mparis Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Hi Everyone,I am currently living in South Florida, but I am tired of the high cost of living and am planning to move to Houston. I have three daughters (high, middle and elementary schools). Is there anyone who could help me telling me where the best schools are around Houston? It could be in the suburbs as well, I don't mind commuting 20/25 miles each way a day.Any information/help is greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieDidIt Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Hi Everyone,I am currently living in South Florida, but I am tired of the high cost of living and am planning to move to Houston. I have three daughters (high, middle and elementary schools). Is there anyone who could help me telling me where the best schools are around Houston? It could be in the suburbs as well, I don't mind commuting 20/25 miles each way a day.Any information/help is greatly appreciated.Can you give a commute time? That's easier to go by time than miles in Houston. 20-25 miles could take 45 minutes to an hour depending where you are driving too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwilson Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 People have their own ideas of the quality of neighborhoods and schools. I am a fan of Sharpstown neighborhoods, others will say it is the ghetto, etc.That being said, Houston schools are fairly similar across the board. It has far more to do with the student than the school.The middle and high school students, you might want to focus on some magnet schools for them. GL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 your price limit for a home will factor in as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicMan Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 MParis, do you know where you will work? Generally each region of the Houston area has its own good schools. All you need to do is pick an area with good schools that is a reasonable distance away from where you will work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mparis Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 Thanks everybody for the answers. I will try to reply to all the answers in only one post.I still don't have a job in Houston, the company I work for has a subsidiary in downtown Houston and I am trying to arrange a transfer...if it is not possible, I will try to find something by myself. I am CPA in the state of Texas and work as a Controller for an international corporation.I don't want to spend more than $250,000 and a commute of 1 hour each way is acceptable.Thanks again for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieDidIt Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Thanks everybody for the answers. I will try to reply to all the answers in only one post.I still don't have a job in Houston, the company I work for has a subsidiary in downtown Houston and I am trying to arrange a transfer...if it is not possible, I will try to find something by myself. I am CPA in the state of Texas and work as a Controller for an international corporation.I don't want to spend more than $250,000 and a commute of 1 hour each way is acceptable.Thanks again for your help.Well honestly I think most of the burb schools are interchangeable. IE. Katy ISD, Conroe ISD (woodlands etc) and Fortbend (Sugarland). They teach heavily to pass a state standardized test. They are all safe and solid, so it depends which direction you want to go- West, North or South. To me the Katy area just seems more Texan and closer to the city. Sugarland is becoming more urban, the Woodlands is more isolated and the commute is now over an hour unless you take the Express bus in, and still there are days when even that takes longer. I just moved from there, moving back to Houston due to horrible commute times and because we missed Houston.There are great school IN Houston also. It just depends on what you want. Suburban life style or the UrbanSuburban lifestyle that is unique to the south. We are in SBISD, which I would say is one of the better districts in Houston but homes tend to more pricey. You can still find houses in Spring Valley that are serviced by it though that are still manageable. SBISD remind me of the Coral Gables Florida feeling (where I grew up in my teen years). Families are local and solid. The houses are most 1960's and need work. If you want new though, go to the burbs. Keep in mind though, after a while an hour each way in the car is 10 hours a week out of your life.Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicMan Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 I do not know about the commute times from Pearland to Downtown. That commute MIGHT have the quickest commute from a suburban area to Downtown.I live inside 610 and I am zoned to high-performing schools that are popular with locals. However houses zoned to that schools usually (if not always) exceed 250K, and those that are 250K are below, if any, may be too small or old for your liking. Your best bet is probably the suburbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieDidIt Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 HAR.COM is a great resource for looking for homes. They even have a school district search, finding homes within a district.http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearchClass1.cfm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Near East End in either Broadmoor or Eastwood are your best bang for your buck and very close (2 miles max from downtown) you can ride either public bus or Park N Ride and get their in 10-15 minutes. I used to walk to the bus stop and you can see the DT skyline in distance. The school part is another story though. We sent all of our kids across town to better more progressive schools. Homes are older but area is making a comeback. Can't have it all I guess but you can and will manage here. Join homeowners association asap and be tough. Gotta be!You can really stretch your $ in this area. Serious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mparis Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 Thanks everybody for the suggestions, I appreciate it. I am planning to spend a week in Houston at the end of August; hopefully, I will be able to make a decision after the visit. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Thanks everybody for the suggestions, I appreciate it. I am planning to spend a week in Houston at the end of August; hopefully, I will be able to make a decision after the visit. Thanks again!I strongly suggest that if you aren't 100% on whether you'll be employed at your same firm, that you plan on renting for at least a few months and really taking the time to get to know each part of Houston. Contrary to what many folks think, there is a difference between suburbs. The Woodlands is not Clear Lake is not Kingwood is not Sugar Land is not Cinco Ranch. And certainly, where you end up will depend to some extent on where you are employed.If downtown, you can pretty much live anywhere, but I'd suspect that Pearland or Kingwood/Atascocita would be good matches considering commute time. If you work in the Galleria area, think strongly about Katy/Cinco Ranch or Sugar Land/Missouri City. If you work in Greenspoint, think about The Woodlands, Fall Creek/Summerwood, Kingwood, or far northwest Harris County. It is entirely possible that you could end up working in The Woodlands and living in The Woodlands; same thing with Clear Lake or west Houston or around the Energy Corridor.One thing to bear in mind: don't live off of 290. Getting just about anywhere is hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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