Alongside its seventh consecutive overall “A” rating from the Texas Education Agency, Tomball ISD reported an increase in individual “A” ratings across its campuses this past school year.

The breakdown: TISD has managed to maintain its seven-year-long streak of overall “A” ratings from the TEA for the A-F accountability ratings. The purpose of the ratings is to grade individual campuses and their districts as a whole based on three main criteria:

• Student achievement

• Academic growth

• Closing the gaps

TISD as a whole managed to improve its previous score in student achievement and academic growth this year, but fell behind in the “closing the gaps” category. 

Quote of note: TISD’s Superintendent Martha Salazar-Zamora said the latest “A” rating from the TEA represents the “hard work and dedication the district has taken on to support its students.”

“Earning an ‘A’ rating for the seventh consecutive time is a direct reflection of the dedication, resilience and strategic vision shared across our entire community,” Salazar-Zamora said.

HCA Houston Healthcare Tomball is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. 

The medical center, which was originally the Tomball Community Hospital, was purchased by HCA Houston Healthcare in 2017. 

The history: The Tomball Hospital Authority originally built the Tomball Community Hospital in August 1976. Years later, in 2011, it was sold to Community Health Systems, which transformed it into the Tomball Regional Medical Center. Soon after, in 2017, HCA purchased the medical facility, and it fully rebranded to HCA Houston Healthcare Tomball in 2019. 

According to a news release, HCA Houston Healthcare Tomball CEO Robert Marmerstein said this anniversary is due to every patient and colleague who has helped the hospital grow.  

“While we are proud of all we have accomplished together, we are even more excited about the future as we continue to advance healthcare and fulfill our mission of providing exceptional, compassionate care for generations to come,” Marmerstein said. 

HCA also announced plans for a special commemorative ceremony to celebrate the anniversary on Sept. 23 from 3-5 p.m. at the medical center. 

Home sales saw a decrease year over year in July in the Tomball and Magnolia area, according to market data provided by local real estate firm The Renee Leslie Group.

What you need to know: In four of the five ZIP codes in Tomball and Magnolia, home sales decreased.
Year over year in July, the median price of homes sold increased in three of the five ZIP codes in the Tomball and Magnolia area. 77375 saw the largest percentage increase of 17.83%, going from $342,450 to $403,500.

Of the homes that sold in July in the Tomball and Magnolia area, 236 of them were priced between $250,000 and $499,999.

Also of note: Year over year in July, the average time homes spent on the market in Tomball and Magnolia decreased in three of the five area ZIP codes. The largest percentage change was in 77355 at -16.42%—homes went from spending an average of 67 days on the market last July to 56 days on the market this July