Middle schools for houses zoned to Bellaire HS (Meyerland/Johnston, Pershing, Fondren) (Houston: condo, transfer to)

[lotophage]

River Oaks, Lanier, Lamar is possible. I think there is a small area for Roberts, Lanier, Lamar as well.

But I agree with others that once you are in the top tier it doesn't matter as much. The individual teacher will matter more than the school. If your kids aren't even in elementary it's hard to predict what the top schools will be in 15 years. Good chance Heights High School will be elite by that time, based on who is moving into the neighborhood right now.

[mkwensky]

Originally Posted by Meyerland

This is my personal rankings of middle schools in HISD on the West/SW side.

1.Pin Oak - 2 entry gateways : Boundary Lottery and Magnet Lottery (Its easier to get in than most people think) If you are zoned to Long, Meyerland ( Johnston) , and Pershing you apply directly to the campus. Fondren students can not use the boundary option.
2. Lanier ( Boundary and Magnet)
3. TH Rogers ( Vanguard Magnet)
4. Tanglewood ( Grady) they accept applications at the campus, and you can tour here. It’s not a Magnet. This is a small campus near the Galleria.
5. meyerland MS ( Johnston) It is still far above Pershing IMO. There is less discipline issues here than at Pershing.
6. Pershing

Fondren isn’t even on the list.

What is the chance that you can get "lucky" in the boundary lottery for Pin Oak? Is it higher or lower than the acceptance rate for the Magnet is around 33%. Would having good grades help?

[77030]

Originally Posted by mkwensky

What is the chance that you can get "lucky" in the boundary lottery for Pin Oak? Is it higher or lower than the acceptance rate for the Magnet is around 33%. Would having good grades help?

We got into Pin Oak via the boundary lottery. Actually had to call in a favor to get in, but don't tell anyone. It's a secret. That pipeline is closed now. Pin Oak just got rid of a principal that they have had for a few years, she went to Lamar. She was OK at best, not great. The lady she replaced three years ago was awesome. No idea who the new person is... Pin Oak was pretty good for us. Can't tell you on the acceptance rate. Grades don't mean a thing... It's a "lottery" <wink wink>

[houston-nomad]

^^ This kind of kaka really bugs me. Like a lady I met years ago, happily crowing about how she faked her address with HISD to get into the school she wanted. One less spot for the rest of us to fairly compete for, thanks a lot.

[travelguy_73]

Originally Posted by mkwensky

What is the chance that you can get "lucky" in the boundary lottery for Pin Oak? Is it higher or lower than the acceptance rate for the Magnet is around 33%. Would having good grades help?

If you are in the boundary and the magnet, your chances are of course better than if your only way in is magnet-only. With that said, Meyerland and Pershing are FINE for most kids (Fondren isn't in the same ballpark). It's mostly parents overthinking things,who get hung up on "Pin Oak or bust." We are zoned to Lovett/Meyerland, and assume we will apply for Pin Oak, but it's so many years away, and our kid might decide that isn't a place she wants to go when the time comes. Yours too!

[mkwensky]

Originally Posted by travelguy_73

If you are in the boundary and the magnet, your chances are of course better than if your only way in is magnet-only. With that said, Meyerland and Pershing are FINE for most kids (Fondren isn't in the same ballpark). It's mostly parents overthinking things,who get hung up on "Pin Oak or bust." We are zoned to Lovett/Meyerland, and assume we will apply for Pin Oak, but it's so many years away, and our kid might decide that isn't a place she wants to go when the time comes. Yours too!

Compared to some of the elementary and high schools in the area Meyerland and Pershing are at least one tier below. If your kids were accepted by Pin Oak would you really let the 11 year olds decide to follow their buddies to Meyerland/Pershing?

[houston-nomad]

I've seen people make the mistake of looking at mean test scores for a school, and figuring that the one with slighter higher scores is a "tier above." As if it means that their kids will suddenly score higher for going there. All it means is that there are more high-scoring kids at that school, probably because it is a school that can select high-scoring kids. Your results may vary.

Each of the schools under discussion has very particular strengths, it's very worth touring them and asking questions about the things that matter to you.

[travelguy_73]

Originally Posted by mkwensky

Compared to some of the elementary and high schools in the area Meyerland and Pershing are at least one tier below. If your kids were accepted by Pin Oak would you really let the 11 year olds decide to follow their buddies to Meyerland/Pershing?

Yes, and it's pretty common for this to happen because Pin Oak is not the end-all-be-all MS in the area. Not every child needs to be surrounded by high-test scoring kids to reach their own potential. At this age, the kids need to have a substantial amount of input into the place where they think they belong.

[Altuve]

Originally Posted by houston-nomad

Your Twain-Pershing-Bellaire triad is pretty good. Some people might argue for an elementary like Roberts or River Oaks, but I think once you're in the top tier of schools it's just a matter of preference. Twain is great. Pershing, as noted above, is not the best but it's hard to get all three. Maybe better to get a Meyerland-Bellaire combo but I don't know if it makes a huge difference. Being zoned to Bellaire will definitely give you piece of mind, but that is also a long way off for you.

Yep, that triad is fairly good, and if you magnet into Pin Oak, you have the trifecta of Twain-Pin Oak-Bellaire.

Note I don't consider Bellaire and Lamar, especially in the Vanguard programs, to be a whole lot different. The lower third of the class at Bellaire would probably, on average, test better than the lower third at Lamar, but not sure that really matters in a school that big. If your kid is in the Vanguard program at either Bellaire or Lamar they should be academically challenged/prepared for college.

Many would argue that Roberts or River Oaks/Lanier/Lamar is even better, it's really a subject opinion.

[havehouquestions]

Originally Posted by Altuve

Yep, that triad is fairly good, and if you magnet into Pin Oak, you have the trifecta of Twain-Pin Oak-Bellaire.

Note I don't consider Bellaire and Lamar, especially in the Vanguard programs, to be a whole lot different. The lower third of the class at Bellaire would probably, on average, test better than the lower third at Lamar, but not sure that really matters in a school that big. If your kid is in the Vanguard program at either Bellaire or Lamar they should be academically challenged/prepared for college.

Many would argue that Roberts or River Oaks/Lanier/Lamar is even better, it's really a subject opinion.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about our planned triad, about the relative differences in test performance of the lowest vs highest thirds of the classes at Bellaire vs Lamar, and for sharing some other alternative triads.

I checked into the alternative triads you proposed. As far as the Roberts/Lanier/Lamar triad, as best as I can tell, all houses that are zoned to this triad are within a 3 by 3 block radius bordered by Kirby Dr to the east, Rice Blvd to the north, University Blvd to the south, and Greenbriar Dr to the west. There are zero houses for sale in this particular area on HAR right now (quite a bit of this area is occupied by Rice Village and its businesses).

(Per https://www.redfin.com/school/54141/...9441:-95.42243 and https://www.redfin.com/school/53392/...9259:-95.41975 )

As far as homes zoned to River Oaks Elementary School, there is nothing listed under $1 million, so I think this is a little more than we'd like to spend

Thank you again for your input!