Mickey Leland College Prep Acad for Young Men, Houston TX

Original Research by School Decision on Mickey Leland College Prep Acad for Young Men

Mickey Leland College Prep Academy for Young Men is a single-sex public school serving middle and high school grades in Houston, located in the 77020 zip code on the city's east side. The school enrolls a small cohort, with about a third of students in sixth through eighth grade and roughly two-thirds spread across grades nine through twelve. The student body is roughly evenly divided between Black and Hispanic students, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating economically vulnerable families.

The school operates within Houston ISD, a district currently under state control. In June 2023 the Texas Education Agency dissolved Houston ISD's elected board and replaced it with a state-appointed board of managers, a change extended through at least June 2027. This means families have no elected local school board representation. The district has implemented the New Education System (NES), a standardized, heavily scripted instructional model with timed daily quizzes, longer school days, and tight curriculum controls, now expanded across many campuses. At the same time, in February 2026 the board voted to close or consolidate a dozen schools over declining enrollment and aging facilities, a shift that directly affects families through school reassignments and the loss of neighborhood schools.

State test results show uneven achievement across subjects and grades. In English language arts, students in sixth and seventh grade showed middling proficiency, while eighth graders performed noticeably stronger. Math proficiency dropped in eighth grade to low levels, though seventh graders showed better results than sixth graders. Science proficiency in eighth grade was moderate, but social studies proficiency was weak. Across all tested subjects, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among Harris County districts, a meaningful finding for a school serving a high-poverty student population. Graduation rate data were not available in the provided information.

The school is named for Mickey Leland, the late U.S. congressman and Houston native known for anti-hunger and humanitarian work. The name signals a college-preparatory mission, though specific program offerings, AP courses, career pathways, or dual-credit options were not available in the data provided. A parent may want to contact the school directly to understand what pathways exist for high school students, whether the college prep focus is reflected in course selection, and how the school supports students in college readiness given the constraints and changes happening across the district. The school's location in Houston places it in a sprawling, car-dependent city, though the neighborhood context and commute patterns were not detailed in the available information.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 47 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,779 schools plotted. 59 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 39% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 757%

School 57% · District 35% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 43% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 645%

School 45% · District 51% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 865%

School 65% · District 53% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Science

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 42% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 25% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

This schoolHOUSTON ISD, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income43%Higher-income50%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income56%Higher-income88%32 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income50%10 pp gap