In 1967, Yvonne and Dave Streit founded The Briarwood School after their search for an institution capable of educating their severely handicapped daughter proved futile.  Ms. Streit sampled special needs programs across the country, including Purdue and UCLA, and compiled her own program based on the information she had researched. Read More

Second Baptist School (SBS) was founded in 1946 through Second Baptist Church.  Located in what is now Midtown Houston, it welcomed its first class of 14 kindergarten students in 1947.  By 1955, the school had expanded to a full elementary school with the addition of a sixth grade.  In 1957,Read More

The British School of Houston (BSH) offers an academic program based on the International Primary Curriculum, the National Curriculum for England and Wales, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.  Additionally, it is in the process of offering British A-Level courses by September 2014, which would make it one of theRead More

HSPVA started in 1971 as a way for young artists and performers to study their disciplines and to prepare for the challenges of competitive arts programs at universities and colleges.  As one of the first magnet schools in HISD, HSPVA paved the way for other non-comprehensive high schools to emergeRead More

Annunciation Orthodox School (AOS) was established in the educational building of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral for early childhood children in 1970.  AOS now serves Delphi Class (age 3) through the Eighth Grade, with a student body averaging 670 students.  AOS provides curriculum guided by the Greek Orthodox faith, with anRead More

The Awty International School (AIS) was originally founded as the Awty School in 1956 as a preschool, eventually adding an Upper School by 1975.  In 1984, the Awty School merged with the French School of Houston and became the Awty International School. With more than 1500 students, AIS proclaims toRead More

Carnegie Vanguard High School (CVHS) started as a school-within-a-school Vanguard program at Jesse H. Jones Senior High School in 1977.  In 2002, CVHS became an independent high school.   CVHS’s mission is “to provide a unique and challenging learning environment to prepare the diverse gifted & talented population of Houston IndependentRead More

In 1955, the River Oaks Baptist Church established the River Oaks Baptist School (ROBS) as a weekly preschool and kindergarten program with two teachers and thirty students.  River Oaks Baptist gradually expanded to include the Lower School (elementary) and the Middle School (fifth through eighth grade) and graduated its firstRead More

Bishop C. E. Byrne of the Galveston-Houston Catholic Diocese blessed St. Theresa Catholic Church and School on August 10, 1947. In February 1948, after dedication, students in grades one through eight began taking classes under The Sisters of the Incarnate Word. Today, the school consists of 200 students in Pre-KRead More

In 1981, a group of Episcopal parishioners discussed with then Bishop Maurice Benitez that their children often attended day schools at their local churches but that these schools only went through the 8th grade.  Therefore, they set about to establish a high school.  Their efforts came to fruition just threeRead More

Founded around 1928, West University Elementary School (WUES) was originally connected to Pershing Middle School, which later moved to its own campus. By the 1970s, the elementary school was described by some as “deteriorating”, but was rejuvenated by parents in the 1980s. With a $9.6 million budget, HISD expanded theRead More

Westbury Christian School (WCS) is a college preparatory school for ages 3 to 12th grade, founded in 1975 with support from the Westbury Church of Christ elders. Families in the church made plans for a Mother’s Day Out program, which led to a daycare program, and eventually elementary, middle, andRead More

Founded in 1968, David J. Arnold acquired and reincorporated the school in 1973 as a private for-profit company.  The school gained full accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1976 and from the Texas Education Agency in 1984.  Alexander Smith Academy (ASA) stresses its small class size,Read More

The school arm of St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Saint Thomas Episcopal School was founded in 1955 as a pre-school and kindergarten.  It graduated its first high school class in 1967.  Today, it offers thirteen years of instruction from Kindergarten Bridge through 12th grade.  The school’s mission is to “form honorableRead More

Woodrow Wilson Montessori School, founded in 1925, was named after the 28th president of the United States and serves Pre-K through 8th grade. Still at its original location, Wilson Montessori was built on the location of the home of Mirabeau B. Lamar. Mr. Lamar was the second and last presidentRead More

St. Francis Episcopal Day School was founded in 1952 by a group of area residents, both parishioners and non-parishioners, who decided to found a parish school as part of the St. Francis Episcopal Church.  It would be self-supporting and use the existing parish facilities.  Although welcoming an initial class ofRead More