RodeoHouston 2021 corralled

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo 2021 canceled due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns

Garth Brooks opening night RodeoHouston full stage

RodeoHouston has been corralled due to COVID-19.

Photo by Steven Devadanam

The beloved Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo show has fallen victim to the COVID-19 pandemic yet again. The rodeo announced the cancellation of RodeHouston competitions, concerts and entertainment, carnival, attractions, and other activities on February 3.

These activities were recently rescheduled for May 4–23, due to the ongoing health situation.

The Downtown Rodeo Parade, Trail Ride activities, Rodeo Uncorked! Roundup & Best Bites Competition, and the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest (presented by Comcast Business) are canceled for 2021. The Rodeo Run, presented by ConocoPhillips, will be held in a virtual format; details will be announced when available.

Dates and information for the 2022 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will be announced once available, per a press release.

“Several factors contributed to the decision, from a community health and safety perspective, as well as a financial one,” reads the rodeo announcement. “Above all, the health and safety of the community is the rodeo’s top priority, and after much consultation with local and state officials and medical experts, rodeo officials concluded that cancelling the 2021 event was the right decision, with community health at the forefront of the decision.”

Fortunately for rodeo faithful, the Junior Livestock and Horse Show competitions will be held in March, upholding the Rodeo’s mission of promoting agriculture and supporting Texas youth, per the announcement.

Junior Market Auctions and Champion Wine Auction will also still be held in May, also as private events. These events promise to follow all state and local health and safety guidelines.

Last year, in March 2020, the rodeo was forced to suddenly shutter due to the growing rate of COVID-19 infections, including some staff.

In 2019, the rodeo generated a total economic impact of $227 million, per the rodeo’s 2019 Economic Impact Study. The rodeo also provided a total economic activity of $391 million in Greater Houston.

Importantly, the rodeo promises to uphold educational commitment of $21,691,500 to statewide educational programs. Since its inception in 1932, the rodeo has committed more than $500 million to the youth of Texas and educational initiatives.

This is breaking news; CultureMap will update this story as it develops.

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schools with high achievers

These 15 Houston K-8 schools rank among Texas' best for 2025

T.H. Rogers PTO/Facebook

Congratulations are in order for the Rams.

Several Houston elementary and middle schools are at the top of the class when it comes to educating and preparing the next generation for a successful life and career, according to U.S. News & World Report's just-released list of 2025 Elementary and Middle Schools Rankings.

One such school – T.H. Rogers School in Houston ISD – is the No. 8 best middle school in Texas for 2025.

U.S. News ranked over 79,000 public schools on the state and district level using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Schools were analyzed based on their students' proficiencies in mathematics and reading/language arts on state assessments, and tie-breakers were decided based on student-teacher ratios.

Texas' best middle schools for 2025
Three Houston middle schools achieved spots among the top 10 best Texas middle schools for 2025, according to U.S. News.

T.H. Rogers School has a total enrollment of 1,063 students, with 87 percent of the student population scoring "at or above the proficient level" in mathematics, and 90 percent proficiency in reading. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 17:1, with 62 full-time teachers.

T.H. Rogers School also topped the district-wide list as the No. 1 best middle school in HISD.

Houston Gateway Academy - Coral Campus also ranked among the statewide top 10, coming in at No. 9 with a total enrollment of 914 students. U.S. News says 82 percent of HGA students are proficient in math, and 80 percent are proficient in reading.

"Houston Gateway Academy - Coral Campus did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state," U.S. News said in the school's profile. "In Texas, 51 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 41 percent tested at or above that level for math."

Right behind HGA to round out the top 10 best Texas middle schools is Houston ISD's Briarmeadow Charter School. This middle school has 600 students, 69 percent of which are proficient in math and 74 percent are proficient reading.

Briarmeadow's student-teacher ratio is 16:1, which is better than the district-wide student-teacher ratio, and it employs 38 full-time teachers.

U.S. News also ranked Briarmeadow as the second best middle school in Houston ISD.

Six additional Houston-area schools ranked among the top 25 best middle schools in Texas, including:

No. 18 – Cornerstone Academy, Spring Branch ISD
No. 19 – Mandarin Immersion Magnet School, Houston ISD
No. 21 – Smith Middle School, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
No. 22 – Seven Lakes Junior High, Katy ISD
No. 23 – Houston Gateway Academy
No. 25 – Beckendorff Junior High, Katy ISD

The best elementary schools in Texas
Jesus A. Kawas Elementary school in Laredo was crowned the No. 1 elementary school in Texas for 2025, while two Houston-area schools made it into the top 10.

Tomball ISD's Creekside Forest Elementary in The Woodlands is the No. 7 best elementary school statewide, boasting 656 students, 42 full-time teachers, and one full-time counselor. Students at this school, which U.S. News designates is situated in a "fringe rural setting," scored 90 percent efficiency in math and 94 percent efficiency in reading.

Following one spot behind Creekside Forest in the statewide ranking is Sugar Land's Commonwealth Elementary School in Fort Bend ISD, coming in at No. 8. Commonwealth has a student population of 954 with 55 full-time teachers, and two full-time counselors. The school's student-teacher ratio is 17:1, and 90 percent of students are proficient in math, and 94 percent in reading.

U.S. News says student success at Commonwealth is significantly higher than the rest of Fort Bend ISD.

"In Fort Bend Independent School District, 59 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 47 percent tested at or above that level for math," U.S. News said in Commonwealth's profile. "Commonwealth Elementary [also] did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state."

Other Houston-area schools that were ranked among the 25 best in Texas are:

No. 13 – Bess Campbell Elementary, Sugar Land, Lamar CISD
No. 20 – West University Elementary, Houston ISD
No. 23 – T.H. Rogers School, Houston ISD
No. 25 – Griffin Elementary, Katy ISD

"The 2025 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings offer parents a way to evaluate how schools are providing a high-quality education and preparing students for future success," said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., the managing editor for Education at U.S. News. "The data empowers families and communities to advocate for their children’s education. Research continues to indicate that how students perform academically at these early grade levels is a big factor in their success in high school and beyond."

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