Honor Code

An Honor Code, drafted by Houston Academy students and faculty and regulated by an Honor Council, was approved and implemented since the 1998 school year.

Honesty is a fundamental principle upon which our society is based. It is required to create the atmosphere in which friendship, scholarship, and trust can grow. In the strictest sense, honor is a uniquely personal matter. The Honor System cannot and will not force the student to become honorable. It does, however, aid the student in realizing the benefits of integrity to the individual and to the academic community.

The Honor System embodies the concept of personal honor in a framework of law and practice. The result is a system of conducting examinations, writing papers, and performing other academic endeavors with regard to individual honor and without faculty proctoring. The system promotes trust between students and their teachers and peers. The responsibility for maintaining the validity of academic work is placed on all students. It is upon these goals and principles that the Houston Academy Honor Code is based.

All Houston Academy Upper School students are expected to uphold specific standards of conduct:

1. Students will exhibit honesty in all endeavors.

2. Students will encourage active participation in the spirit and ethics of the Honor Code.

3. At the end of each assignment, students will sign the following statement:

“My signature affirms my honor.”

Any infraction of the code will be referred to the Honor Council, which will serve as the mediator for the Honor Code.