Looking for the best schools between Galleria and downtown (Missouri City: houses, layoffs)

[misterno]

I am currently living in Stafford. I have a son who is delayed but improving fast. He is not autistic he is just delayed and that is why we are planning to send him to PPCD which starts at 3 years old.

I am also currently working in Galleria but we have been told layoffs will start in a year or so. I am in energy/finance and there are no jobs in this field along 59 south be it Sugar land or Stafford or Missouri City

All the jobs I came across in my search are located either in Galleria or downtown or somewhere in between. Also the 59 north commute is getting crazier by the day and it will only get worse with all the house construction along the 59 south all the way to Rosenberg.

I am looking for neighborhoods

1) where I can easily commute to anywhere between Galleria and downtown. Actually most jobs are in downtown.

2) where elementary, middle school and high school are above average. It does not have to be the best of the best but you know what I mean.

First things that comes to mind are West u, rice, bellaire. Anywhere else? Anywhere to avoid?

[Vicman]

What's your budget?

Bellaire, Southside Place, West University Place, Sunset Terrace/Montclair, Southgate, Old Braeswood, Morningside Place, Southampton, Boulevard Oaks, Afton Oaks all come to mind. If you can afford it, River Oaks, Royden Oaks, Oak Estates too. Parts of the Montrose area in the Lanier Middle School zone may work too.

They would correspond to these elementaries:

• Condit (part of Bellaire outside 610)
• Horn (Bellaire inside 610)
• Lovett (northern Meyerland, part of Bellaire outside 610)
• Poe (Southampton, Boulevard Oaks, Greenway Plaza area, parts of Upper Kirby, parts of Montrose/Neartown)
• River Oaks (River Oaks, Royden Oaks, Oak Estates)
• Roberts (Southgate, Old Braeswood, Morningside Place)
• St. George Place (Afton Oaks)
• Twain (Braeswood Place north of the Buffalo Bayou, part of Southside Place)
• West University (West University Place, Sunset Terrace/Montclair, part of Southside Place, parts of Upper Kirby)
• Wilson (parts of Neartown)

[misterno]

Originally Posted by Vicman

What's your budget?

Bellaire, Southside Place, West University Place, Sunset Terrace/Montclair, Southgate, Old Braeswood, Morningside Place, Southampton, Boulevard Oaks, Afton Oaks all come to mind. If you can afford it, River Oaks, Royden Oaks, Oak Estates too. Parts of the Montrose area in the Lanier Middle School zone may work too.

They would correspond to these elementaries:

• Condit (part of Bellaire outside 610)
• Lovett (northern Meyerland, part of Bellaire outside 610)
• Poe (Southampton, Boulevard Oaks, Greenway Plaza area, parts of Upper Kirby, parts of Montrose/Neartown)
• River Oaks (River Oaks, Royden Oaks, Oak Estates)
• Roberts (Southgate, Old Braeswood, Morningside Place)
• St. George Place (Afton Oaks)
• Twain (Braeswood Place north of the Buffalo Bayou, part of Southside Place)
• West University (West University Place, Sunset Terrace/Montclair, part of Southside Place, parts of Upper Kirby)

Thanks Vicman

I think the max I am looking at is 600K

If I want to avoid houses built before 2000 or so and then avoid the Harvey flood history then there is not much I can choose from I guess

I have to dig har.com more on this.

One thing I want to add. I realize all west u and rice is zoned to Lamar HS which has not so great scores. I find it hard to believe such an expensive area has such a low graded HS. Or is there something I am missing?

I know it is 10 years before I should think of an high school but I don't want to change houses again.

[Vicman]

Lamar High School gets a lot of people from other attendance zones (and also from some lower income areas in Montrose and around Reliant Stadium), and there's a difference between the IB and non-IB sectors. From my understanding the West U folks get their kids in IB. The Children at Risk high school rankings, seen here http://childrenatrisk.org/wp-content...TO-UPLOAD2.pdf , ranks Lamar at B+, around Tomball HS and East Chambers HS.

According to Schooldigger https://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/s...12/school.aspx the overall test scores are above state average except for Algebra I. Considering how IB and non-IB are separate I imagine the scores between those divisions would look very different.

Lamar attendance zone: http://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/T...s/Lamar_HS.pdf

BTW if your child is zoned to a school with uniforms you do have the right to ask for an exemption under state law - parents who do must show bona fide philosophical or religious objections. See https://web.archive.org/web/20080602.../uniforms.html and https://web.archive.org/web/20081008...001/008901.DOC

(c) A parent or guardian of a student assigned to attend a school at which students are required to wear school uniforms may choose for the student to be exempted from the requirement or to transfer to a school at which students are not required to wear uniforms and at which space is available if the parent or guardian provides a written statement that, as determined by the board of trustees, states a bona fide religious or philosophical objection to the requirement.

Poe, Twain, Horn, St. George Place, Wilson, Pershing, Pin Oak, Lanier, and Lamar have uniforms.

Originally Posted by misterno

Thanks Vicman

I think the max I am looking at is 600K

If I want to avoid houses built before 2000 or so and then avoid the Harvey flood history then there is not much I can choose from I guess

I have to dig har.com more on this.

One thing I want to add. I realize all west u and rice is zoned to Lamar HS which has not so great scores. I find it hard to believe such an expensive area has such a low graded HS. Or is there something I am missing?

I know it is 10 years before I should think of an high school but I don't want to change houses again.

[FTWRunner]

Sorry to hear about layoffs, its a rough time in the industry.

Search 77055, its SBISD, look at areas that are zoned to Valley Oaks, Landrum Middle (at the moment most in this feeder pattern transfer to Spring Branch Middle which is not hard to get into) and Memorial High.

It's an up and coming area, the commute to DT is ~25-30 mins with traffic (~<20 wo) and the Galleria is only ~15 mins away. Lots of young families moving into the area.

There are new communities with homes under 600K, but you will have to give up on lot size. Otherwise you might find an older home that needs lots of work.

Some new construction communities in the area:

Village at Spring Branch - David Weekly
Sanctuary at Valley Oaks - David Weekly
Reserve on Moritz - CalAtlantic Homes

I'm not sure exactly what your kiddo might need but in my experience SBISD has been really responsive with intervention services. They really want to serve all kids and the turn around time to evaluate what resources you child may qualify for has been impressive. For example, in my daughter's class there is a boy who is blind and is completely mainstreamed.

There is also pre-K available to anyone who wishes to attend (assuming space is available). SBISD has done a good job managing their funds and a bond package is up for vote to continue rebuilding thei older schools, which they can do without raising tax rates.

Edit:
Forgot to include that the area didn't flood during Harvey.

Good luck!

[predatorprey]

If you’re already located within HIsD

Many high quality magnet and vanguard schools are in the area. Deadline for applications into the lottery is December.

[hendersj31]

I know. How about the multi million dollar homes in Tanglewood zoned to Wisdom (aka Lee) High School. Something we get used to but seems silly when you think about it.

Originally Posted by misterno

Thanks Vicman

I think the max I am looking at is 600K

If I want to avoid houses built before 2000 or so and then avoid the Harvey flood history then there is not much I can choose from I guess

I have to dig har.com more on this.

One thing I want to add. I realize all west u and rice is zoned to Lamar HS which has not so great scores. I find it hard to believe such an expensive area has such a low graded HS. Or is there something I am missing?

I know it is 10 years before I should think of an high school but I don't want to change houses again.

[Vicman]

HISD installed boundary options for Lamar and Westside for the Wisdom (Lee) zone. However transportation to those schools is not provided.

Originally Posted by hendersj31

I know. How about the multi million dollar homes in Tanglewood zoned to Wisdom (aka Lee) High School. Something we get used to but seems silly when you think about it.

[hendersj31]

Yes, this is true.

Originally Posted by Vicman

HISD installed boundary options for Lamar and Westside for the Wisdom (Lee) zone. However transportation to those schools is not provided.

[Houston parent]

It's not useful to look at the overall average scores for Lamar. There are really two schools sharing the campus. The IB program is well above average in terms of academic rigor and just about all off those kids are going to college. As long as your kid is in the IB program, they'll get a pretty good education. The non-IB portion of Lamar, however, is academically unacceptable in my opinion.