The high school you attend matters a great deal for your future; indeed, it is one of the best predictors of your college success. Because of that, we work with many parents and students who are concerned about their high school journey, looking for a school that will fully support their desires while also giving them the kind of education that will set them up for success.
In this article, we’re going to be taking a deep dive into one particular high school: , one of the best public schools in Houston. We’ve written about its stats before, but this article is meant to be a deeper dive, to give you a sense of what the school is like as a whole, and what you might expect if you attend. Let’s jump right in!
DeBakey’s Academics and Curriculum
As the name of the school suggests, DeBakey has a strong emphasis on helping students prepare for a future in the medical field, and this is reflected in their curriculum. Now, Texas has its own requirements that all high school students must complete, and DeBakey adheres to these as well, they just also add their own requirements on top of that.
The most notable required courses are their health sciences sequence, one of which is required each year. The first two years are introductory, while your junior and senior years introduce you to various fields within medicine. Coursework at the school is generally offered at a high level, and is rigorous, with teachers expecting students to be competent and capable.
They require students take a standard sequence of science coursework; chemistry, physics, and biology, and have additional science courses you may take as electives. They offer a full suite of AP coursework; you are not required to take these of course, but many students choose to, both for the sciences and for non-science courses.
While you do not need to take AP courses, even their non-APs are offered at an advanced level, and focus on preparing students for college. Every course curriculum exceeds both state and district standards.
The Houston Premedical Academy
We would be remiss if we discussed the academic offerings at DeBakey without also covering the . This is a tripoint program where students at DeBakey may apply to the at the University of Houston and to the directly out of high school, for a single eight-year program which combines undergraduate study and medical school.
This is a BS/MD program, the kind of thing which is often quite sought after by pre-med students, as it simplifies and makes far easier the process of getting into medical school, setting you on a sure track through the entirety of your time in undergrad. We’ve written about this program before, and we recommend checking out that article if you want an in-depth guide to the program and how it works (plus advice on applying). Here, we’re going to talk about it in the context of DeBakey as a school.
BS/MD programs are known for both the intensity of their curriculums, and how difficult it is to get in. DeBakey, with its STEM focus and bent towards health sciences generally, does a good job at preparing students for the first part of this. The fact that only DeBakey students are allowed to apply for the Houston Premedical Academy also means this is one of the BS/MD programs with the highest overall acceptance rates.
Attending DeBakey does not guarantee you will be able to take advantage of this program. It is still very competitive, and you are competing against the very bright students you are in classes with each day. It is, however, a unique opportunity presented by the school, and one worth noting for students who may be interested in pursuing medical school in the future.
Applying to DeBakey
DeBakey is a magnet school, one you must apply to specifically. The curriculum is specialized and advanced, and the students who attend the school are there because of that specifically. There are other schools in Houston with great academic opportunities, but only DeBakey has such a focus on the health sciences, even when compared to private schools.
This sets it apart, and is the most important thing to consider when deciding whether or not to apply to DeBakey. While its academic curriculum is strong overall, it is not a particularly well-rounded school, primarily devoted to its singular focus. If you are not also devoted to this focus, then DeBakey likely isn’t a good fit for you.
In some cases, you may think being a doctor is what you want, only to change your mind later. DeBakey can help you determine this, though you should be ready for the amount of work the school requires when you decide to attend. It is much easier to go from DeBakey to another school in Houston than the other way around.
You must apply to DeBakey . The application opens in December and is due in February; when you submit your application doesn’t impact your chances of admission, but we do suggest getting it done early, just in case of technical errors. Admission is determined by lottery; there are more students who want to attend than spots, and that is considered the fairest way to do it.
Student Life at DeBakey
High schools are more than coursework alone (even if that is what you spend most of your time doing), offering swathes of extracurricular activities. Like every high school, DeBakey has a . They are a somewhat smaller school by enrollment than others in Houston, and have fewer clubs and student groups than some of their peers because of that, but they still have a good range of options.
As with academics, there are a significant number of clubs devoted to healthcare and the health professions. Now, these clubs exist at most every high school, but they are remarkably popular at DeBakey. This is perhaps unsurprising, but does speak to the school’s character and focus. Of course, you don’t have to join any of these clubs, but you’ll find plenty of friends if you do.
There are sports offered at DeBakey, but athletics certainly isn’t the focus of the high school. You can join sports there, though they offer fewer than most of the schools in the district, and are far less competitive in terms of athletics. This is certainly not the norm for a high school in Texas, but makes sense for a school as focused as DeBakey is. Students who are particularly passionate about sports may have more luck pursuing rec leagues or club teams instead of the options at DeBakey.
The arts are similarly offered at DeBakey, but are again far from a focus or a priority for the school. You are required to take a fine arts course as part of the curriculum, but arts are not the focus for most students. There are opportunities to create art and perform, but for those students for whom art is a major part of their lives, they may be better pursuing opportunities outside of DeBakey itself.
The Atmosphere at DeBakey
This is one of the hardest elements of a school to quantify and describe, but is also among the most important, and one we are often asked about the most. This makes sense, this mysterious idea of fit is often what separates a good high school experience from a bad one, and what can make a school a place students look forward to going every day. We can’t capture every element of DeBakey of course, but we’re going to share as much as we can, based on conversations with ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø students who attended the school, reviews online, and what we’ve heard from the school themself when we called.
Academic Pressure
The school is very academically focused; there is a lot of work and it’s offered at a high level. The teachers all have high expectations of the students there, in terms of both the quality of the work they do, and how they behave in class. There is more work assigned than in other high schools, even in classes that are generally commensurate.
You can expect to do a significant amount of homework outside of school, and be expected to devote a lot of your time to your school work generally. There is often an atmosphere of shared suffering in this, camaraderie and commiseration as all students are suffering under the same academic burden.
STEM Bias
The school is heavily focused on STEM and medicine, and this fills both the curriculum and atmosphere at DeBakey. This does provide a good emphasis for students interested in medicine, but students interested in other fields will be less happy here.
Competition and Collaboration
Most of the students we talked to said that the atmosphere at DeBakey tended to be cooperative, though reviews are mixed, with some speaking of a feeling of competition between students. All students we talked to confirmed there is an intense sense of academic pressure at the school, both in terms of the work load and the expectations placed on them by the environment.
A significant number of the students leave the school during or after their first year there, due to this pressure and the workload. The ones who stay often make close friends with their peers, but it is not always the most enjoyable high school experience, even if most students look back on it positively overall.
Final Thoughts
DeBakey is regularly ranked as one of the best high schools in the US, and for good reason. It offers a number of courses and opportunities that are rare to see for high schoolers, especially in terms of research and hands-on experience with medicine. Like many top performing schools, however, much of its strength as an institution comes from the talents of its students, who are all quite bright and academically inclined.
If you have a strong interest in medicine and are willing to commit to a rigorous academic environment, then DeBakey may be a good fit for you. Like all specialized schools, it isn’t the right choice or place for every student. We recommend only attending if this environment fits with your goals; for many students, a more standard high school environment will serve them better.
If you are looking for help making the right choice for your high school, or want help planning out these four years to get you into a top college at the end of it all, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø is right for you. Our mentors are well experienced at guiding students to the high school that best supports their needs, regardless of what those are. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can make your life easier, we’re always happy to hear from you.
