Steven Pool Waltrip High School, a part of Houston Independent School District, opened in l959 at 1900 West 34th Street. The area, which grew up after World War II was previously served by Reagan H. S. Waltrip's boundaries joined Reagan, Scarborough, Williams and Washington high schools.

Students were enrolled in grades ten through twelve, and later, ninth was added. Enrollment reached about twenty-five hundred students, and in l967, Scarborough Jr-Sr. High School opened to relieve Waltrip and F.M. Black Junior High. Feeder junior high schools were Black, a part of Hamilton, and later Clifton. Feeder elementary schools were Oak Forest, Garden Oaks, Stephens, Sinclair, Smith, and later, Durham. At opening, the student population was majority white, and remained predominantly so until the middle 1980's. Enrollment in the mid 1990's was around thirteen hundred fifty students of nearly equal White, Hispanic, and Black populations.

Waltrip's building was characterized by a drive around entry, columns, covered porch, wide tiled halls, three stories of 90 classrooms, equipped laboratories, storage, showcases, high ceilings, terrazzo floors, generous commons areas, pool, auditorium, comfortable lounges, sufficient restrooms, and ample grounds. Additions were air-conditioning, academic wing, library, counseling center, parking lot, patio, fence, technology, Houston Community College, and an HISD district office.

Curriculum offerings of English, history, mathematics, science, physical education, languages, fine arts, practical arts, occupational, gifted and talented, special education, and other homogeneously grouped academic endeavors were continuous and sequential. Newspaper, yearbook, band, choir, drill team, R.O.T.C., and athletics were and remain integral parts of the instructional program. Numerous clubs, leadership organizations, activities, as well as, parent involvement groups provided enrichment.

Principals have been:

Gordon Cotton, Ivy Hollister, Perry Pope, Paul Ofield, Jim Prewett, Glenwood Prenzler, Ray Morgan, Steve Siebenaler, Linda Lazenby, Andria Schur, E. Dale Mitchell, Michael Niggli, Rhonda Honore, and currently our Interim Principal, Jeanette Cortez.