Smithson Valley High School

Smithson Valley High School (commonly referred to as SVHS) is a public high school located in unincorporated Comal County, Texas, and is classified as a 5A school by the UIL. It is part of the Comal Independent School District and is one of the five out of seven traditional high schools within the district.[3] Its student enrollment as of the beginning of the 2022-23 school year is 2,310. Smithson Valley’s student enrollment reached as high as 2,584 in the 2021-22 school year before some students were sent off to the brand-new and recently opened Pieper High School after the 2021-22 school year which was built to deal with the growing population of the school’s attendance zone and to provide relief to Smithson Valley's attendance roster.

Smithson Valley High School
Address
Map
14001 Highway 46 West

,
Comal County
,
78070-7299

United States
Coordinates29°48′10″N 98°21′34″W / 29.80278°N 98.35954°W / 29.80278; -98.35954
Information
School typePublic high school
MottoCondimentum erimus.
(Rangers we will be.)
Established1976[1]
School districtComal Independent School District
NCES District ID4814730
SuperintendentJohn E. Chapman III
NCES School ID481473000974
PrincipalStacia Snyder
Staff141.13 (on an FTE basis)[2]
Grades9–12
Age range14-18
Enrollment2,057 (2023-2024)[2]
 • Grade 9532
 • Grade 10537
 • Grade 11474
 • Grade 12524
Student to teacher ratio14.58[2]
Hours in school day7 hours 35 minutes
Color(s)      Red, White & Navy
Athletics conferenceUIL Class AAAAA
SportsFootball, Basketball, Golf, Soccer, Lacrosse, Baseball, Tennis, Water Polo, Volleyball, Softball, Wrestling, Cross Country, Swimming, Track and Field,
MascotRangers/Lady Rangers
NicknameSV Rangers
NewspaperValley Ventana
Feeder schoolsSmithson Valley Middle School, Spring Branch Middle School, Arlon R. Seay Elementary School, Bill Brown Elementary School, Johnson Ranch Elementary School, Rahe Bulverde Elementary School
Websitesvhs.comalisd.org

Smithson Valley High School is zoned for students who live primarily in the southwestern of Comal County area, northern Bexar County area,[4] and portions of Kendall County including the majority of Bulverde,[5] Spring Branch,[6] Smithson Valley, portions of Boerne, and portions of Canyon Lake.[7] In 2015, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency.[8]

History

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Smithson Valley High School was established in 1976 and was named after Benjamin Smithson, who was one of the first Texas Rangers,[9] and an early settler in the area.

In 2007, some students were sent to the new Canyon Lake High School. Before the split, Smithson Valley's student enrollment reached as high as 2,500 students.

The enrollment for the 2021-22 school year was 2,584.[10] As of that time, 15% of students were economically disadvantaged. 56.1% of students enrolled as of the 2021-22 school year were Caucasian, 35.2% Hispanic, 2.7% African American, and 6% other. The ratio of male to female students was 1:1 as of 2023. There was a student-to-teacher ratio of sixteen to one compared to the Texas average of twelve to one. 98% of enrolled students graduate in 2023.[11]

After Pieper High School opened, enrollment at Smithson Valley was reduced.[12]

Athletics

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The Smithson Valley Rangers compete in a variety of sports.[13] The school is part of District 12-5a. In football, Smithson Valley has traveled to the University Interscholastic League State 5A Championship Game four times and the State 4A Championship Game once, resulting in four losses and one 5a state championship title in 2024 under Coach Larry Hill. The current football coach, Larry Hill, has been head of all athletics since 1993. [citation needed] Smithson Valley also offers club lacrosse, band, dance team, cheerleading, NJROTC, FFA, National Forensic League, and foreign language clubs along with several interest clubs.

State Titles

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  • Softball [14]
    • 2001(4A), 2009(5A), 2012(4A)
  • Academic Decathlon [15]
    • 1991 (Small Schools Division)
  • Girl's Track & Field[16]
    • 2023(5A)
  • Boys Golf
    • 2024(5A)
  • Girls Cross Country
    • 2024(5A)
  • Football
    • 2024(5A D1)

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ "Comal ISD History". Archived from the original on 2011-12-10. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  2. ^ a b c "SMITHSON VALLEY H S". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  3. ^ "Secondary Schools". www.comalisd.org. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  4. ^ "High School Attendance Zones" (Archive). Comal Independent School District. Retrieved on August 28, 2016. Smithson Valley HS zone (Archive)
  5. ^ "City Limits and ETJ." City of Bulverde. Retrieved on August 27, 2016. Zoning map.
  6. ^ "Location Map." City of Spring Branch. Retrieved on August 27, 2016. Text description of map
  7. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP (INDEX): Canyon Lake CDP, TX." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on August 28, 2016.
  8. ^ "2015 Accountability Rating System". Texas Education Agency.
  9. ^ "SVHS Web Site - Main Page". www.comalisd.org. Archived from the original on 2009-07-10.
  10. ^ "SMITHSON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL (SPRING BRANCH, TX) Detailed School Profile, Performance Statistics, Teacher and Student Info, Test Results". www.schools-data.com.
  11. ^ "Smithson Valley High School Profile - New Braunfels, Texas (TX)". www.publicschoolreview.com. 26 June 2023.
  12. ^ Hinojosa, David (2021-12-08). "Smithson Valley, MacArthur and Wagner moved down to Class 5A". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  13. ^ "Schools - The Athletics Department .com". www.theathleticsdepartment.com.
  14. ^ "UIL Centennial Webpage". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  15. ^ "State/Texas/1991 - AcaDec Scores and Information Center". acadecscores.gilslotd.com.
  16. ^ Hinojosa, David (2023-05-13). "Track and field: Smithson Valley girls secure 5A state crown". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  17. ^ "Eryk Anders | UFC". 14 September 2018.
  18. ^ "Wyoming Cowboys add Texas high school QB Levi Williams". MTSPX. 2019-01-29. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
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