized Niche rankings. The Niche Report evaluates academic and student life data taken from the U.S. Department of Education along with test scores, college data, and ratings acquired from Niche users.

Although only a few years have passed since its founding, Tompkins is rising without restraint. As the school is recognized by the Houston area, administration members such as Principal Mark Grisdale find themselves thinking back to the reasons for the school’s success.

“I think that in this school we have a very supportive environment between teachers, students and parents. This has made the most impact on me; it is what I’m proudest of,” said Grisdale. “We’ve maintained an atmosphere and climate where teachers and students get on well with one another and are friendly towards newcomers.”

The growth in Katy ISD has also influenced the growth in the school’s rankings. As more people, both in the nation and worldwide, move to one of the best educational districts in the Houston area, bright minds are brought together as they work toward their future. Tompkins has served as a means to foster a successful future for the students, and as the Katy ISD population reaches more than 75,000 newcomers, the school has had to adapt to the change.

“As the sheer size of the school increases, we try to be more inclusive of the student body. Unfortunately, not everyone can be in certain activities, like theatre productions or the volleyball team,” said Grisdale. “We encourage people to create clubs. If kids have an interest, I think it’s important for them to act on that interest and feel connected to the school. That’s always been one of our points of emphasis, to get kids to be interested about school.”

As the school changes, many things remain the same. Obra D. Tompkins remembers the start of his namesake school, from the smaller population and the few activities hosted, as the school grew into itself. Nowadays, the school is almost unrecognizable, but Tompkins recognizes that the students are the one thing that have managed to remain familiar to him.

“The students are my favorite part about the school. They exemplify what I have always believed in, and I have always believed in being well-spoken,” said Tompkins. “Whenever I visit the school, I like to stand in the center of the rotunda and greet the students. More times than not, it is the students who greet me before I have a chance to greet them, and that really exemplifies their spirit.”

As the school rankings are counted once more for the year of 2019, Tompkins High School prepares for the fight to the top. However, it is not the rankings that Tompkins finds most important for his school, but the opportunities the school can provide its students.

“My hope for the future of the school is for the everyday student to get a college education that will make them an outstanding citizen,” said Tompkins. “That’s what I hope for.”