Best area around Houston to raise kids?

[texasdiver]

My wife and I have been visiting friends in the Houston area over the past few years and are contemplating moving to the Houston area for a change of pace and better professional opportunities. We currently live in the Waco area where we moved to from Juneau AK for my wife's medical training.

Since both of us are in professions that are widely distributed throughout Texas metro areas (she is a family practice doctor and I teach HS science and do environmental consulting out of a home office) we can pretty much chose any place to live with the idea of working nearby. All the fast growing suburbs in Texas have medical offices and schools popping up around them so finding employment should not be a major issue.

Our idea is to focus in on a few areas that look especially promising and start making initial professional contacts and then if something good develops, especially for my wife, then we would eventually move on down. For her, the ideal would be a suburban area with a medical practice and hospital located very close by so that commuting is not an issue. Since there are schools everywhere, I'm not particularly concerned. We are both committed contractually to staying in the Waco area until Spring 2008 so we have plenty of time to look around and explore professional opportunities.

We have three girls ages 1, 4, and 8 and are believers in public schools and so the quality of the local schools would be perhaps our #1 criteria. My wife also Hispanic and we'd love to raise our kids bilingual so English/Spanish bilingual schools would be a big plus. We also like outdoor recreation (running, biking, boating, swimming) and so a community with those amenities would be essential. I don't golf and am uninterested in the sport so we aren't looking for a golf community although it seems you can hardly avoid golf courses in Houston. I just don't want to live someplace that is expensive solely because it is on a golf course. The girls are getting very much into horseback riding and the older one looks headed towards doing it competitively, so I'd much rather live in a community that has stables and riding trails nearby (Gleannloch Farms has been suggested).

Hope that's enough information to start. When you see these questions on the Houston forums, the first question usually asked is "where will you work" because commutes are so critical. For us, we intend identify a few ideal neighborhoods and then look for work in those specific areas with the idea of working and living in the same community.

To date, the only suburban area in greater Houston that we are familiar with is Cinco Ranch where we have friends that we visit. My wife is very taken by Cinco Ranch, especially the greenscapes, pools, lakes, and amenities. And we like how the neighborhoods have so many kids and how people just sit out front in the evenings to socialize and watch the kids play in the street (at least on our friend's street in Cinco). Katy seems to fit most of our criteria. There are 2 new hospitals in Katy and new medical clinics forming all the time. And there are new schools being built everywhere. However the greater Houston area is obviously MUCH larger than Katy. So we're looking for a few more choice areas that are also worth considering. People have suggested Sugarland, Cy-Fair, and Woodlands to us also. But I'd be interested in what the rest of you recommend so I can put them on our "to visit" list for our next trip to Houston later this summer.

We've also been looking at the DFW, Austin, and San Antonio areas but for some reason Houston just feels more like home than the others. Perhaps because it's so much more green and lush than the other cities and less overtly "Texan." Or maybe it's just because our best friends live there. But Houston feels like the "best fit"

[marmer]

We're very happy with Pearland. Check out the Silverlake area as well as some of the subdivisions farther east on 518.

[ProHouston]

There are actually several suburbs around Houston that would fit your criteria. To name a few, Sugar Land, Katy (the Cinco Ranch area or south to the Westpark Tollway), The Woodlands, Champions (FM 249) area. Each of these have small suburban hospitals, great schools, and are family friendly. You'll hear other members tout their area at the expense of another, but you really can't go wrong with any of these.

[texasdiver]

BTW, what I've noticed about Houston (unlike Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio) is that there are quality towns, schools, and neighborhoods in just about every direction (except maybe east?). That makes it much more difficult for the newcomer but I think makes the Houston area more interesting.

In Dallas, almost all the upscale development is concentrated on the north and northwest side from Grapevine to Plano.

In Austin it's all on the west side and north side.

In San Antonio its all on the north and northwest side.

Houston though seems to have interesting neighborhoods and good schools spread all around a massive area.

[houstonmacbro]

Comment/Question. I listen to BizRadio 1320AM (also simulcast in Dallas/Ft. Worth. The way they make it sound, the whole DFW and I think I hear them mention Waco from time to time, is that the whole area is exploding with growth?

[KatieDidIt]

If you don't like to drive, consider neighborhoods that fall into SBISD. Spring Valley is booming and has a large latin population.

We are moving back to Houston from The Woodlands. It wasn't a good fit for us and the drive is now ridiculous.

[houstonmacbro]

If you don't like to drive, consider neighborhoods that fall into SBISD. Spring Valley is booming and has a large latin population.

We are moving back to Houston from The Woodlands. It wasn't a good fit for us and the drive is now ridiculous.

I made the mistake of driving my new-to-the-States partner The Woodlands and now he cannot get it out of his mind. While I love the homes, the layout, the presumed quality of life, I could not see LIVING there. Not for the commute into town (or even south to Spring/Houston border where I work ... 20 miles). Like it is often said, it is a nice place to visit, but ...

[bachanon]

based on your criteria, i would move near my friends. sugarland, cinco ranch/katy, the woodlands all have good suburban hospitals nearby and many good schools. the woodlands is the least diverse. i have friends in katy that i seldom see because of the distance (i live in the woodlands). if you intend on getting together often and are as flexible as you say, i would chose to be near my friends. i'm a woodlands geek and enjoy encouraging people to move here; however, you may enjoy proximity to people you already know and the benefits that will provide. we look forward to having you in the houston area.

[texasdiver]

Comment/Question. I listen to BizRadio 1320AM (also simulcast in Dallas/Ft. Worth. The way they make it sound, the whole DFW and I think I hear them mention Waco from time to time, is that the whole area is exploding with growth?

The Waco area is growing steadily but nowhere near the explosive that you are seeing in the western suburbs of Houston where new schools and subdivisions are popping up like dandilyons. It is a very central location for distribution type businesses to operate from because Waco is almost the geographic center between DFW, Austin, San Antonio and Houston. Most of the growth around Waco is happening in the southern and northwest suburbs where the good schools are and not the central core. There are 12 school districts in the greater Waco area. Four of them have good reputations, the others not so much. So you can guess where all the growth is happening. Waco is even getting some very nice master-planned communities. The nicest one in my book is called Badger Ranch in the southern suburb of Woodway:

http://www.badgerranchwoodway.com/

It has the community pools, lakes, nature trails etc etc. The northwest suburbs is the China Spring area where my wife and I live. It is wooded rolling hills and horse ranches and pretty much like the hill country west of Austin. Some very large ranches and quite pretty countryside. Nicer than the area around Crawford in my book. China Spring is growing rapidly and we just passed a big new bond measure in May to build new schools, which is probably a familiar story down your way.

Surprisingly, the Crawford area really hasn't taken off despite being the site of the Western White House for 8 years. It's still a little 2-bit town without much but farms and ranches. It's not ugly, but it's certainly not unique in any way. But no one seems to have been able to make much money off of being in close proximity to the Bushes.

In all, the Waco area is pleasant enough. We are not unhappy here. The greater Waco metro area is maybe 250,000 or so. But it's not particularly culturally diverse. It's heavily Baptist, being the home of Baylor. And if you want to eat something more than steak, BBQ, tex-mex, chinese, or national chains you will have to look pretty hard.

[houstonmacbro]

.... And if you want to eat something more than steak, BBQ, tex-mex, chinese, or national chains you will have to look pretty hard.

Say what? I heard there were a few swinging gay bars, Thai and Ethiopian restaurants there?

Just kidding.

Thanks for that overview. I took a look at that development link and it looks pretty nice.

[texasdiver]

based on your criteria, i would move near my friends. sugarland, cinco ranch/katy, the woodlands all have good suburban hospitals nearby and many good schools. the woodlands is the least diverse. i have friends in katy that i seldom see because of the distance (i live in the woodlands). if you intend on getting together often and are as flexible as you say, i would chose to be near my friends. i'm a woodlands geek and enjoy encouraging people to move here; however, you may enjoy proximity to people you already know and the benefits that will provide. we look forward to having you in the houston area.

I hear so much about the Woodlands that I'm curious and we'd like to take a drive-by visit our next time in the area. Unfortunately it isn't really on the way to anywhere for us because the fastest route to Waco is northest on 290 and then 6 via Cy-Fair and then College Station. Next time I suppose we can drive over to 45 and then head south and visit the Woodlands that way.

Our friends live in Cinco Ranch. She commutes to Sugarland and says the drive is easy enough. He works out of a home office for a large engineering/consulting firm that is worldwide. He only goes into the downtown Houston branch about once a week for meetings so not a problem.

We have not seen Sugarland yet either. I was initially turned off by the whole place due to the whole Tom DeLay thing, thinking that I'd never want to live someplace that would keep putting him back in office. Assuming it was just the land of mega-churches, strip malls, and crooked pols. But the more I read, the more interesting it sounds. The schools sound steller and it sounds like a far more diverse and interesting place than its reputation suggests.

In the end, what we will most likely do is spread our net relatively widely through the most interesting and high-quality burbs in the Houston area and go with whichever place turns out to offer my wife the most opportunities for her medical career. It will be much easier for me to follow her than vice versa. One thing is for certain though, we definitely both plan to work and live in the same community and avoid the Houston-area traffic as much as possible. Especially as our kids are young and we want to spend our free time the next 18 years hanging out with our kids rather than stuck in traffic.

[houstonmacbro]

I hear so much about the Woodlands that I'm curious and we'd like to take a drive-by visit our next time in the area. Unfortunately it isn't really on the way to anywhere for us because the fastest route to Waco is northest on 290 and then 6 via Cy-Fair and then College Station. Next time I suppose we can drive over to 45 and then head south and visit the Woodlands that way.

Our friends live in Cinco Ranch. She commutes to Sugarland and says the drive is easy enough. He works out of a home office for a large engineering/consulting firm that is worldwide. He only goes into the downtown Houston branch about once a week for meetings so not a problem.

We have not seen Sugarland yet either. I was initially turned off by the whole place due to the whole Tom DeLay thing, thinking that I'd never want to live someplace that would keep putting him back in office. Assuming it was just the land of mega-churches, strip malls, and crooked pols. But the more I read, the more interesting it sounds. The schools sound steller and it sounds like a far more diverse and interesting place than its reputation suggests.

In the end, what we will most likely do is spread our net relatively widely through the most interesting and high-quality burbs in the Houston area and go with whichever place turns out to offer my wife the most opportunities for her medical career. It will be much easier for me to follow her than vice versa. One thing is for certain though, we definitely both plan to work and live in the same community and avoid the Houston-area traffic as much as possible. Especially as our kids are young and we want to spend our free time the next 18 years hanging out with our kids rather than stuck in traffic.

Not sure what your bank is, but Sugarland is pretty nice. I know a few people that live there and many of the neighborhoods are lovely. You might also want to check out the Copperfield area as well as the Barker Cypress area (too badly planned traffic-wise for my taste, but it appeals to a lot of people).

If money is no option you might also consider Sienna Plantation (south of Houston) and Bentwater (to the north on Lake Conroe). If you want to be a little closer in (on the northside) you might also consider Champions (on FM 1960) and Northgate Forest (come with deep pockets on the latter).

[texasdiver]

Say what? I heard there were a few swinging gay bars, Thai and Ethiopian restaurants there?

Just kidding.

Thanks for that overview. I took a look at that development link and it looks pretty nice.

Actually there is a decent Thai restaurant next to Baylor that is BYOB which I usually forget until I'm sitting down looking at the menu and then really wishing that I had stopped by HEB for some cold beer on the way there.

But Ethopian? No way. I was in walking distance of 3 great Ethopian places when I was in grad school in Seattle and miss that. Waco also has no Indian, Greek, or Lebanese either. Which is hard to take because there are nights when I'm just dying for Tandori chicken, hummus, or gyros. The best chinese restaurant in Waco is the new Pei Wei Diner and the 2nd best chinese is the Panda Express so that tells you about the quality of the Asian food. The rest of the local chinese cafeterias put out food that looks about like the deli line at HEB.

[houstonmacbro]

Actually there is a decent Thai restaurant next to Baylor that is BYOB which I usually forget until I'm sitting down looking at the menu and then really wishing that I had stopped by HEB for some cold beer on the way there.

But Ethopian? No way. I was in walking distance of 3 great Ethopian places when I was in grad school in Seattle and miss that. Waco also has no Indian, Greek, or Lebanese either. Which is hard to take because there are nights when I'm just dying for Tandori chicken, hummus, or gyros. The best chinese restaurant in Waco is the new Pei Wei Diner and the 2nd best chinese is the Panda Express so that tells you about the quality of the Asian food. The rest of the local chinese cafeterias put out food that looks about like the deli line at HEB.

Oh snaps ... yeah ... that doesn't sound too progressive.

Well, in Houston (as I am sure you are aware) you can literally eat at a different place for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and a midnight snack) every day of the year and barely make a dent in all the restaurants.

[texasdiver]

Not sure what your bank is, but Sugarland is pretty nice. I know a few people that live there and many of the neighborhoods are lovely. You might also want to check out the Copperfield area as well as the Barker Cypress area (too badly planned traffic-wise for my taste, but it appeals to a lot of people).

If money is no option you might also consider Sienna Plantation (south of Houston) and Bentwater (to the north on Lake Conroe). If you want to be a little closer in (on the northside) you might also consider Champions (on FM 1960) and Northgate Forest (come with deep pockets on the latter).

I expect the banks will qualify us for up to around the $500 grand range although I would be much more comfortable staying to a limit of around $300 grand and putting the paychecks to other uses like saving to put 3 kids through college and early retirement. I'm not naive enough to think that Houston real estate is a wonderful investment. I just want a nice place to live. We'll probably be looking for a 4-br place in the 2500-3000 sf range with a large yard for gardening and good schools nearby. I'm looking forward to growing citrus as the Waco winters keep killing my orange trees. So a decent-sized family-oriented house but definitely not one of those extravagant McMansion things that cost a fortune to climate control. Unless Houston is very much unlike the rest of Texas, I'm assuming that will put us in pretty much any of Houston's surrounding burgs and all but the most exclusive and posh neighborhoods in the central city.

[texasdiver]

Oh snaps ... yeah ... that doesn't sound too progressive.

Well, in Houston (as I am sure you are aware) you can literally eat at a different place for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and a midnight snack) every day of the year and barely make a dent in all the restaurants.

Yes, I've lived in Seattle, Portland, and Washington DC so I know what a diverse and vibrant restaurant scene looks like.

The problem with Waco is that most of the older people with money just want to sit down to a dinner of prime rib, baked potato and steamed vegetables at one of the local private country clubs, or have steaks at one of the many local steak houses. And the younger familes with kids seem content to pack into all the local chain places with the kids menus. The Chilis/Applebees/Outback/Olive Garden/Chedders/Red Lobster type places. So ecclectic restaurants, unless they are next to Baylor and cater to the student crowd, just don't make it here.

[ProHouston]

We have not seen Sugarland yet either. I was initially turned off by the whole place due to the whole Tom DeLay thing, thinking that I'd never want to live someplace that would keep putting him back in office. Assuming it was just the land of mega-churches, strip malls, and crooked pols. But the more I read, the more interesting it sounds. The schools sound steller and it sounds like a far more diverse and interesting place than its reputation suggests.

I think it just must be your feelings of Tom Delay that have affected your view of Sugar Land. Most people in Texas would tell you that it has a great reputation. In fact, CNN/Money Magazine ranked it the 3rd best place to live in America just last year and it has also been rated as one of the best places to raise a family in America. It's the most affluent, culturally diverse suburban area in the nation. But take that with a grain of salt, I live there. Like I said earlier, I'd stick to Sugar Land, the Cinco Ranch area, Champions, and The Woodlands.

[texasdiver]

I think it just must be your feelings of Tom Delay that have affected your view of Sugar Land. Most people in Texas would tell you that it has a great reputation. In fact, CNN/Money Magazine ranked it the 3rd best place to live in America just last year and it has also been rated as one of the best places to raise a family in America. It's the most affluent, culturally diverse suburban area in the nation. But take that with a grain of salt, I live there. Like I said earlier, I'd stick to Sugar Land, the Cinco Ranch area, Champions, and The Woodlands.

Yeah, I meant it's reputation outside Texas. Over the past decade about the only time you ever heard Sugarland mentioned in the national news was to do with Tom Delay. If you grabbed 10 random but educated people from out of state and asked them about Sugarland I'd be willing to be all they would be able to come up with was Tom DeLay.

Of course who am I to talk. I live in the Waco area. If ever there was a city with an undeserved distorted national reputation it's Waco. The whole Branch Davidian thing happened 20 miles out of town in a nowhere little spot called Elk. I've lived her 4 years and have never had occasion to drive within 5 miles of the place. Not once. No one in Waco had even ever heard of the Branch Davidians until they saw the whole thing happen on CNN with the rest of America. But since the nearest big hotels are in Waco, that's where all the national media did their reporting from.

[Guest Marty]

There is no such thing is safe anymore it's just shades of grey.

[bachanon]

I hear so much about the Woodlands that I'm curious and we'd like to take a drive-by visit our next time in the area. Unfortunately it isn't really on the way to anywhere for us because the fastest route to Waco is northest on 290 and then 6 via Cy-Fair and then College Station. Next time I suppose we can drive over to 45 and then head south and visit the Woodlands that way.

Our friends live in Cinco Ranch. She commutes to Sugarland and says the drive is easy enough. He works out of a home office for a large engineering/consulting firm that is worldwide. He only goes into the downtown Houston branch about once a week for meetings so not a problem.

We have not seen Sugarland yet either. I was initially turned off by the whole place due to the whole Tom DeLay thing, thinking that I'd never want to live someplace that would keep putting him back in office. Assuming it was just the land of mega-churches, strip malls, and crooked pols. But the more I read, the more interesting it sounds. The schools sound steller and it sounds like a far more diverse and interesting place than its reputation suggests.

In the end, what we will most likely do is spread our net relatively widely through the most interesting and high-quality burbs in the Houston area and go with whichever place turns out to offer my wife the most opportunities for her medical career. It will be much easier for me to follow her than vice versa. One thing is for certain though, we definitely both plan to work and live in the same community and avoid the Houston-area traffic as much as possible. Especially as our kids are young and we want to spend our free time the next 18 years hanging out with our kids rather than stuck in traffic.

the woodlands is worth seeing. there are multiple websites, interactive maps, homefinder centers and more to help you get oriented. simply driving around is not a good idea. once you get past the town center the majority of the scenery is trees and underbrush. do some homework before you make the road trip. feel free to IM me if you have specific questions.

http://www.thewoodlands.net/

http://www.thewoodlands.com/

http://www.thewoodlands.com/woodlands-commercial/

http://www.town-center.com/

http://www.thewoodlandsassociations.org/si...me/default.aspx

urban land institute book on the woodlands

interfaith

[Jeebus]

We have three girls ages 1, 4, and 8 and are believers in public schools and so the quality of the local schools would be perhaps our #1 criteria. My wife also Hispanic and we'd love to raise our kids bilingual so English/Spanish bilingual schools would be a big plus. We also like outdoor recreation (running, biking, boating, swimming) and so a community with those amenities would be essential. I don't golf and am uninterested in the sport so we aren't looking for a golf community although it seems you can hardly avoid golf courses in Houston. I just don't want to live someplace that is expensive solely because it is on a golf course. The girls are getting very much into horseback riding and the older one looks headed towards doing it competitively, so I'd much rather live in a community that has stables and riding trails nearby (Gleannloch Farms has been suggested).

I'm shocked that no one (especially you TJones - WTH??) hasn't suggested Pecan Grove. It's somewhat in between Sugar Land & Cinco Ranch just west of the Grand Parkway (SH99) and has dozens of ranches with stables.

Anything from Cinco Ranch/Kelliwood, Pecan Grove, New Territory/TelFair/Greatwood, to Sugar Land sounds like it would suite your desires. They're all found along the Grand Parkway corridor, between I-10 & US-59. You have a brand new Memorial Herman Hospital at both US59 & SH99 AND I-10 & SH99. You also have an expanding Methodist Hospital in Sugar Land, along US59 just south of Highway 6. There are plenty of stables throughout the area. You'll also have your pick of top-notch public schools from either Fort Bend, Katy, or Lamar ISD.

The best part is that you can get everything you listed above, almost anywhere in the area, for 300-400k. Good luck, and welcome to Houston!

Memorial Herman Hospital Map

One Horse Stable Option

New Master Planned Neighborhood: Telfair

Sugar Land's Town Square

[Jeebus]

Your ISD choices:

Cinco Ranch Area: Katy ISD

Pecan Grove Area: Lamar Consolidated ISD

Sugar Land Area: Fort Bend ISD

[houstonmacbro]

I think it just must be your feelings of Tom Delay that have affected your view of Sugar Land. Most people in Texas would tell you that it has a great reputation. In fact, CNN/Money Magazine ranked it the 3rd best place to live in America just last year and it has also been rated as one of the best places to raise a family in America. It's the most affluent, culturally diverse suburban area in the nation. But take that with a grain of salt, I live there. Like I said earlier, I'd stick to Sugar Land, the Cinco Ranch area, Champions, and The Woodlands.

While I don't really like talking politics because it seems SO divisive to Americans these days, I will say that Texans tend to --overall-- be somewhat closeted in their political affiliations. I doubt you will ever really be made to FEEL like you are wrong or bad for having a politically different viewpoint.

In my workplace, I am pretty sure I am the only one of one political stripe, but my coworkers are pretty cool and we tend to just not talk politics.

[texasdiver]

While I don't really like talking politics because it seems SO divisive to Americans these days, I will say that Texans tend to --overall-- be somewhat closeted in their political affiliations. I doubt you will ever really be made to FEEL like you are wrong or bad for having a politically different viewpoint.

In my workplace, I am pretty sure I am the only one of one political stripe, but my coworkers are pretty cool and we tend to just not talk politics.

Heh, well, Houston maybe. Try that in Waco sometime. Here the politics split very neatly along racial lines and if you don't go with the mainstream people look at you with a mixture of surprise, horror, and curiosity. Like you are some sort of rare specimen they've heard about but never seen. People talk politics and religion here. It just doesn't even occur to them that you might not disagree.

The question we get all the time from strangers as well as neighbors is "what church do you attend?" The idea that you might have other plans for your Sunday mornings doesn't register. My kid constantly gets church-related material stuffed in her backpack at school and she attends a local public school.

I'm exaggerating, but only slightly. It's part of the reason we are looking for a more interesting and diverse place to live. Because I get the feeling that we could live here for 50 years and still feel somewhat like outsiders.

[texas911]

Why bilingual education? I hate bilingual education, its an unnecessary burden on our school system. Learn English, like every other immigrant group did when they came to America. Before you cast stones, my wife is hispanic.

[houstonmacbro]

Why bilingual education? I hate bilingual education, its an unnecessary burden on our school system. Learn English, like every other immigrant group did when they came to America. Before you cast stones, my wife is hispanic.

Huh? Where did that come from?

[texasdiver]

Why bilingual education? I hate bilingual education, its an unnecessary burden on our school system. Learn English, like every other immigrant group did when they came to America. Before you cast stones, my wife is hispanic.

WTF?

My kids do speak English. They are not immigrants. It's their first and only language. What we want to do is teach them some Spanish while they are young enough to absorb it fluently.

I suppose you think spelling is an unnecessary burden on the school system too now that we have spellcheckers on every computer?

[bachanon]

some people aren't aware that a bilingual school is not necessarily one catering to non-english speaking students. i observed a "bilingual" school in tulsa, ok several years ago. the english speaking children were taught all of their courses in spanish. when tested, their scores for english vocabulary and writing skills were years ahead of english only counterparts. and of course, the kids were completely bilingual by the first year.

[Urbannomad]

some people aren't aware that a bilingual school is not necessarily one catering to non-english speaking students. i observed a "bilingual" school in tulsa, ok several years ago. the english speaking children were taught all of their courses in spanish. when tested, their scores for english vocabulary and writing skills were years ahead of english only counterparts. and of course, the kids were completely bilingual by the first year.

Bachanon is right. Learning Spanish is a great, marketable skill and teaches kids many valuable cross-over skills. Just because some older people can't learn it and are intimated by that fact doesn't make it worthless to learn a second language. Unfortunately, I can't speak Spanish, my wife got one of her degrees in it but is rusty, and we'd love to for our kid(unborn) to learn it from a young age. We live by one such dual language school, but I'm sure there are equivalents in the suburbs too.

http://www.helmsduallanguage.org/

[texasdiver]

some people aren't aware that a bilingual school is not necessarily one catering to non-english speaking students. i observed a "bilingual" school in tulsa, ok several years ago. the english speaking children were taught all of their courses in spanish. when tested, their scores for english vocabulary and writing skills were years ahead of english only counterparts. and of course, the kids were completely bilingual by the first year.

Exactly. I grew up near Portland and some of the most exclusive and competitive private schools in the entire Portland area are bilingual schools. There's L'Ecole Francaise de Portland (Portland French School) where classes are taught in French, Spanish, and Chinese as well as English from 2 1/2 years onwards:

http://www.portlandfrenchschool.org/

There's the Portland International School where classes are taught in Spanish, Chinese and Japanese:

http://www.intlschool.org/index.asp

And the Portland Public Schools have Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese magnet school immersion programs at the elementary level that are extremely popular among upscale anglo parents and have long waiting lists. Here's an example of a public Spanish immersion elementary in one of Portland's most upscale and exclusive neighborhoods (Think River Oaks in Houston).

http://www.ainsworth.pps.k12.or.us/

I would be interested in finding similar such schools in the Houston area, if they exist.