About Morton Ranch Elementary

School Colors: Purple & Gold
School Mascot: Maverick
Founding School Year: 2008-2009

The Legend Begins…
Saddled with grit and determination to provide a legendary learning experience for a most deserving group of children, a posse of educators rode into town in 2008, aimin’ to leave their  mark on the land called Morton Ranch. The vision shared by  these Maverick-Educators has  always been focused on three things: Strong Relationships, Authentic Experiences for Children, and a Quest for Lifelong Learning instilled within each and every Maverick.

Relationships are everything at “the Ranch.” Connections among human beings are at the center of all decisions: who is hired, how teams are formed, how teachers begin their day in every classroom, why administrators spend most of their time engaged with colleagues and children, how community members are welcomed into the building, even how the front office furniture has been arranged. In order to impact others professionally or educationally, we must impact them personally. Until a student feels he/she is cared for in the schoolhouse, academic success is unlikely.

Likewise, with adults, as colleagues feel valued and treasured, they are increasingly willing to “Ride for the Brand,” putting in countless hours to seek out best practices and committing to goals much larger than traditional “school aspirations.” In many schools, teachers know only those with whom they directly share students. At Morton Ranch, we are intentional about building relationships among our “Maverick family” members of all ages.

Our dreams for our children require that school be ever-so connected to real life. Seven-year-old readers imitate passionate, adult readers. They begin to learn who their favorite authors are, how to successfully choose books they will enjoy, how to persevere, working through parts of a text they find difficult to understand. Our ten-year-old writers learn to write, not by copying work from a chalkboard or by diagramming sentences, but instead, by learning – as real writers do – that writing is a life experience, that one must seek out ideas in the world, reflect upon one’s own experiences, take the time to put words on the paper, and constantly get feedback and revise. Mavericks are not just “doing” math and science, but are mathematicians and scientists experimenting with numbers and properties, testing theories and drawing conclusions about their hypotheses. The arts are taught by professionals who are passionate about their field, so that our children will become cultured, well-rounded, interesting people – able to enjoy, produce and communicate through various artistic media.

Morton Ranch Elementary is about life-enriching experiences for all children and lighting a fire in their hearts that leads to lifelong learning. Watch out for the Mavericks of Morton Ranch! These children will be unstoppable, surpassing our every goal! And they will forever carry MRE in their hearts, as they ride confidently into a very bright future!

History of the Morton Family Ranch

In October 1896, Elbert M. Morton and his wife M.M.C Morton moved from the Springfield, Missouri area to Katy with their six children. They purchased land in the northeast quarter of Section 82 of the H&C Railroad Company survey, which was considered to be in a “School Section,” meaning that the money from the purchase went to the state’s Permanent School Fund. The Mortons built their house and began farming rice and running cattle on the land.

Just a few years later, however, the house was destroyed during the great storm of 1900. The Mortons built a second house at the same location, which stood until 1941 when it was replaced by their son and his wife, Charles and Beulah Morton. The most recent house was built in 2001 by James and Ida Morton, the present residents, meaning that the Morton family has lived at the original site from December 1896 to the present day. In 1996, the original 160 acres became eligible for the Texas State Heritage Farm designation, presented by the Texas State Department of Agriculture for farms that have been in some form of agricultural production and operated by a direct descendant of the founder for a period of 100 contiguous years.

Keith and Lee Morton, grandsons of Charles and Beulah, continue to run the cattle and horse operation today. All seven children of Elbert and M.M.C Morton attended the Katy school system, at one of the country schools and later at the original Katy school located on Avenue A. Since then, three generations of Mortons have attended Katy ISD schools, including Elbert and M.M.C’s six grandchildren, twelve great grandchildren and four great, great grandchildren. Today, the sixth generation is in line to become a proud Katy ISD graduate.