New Veranda MPC by Johnson in Richmond (Taylor, Katy: neighborhood, buying)

[NTexas2010]

Originally Posted by KenzHou

Yes the high school is average, not Poor.. but there are over 3000 new homes scheduled to be built over the next ten years across five distinct neighborhoods that all feed into LCHS. The high school has a bright horizon in my opinion, only time will tell. In 12 yrs when my 2 yr old reaches high school age, zoning, ratings etc will look very different than they are today.

I think this is a good way of looking at it, especially if you do not have HS aged kids yet. The demographics Lamar pulls may very well change over time, depending upon the price points of the neighborhoods that continue to feed into Lamar. Heck, Terry may even begin to improve once the 59 corridor opens up development to more single family homes. Richmond and Rosenberg have put roadblocks in place that essentially discourage all future apartment development in their cities proper. Of course, this requires you to be invested for the long run, or check back in with the area 5-10 years from now.

I agree that Lamar HS is hardly "poor" in the academic/safety sense. This is a tired rhetoric that is brandied about on this forum, that on the west/southwest side of Houston, if it isn't one of the top Katy ISD or FBISD campuses, you are neglecting the educational welfare and safety of your child. You could just as easily be jeopardizing your child's educational future at one of the cutthroat academic grindfests that some of these top rated schools are, in that an average or better-than average student will still fall somewhere in the median 50% of their graduating class. So long as the Top 10% rule remains in effect in Texas, I think that should at least be taken into consideration when comparing districts.

[v2four]

Originally Posted by NTexas2010

I think this is a good way of looking at it, especially if you do not have HS aged kids yet. The demographics Lamar pulls may very well change over time, depending upon the price points of the neighborhoods that continue to feed into Lamar. Heck, Terry may even begin to improve once the 59 corridor opens up development to more single family homes. Richmond and Rosenberg have put roadblocks in place that essentially discourage all future apartment development in their cities proper. Of course, this requires you to be invested for the long run, or check back in with the area 5-10 years from now.

I agree that Lamar HS is hardly "poor" in the academic/safety sense. This is a tired rhetoric that is brandied about on this forum, that on the west/southwest side of Houston, if it isn't one of the top Katy ISD or FBISD campuses, you are neglecting the educational welfare and safety of your child. You could just as easily be jeopardizing your child's educational future at one of the cutthroat academic grindfests that some of these top rated schools are, in that an average or better-than average student will still fall somewhere in the median 50% of their graduating class. So long as the Top 10% rule remains in effect in Texas, I think that should at least be taken into consideration when comparing districts.

love that paragraph...thanks for spreading a little truth, but most CD'ers will reject this logic and cling to the test scores and property tax part of the equation.

[NTexas2010]

Originally Posted by v2four

love that paragraph...thanks for spreading a little truth, but most CD'ers will reject this logic and cling to the test scores and property tax part of the equation.

And, to be fair, I understand the hesitation to buy in a neighborhood that isn't zoned to a high school campus with all of the hype. There is a very real correlation between home value and school performance.

But consider this: which came first - the high performing schools, or the developer who built the homes that start in the 400s? Perhaps it's a self-fulfilling prophecy - affluent people move to an area and send their kids to the local public school, thus making it more affluent. George Ranch HS, to use a different example, is affluent and successful because it is basically Greatwood HS.

I promise you, they are not re-inventing the wheel in education in FBISD, Katy ISD, Lamar CISD, etc. The test scores are not a reflection in the quality of educators or how they are compensated (for what it's worth, LCISD is equally competitive in pay and benefits compared to FBISD and Katy ISD); it's a reflection of the demographics and what is emphasized at home.

TL;DR - I am okay with sending my kids to a school like Lamar, because I know that education is important and that will be stressed at home, and last time I checked it's not overrun by gang violence. I think they will turn out okay, if not better for the experience.

[hbcu]

In HISD's case the Kickerillo homes off HWY 6 were zoned to Lee HS way before Westside was built

[Sugarlandbubba]

Originally Posted by NTexas2010

And, to be fair, I understand the hesitation to buy in a neighborhood that isn't zoned to a high school campus with all of the hype. There is a very real correlation between home value and school performance.

But consider this: which came first - the high performing schools, or the developer who built the homes that start in the 400s? Perhaps it's a self-fulfilling prophecy - affluent people move to an area and send their kids to the local public school, thus making it more affluent. George Ranch HS, to use a different example, is affluent and successful because it is basically Greatwood HS.

I promise you, they are not re-inventing the wheel in education in FBISD, Katy ISD, Lamar CISD, etc. The test scores are not a reflection in the quality of educators or how they are compensated (for what it's worth, LCISD is equally competitive in pay and benefits compared to FBISD and Katy ISD); it's a reflection of the demographics and what is emphasized at home.

TL;DR - I am okay with sending my kids to a school like Lamar, because I know that education is important and that will be stressed at home, and last time I checked it's not overrun by gang violence. I think they will turn out okay, if not better for the experience.

I agree with you that George Ranch H.S. is a good school and most of the developments on the South side of 59 are zoned to GR.

It took 20 years for LCISD to build "Greatwood HS".
Greatwood est. 1989
George Ranch H.S. Est 2010

[NTexas2010]

Originally Posted by Sugarlandbubba

I agree with you that George Ranch H.S. is a good school and most of the developments on the South side of 59 are zoned to GR.

It took 20 years for LCISD to build "Greatwood HS".
Greatwood est. 1989
George Ranch H.S. Est 2010

Yep - lived in Greatwood from 1993-2010.

Greatwood was developed when it was zoned to Lamar HS. Lamar HS did not dictate the price points of the homes built in Greatwood, which almost immediately had homes breaking ground in the million dollar section (Greatwood Shores). As the neighborhood continued to develop in the 90s and 2000s, it added additional $1M+ homes (the Estates sections).

George Ranch was an overnight "success" because it was built next to an established, well-off neighborhood with over 10,000 residents. Those kinds of numbers alone dictated the academic trajectory of George Ranch HS.

In short, the developers have just as much of a role in this as the people who buy homes zoned to specific schools. They establish the price points of the neighborhood, which in turn has a very real correlated effect on the families these homes attract and whether or not education is emphasized at home.

[Houston321]

^^^^Actually, the market plays a big role on neighborhood price points.

[HeazM]

How did the Veranda community fair during Harvey? I’m pretty interested in the neighborhood but concerned about its proximity to the Brazos. Thanks in advance!

[Lbjen]

The latest bond contained funds to open a new HS to relieve George Ranch, which is severely overcrowded because parents refuse to allow their kids to be rezoned to Lamar HS or Terry. I would say there’s a good chance that Veranda will end up being zoned to the new HS when it is eventually built (2020 is the plan).

[KenzHou]

All our homes were high and dry. The levees did their job.


[/b]

Originally Posted by HeazM

How did the Veranda community fair during Harvey? I’m pretty interested in the neighborhood but concerned about its proximity to the Brazos. Thanks in advance!