Meridian Academy - Houston Photo #6 - Meet Our Head of School Dr. Jennie Larry Johnson

Meridian Academy - Houston

History and Mission: Meridian Academy is a rapidly growing hybrid private school based in Houston, Texas.
Our mission is to provide our students with equitable learning opportunities, high expectations mindsets, supportive learning teaching, and tools, real-world active and collaborative learning experiences, progress monitoring, and performance improvement-driven feedback they need to succeed within a digital learning environment.
Meridian Academy exists to assist students in achieving their educational and career goals by providing rigorous, relevant, cutting-edge, technology-based education and instruction within a unique digital learning environment tailored to deliver individualized engaging instruct ion under the direction of dedicated and highly qualified and experienced administrators, staff, educators, and teachers. Meridian Academy was founded as St. Michael`s Academy in Texas in December 2008.
St. Michael`s was accredited by Cognia in 2011 and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement SACS CASI on February 9, 2012. In 2020, we changed the name of our school to Meridian Academy and decided to pursue Cognia accreditation as a digital learning environment.
Our school is a Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (101-106-001). Educational Programs: Meridian Academy offers both 26-credit Recommended High School Program (RHSP) path and 22-credit Minimum High School Program (MHSP) paths to high school graduation.
We also offer credit recovery and accelerated high school graduation programs.
Our Ownership: Christine Aboud governs meridian Academy, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Managing Director, Meridian Academy Principal, with her husband, Zack Zakhem, Co-Founder, Operations Manager, and Director of Instructional Programs.
Our leadership staff is supplemented by Dr. Jennie Larry Johnson, Quality Matters Specialist. Our Vision Statement: Meridian Academy`s culture and digital learning platform are founded on Vygotsky's theory that meaning and knowledge are socially created. We implement our beliefs by creating a culture where our 9th through 12th-grade students have the opportunity to feel a sense of social presence, cognitive presence, and place/teacher presence during their online learning and engagement. Our Curriculum: Meridian Academy`s curriculum is focused on preparing students for college, career, or military readiness (CCMR).
We achieve this purpose by using a proprietary innovative pedagogical model we call "The Meridian Way." The approach integrates our Canvas digital learning environment with TEKS-aligned McGraw-Hill content.
We also embed scaffolding, learner supports, social-emotional learning, and peer asynchronous and synchronous collaborative learning.
Students complete research-based higher-order thinking and critical reflections assignments.
Through a partnership with Lone Star College, we offer dual credit courses to qualified 9th 12th-grade students toward future CCMR readiness. Our Student Assessment System: Meridian Academy`s Student Learning Assessment System begins with completing the required Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA) exam, which provides the diagnostic assessment.
Students complete weekly embedded formative assessments (quizzes, learning game activities, critical reflections, etc.).Our summative assessment includes both a post-TSIA2 exam and a portfolio.
Data gathered from assessments are used to monitor student learning progressively and improve our curriculum and pedagogical approaches.
Meridian Academy by the Numbers: 10 Years in Business Over 1,000 Students Graduated 85% Graduation Rate.

Quick Stats (2024-25)

Top Rankings

Meridian Academy - Houston ranks among the top 20% of private schools in Texas for:

Category
Attribute

School Overview

Religious Affiliation
Grades Offered
Grades 9-12
Offers Post-Graduate Year
Yes
ADD/ADHD Support
Yes
Learning Difference Programs
Yes
Learning Programs Supported
Differentiated Instruction; Personalized college, career, and military readiness; linkages to vocational certification programs
Year Founded
2010
Summer School Offered
Yes

Student Body

Total Students
n/a
Student Body Type
Co-ed
% Students of Color
86%
State avg.: 41%

Academics and Faculty

Total Classroom Teachers
6 teachers
Number of AP Courses
10 courses
List of Courses Offered
Matriculation DataMatric. Data
Classroom Dress Code
Casual

Tuition and Acceptance Rate

Admission Deadline
None / Rolling
Tuition Notes
Tuition is calculated based off of the number of credits the student is missing.
Summer Program Cost Notes
2 classes per student
Admissions Director
Cindy Campos

Sports

Total Sports Offered
2 sports

Extracurriculars

Total ExtracurricularsTotal Extra-curric.
3 extracurriculars
ExtracurricularsExtra-curric.
Club or Organization:
IT apprentiships, Vocational/ Apprenticeship Mentoring

Arts and Music Programs:
Art Program

School Notes

  • Meridian Academy is a rapidly growing private school based in Houston, Texas. Our school was initially founded as St. Michael`s Academy in Texas in December 2008. St. Michael`s was accredited by Cognia in 2011 and by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement SACS CASI on February 9, 2012. In 2020, we changed the name of our school to Meridian Academy and decided to pursue Cognia accreditation as a digital learning environment. Our school is a member of the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (101-106-001)
  • Our school offers innovative and rigorous Texas Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) aligned 9th through 12th-grade Mathematics, English, Social Studies, and Science courses (primarily McGraw-Hill connectED and ALEKS).
  • Through partnerships with Lonestar College and Edgenuity, we offer advanced career placement and counseling online information technology and business management TEKS-aligned electives. We also offer Physical Education, Contemporary Health, and Art courses.
  • Meridian Academy offers students two options for attaining their Texas high school diploma. We offer the 26-credit hours Recommended High School Program (RHSP) path and 22 credit-hours Minimum High School Program (MHSP) with a parental/guardian opt-in agreement. Our students must research and prepare a College, Career, and Military Readiness Plan for both graduation paths.DescriptionLeadership: Meridian is governed by Christine Aboud, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Meridian Academy Principal, and Zack Zakem, Co-Founder, Operations Manager, and Director of Instructional Programs. Our leadership staff is supplemented by Dr. Jennie Larry Johnson, Head of School.Regulatory Requirements: Meridian adheres to the Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 2, Texas Education Agency (TEA), and the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC) requirements.Staffing: Meridian`s current staff includes Cindy Campos, Enrollment Coordinator, and five part-time teachers (English, Mathematics, Science, U.S. History/World History & Geography, U.S. Government/Economics, and Art).
  • Location: Meridian shares office space and administrative resources with St. Michael`s Academy, a Texas Workforce Commission licensed career and technical school located at 6220 Westpark Drive, Suite 180, Houston, TX 77057. The location lies within Greater Southwest Houston's Gulfton neighborhood just outside of Loop 610 and Highway 59 (Southwest Freeway) within the shadows of Downtown Houston. In 2019, the Gufton community was home to 47,961 residents within 10,209 family households, 74% of which were Hispanic, and 32% of Gulfton residents were below the age of 17 years. The median household income was $32,578. In 2019, 39% of Gulfton residents did not have a high school diploma, 16% had a high school diploma, 13% had some college, and 16% had a bachelor`s degree or higher. The unemployment rate at the time was 4%.
  • Current Student Profile: Historically, Meridian Academy has served non-traditional students. These are low-income youth who age out of Houston schools or drop out. We enrolled 32 students at the beginning of our Spring 2022 semester. However, after students were denied tuition assistance, our enrollment dropped to 13 majority-minority students (84% Hispanic, 16% Black/African American). Most of our students are economically disadvantaged (90%) and rely on scholarships or federal subsidies to cover the cost of our below-market tuition.
  • Unique Features: Meridian Academy applies a proprietary innovative pedagogical approach to Texas Education Agency`s College, Career, and Military Readiness initiative. We call it "The Meridian Way". The blended approach combines asynchronous (80%) and synchronous (20%) teacher/student/group web-based Teams meetings, instruction, and assessments within a unique hybrid TPACK model.
  • "The Meridian Way" includes research-based instructional designs within the Canvas Learning Management System (Technological knowledge), research-based and TEKS-aligned McGraw-Hill connectED courses with embedded scaffolding and learner supports (Content knowledge), and emotionally intelligent teachers especially and uniquely trained to teach our way (Pedagogical knowledge.) Because we serve non-traditional students, our curriculum includes embedded social and emotional health assignments, project-based individual and group activities, and critical and higher-order thinking reflections differentiated by each student's self-assessed learning styles. We also cover digital citizenship using CommonSense.org`s research-based strategies, approaches, lesson plans, and content.
  • What is also unique about "The Meridian Way" is our Student Learning Assessment System. Our system begins with the diagnostic Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA) exam for all students. We use TSIA results to benchmark our students' college, career, or military readiness to mark the gaps between where they are and should be by graduation. We then administer weekly formative assessments (quizzes, Kahoots, critical reflections, etc.) embedded within Canvas, McGraw-Hill, and ALEKS courses. We use a two-step summative assessment process. The first step, a qualitative assessment, requires all students to compile a portfolio at the end of each course to reflect upon their knowledge. The second step is readministering the TSIA exam to evaluate student learning progress using quantitative measures. Data from the assessments are used to monitor student learning progressively.
  • Sample of notable school alumni/alumnae:
    • Ariel Escobedo - Class of 2022 Student will be joining United States Airforce.
    • Jessica Pierre - Class of 2016 Student will be joining HCC
    • Javier Rayo - Class of 2013 Student joined Tulsa Welding School.
    • Grace Zavala - Class of 2022 Student will be pursuing her career at Elite Art of Phlebotomy
Source: Verified school update

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are famous alumni from Meridian Academy - Houston?
Meridian Academy - Houston famous alumni include: Ariel Escobedo, Jessica Pierre, Javier Rayo and Grace Zavala.
What sports does Meridian Academy - Houston offer?
Meridian Academy - Houston offers 2 interscholastic sports: Basketball and Track and Field.
When is the application deadline for Meridian Academy - Houston?
The application deadline for Meridian Academy - Houston is rolling (applications are reviewed as they are received year-round).
In what neighborhood is Meridian Academy - Houston located?
Meridian Academy - Houston is located in the Mid West neighborhood of Houston, TX. There are 3 other private schools located in Mid West.

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Did You Know?

The average private school tuition in Houston, TX is $15,838 for elementary schools and $19,054 for high schools (read more about average private school tuition across the country).
The average acceptance rate in Houston, TX is 79% (read more about average acceptance rates across the country).

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