HISD Elementary capping (Houston, Bellaire, West: homes, transfer, schools)

[testmo]

Gentrification is swallowing entire communities. Anderson elementary now has an award winning spanish immersion program. Families fight and scream to get their kids into a mandarin and french immersion program but wont touch a spanish language program? Other states have problems filing schools that aren't dual language, including spanish. When thw schools are open, most of those families are english speaking ones. Economically it makes most sense to have your children bilingual spanish english if they plan to live and work in the US

WSJ had a great article about this about a month ago

I was against it at first, but total convert supporter now

[mechteach]

Good luck to you! We had a similar experience a year ago with our youngest. We were on the WU waitlist, and ended up going private instead (which turned out to be terrific for us, but I know is not for everyone). FWIW, he got off the WU waitlist a few days before the first day of the year.

Also, yes, you need to have *everything* lined up before you can register your child - DL, sales/rental agreement, utility statements, etc. One good thing is that the utility providers will generally email you a letter stating that you have started service with them - it just takes a bit of email back-and-forth or waiting on hold.

[Houmove]

Travis (woodland heights) is opening an extra kindergarten class this year and should have space. It is close to downtown and a good school.
I agree with the previous poster that there are many school and you just mentioned 3 capped ones.

[chicagonyc]

Well, I mentioned 5 schools not 3. And of course I'm not a reporter, only a single person investigating schools interesting to me. I was inviting others to share their HISD capping experiences as well.

One interesting thing is schools who say there is a wait list but that people leave all the time so you can get in. That's surely true, but it's tough from the perspective of a househunter because of the risk of not getting off the wait list. We try to get some additional sense of how likely it is to get off the list, but that info's not forthcoming.

Does anyone know the overflow school for Briargrove beyond the grades that the new Mark White will accept? As I understand it, White is only open for Pre-K and K.

[anveshkm]

If school is capped and in wait list, how can we book for extended stay, until we know which school for sure?.

[predatorprey]

From what I heard, in the past HISD were given wavers to go over the cap. Supposedly they are didn't receive or didn't want the wavers.

All schools you listed are top schools in the Houston area that have open enrollment for zoned kids. People like yourself target those schools.

Schools city wide are struggling to keep up with enrollment growth.

[Houmove]

Originally Posted by chicagonyc

Well, I mentioned 5 schools not 3. And of course I'm not a reporter, only a single person investigating schools interesting to me. I was inviting others to share their HISD capping experiences as well.

One interesting thing is schools who say there is a wait list but that people leave all the time so you can get in. That's surely true, but it's tough from the perspective of a househunter because of the risk of not getting off the wait list. We try to get some additional sense of how likely it is to get off the list, but that info's not forthcoming.

Does anyone know the overflow school for Briargrove beyond the grades that the new Mark White will accept? As I understand it, White is only open for Pre-K and K.

I'm just saying that there are multiple good options in HISD, not as many as most of us would probably like but there are more then the three you mentioned that will likely cap (the other two are less likely).
In general this is a stressful time, especially if you are moving in to a neighborhood after zoned registration dates passed. But as most schools don't end up capping in the end and in most cases they make sure that zoned kids get in off the waiting list you should be OK in most schools.

However, I would definitely avoid Briargrove because from what I'm told they always cap students out even if they register on time.

If you get capped out of Horn you don't have to go to red, you can then locate another area school with room on the first day of school. Very stressful but possible (However with Briargrove you probably won't have a different desirable school nearby).

Twain is now pretty much limited to neighborhood students now so you will probably have room. Travis and Harvard will probably not cap out. Wharton capped out zoned students last year but then let them in off the waitlist. Poe as far as I know let in the neighborhood students off the wait list as well.

Also maybe not ideal but there is the possibility of private for one year and then registering for the neighborhood school on time/ magnet application for the next year (although magnet entry at non entry point classes is hard).

[Houmove]

Originally Posted by testmo

Gentrification is swallowing entire communities. Anderson elementary now has an award winning spanish immersion program. Families fight and scream to get their kids into a mandarin and french immersion program but wont touch a spanish language program? Other states have problems filing schools that aren't dual language, including spanish. When thw schools are open, most of those families are english speaking ones. Economically it makes most sense to have your children bilingual spanish english if they plan to live and work in the US

WSJ had a great article about this about a month ago

I was against it at first, but total convert supporter now

Wharton's dual language program (spanish-english) is highly desirable. It has a very long wait list for non zoned students.

[anveshkm]

Originally Posted by Houmove

I'm just saying that there are multiple good options in HISD, not as many as most of us would probably like but there are more then the three you mentioned that will likely cap (the other two are less likely).
In general this is a stressful time, especially if you are moving in to a neighborhood after zoned registration dates passed. But as most schools don't end up capping in the end and in most cases they make sure that zoned kids get in off the waiting list you should be OK in most schools.

However, I would definitely avoid Briargrove because from what I'm told they always cap students out even if they register on time.

If you get capped out of Horn you don't have to go to red, you can then locate another area school with room on the first day of school. Very stressful but possible (However with Briargrove you probably won't have a different desirable school nearby).

Twain is now pretty much limited to neighborhood students now so you will probably have room. Travis and Harvard will probably not cap out. Wharton capped out zoned students last year but then let them in off the waitlist. Poe as far as I know let in the neighborhood students off the wait list as well.

Also maybe not ideal but there is the possibility of private for one year and then registering for the neighborhood school on time/ magnet application for the next year (although magnet entry at non entry point classes is hard).

I called Twain.. they do have spots available.. but not giving to students zoned to Horn.. Overflow students from Horn has to go to Red this year..

[Meyerland]

Originally Posted by anveshkm

I called Twain.. they do have spots available.. but not giving to students zoned to Horn.. Overflow students from Horn has to go to Red this year..

Red is a pretty solid school. I'd send my kid there for a year and then they have to make room the subsequent year at Horn. Look at Parker, too. They have a fabulous music program there. I think they are building a new campus there too.

Why not try to get a home zoned to Twain? They are a great campus.