Overview
Bernice Hart Elementary School is a community of learners in Northeast Austin that empowers children to develop knowledge, while learning how to contribute to their communities through collaboration, negotiation and shared goals. Civic engagement is a key part of the school named for Bernice Hart, long-time educator, civil rights champion and community leader.
Hart offers students a world of opportunities—including fine arts, bilingual, and dual language programs—to reach their fullest potential as they prepare for middle school and college, career and life. The school also offers after-school programs in film, girl and boy scouts, journalism, and the 4H youth development and mentoring programs.
Hart works with families and community partners to coordinate a bike program to help students stay healthy and commute to and from school safely. Working with the City of Austin, the school offers monitors and riders who pick up students at neighborhood apartment complexes or mobile home communities to take them to school. Students are chaperoned after school as well.
Hart is part of the Northeast Early College Highschool family of schools. As an early college high school, Northeast ECC offers students the opportunity to earn college credit and graduate with a diploma in one hand and an associate’s degree from Austin Community College in the other.
Hart offers students a world of opportunities—including fine arts, bilingual, and dual language programs—to reach their fullest potential as they prepare for middle school and college, career and life. The school also offers after-school programs in film, girl and boy scouts, journalism, and the 4H youth development and mentoring programs.
Hart works with families and community partners to coordinate a bike program to help students stay healthy and commute to and from school safely. Working with the City of Austin, the school offers monitors and riders who pick up students at neighborhood apartment complexes or mobile home communities to take them to school. Students are chaperoned after school as well.
Hart is part of the Northeast Early College Highschool family of schools. As an early college high school, Northeast ECC offers students the opportunity to earn college credit and graduate with a diploma in one hand and an associate’s degree from Austin Community College in the other.
What Makes Our School Special
- Recipient of Andy Rodrick Foundation that funds our vibrant after school and summer program aka Rocket Peace Club (RPC)
- Recipient of Kellogg grant aka Families as Partners that funded college trips, rock garden, lanyards, garden fence
- Recipient of TEA Community Schools grant funding for AVID program
- Deemed High Performing, High Achieving School by TEA
- Awarded Academic Distinction Designations by TEA
- One of two higher performing elementary schools in the Northeast Early College Highschool Vertical Team
Evaluation of Campus Performance in Community and Student Engagement
For more information, please visit https://www.austinisd.org/schools/hart
Who was Bernice Hart?
Bernice Hart grew up in East Austin and earned a bachelor's degree in education at what is now Huston-Tillotson University. She earned a master's degree from the University of Texas. She retired as head counselor at LBJ High School in 1982 and ran for the Austin school board that fall. Bernice Hart won in a runoff with almost 54 percent of the vote and served on the board until retiring in 1993. One of her biggest contributions as a trustee was her proposal to return the district to a tradition of neighborhood schools, said Nan Clayton, a former trustee who served with Hart for 10 years. Before 1987, elementary school students were bused to integrate schools across the district, but Bernice Hart pushed for better schools in all neighborhoods so young children would not have to be bused across the city, Clayton said. Hart Elementary School in was named in her honor in 1998.
Bernice Hart creció en East Austin y obtuvo una licenciatura en educación en lo que ahora es la Universidad Huston-Tillotson. Obtuvo una maestría de la Universidad de Texas. Ella se retiró como consejera principal en la Escuela Secundaria LBJ en 1982 y corrió para la junta escolar. Bernice Hart ganó en una segunda vuelta con casi el 54 por ciento de los votos y sirvió en el tablero hasta su jubilación en 1993. Una de sus mayores contribuciones como fideicomisario fue su propuesta para devolver al distrito a una tradición de escuelas del barro, dijo Nan Clayton, fiduciario que sirvió con Hart durante 10 años. Antes de 1987, los estudiantes de la escuelas primarias fueron transportados para integrar escuelas en todo el distrito, pero Bernice Hart pidió mejores escuelas en todos los barrios para que los niños pequeños no tuvieran que ser transportados por toda la ciudad, dijo Clayton. Hart Elementary fue nombrada en su honor en 1998.
In Memory of Bernice Hart
On February 23, 2012 Hart Elementary hosted Literacy Night for all families. Before the choir performance, our students, staff and families took a moment of silence in honor of Ms. Bernice Hart. To show our heartfelt sincerity, every student of the choir held a BIG RED HEART, a small token of our appreciation for all the hard work, dedication and LOVE Ms. Hart gave to all students in the district.
Thank you for everything, Ms. Hart!
On February 23, 2012 Hart Elementary hosted Literacy Night for all families. Before the choir performance, our students, staff and families took a moment of silence in honor of Ms. Bernice Hart. To show our heartfelt sincerity, every student of the choir held a BIG RED HEART, a small token of our appreciation for all the hard work, dedication and LOVE Ms. Hart gave to all students in the district.
Thank you for everything, Ms. Hart!
