katy or cypress (Houston, The Woodlands, Spring: homes, neighborhoods, new construction)

[lovin texas]

moving to katy area (katy frwy & dairy ashford) in july. We have a 13 y/o son, very athletic (baseball, basketball, soccer, football, golf). Looking for a good high school where he will be safe and happy. Academics & athletics, and good college prep. Help! Looking for home in the 300's.

[Mr. Football]

The area around I-10 and Dairy Ashford is a great area. It's in the Spring Branch School District and it's zoned to Stratford HS. It's mostly made up of handsome wooded neighborhoods in the $200's to $700's.

I personally like Wilchester, Yorkshire, Nottingham Forest, Memorial Plaza and the area around Rummel Creek. Great choices exist throughout, with these colonial and classic style homes built mostly in the mid-to-late 1960's. Many are re-done quite nicely.

Parental and community involvement in the schools has always been a hallmark of these communities.

If you're looking for newer construction, I'd recommend Cypress. There are dozens upon dozens of great neighborhoods, great schools and very active parent groups, top-notch sports, etc. From the Lakewood area neighborhoods in the HP Corridor to Longwood and Coles Crossing, or over on Fry Road around Bridgeland, Blackhorse and Cypress Creek Lakes, you can't go wrong. I'd recommend anything zoned to Cy-Creek, Cy-Fair, Cy-Woods or Cy-Ranch High School.

[Premont]

Dairy Ashford at the Katy Freeway isn't the Katy area, it's west Houston. Katy's further west.

Stratford High is right there by the freeway on I-10 and Dairy Ashford. It's a nice school and a lot of the neighborhoods around it, like Nottingham Forest, are nice and probably start from the high 200's or so.

If you go a little south on Dairy Ashford, below the Buffalo Bayou, you are then in the HISD School District. I live down in this area and there's a lot of nice neighborhoods around here. You end up going to West Briar Middle School and Westside High School. I think they're nice schools, they're just more integrated than Stratford. The area near Stratford is great, but I wouldn't rule out areas south of the bayou either. The people who tell you everything is terrible in HISD are being a little elitist.

[TBRAD]

Klein / Tomball Area Is Great Good Schools Quite Living And Homes From 270's To Over 1.5 Million. Good Sport Teams But Great In The Grades

[EasilyAmused]

Stratford is a great school and a good place for an athletic academic. The current quarterback is going to Stanford on scholarship. KatyFwy/Dairy Ashforh is termed West Memorial and has historically been a great neighborhood with strong home values. Land value over that way is really taking off and new construction on old lots can be found, but those will be around one million. Neighborhood homes range mostly from the low 300's to over a million. The less expensive backing up to or cornering major roads. In otherwords, your investment is pretty safe in this area.

[SweetCaroline]

Originally Posted by TBRAD

Klein / Tomball Area Is Great Good Schools Quite Living And Homes From 270's To Over 1.5 Million. Good Sport Teams But Great In The Grades

Tomball is awful! I was a student there late 90's early '00s. It's over crowded, you can't get the ISD to help students, etc. I would NEVER allow my child to go to TISD.

We moved to Cypress and CFISD was much more helpful, still crowded but the teachers and administrators listen much more than TISD. Sports are better in Cypress IMHO too.

Bridgeland has some very lovely homes in the 300's, as does Blackhorse Ranch.

[usc619]

Originally Posted by lovin texas

moving to katy area (katy frwy & dairy ashford) in july. We have a 13 y/o son, very athletic (baseball, basketball, soccer, football, golf). Looking for a good high school where he will be safe and happy. Academics & athletics, and good college prep. Help! Looking for home in the 300's.

Stafford high school will be the best bet for him, and it's very close to that area.

fyi; The QB for the football team is going to stanford next year.

[Guerilla]

Originally Posted by EasilyAmused

Stratford is a great school and a good place for an athletic academic. The current quarterback is going to Stanford on scholarship. KatyFwy/Dairy Ashforh is termed West Memorial and has historically been a great neighborhood with strong home values. Land value over that way is really taking off and new construction on old lots can be found, but those will be around one million. Neighborhood homes range mostly from the low 300's to over a million. The less expensive backing up to or cornering major roads. In otherwords, your investment is pretty safe in this area.

Not West Memorial, just "Memorial". West Memorial is further west in Katy (there are signs everywhere; just off of Mason Road south of I-10).

But you can find some great homes in the area. Stratford is the best HS, but Memorial HS isn't a bad choice either.

[Mr. Football]

The neighborhoods in the Stratford zone off Memorial Drive from the Beltway out to Hwy 6 are considered "West Memorial"...the neighborhoods in this zone are mostly zoned to Spring Branch ISD, with a few zoned to Katy Taylor and a very few zoned to HISD (Westside).

This, along with Cypress, Champions and The Woodlands is one of my favorite areas of Houston. Great area!

[Guerilla]

Well, I guess there are two "West Memorials" then.