Housing and schools inside the loop help! (Houston, Bellaire: houses, neighborhood)

[buckeroo]

We (me, spouse, girls ages 8 and 10) are moving from San Diego to Houston this summer. We've been looking at houses and schools inside the loop and have been a little frustrated with the process. I was hoping to get the help of some insiders to help with our decision.

My spouse and I will both be working in the Upper Kirby/Greenway Plaza area, we are looking at homes in the $750k-$900k max range, but can't believe how quickly (modest) homes like that are going in the area called West University Place. When we considered moving here last summer, similar homes were $100k less it seems! Are there any other suggestions for family friendly areas with good elementary schools in that area?

Which leads me to my next question - private schools for middle school. We've heard of St. John's School, but honestly I'm not sure we could keep up with those Joneses, nor am I sure my daughter could get in. One of my spouses future colleagues has his kids at AOS and raves about it, but I'd hate to make a decision based on just one person's biased opinion. Presbyterian School, Trafton, River Oaks Baptist?

Thanks in advance!

[KatieKennedy]

My daughter just completed 8th grade at River Oaks Baptist. It is a fantastic school. She has friends that attended Presbyterian, and AOS. All are great schools. Pin Oak Middle School and Lanier (public) are also fine schools.

It is definitely a sellers market in West U right now, but it is a great place to live. Sometimes ou can get a West U house in your price range if you look on the western edge or in the chimney section north of Bissonnet. Also look in nearby Bellaire, Southgate, Southampton, and Meyerland. Lots of the elementary schools in these areas: West U Elem., Condit, Herod, Roberts, Poe, and Mark Twain to name a few are excellent.

[buckeroo]

Meyerland seems kind of far out from the other areas, definitely more affordable though. Bellaire also seems more affordable, but I've seen postings on the board saying the 'vibe' isn't quite the same as West U. We visited last week and really liked the feel of West U, the trees, the lack of cookie cutter homes, the nicely manicured lawns with the occasional small cottage with weed-filled lawn just to break up the scene. Unfortunately we didn't drive thru Bellaire, is it different?

[npaoinc]

I would look at the Bellaire area specifically zoned to Condit Elementary since it would be more likely to be zoned to Pin Oak Middle school. These are 2 great Exemplary rated schools.

[Schumacher713]

Katie seems to be the pro on private schools in the loop. With your price range you could live in a good area with a good public school. South Hampton, West U, Bellaire, etc. West U houses have easily risen 100K in the last year or so. They will keep going up too. I have a moto I live by. Rich people will always be rich. They will pay to play.

[vegankris]

The principal of my son's high school sent her son to Lanier Middle School, when she could have sent him anywhere. She praises the school and comments often about the stellar education he received there. Lanier Middle School feeds in Lamar High School and are both a part of the International Baccalaureate Program. I'd suggest you look into it, as it is highly prestigious to graduate with a an IB diploma.

I'm sure you could not go wrong with any elementary school in the areas you are looking at.

Another option is to look at Pin Oak Middle School which feeds into Carnegie Vanguard HS. Pin Oak is nationally recognized as is Carnegie. In fact, Carnegie is the highest rated HS in Houston.

These schools I mention above are all public schools with excellent reputations.

P.S. if you value your time, I would do whatever necessary to live near your workplace. Traffic in Houston is only getting worse.

[houston-nomad]

My understanding about Pin Oak middle school is that you have to be in the surrounding zones, but you still might not get in. Admission is through testing, and it's competitive. Just be aware of that. Same with Carnegie HS: you have to test in, and there are not enough spots for everyone who tests in. Not by a lot.

The Lanier-Lamar route is a good one. All the private schools mentioned by OP are good schools. Don't fret too much over finding "the" school; there are lots of good options.

[KatieKennedy]

Bellaire is very similar to West U. It is immediately west of West U. Some parts of Bellaire are inside the loop and other parts are outside the loop. Like West U, Bellaire is a separate municipality with its own government, fire, and police force. The lots in Bellaire are a little larger than those in West U. The prices used to be a bit less per square foot than West U, but it is a very hot area now also. There are some very good schools in Bellaire. Bellaire is zoned to Bellaire High School while West U is zoned to Lamar High School. Both are good public high schools. Episcopal High School (private) is located in Bellaire.

Pin Oak Middle School is great but there are so many kids that qualify and want to go that the school has a lottery for admission. The same thing is true at Carnegie Vanguard High School.

St. John's is a very hard admission, and the entry points are K, 6th, and 9th grade. It is very hard to get in if you are not a legacy.

[Schumacher713]

St Johns is also like 30K a year. I have lots of friends who went there. I have a very good friend who is a teacher there. I am not huge on private schools, but if you are going to pay for one you mine as well hope for the best. It is very hard to get into. I read that Carnegie is very hard to get into also. I think it was rated the #2 public school in Texas. I guess it depends on how smart your kids are and where you think they can get them into college. I have a unique insight into private schools in Houston since I grew up here and had friends in just about every one. I know lots of things parents would never know.

[crono_clone]

West U would definitely be the closest to Upper Kirby, but it doesn't have very good freeway access (the stretch of Hwy 59 that's close by is usually mired in traffic at rush hour) so that's one disadvantage, but I agree that it's a great (and pricey) neighborhood that's close to Rice Village (restaurants, shopping) and Hermann Park.

Bellaire has a more metropolitan vibe because it's close to Gulfton and is divided in half by I-610, but it's quite safe (they have their own police department who have NOTHING BETTER TO DO THAN GIVE YOU A TICKET) and it's plenty close to Upper Kirby.