Memorial Drive Elementary, Grace School or ROBS? (Houston, West: private school tuition, college)

[Westumom]

Originally Posted by Memorialmaven

Ah, ok. Now I get you! Glad I asked. He won't be a legacy, as neither of us (ie parents) are from here. He's not a minority. He's highly gifted in the arts, and is (obviously) not from a lower income bracket. So it sounds like the best we can do is keep him on a very academically strong school track (which is where my original post comes into play), keep those grades up, continue to push his well roundedness in the arts and athletics, and pray...does that sort of sum it up?

My daughter was accepted to SJS for 1st grade. She is non-legacy, non minority. Currently enrolled in GT at West U for kinder. Any experience with elementary school at SJS? Is it worth the price tag? We love WUES so no real incentive to move her except for the name value. But most people think we are nuts to turn the spot down. She was one of 10 students selected from a pool of over 250.

[ptt]

Originally Posted by Westumom

My daughter was accepted to SJS for 1st grade. She is non-legacy, non minority. Currently enrolled in GT at West U for kinder. Any experience with elementary school at SJS? Is it worth the price tag? We love WUES so no real incentive to move her except for the name value. But most people think we are nuts to turn the spot down. She was one of 10 students selected from a pool of over 250.

If money is not an issue, why not?

[texasroots77]

I would take it unless it will put a big strain on your family financially. That is quite an honor. We have 2 friends kids that started in K at SJS and they are very happy.

[Houston parent]

West U Elementary is a great school. The problem is where they go from there. I can tell you from personal experience that Pershing and Lamar leave a lot to be desired.

The advantage of the SJS option is that your child will benefit from excellent academics all the way through high school. However, SJS is not for everybody. Besides the expense, it is a severe grind academically. Not every kid wants their lives to be consumed with homework and not all thrive in a hyper competitive environment. If, however, your kid is the type to thrive in that sort of environment, then you should go for it.

[KatieKennedy]

Take the spot and don't look back. Hundreds of people would trade places with you in a nanosecond. West U Elementary is great, but as others have said, the public middle and high school options beyond WUE don't compare with SJS. Pershing is iffy, and Pin Oak is a lottery. Look at the Lamar High School average SAT score, the number of national merit scholars, and typical college admissions compared with SJS. Your kid will be looking at colleges before you know it.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by KatieKennedy

Take the spot and don't look back. Hundreds of people would trade places with you in a nanosecond. West U Elementary is great, but as others have said, the public middle and high school options beyond WUE don't compare with SJS. Pershing is iffy, and Pin Oak is a lottery. Look at the Lamar High School average SAT score, the number of national merit scholars, and typical college admissions compared with SJS. Your kid will be looking at colleges before you know it.

I wonder if people have separated the average SAT scores of the IB and non-IB divisions. What's interesting about Lamar and Bellaire is that there's a chasm between the best performing and the worst performing students.

I wonder if Pershing will improve once some of the scummy apartments in the south end of its zone are torn down...

[Houston parent]

Based upon anecdotal evidence, I would guess that the kids coming out of the IB program at Lamar compare favorably with many area private high schools (Episcopal, St. Thomas, etc.). However, SJS is in a class by itself among Houston schools in terms of academic rigor and average SAT scores.


There are many other criteria to consider besides test scores, as we all know. SJS is not necessarily a good fit for many kids. Further, there are certain drawbacks to the experience at Lamar, even if your kid is in the IB program. There's an art to finding the right fit for your particular child. In these discussions, we all tend to skip over the important role of finding a comfortable environment for your child because it cannot be described by any quantifiable metrics (such as test scores). A happy, well adjusted kid will do much better academically that they would if forced into an environment in which they do not feel comfortable.

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by Houston parent

In these discussions, we all tend to skip over the important role of finding a comfortable environment for your child because it cannot be described by any quantifiable metrics (such as test scores). A happy, well adjusted kid will do much better academically that they would if forced into an environment in which they do not feel comfortable.

So true. I also think some people put their kids in private schools and think that's the end of it, and don't even consider what their plan would be if the private schools don't work out.

I have a good friend who lives in Memorial who has kids in a competitive private school, but when they moved to the Memorial area, they made sure they bought a house zoned to Memorial HS "just in case". She says there are several kids who move out of the private schools based on poor fit and/or performance.

[fnh]

And others find that Memorial is good for a narrow spectrum of kids, and good precisely because of its narrow spectrum of kids. No school, public or private, is a good fit for everyone.

St. John's however is pretty careful with their selection process. If you are offered admission, the likelihood is high that it will be a good fit. I would take the spot in a heartbeat.

[texasroots77]

There are many other criteria to consider besides test scores, as we all know. SJS is not necessarily a good fit for many kids. Further, there are certain drawbacks to the experience at Lamar, even if your kid is in the IB program. There's an art to finding the right fit for your particular child. In these discussions, we all tend to skip over the important role of finding a comfortable environment for your child because it cannot be described by any quantifiable metrics (such as test scores). A happy, well adjusted kid will do much better academically that they would if forced into an environment in which they do not feel comfortable.

Well said Texas Ag 93!!!