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Choosing Schools


VicMan

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Which schools in the Houston area are the best? Which environments are the best? And how do you choose your schools?

All I can tell you is which Houston ISD schools are generally considered to be the best...

To quote Texasbest.com's blurb (http://www.texasbest.com/schools/houston.html) accompanying its statistics:

"HISD is the state's largest school district, with over 210,000 students and a budget of over 1.2 billion dollars. The district includes Houston's richest neighborhoods, as well as some of it's least affluent. The average test scores of individual schools can vary widely between different areas within the district. "

Therefore, HISD has some really good schools, some really bad, and schools in-between.

HISD's Lamar High School (average (mean) SAT for 2003-2004, 1078) and Bellaire High School (average SAT, 1175) have made the top 1,000 High Schools in the U.S. according to Newsweek's list, and therefore neighborhoods zoned to them and their feeder schools are generally more expensive than neighborhoods zoned to mediocre or poor schools.

Compare those two good SAT averages to that of Lee High School, which has an SAT average of 750 (Uptown people have a choice between Lee, Lamar, and Westside (1019).

I believe Texas Monthly gave Austin (777) and Milby (780) five stars in its best schools report.

As for myself, I went to all-magnet schools after elementary school because my mother felt that smaller environments would be better for me, while my sister went to Lamar.

EDIT: I meant to say "Which schools are the best" in the topic title, but I can't edit that now...

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Compare those two good SAT averages to that of Lee High School, which has an SAT average of 750 (Uptown people have a choice between Lee, Lamar, and Westside (1019).

So what exactly is the policy on HISD zoning? Can students throughout HISD choose what school to go to, or is it only in certain areas where you can choose your school?

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In some areas HISD gives additional choices, e.g. many areas zoned to Pershing Middle have "Pin Oak Middle" as an option. The reason why Lamar and Westside are options in Lee attendance areas is because Lee went downhill big time and parents in Uptown wanted their kids to have an easier process to go to other HISD schools. I am not sure of the exact terms of the option choices, but I assume they are only open to so many kids, as Lamar and Westside each have over 2,500 students, including the zoned kids, magnet kids, and AP/IB kids are placed in their schools. Lee's most recent head count was about 2,100 students.

Also, some elementary schools only go up to second grade (Ashford) or the fourth grade (Askew), so students in those schools continue on to Shadowbriar (3-5). A similar arrangement may happen with Bush and the newly-built Daily Elementary.

I'll have to reread HISD's transfer policy...

Do you think HISD would be better off if the program was an all-out "free choice" assignment style? (like what Garland ISD does).

EDIT: http://www.houstonisd.org/HISD/portal/arti...3443097,00.html

It seems like ANY regular school is available provided that:

* The school has enough room,

* The parent keeps the kid at that school for the duration of the year, and

* The parent provides transportation or transportation is found in some other way

Transportation is provided to kids in magnet programs.

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"HISD is the state's largest school district, with over 210,000 students and a budget of over 1.2 billion dollars. The district includes Houston's richest neighborhoods, as well as some of it's least affluent.  The average test scores of individual schools can vary widely between different areas within the district. "

Do kids from the "richest neighborhoods" actually attend HISD beyond elementary school? Every single person I know who grew up in River Oaks attended private school for at least middle school and beyond.

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Do kids from the "richest neighborhoods" actually attend HISD beyond elementary school?  Every single person I know who grew up in River Oaks attended private school for at least middle school and beyond.

Yes. There are some who remain in HISD in all of secondary school, or rejoin in high school. I know a family in River Oaks who has a daughter in Lamar and a son in boarding school.

Also, those in Uptown who do attend HISD beyond elementary usually go to Lamar.

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