Looking for a Good High School

Updated on July 31, 2009
M.S. asks from Keller, TX
11 answers

Good morning!
My husband moved to the Houston area last fall and my kids and I joined him in early spring. Our lease is up on the house we're in and we would like to move to a new area. (we are currently in Tomball and I have to drive to Downtown every day) We will be renting for a few more years to get our finances back on track after a long difficult road of challenges.

Since we were moving from out of state - we based our location on proximity to the airport so we could more easily commute on weekends. Now that our whole family is together again, being close to the airport is less important and finding an area that better fits our family is key. I have tried to find information on local school districts online but am not having much luck there, so I thought I’d throw it out there to people who know the area.

Her e are the qualities we’re looking for in a new community:
• Good high school (our teenage daughter is very smart but gets easily distracted and lets her grades slip. She finished 8th grade in the Klein school district where they use laptops and that really helped her stay more on top of things and improved her grades) I’d like to find a school that has a good mix of academics and extracurricular activities so that she can become involved and meet friends. She was on the swim team in MN but has decided she may want to try a different sport this year.
• Quality, affordable daycare for our 16 month old daughter.
• Easy access to major highways
• Easy commute to downtown or easy/fast access to the bus system.
• Friendly, family-oriented neighborhoods where the neighbors know each other and look out for each other.
• Close shopping, eating , and entertainment.
• Neighborhood not prone to flooding. (we never had to worry about that in MN but it is a huge concern here!)

I think that about covers it. Not a tall order, right?! :0)

I would appreciate any feedback you can give me on a good area to call home. We are looking to move end of August and I would like to get our daughter enrolled in school ASAP so that she can start with the rest of the school. (even if I have to drive her until we move)

Thanks for your advice!
M.

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C.M.

answers from Houston on

I live in Barwood in Northwest Houston. We have been here for 7 years and I feel all that you desire is in our neighborhood. We came from living in the country and I was scared to move to the big city, but love it here.

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S.H.

answers from Houston on

come check out College Park High School on 242. Also, The Woodlands area. Before she decides against swimming she should check out the brand new natatorium that this school district uses.( Conroe isd.)

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A.G.

answers from Houston on

Cy-Fair Schools are awesome. We live in Fairfield off of 290 and Mason and love it. Cy-Ranch is a brand new high school that opened last year and Spillane is the middle school. All of the surrounding neighborhoods are great family communities (Black Horse, Bridgeland, Fairfield, etc.... Not to mention all of the build up of stores, restaurants, grocery stores that have been built and more to come. I highly recommend checking the area out. There is also a park and ride on 290 and Skinner that is great for the downtown commute. Good Luck, A. G.

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N.K.

answers from Houston on

The woodlands/conroe is a great area to live in.
Good luck M..

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F.D.

answers from Houston on

Hello M.,

I was in your shoes also...single mom w/two daughters and now a 3 yr.old with my present husband. My girls attended Klein schools and that district was great. (Klein Collins, Klein Oak) Now we live in Cypress and the schools in Cy-Fair are awesome...sports and academics. (Cy-Fair, Cy-Woods, Cy-Ranch) This area is growing so rapidly...the traffic on 290 is pretty bad, but the bus (park & ride is great) convenient too. I love where we live and I wish you luck in finding your home! Oh--my daughters are now 15, 16 & 3. They love Cy-Fair! Big in sports and I love watching them during the sports events...

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M.T.

answers from Houston on

I too recommend the Cypress area. We have lived in thes area for the last 8 years and it is amazing to see how much delvelopment we have had. If you do plan on commuting on the bus this area is great. They just recently built garage/covered parking area for the park n ride just off 290 and skinner. It is also good if you have someone to car pool with and take the HOV lane. The area is growing with lots of resturaunt/shopping areas. My son will be entering middle school next year so I can't say much about the high schools but the school district itself is one of the top rated in the Houston area. Good luck in finding your new home.

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K.A.

answers from Houston on

Hi M.,

We have always lived on the far west side of town, towards Katy. Much nicer area out here, but still close to everything. Our school district is Cypress Fairbanks and the high schools where my 14 1/2 y/o daughter will be going is Langham Creek on FM 529. It USED to have a bad reputation, but got turned around for the better quickly. They offer a TON of extracurricular activities, and the kids love it there. BUT....school starts in Cy-Fair on Aug 24, so you don't have much time. As far as subdivisions (or apartments) go, there are plenty, depending on what you want to pay. We live in Austinville, right off W. Little York and love it. Rent our 2 story 4 BR, 2 1/2 bath w/garage for $1095. I can hook you up with our leasing agent if you are interested. Go to www.har.com and key in Austinville under Residential Leases. Beautiful homes (brand-new) and close to Krogers, HEB, Randalls, Target, Walmart (several actually), Kohls, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, tons of fast food joints, Dr's, hospitals, Lone Star Community College, several library branches, etc. Are halfway between I-10 and Hwy 290, so commuting is easy. If you like, reply back and I can give you more info, not enough room to go into here. There are 2 apartment properties that I'd like to warn you away from over here though in case that's what you are looking for. VERY bad management, but I don't want to name them on here. I can also recommend some EXCELLENT apartments close by.

K.

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K.H.

answers from Houston on

I live in Klein and taught in Cy-Fair ISD for years. Both are excellent school districts, but if you have to drive downtown, i would not recommend living out here. My friend lived in Cypress and had to make the commute downtown and hated the traffic. She decided to move to Pearland and her commute is now 20 minutes during rush hour. She really likes the community feel there. I don't know much about their schools because her kids aren't school age yet, but i know the shopping is great! Just an idea!!Good luck!

D.K.

answers from Houston on

I recommend the Cy-Fair District. My daughter has been in Cy-Fair for the last 6 1/5 yrs. and I recommend it even over a private school which she attended her first 1yr 1/2. She has struggled with ADD, Dyslexia, Reading, and Eorin Syndrome. She had the best teachers and specialist at Farney Elementary that helped us through each process and she went through a dramatic change when she went to 6th grade at Hamilton last year. When I first moved out here there was hardly anything out here. A bank, Home Depot, and Krogers. Now it is a little town of everything you practically need. Of course it really is not far from any of the freeways. The park and ride is off of Skinner Rd. and traveling downtown this would be the best way, unless you carpool with someone else when needed. Good Luck and we will welcome you to Cypress. P.S. Great subdivisions out here to.

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J.K.

answers from Houston on

I was in your shoes just a couple of years ago. We moved from the Northern Virginia area and have a 12 year old who was 10 at the time. I did extensive research and we based our home purchase largely on the school system. We live in Klein ISD and for test scores it is one of the best. My husband is a school teacher and he works with Cy Fair and it is also rated highly. Each school district's website has information on individual schools state ranking (Exemplary, Recognized, etc.) additionaly most school districts have a break down of TAKS pass rates and school size breakdowns. A website I used during my home search was www.ziprealty.com. The website allows you to look through all MLS listings( not just one real estate company) and gives you demographic information as well as school district info. On the website you can look at all listings on a map and determine proximity to major highways, interstates, as well as where schools are located in proximity to the listing.

Good luck!!

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M.V.

answers from Houston on

Cypress has really good schools as well as Katy (from what I have heard). I live off of Fry, near 290 and there are a few newer subdivisions out here as well as new schools. Cy-Woods is only a few years old at best (Spring Cypress and Skinner area) and Cy-Ranch is entering into its 2nd year. We are a few exits away from the new outlets and are growing by leaps and bounds out here. The hard part about commuting to downtown each day, other then typical traffic, is right around the Hempstead Hwy/1960 exits because the road bends toward the left...right into the sun. Once past that, it is the typical commute.

Good luck deciding where to go. I know it is all just so much fun when trying to figure out your way around and get the kids settled in one place!

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