Sugar Land Schools vs Katy Schools (fit in, homes, neighborhood)

[horn892002]

Here is my opinion: The reason FB school system is "academically acceptable" (vs. Katy is Recognized) because many of the schools (HS + Elementary) on the East side have had some issues in the past. They are trying to improve the scores gradually. I can see that FBISD will become academically recognized in the next few years. Clement HS is still clearly the best school in the West side (Katy included). Jenks9, It looks like you have made up your mind. I think that you can't lose either way.

[americaforall]

I really think Katy schools are MUCH better than FBISD.

On the high school level, 2 high schools in KISD are exemplary this year: Cinco Ranch HS and Seven Lakes HS. In FBISD, no high schools are rated exemplary (not even Clements HS). KISD as a district is recognized. FBISD is not. Information like this is easily found on Greatschools.

Also, on the subject of diversity, the demographics in South Katy are rapidly changing to those closer to the demographics found in the top Sugar Land schools (more and more Asians slowly). Sugar Land still does have more Asians for the time being, but the Seven Meadows/Grand Lakes/Cinco Ranch area still has MANY asian people and many more moving in. It (Katy) really isn't that much white conservative in many areas now.

The national rankings system by Newsweek is also very good and Katy ISD is better in my opinion since it has more schools near the top (CRHS, SLHS, THS).

The top schools in both districts are superb, but SLHS, CRHS, and Taylor HS are all as good (if not better than) as Clements HS.

Good luck!

[horn892002]

One must realizes that the rating here is based on the Texas Education Accountability system, not the national standard. While the Exemplary is nice but it does not tell me any thing about how the kids are prepared for college. Now, on the other hand the number of students are passed the AP or IB examination are probably the best indication how a school is teaching its student. Clement is the best school in the West for sending kids to the big universities. This is how Clement is rated higher than any other school in the Katy area on the national scence. So the debate is raging on........

[americaforall]

If Clements HS is indeed such a great high school and performs so well on the AP tests, why did it not get exemplary, which is based on the TAKS test? I can tell you from experience, the TAKS test is a joke and AP tests are on an extremely hard college level. Think of it this way: some students take a bunch of AP tests (probably the Asians there) and a larger number don't do so well on any tests.

I think that Clements also has a higher number of students who are struggling and a small number who do EXTREMELY well. This can be extrapolated from the TAKS test results, AP test results, and the reviews for the school found on Greatschools.

On the other hand, both CRHS and SLHS do extremely well on the TAKS test (slightly better than even Clements) and also do really well on AP tests. SLHS also has a solid record, which you can find on Greatschools. Last time I checked, SLHS has not recieved a single bad review. Check Clements HS and then post back.

The CRHS and SLHS "zone" (both high schools are located really close to each other) forms a very good school zone with some of the best schools in the state and country.

On the subject of college matriculation: SLHS and CRHS have both done as well as Clements. This type of information is hard to come by on the internet, but can be found by going to the school's counselor office and inquiring. I have seen the last issues of the school newspapers (which have extensive college matriculation data for the senior class) for both SLHS and Clements HS and both do exceptionally well in this regard. Both have a good number of students going to the top tier schools (many Ivies and top 20 schools). UT and A&M remain top choices as well at both. This shows that both prepare their students equally well for colleges.

Both school zones are VERY affluent and hence do really well in terms of sheer rankings and ratings. Drive through Cinco Ranch, Grand Lakes, and Seven Meadows, Avalon at Seven Meadows and you'll see the affluence. Do the same in First Colony, Commonwealth, Avalon (Sugar Land) and you'll see the same.

I still do hold the opinion that CRHS and SLHS are better choices, but all of this is for you to decide.

I hope I have quelled some of this debate...

[horn892002]

Don't get me wrong. I like both school districts. Just that I have seen alot of baseless opinions. I am just merely pointing out the fact that Clements (and other 3 schools in FBISD) have done well placing students in the top tier schools as well as Katy's schools. I still think a kid graduated from Clements will be better suit for college and university than any other school in the suburbs in West side. I know because I had to compete with many of them at UT in an Engineering program. BTW, I went to Lamar HS in Houston. So I did not defend Clements because I came from there. I would be proud to have my son compete with the Asians there.

[jenks9]

I am sorry to anyone that has been offended and I have not intended to pit anone against each other. I just wanted to find the school systems that do well academically and have higher pertcentage of white caucasian students just for our comfort level, this is just what we are used too and feel most comfortable with. I have nothing against any race and don't feel that there is anything wrong with the more racially diverse schools but again just our own comfort level. Thanks for all the imput and to anyone that has any opinions or experience in this type of situation.

[hsw]

The various test scores and rankings are fairly meaningless and easy to manipulate, much like crime stats

Bottom line is what % of kids gain entry to top 10-20 colleges

Makes far more sense to have kids attending schools where competing kids are likely to reflect make-up and ethos of top colleges and executive suites of major global companies

After all, diversity/lack thereof of NBA or NFL or burger-flippers or landscapers is quite different from diversity of executive suites of major Houston O&G companies or NYC investment banks or SiliconValley tech cos.

Random or artificially created "diversity" is not very useful to prepare kids for various highly competitive settings later in life

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by jenks9

I have nothing against any race and don't feel that there is anything wrong with the more racially diverse schools but again just our own comfort level. Thanks for all the imput and to anyone that has any opinions or experience in this type of situation.

But keep in mind that Houston in general is very diverse, so if your children will be graduating and living life in Houston, capacity to interact with all types of people is a valuable life skill. Or you could move to Maine or Vermont...lots of Caucasians in those places.

[jenks9]

Originally Posted by Topaz

But keep in mind that Houston in general is very diverse, so if your children will be graduating and living life in Houston, capacity to interact with all types of people is a valuable life skill. Or you could move to Maine or Vermont...lots of Caucasians in those places.

Why is the capacity to interact with all types of people a valuable life skill? And did you mean that you don't need that skill in Maine or Vermont? I've lived in Boston and never once thought that somebody had to have the capacity to interact with all types to live there or that they need that as a skill in order to live there. And it may come to that, that we may have to move.

[newtohtown]

Originally Posted by jenks9

Why is the capacity to interact with all types of people a valuable life skill? And did you mean that you don't need that skill in Maine or Vermont? I've lived in Boston and never once thought that somebody had to have the capacity to interact with all types to live there or that they need that as a skill in order to live there. And it may come to that, that we may have to move.

I didn't read this thread thoroughly enough to know what age or whatever your kids are. What I do know is that I just graduated from one of the top three US universities and that this type of attitude is frowned upon. Raising your kids to fear and avoid people from different backgrounds, especially racial ones, is going to get nothing but minuses in the admissions office, and believe me it will come across.

I don't know how far you want your kids to go in life, but quite frankly you are clueless if you think that the nextgeneration of competitive college students and executives is going to be composed of people with attitudes like yours. The skin colors may match, but social liberals have a monopoly on top tier education in the US. For your kids' sakes, I hope you allow them to climb out of the box you've created.



Edit: I hail from Something Awful, so I had to do an edit to make sure I'm not out of forum bounds. Let's just leave it at this:

Maybe you should be digging a little bit deeper than skin color into the educational future of your child. From the little I've read, I get the impression that your narrow-minded definition of a quality education has had and will have some unintended consequences.