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School Selection
Chances are that before you moved to the Houston area, you were in contact with a real estate agent and already know where you’ll be living. However, some new residents with school-age children first examine the education landscape before deciding where to purchase a home. Either way, you’ll want to explore the area’s school districts and determine the best education options for your children.
The Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) reports provide a great deal of performance information about every public school and district in the state. These reports also provide extensive profile information about staff, finances and programs. The TEA recommends that you narrow your search to neighborhoods you like and then print AEIS reports for the schools there. Once you have this background information, contact the principal and/or counselor of each school to get a more complete picture of the school. It’s recommended that you visit and tour the school to get a general feel for the atmosphere and programs available. Look at several ones to determine which offers the best curriculum. Visit www.tea.state.tx.us to access AEIS reports.
While your child’s previous school is responsible for sending records of all grades and in-school testing, it’s wise if you can have these records with you once you’ve selected a school:
— District Ratings
Each year Texas school districts given an accountability rating by evaluating performance on the TAKS, completion rate and annual dropout rate. The districts are rated as Academically Unacceptable, Academically Acceptable, Recognized or Exemplary. Currently, about 30 Houston-area school districts are rated above average with a Recognized status and one district has earned the top rating of Exemplary. Following are the districts going beyond the minimum requirements for their rating.
As the Houston area’s largest county, Harris County currently has 12 schools that have Recognized ratings and provide excellent educational opportunities for their communities.
Alief ISD (Harris County)
Founded in 1917, Alief ISD is located in southwest Houston and encompasses 36.6 square miles. Virtually every culture is represented in its population of 45,000 students with more than 80 languages and dialects are spoken at its 41 campuses.
Channelview ISD (Harris County)
Channelview ISD is a rapidly growing school district with 8,600 students at its 12 campuses, ranging from a Pre-K center through high school, and including two alternative schools. The district is located in an unincorporated area on the Houston Ship Channel approximately 15 miles east of downtown Houston.
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD (Harris County)
With 84 campuses and an enrollment of 105,860, this is the second largest recognized district in Texas for the second consecutive year.
Deer Park ISD (Harris County)
This district encompasses most of the city of Deer Park as well as parts of the cities of Pasadena and Baytown. The average number of years of experience for Deer Park ISD teachers is 13, and the district’s teacher turnover rate is a low 8.8 percent compared to the state average of 11.9 percent.
Galena Park ISD (Harris County)
Committed to rewarding its dedicated teachers, this district has created grants that award teachers monetarily who have a record of improving student performance using quantifiable, reliable, valid and objective measures of student excellence and quality.
Humble ISD (Harris County)
Beginning more than 100 years ago as a one-room schoolhouse with 12 students, one teacher and a four-month school term, today Humble ISD has 40 schools, almost 36,000 students and more than 5,000 employees. The district is listed among the 25 fastest growing districts in Texas and is currently the 31st largest in the state.
Katy ISD (Harris County)
This flourishing suburban school district encompasses 181 square miles in east Texas. Its eastern boundaries stretch to Houston’s energy corridor approximately 16 miles west of downtown Houston and extend along Interstate 10 to a few miles west of the city of Katy. In the previous school year, student enrollment has grown to more than 60,500 served by 53 schools, including seven four-year high schools.
Klein ISD (Harris County)
Approximately 3,000 teachers educate the students of Klein ISD, which was established in 1928. Although the land has undergone tremendous changes since its beginning, a commitment to education has remained.
La Porte ISD (Harris County)
La Porte ISD is located on the northeastern shore of Galveston Bay and is a public K–12 school district serving approximately 7,800 students. The district serves the cities of La Porte, Morgan’s Point and Shoreacres as well as small portions of Pasadena and Deer Park.
Chances are that before you moved to the Houston area, you were in contact with a real estate agent and already know where you’ll be living. However, some new residents with school-age children first examine the education landscape before deciding where to purchase a home. Either way, you’ll want to explore the area’s school districts and determine the best education options for your children.
The Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) reports provide a great deal of performance information about every public school and district in the state. These reports also provide extensive profile information about staff, finances and programs. The TEA recommends that you narrow your search to neighborhoods you like and then print AEIS reports for the schools there. Once you have this background information, contact the principal and/or counselor of each school to get a more complete picture of the school. It’s recommended that you visit and tour the school to get a general feel for the atmosphere and programs available. Look at several ones to determine which offers the best curriculum. Visit www.tea.state.tx.us to access AEIS reports.
While your child’s previous school is responsible for sending records of all grades and in-school testing, it’s wise if you can have these records with you once you’ve selected a school:
- The most recent report card
- Any education or psychological test results from private or in-school testing
- The Individualized Education Program (IEP) for special education students
- Immunization records
- Any medical records indicating learning or diet, which would include diabetes
— District Ratings
Each year Texas school districts given an accountability rating by evaluating performance on the TAKS, completion rate and annual dropout rate. The districts are rated as Academically Unacceptable, Academically Acceptable, Recognized or Exemplary. Currently, about 30 Houston-area school districts are rated above average with a Recognized status and one district has earned the top rating of Exemplary. Following are the districts going beyond the minimum requirements for their rating.
As the Houston area’s largest county, Harris County currently has 12 schools that have Recognized ratings and provide excellent educational opportunities for their communities.
Alief ISD (Harris County)
Founded in 1917, Alief ISD is located in southwest Houston and encompasses 36.6 square miles. Virtually every culture is represented in its population of 45,000 students with more than 80 languages and dialects are spoken at its 41 campuses.
Channelview ISD (Harris County)
Channelview ISD is a rapidly growing school district with 8,600 students at its 12 campuses, ranging from a Pre-K center through high school, and including two alternative schools. The district is located in an unincorporated area on the Houston Ship Channel approximately 15 miles east of downtown Houston.
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD (Harris County)
With 84 campuses and an enrollment of 105,860, this is the second largest recognized district in Texas for the second consecutive year.
Deer Park ISD (Harris County)
This district encompasses most of the city of Deer Park as well as parts of the cities of Pasadena and Baytown. The average number of years of experience for Deer Park ISD teachers is 13, and the district’s teacher turnover rate is a low 8.8 percent compared to the state average of 11.9 percent.
Galena Park ISD (Harris County)
Committed to rewarding its dedicated teachers, this district has created grants that award teachers monetarily who have a record of improving student performance using quantifiable, reliable, valid and objective measures of student excellence and quality.
Humble ISD (Harris County)
Beginning more than 100 years ago as a one-room schoolhouse with 12 students, one teacher and a four-month school term, today Humble ISD has 40 schools, almost 36,000 students and more than 5,000 employees. The district is listed among the 25 fastest growing districts in Texas and is currently the 31st largest in the state.
Katy ISD (Harris County)
This flourishing suburban school district encompasses 181 square miles in east Texas. Its eastern boundaries stretch to Houston’s energy corridor approximately 16 miles west of downtown Houston and extend along Interstate 10 to a few miles west of the city of Katy. In the previous school year, student enrollment has grown to more than 60,500 served by 53 schools, including seven four-year high schools.
Klein ISD (Harris County)
Approximately 3,000 teachers educate the students of Klein ISD, which was established in 1928. Although the land has undergone tremendous changes since its beginning, a commitment to education has remained.
La Porte ISD (Harris County)
La Porte ISD is located on the northeastern shore of Galveston Bay and is a public K–12 school district serving approximately 7,800 students. The district serves the cities of La Porte, Morgan’s Point and Shoreacres as well as small portions of Pasadena and Deer Park.
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