Houston is located in Southeast Texas, with a population of over 2.3 million people, is the fourth-largest city by population in the United States after New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Houston boasts of a thriving economy with a broad industrial base in various fields such as energy, transportation, aeronautics, and manufacturing. Nicknamed the 713, Space City and H-Town, Houston has the status of a global city with strongholds in medicine, research, and its multicultural population. In addition to being home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston is home to the intriguing Houston Theatre District which consists of major performing arts organizations and halls. Notable cultural institutions located in the region include the Houston Zoo, Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Museum of Fine Arts, among others, all located in the Museum District. Moreover, the city prides itself on its vast majority of parks and green spaces, a bustling music scene, and a plethora of entertainment facilities and venues.
Being home to the Houston Independent School District (HISD), the largest independent school district in Texas and the 7th largest the U.S., schools in Houston offer a myriad of educational opportunities for both international and local students. HISD has 288 schools that function as either magnet or vanguard schools that specialize in the fields of health, visual and performing arts and the sciences. In addition to school district charter schools, numerous other charter schools are managed independently from school districts.
In Houston, children are expected to be receiving compulsory education from the age of five or six years until 16 years. The school year for schools in Houston generally begins in early September and ends in late June, with school holidays in between this period. The education system used in Houston schools is similar to the education system used in other U.S. states. Early childhood education, also referred to as preschool, is followed by primary education (elementary school), middle or junior high school, secondary school, and finally tertiary education. Sending your child to early childhood education or preschool is not mandatory, but they are available for children aged 3-5 years. The first year of preschool education is referred to as pre-k or nursery school, while the second is referred to as kindergarten. This is followed by elementary school, which marks the start of compulsory schooling at age 6. Primary school lasts for six years from Grade 1 to Grade 6. Elementary school is followed by secondary school, which is divided into two stages, middle or junior high school and high school. Middle or junior high school programs last for 2 years (Grades 7 and 8) for students aged 12 to 14 years. This is followed by high school, which lasts for four years from Grade 9 to 12 for students aged 14-18 years.
Given the city’s size and diverse society, there are various types of public and private schools in Houston. Below is a description of the different kinds of Houston schools:
Public schools are government-funded schools and hence do not charge tuition. As such, these schools follow the national curriculum provided by the Texas education system. Attendance to public schools is limited to zones, meaning that students within specific neighborhood proximity can attend the schools in that particular school district. There are various kinds of public schools, these include:
Charter schools are public schools that function through contracts from the local school district or the state authorizing office. Although these schools adhere to the states’ curriculum, they are more innovative and flexible compared to traditional public schools. Most of these schools operate independently from the Texas school system, although the Texas Charter Authorizing Office manages the schools’ portfolio. There are three types of charter schools, which include:
Magnet schools are also state-funded public schools that provide specialized curricula in various fields such as arts, STEM, languages, and so on. Magnet schools are associated with cultural diversity and high achievement. These types of schools are managed by a school district or a group of school districts, and hence, attendance is not limited to zones.
Private Houston schools are tuition funded and require students to pay fees to attend. Nonetheless, these schools offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities, advanced facilities, and small student-teacher ratios. Private schools can either be international schools, religious schools, or alternative learning schools such as Montessori. Most of these schools follow the states’ curriculum while others offer internationally recognized curricula such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, French curriculum, British curriculum, or the German curriculum.
The vast collection of Schools in Houston offers a myriad of opportunities for students wishing to study in the city. However, as the admissions process varies and might be challenging due to high numbers of prospective students, it is vital to plan in advance as well as visit individual school website pages for more information on eligibility, admissions policy, and application requirements. Below are some of the crucial factors to put into consideration as you search and apply to schools in Houston:
Below is a comprehensive list of all the schools in Houston. Edarabia strives to offer the latest updates, helping you find the best schools in Houston with information on tuition fees, accreditation details, videos, photos, location map, community reviews, and ratings.
Edarabia showcases all private schools in Houston through which parents can filter by tuition fees, curriculum, rankings & ratings. There are many public, private and charter schools near you that cater to both expat and local students.
Depending on the level of education; kindergartens (pre-schools), primary, secondary and high schools will all have varying tuition fees. Most K-12 schools offer different curriculums and extra-curricular activities to support the intellectual and physical wellbeing of students. Admissions for the top international schools in Houston tend to have waiting lists so it is recommended that parents apply well in advance to secure a spot for their children. Additionally, each school has ratings based on parent reviews and are ranked below accordingly.
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