Private Schools Houston (Spring, River Oaks, Rogers: fit in, spring break, preschool)

[albany16]

First time posting...looking for feedback about houston area private schools: river oaks baptist vs st. john's vs Annunciation Orthodox School.

I know they are all excellent schools... I'd like to hear more about what makes them different. It seems that SJS is a teeny bit better academically, but ROBS and AOS have faith and character development. Not sure how they compare in athletics. And, obviously ROBS and AOS go through 8th grade which can be a pro (get into a good high school, resources devoted to elementary and middle, no pressures of HS) or a con (start over in 9th grade, may not get into a good private HS).

As background, my son is on the young side (turns 5 in May) and it sounds like all of the schools are forcing him to go on to Kindergarten (rather than hold him back so he's old in the grade)... He's super advanced academically and did really well on the WPPSI, but I worry about the social aspects (would rather send an older kid to college than a barely 18 year old!). Would love to hear how these schools are different socially as well... or just thoughts in general.

[stop-go]

No advice on the schools, but our oldest is a summer birthday. For the same reasons as you, we did an additional year at a private preschool before going on to kinder. Worked out great for our family.

[Dirt McGirt]

May, while younger, is not particuarly young, HISD cutover is Sept 1 and most privates (incl. AOS and Presbyterian, not sure about ROBS) is July 15. Understand there are various pros and cons to holding back, but most people I know thinking about that are more in the summer.

St Johns is considered the 'best' private school in Houston, but does have a very competitive atmosphere. AOS would be more balanced. ROBS, Presbyterian, and ST. Marks are others in the same general area and all are approximately equal in academic reputation with AOS. ROBS is probably the most focused on faith. All good and all will not be particuarly easy to get into (think 6-12 spots with likely 100+ applications).

[Lbjen]

If your child is already academically super advanced, holding them back a year will not be helpful. There's a very good chance that you'll end up skipping kindergarten anyway once he gets in and they realize he already knows all of it. And surely you are choosing these schools so that they will teach your child the values necessary to not make stupid decisions in college!

[KatieKennedy]

My daughter attended ROBS for middle school. We loved the school. It has excellent academics and sports. ROBS has a protestant religious emphasis. St. John's is secular. AOS is Greek Orthodox. AOS and ROBS only go through 9th grade while St. John's includes high school. St. Johns' is the hardest admission, but all have many more applicants than they have spots. Apply to all 3 schools, and be happy if your kid gets in any of them. You can't go wrong with any of the three schools. Legacy admits take up a lot of the class at St. John's.

[Clever nickname here]

Presbyterian is another good one to look at.

[Houston parent]

There are a large number of good private schools in Houston, yet only the same half dozen ever seem to get discussed with any frequency. So rather than rehash the comparison of AOS, ROBS & St. Johns for the umpteenth time, I will post a link to the HAIS website so people can find info on dozens of good schools (BTW, even this list is not comprehensive):


Houston Private Schools


Even inside Loop 610, there are plenty of alternatives to those three. The OP may have already started with a wide selection and narrowed it down, but I get the impression many others are unaware of the full range of their options.

[albany16]

These are helpful responses - thank you!

Yes, we started with a more exhaustive list and narrowed down to these three. Agree that there are several really excellent schools... so nice to have options, but it can be paralyzing too!

Curious to find out soon where my son will get in... assuming he gets in to all three (which he won't, of course), I'm still not totally sure where he'd fit in best. Or, where our family would fit in best, for that matter. The faith aspect is a "plus" for our family, but not necessarily a "must".

[kasb713]

Originally Posted by albany16

These are helpful responses - thank you!

Yes, we started with a more exhaustive list and narrowed down to these three. Agree that there are several really excellent schools... so nice to have options, but it can be paralyzing too!

Curious to find out soon where my son will get in... assuming he gets in to all three (which he won't, of course), I'm still not totally sure where he'd fit in best. Or, where our family would fit in best, for that matter. The faith aspect is a "plus" for our family, but not necessarily a "must".

All of those schools are members of HAIS, so decisions should be released around March 10th this year (right before HISD Spring Break). They also follow a similar Common Reply Date of April 5th (when people who have been accepted must lock in their acceptance). Since they are competitive schools, there may be students in a Wait Pool, so if you're accepted you'll want to let them know what your decision is before April 5th. If you're in the Wait Pool, you'll want to let them know you're still interested.


Best wishes for a good match!

[mom_3]

There are also excellent public school options, River Oaks Elementary, TH Rogers Elementary, etc. or TH Rogers, Pin Oak, Lanier MS, etc, for example.