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EmailFounded in 1906, The Kinkaid School purports to be the “oldest independent coeducational school in Houston.” A public school teacher, Margaret Hunter Kinkaid founded the school when she learned that married women were not allowed to be teachers in her school district. Since its inception, Kinkaid has been based out of three physical locations—Ms. Kinkaid’s home, Richmond and Graustark in Montrose, and its current location in Piney Point Village, in the Memorial area of Houston. Today, Kinkaid educates more than 1300 students each year from prekindergarten through 12th grade
The Kinkaid School
201 Kinkaid Dr., Houston, TX 77024 Dr. Andrew Martire, Headmaster
713-782-1640 Ms. Iris Bonet, Director of Admissions
www.Kinkaid.org
Religious Affiliation
Kinkaid is a non-sectarian school and as such equally welcomes students and families of all faiths and those with no professed faiths. However, the school is careful to express its recognition of the importance of faith in its students’ lives. Kinkaid’s Policy on Religious Expression allows a student to practice their religious traditions before and after school hours and during free time, use school facilities for religious purposes with the Headmaster’s permission, and invoke certain religious rituals such as readings and homilies during school events such as graduation when appropriate.
Location and Facilities
Kinkaid’s 65-acre campus is located in the city of Piney Point Village, a small enclave of Houston’s Memorial area. It is fairly equidistant between Beltway 8, Loop 610, I-10, and the Westpark Tollway. The campus features a densely wooded entrance and is surrounded by an affluent residential neighborhood of single-family homes. Kinkaid embarked on a major construction campaign in the ‘90s in which about half of the school’s 363,000 square feet was newly constructed or rebuilt. Highlights of this campaign included a brand new Lower School, additions to the Middle and Upper schools, new auditorium, and new cafeteria. Athletic facilities include three gymnasiums, baseball field, softball field, batting cages, fitness/ weight room, 1550-seat stadium, and four tennis courts.
Admissions
The Kinkaid admissions process generally includes 1) standardized test scores 2) group testing/ interviews 3) recommendations 4) transcripts. Pre-kindergarten students must be 4 years old by July 1st of their application year. For applicants to the Lower School, the WPPSI standardized test is required for pre-kindergarten through first grade applicants, the WISC for grades 2-4. All applicants are invited to “group testing” where students will interact with teachers. Finally, teacher recommendations and transcripts are required where applicable.
Requirements for grades 5-12 are the same with the exception that the standardized test used is the ISEE. Also, group testing is replaced by interviews for grades 5 and up. Natural entry points, where more admissions slots are available, are pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, grade 6, and grade 9. Preference, not automatic admission, is given to alumni and families with children already enrolled.
Academic Tracks and Curriculum
The Lower School curriculum is self-contained, meaning that students stay in one room while the same group of teachers covers all of the subjects in the curriculum. The Middle and Upper Schools are departmentalized. To facilitate the transition from Lower to Middle School, Kinkaid offers a compulsory Study Skills course. Accelerated curriculum courses are offered beginning in 7th grade. The Upper School offers three tracks—on track, honors, and 15 classes from the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum. Honors sections are not offered for English, History, and Social Studies (AP classes are offered).
The school requires 16 credit hours to graduate; one credit is equivalent to one year of study: English (4), Math (3), Social Studies (3), Science (3), Foreign Languages (2), Fine Arts (1), Computer Studies (general proficiency).
Special Needs
Kinkaid offers support for students with documented learning differences from a licensed psychologist. In general, the school provides the most support for elementary and middle school students, strongly seeking to make upper school students more independent. However, regardless of age, qualified students have access to the school’s Learning Specialist and receive the benefits of a support plan including strategies and techniques.
Foreign Languages
Foreign language instruction is offered beginning in sixth grade with French and Spanish. An outside contractor provides instruction in Chinese Mandarin after school for Lower School students. Upper School students must complete at least two years of a foreign language to graduate. Instruction in four languages is offered—French up to level 5, Spanish up to 5, Latin up to 5, and Chinese up to 4. Preparation for the AP curriculum is offered for Latin, French, and Spanish.
Arts
In the Lower School, music is tightly integrated into the overall curriculum. There is also a one-hour a week Visual Arts class. In the 5th and 6th grades, students rotate through band, orchestra, choir, and visual art. In 7th grade, students meet every other day for speech and debate and are also required to take a music elective and one additional art. 8th grade students have electives of which creative writing is an option. Upper School students must complete at least one year of a fine art elective to graduate. Some of the more notable options include acting, architecture, filmmaking, photography, and yearbook. Speech and debate is included in the art requirement at Kinkaid. Kinkaid also has an Upper School band and orchestra that often travel both inside and outside the country for competitions and performances.
Technology
Kinkaid has over 130 mostly Mac computers in classrooms, mobile, and desktop labs. iPads are used in kindergarten. Middle school students use iMovie to create “Life Stories,” and Upper school students learn how to program for the iPhone. Graduation from Upper School is contingent on the successful completion of the Kinkaid Technology Requirement. Students fulfill the requirement by either successfully completing a computer course or through an independent project. The school utilizes an intranet powered by Moodle. Students are not required to bring laptops to class.
Extracurricular Activities
Lower School and Middle School students may participate in student government activities. The Upper School government includes a mix of elected students and faculty. There is a literary magazine for the Middle School and yearbook for Middle and Upper Schools. Students in the Upper School may also participate in the school’s newspaper.
Athletics
Students are not required to participate in a sport at Kinkaid but 100% of Middle School students and 80% of Upper School students usually participate in at least one sport according to the school. The school fields more than fifty teams across fifteen sports: baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross-country, field hockey, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, softball, tennis, track, volleyball, and wrestling. Kinkaid is a member of the Southwest Preparatory Conference.
Parent Involvement
Through the Parents’ Association, parents at Kinkaid can serve on committees, raise funds, host events like Book Fair and Field Day, sponsor internships, and help with service projects. Parents can also support the Booster Club, which supports Fine Arts and Athletics.
The Kinkaid School Fast Facts
| Overview | |
| School Type | Independent, Coeducational |
| Religious Affiliation | None |
| Uniforms | Lower and Middle |
| Date Founded | 1906 |
| Endowment (reported on 7/31/10) | $79.4M |
| Grades Served | Pre-K – 12 |
| Enrollment | 1366 |
| Grade 12 | 136 |
| Grade 11 | 135 |
| Grade 10 | 137 |
| Grade 9 | 138 |
| Grade 8 | 110 |
| Grade 7 | 111 |
| Grade 6 | 118 |
| Grade 5 | 72 |
| Grade 4 | 72 |
| Grade 3 | 72 |
| Grade 2 | 73 |
| Grade 1 | 72 |
| Kindergarten | 72 |
| Pre-Kindergarten | 48 |
| Student to Teacher Ratio | 9:1 |
| Faculty with Advanced Degrees (#/%) | 120/62% |
| Minorities in Student Body | 19% |
| Curriculum | |
| Academic Tracks Offered | On Track, Honors, AP |
| Advanced Placement Courses Offered | 15 |
| Languages Offered | Chinese, French, Latin, Spanish |
| Calendar (Semester / Trimester / Other) | Semester |
| Interscholastic Sports Programs | 15 |
| Graduating Seniors | |
| National Merit Semi-Finalists 2013 | 7 |
| Average SAT Scores (Class of 2012) | 1948 |
| Mathematics | 656 |
| Critical Reading | 641 |
| Writing | 651 |
| % Students Admitted to 4 Year University | 100 |
| Admissions | |
| Prime Entry Points | Pre-K, K, 6, 9 |
| Pre-K and Kindergarten | $16,920 |
| Grades 1-4 | $17,490 |
| Grades 5-8 | $20,240 |
| Grades 9-12 | $21,710 |
| New Student Fee | $1000 |
| Books and Supplies | ~$600 |
| Students on Financial Aid | N/A |
Excerpted from General Academic’s publication, “Houston Private & Select Public Schools: Survey, Analysis, and Research, 3rd Edition.”
