On January 31, the Houston Independent School District announced annual instructor bonuses through its ASPIRE program, a merit pay program for teachers funded through state and federal grants and partly through local funds. Statistical analysis suggests that schools with the highest bonuses on average were wealthier, whiter and more selectiveRead More

At the behest of members of the Houston community, St. John’s School was founded in 1946 in coordination with the Episcopal Church of St. John the Divine.  A former Assistant Dean of Students at the University of Chicago, Alan Lake Chidsey served as the school’s first headmaster when he welcomedRead More

In 1859, a school for local children opened at what, in 1936, would become Lamar High School.  Forty-six years later, Lamar added its IB program, and seven years after that, it added its Business Magnet Program.   Lamar serves River Oaks, the incorporated city of West University Place, and other HoustonRead 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

River Oaks Elementary (ROE), an HISD Vanguard magnet and neighborhood school, first opened its doors in 1929 with support from Ima Hogg, Agnese Carter, and Pat Houston. Following a decline in enrollment after court ordered integration of HISD schools, ROE became a magnet-only school in 1986. The neighborhood program wasRead More