The overall quality level of public schools in Houston is acceptable but it must be noted that many public schools have low income minorities and a low socioeconomic profile. Houstonians often choose residencies based on school districts. Your child only has the right to attend a school in a particular district if he/she lives in that area. Simply put, a specific school zone is assigned to your home address and you may not venture outside of those boundaries to a different public school. In areas with high Hispanic population, Spanish is often used in classes and if the majority of the class is Hispanic, then it can be difficult for English-only students to take part in discussions. Socioeconomic issues of students are also often a concern of Houston parents when looking at school districts.
Public schools are at no cost to students as they are funded through school taxes which are part of property taxes paid when owning a house in that school district.
One of the best school districts in the Houston area is Klein ISD, located in the northwestern part of Houston and also in the same area Cypress-Fairbanks (Cy-Fair) ISD. Katy ISD is also a hot real estate market due to its schools with good ratings.
As far as individual schools, Barbara Bush Elementary school and Briarmeadow Middle School are some top schools and are located in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) on the west side of Houston.
Some of the best high schools are Memorial High School, located in west Houston in Spring Branch ISD. Many families in that area are high income families and graduates are known to have the highest SAT scores (college entry tests). Also Clements High School in Sugarland, southwest of Houston in the Fort Bend ISD is a very good school as well as Katy ISD schools, such as Cinco Ranch and Taylor High School.
When enrolling a child in a public school, the school district you are residing in must accept your child into one of their schools. You may be able to select one or more school from the district or your child will be assigned to a school based on transportation and openings. You should enroll at the end of the last semester; for new school years, that would be the previous spring semester as schools are closed during the summer. Otherwise, registration will be open a few days before school starts. Check the school district’s website, the newspaper or keep an eye on the billboards of the school in your area for announcements.
To enroll your child, you will have to provide the following:
- Proof of your child’s identity and age (passport, international birth certificate, etc.)
- Child’s immunization record
- Proof of parent’s identity (passport, TX Driver License)
- Pproof of residential address such as a phone bill or electricity bill
For more information visit:
- Texas Education Agency – http://www.tea.state.tx.us
- Houston Area Schools Statistics – http://www.texasbest.com/schools/schools.html
- Klein ISD – http://www.kleinisd.net/
- Houston ISD – http://www.houstonisd.org
- Spring Branch ISD – http://www.springbranchisd.com
- Fort Bend ISD – http://www.fortbendisd.com
- Cypress Fairbanks ISD – http://www.cfisd.net
