3 best private schools in Houston, Texas 2024

Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States, making it one of the best places to choose a private school in the United States, and it is a larger metropolitan area with a population of over 6 million people. Houston is an energetic capital of Texas. Several Fortune 500 companies are located here, and in addition to oil and gas, industries such as information technology, business services, aerospace, medicine and biotechnology attract workers from all over the world.

Regardless of whether they move to Houston with their children or on their own, expats will enjoy the relatively low cost of living, affordable housing and well-developed infrastructure. Healthcare in Houston is at an excellent level and boasts one of the best medical centers in the world. In addition, the city's school system is large enough to satisfy even the most demanding parents.

The main specific of private school in Houston is an approach to studying. It is aimed not only at academic studying, but also at the development of intellectual abilities, which allows the child to realize himself in sports, art, any other hobby. Much attention in the educational institution is paid to the formation of personal qualities of pupils.

Graduates of Houston private schools have competitive advantages when entering universities in the country — and it's not just about the impeccable quality of their academic education: independent, purposeful, sociable, disciplined, motivated to achieve applicants are easier given interviews, passing entrance tests, if any.

Studying  in Houston is divided into three core stages, lasting for 12 years:

• Primary school (duration – 5 years)

Here children receive basic knowledge in the main subjects of the school curriculum. Basically, all disciplines (with the exception of art, music and physical education) are taught by the same teacher. Before the start of classes, all children undergo an initial test of their knowledge and abilities – it distributes them into the appropriate groups from A to C (A is a gifted class): in general terms, this is an IQ test.

• Middle school (grades 6-8)

In the middle classes, the system of educational credits is already widespread virtually everywhere. The list of compulsory subjects is slightly reduced (career guidance and career prospects are necessarily included in it), but the general curriculum of each student only becomes larger – subjects and electives of personal choice are added to it. At the end of each year, children take transferable exams (also counted under the credit system). Teachers are already divided into disciplinary blocks and subjects, and the active study of foreign languages (both modern and classical) begins.

• High school (grades 9-12)

This is not only the final stage of secondary education, but also a full, thorough preparation for admission to universities: at this stage, students earn credits that will help them successfully enroll and receive personal scholarships. Studying practically from the 9th grade becomes specialized. There are few main profiles: industrial, commercial, agricultural, academic and general education. The list of compulsory subjects includes only a few disciplines: mathematics, natural sciences, English and humanities courses – the rest are recruited in the chosen specialty.

Simon Kizhner

Regional Admissions representative, EMEA

What are the most important questions parents ask when choosing a school in the USA?

The main thing to consider is how the chosen school suits your child, his habits, ambitions, interests. In principle, the criteria that are taken into account in the rankings will become good determinants: class size, names of universities that graduates choose, composition of the student community, location, etc.

The average cost of studying in the private schools in Houston varies depending on the prestige of the institution, its ranking, the average graduation rate in high school, as well as the location. The cost of education fluctuates from 35,000 USD to 90,000 USD in the most elite, including accommodation, meals, studying.

In order to enroll in a private school in Houston, the foreign students will need not only a standard list of documents, but also certain language and academic knowledge. The main list of required documents for the submitting family is the following:

• A copy of the passport;
• School annual grades for the last 2 academic years + quarter/trimester grades for the current academic year;
• Certificates of language proficiency (preferably as new as possible so that they are relevant). Preferably a TOEFL and SAT test (for a number of schools)
• Letters of recommendation from teachers of English and mathematics, sometimes it is possible from the headmaster;
• Motivation letter (not always);
• Registration forms and school forms;
• Skype interview or personal visit to an educational institution.

In addition to the above list, the children are also required to take internal school tests in mathematics and English to determine whether the children are sufficiently well prepared at the time of admission to a boarding school.

• The Village School

• Amerigo Houston.

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