What are the best private schools in the BCS area?

7,616 Views | 28 Replies | Last: 8 yr ago by double b
MoparAg
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Have been giving some thought to moving back to the BCS area. What are the best private schools in the area? Are there any that I should stay clear of?
Law361
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AG
Allen Academy is worth a look. They changed administration in the last couple of years and have a great vision for where they are going. I know a teacher there, and she raves about what they are doing.
MsC2012
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AG
CSISD is a good school district. You're already paying for it so why send to a private. Just my opinion.
dfphotos
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Allen is the most diverse and most convenient. Its also the most expensive. Brazos and St Joseph are priced about the same. All three have a pretty good track record on college kids and scholarships. I dont know much about St Mikes or Cornerstone. I do know my kids will never going to Bryan ISD. Hope that helps.
Orlando Ayala Cant Read
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AG
Kor is an up and comer in the area. Last year a Kor product became valedictorian at Consol (transferred into Consol freshman year) but the family credit's Kor for laying a great foundation. They've only had 1-2 graduating classes so far so its still kind of new but so far the numbers of placing those kids into good colleges has been pretty impressive from what I've heard.
double b
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AG
Or you could attend public school and use the money you save from that to hire an independent college consultant. I'm sure I could put you in touch with one.
TXCityGirl
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College Station public schools are highly rated and students are usually in a positive environment. But the classes can get large (18-22 students is normal).
There are not that many private schools here for this reason, I believe.
I've heard great things about KOR School, Brazos Christian, and Allen Academy. If our needs changed, I would be comfortable sending my kids to any of those, based on friends experiences.
Pyewacket
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AG
Allen Academy parent here! I will try to answer some of the most common questions:

Allen is the only secular private school in town. It has a diverse student body from all backrounds and faiths. It is not a church school, a homeschooling co-op or Motessori. It is an Independent Preparatory Day School. Those were mentioned above.

Yes BOTH school districts are great here, but there a wide variety of reasons people choose private schooloing. The classes at Allen have 15-20 kids per grade. Those grades are divided into two classes. My kids have 8 other classmates. This small class size is one reason private school is chosen. Individual instruction and character building are big at Allen.

Secondly, there is NO standardized testing (one of the reasons I chose Allen). Next, an Independent Board, parents and experienced educators create cirriculum. All teachers are liscensed educators or have PhD.'s in their field. The kids recieve actual fact based secular education. Each child participates in art, music(everyone learns to play an instrument), P.E. and spanish.

Allen is by far the most expensive. You can find their tuition on their website. In my opinion it is worth every penny. They also have tuition assistance and scholarships. They also stress a high level of parental involvement. There is an entrance exam that needs to be passed before admission is granted.

I hope this helps. Please go tour the campus. You will like what you see. Anne Prescott is the Director of Admissions. If you have any other questions or want contact info let me know.
MoparAg
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As a parent I always worry about private schools. Religious schools I worry they spend to much time on the bible and not enough on the academics. College prep schools I worry that it is 24X7 academics. lol

What is the Allen culture like? Is there lots of homework every night? What do they look for in the entrance exam? Are they looking for above average kids or just making sure that the kids are not way behind.
EBrazosAg
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AG
I am an Allen parent, and agree with all the good things said previously. I disagree with the "far most expensive" comment however. It is the most expensive, but there are not a lot of extra fees, etc that come along. Lunches are fairly priced and raved about by my sons.

Two kids at Allen (LS and HS) cost me $3,000 less a year than one child would at very middle of the road private schools in suburban Dallas or Houston. That despite the fact, as all who live here are aware, our cost of living is not significantly less than either city - in fact our housing is higher than much of suburban Dallas or Houston.

Allen is a steal at its tuition rate, and compared to similar schools in the state, so are the other private schools in BCS.
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Pyewacket
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AG
Totally agree EBrazos Ag. I attended Greenhill in Dallas. Allen is very reasonable and they try very hard to keep the cost down. I meant most expensive in comparison to the church schools. As an Allen Ambassador we give tours and answer questions. I have had potential families balk at how expensive Allen is from their previous daycare or church school. Trust us Mopar Ag it is worth every penny. An Independent school recieves no funding from government scources so the parents pay for everything from the teachers to the lightbulbs. I too think Allen is a steal and undervalued.

As far as the culture, I feel Allen celebrates individuality and the whole of each student. I think Allen goes out of its way to accomodate all ideas, cultures and faiths from the lunches to how we celebrate major holidays. If you are asking if the school harps on extrinsic rewards and pushes kids to the point of anxiety, I would say no. My son is habving trouble reading and the teachers have spent extra time outside of school hours to help him overcome his anxiety and tailor his assignments to his strengths. It is not a one size fits all education.

No, it is not academics 24/7. Like I said there is 1 or 2 recesses, 1 hour of P.E. and time each day to explore centers of interest through play. Having said that Allen is not easy. The classes are usually 1-2 grades ahead of public school. Anne Prescott can answer more questions about the entrance exam.
dfphotos
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So confused on how Greenhill and Houston schools are a part of this. Allen is roughly 12K a year for high school. StJ and Brazos are about 75% of that if youre not a parishoner. No school in town touches what Greenhill and other SPC schools do.
Picadillo
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Small private schools have more opportunities for kids to hold leadership positions, play varsity sports, etc. Smaller class sizes are a plus. Consider who they might associate with; peer influence is important.

That said, some kids want a bigger stage, so larger public schools may appeal.

Just stay close to what they're being taught and stay involved.
TSJ
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AG
I went to Allen from k-12 and graduated in mid '00s. I graduated with a large class of 30. At the time it was still portable buildings and I think tuition was in 7-8k range.

I think they have improved the facilities (probably cause it was too ugly for Mirmont) and education quite a bit since my time. As mentioned above having the ability to play multiple sports other opportunities was big for me.

I plan on moving back to BCS soon and when we have kid I will definitely be looking at Allen.
Pyewacket
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AG
I will also add that if your child(ren) are of high school age Bryan Collegiate High School might be the way to go. Do not let people scare you off of Bryan Public Schools. Bryan Collegiate High is a nationally ranked program.

Public schools here will offer more in tems of electives and college credit.

If your child is into sports, Allen has all the sports the public schools do, but they let everyone play. Because everyone plays don't expect a powerhouse team. Dave Bliss is no longer coaching at Allen. We have rejoined TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools). Allen is no longer affiliated with TCAL (Texas Christian Athletic League).

Both cities have great schools and great resources and facilities. I chose Allen for the smaller class sizes, no standardized testing, no one size fits all state standards, no political or religious ideologies and their emphasis on adaptive expertise. However, the great high schools and Bryan Collegiate High could change my mind.
Aggie
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AG
quote:


We have rejoined TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools). Allen is no longer affiliated with TCAL (Texas Christian Athletic League).



Actually AA will not rejoin tapps untill the 2016-2017 school year. This years school years teams will compete in TCAL.
nickstro66
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AG
I've enjoyed my time coaching at Allen Academy! The people there are great and there's so much support from the parents and faculty.
inozips
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AG
Joining TAPPS again? Dave Bliss gone from Allen? Allen did not last a year in TAPPS when Dave came on board. Sorry folks hiring Dave after his run at Baylor was a poor move.
Bryanisbest
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AG
BISD is great. Academics are good but also learn how not to be arrogant and to be able deal with peers from all walks of life.
techno-ag
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AG
St. Michael's is probably the best, IMO, just based on advanced curricula.

If you're willing to drive, one of the rural Blue Ribbon schools like Iola or Mumford would also be good. I think they're both open enrollment.
EBrazosAg
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AG
dfphotos - I pay tuition every month. You are high by several thousand dollars on your tuition number.
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dfphotos
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http://allenacademy.org/admissions/affording-an-education-at-allen/

$12051 for high school


St. Joseph - $8930
http://www.stjosephschoolbcs.org/admissions

Brazos: $9708
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_szCtWPBfmCdEpETGxJb0NBQnc/view


msaggie98
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AG
Brazos Christian parent here...we are very happy with our older son's education and progress, so far. He's a first grader and has been there since PreK. We love the smaller class sizes and the high expectations in place. I have heard good things about many of the private schools, so our area is very fortunate to have some great options. And I agree that our tuition rates in this area are much less than others. We have nieces and nephews on both sides of our families that attend private school in Houston and Austin...and we pay considerably less tuition.
I also have a child in CSISD. He has physical disabilities and BCS is not able to accommodate his needs. We are extremely thankful for our son's teacher and the other staff members that help our son on a daily basis. Since he just started kinder, I'm not ready to compare the two academically. I just know that the teachers and staff members are fantastic and truly care about my son. And from my understanding, the schools in CSISD, in general, are very highly rated.
Thankfully, we have some great options around here, whether you choose private or public. The one thing I will advise is to get your applications in EARLY for all the private schools. I know BCS has waiting lists for most grade levels, but that can change from year to year.
MiMi
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S
I've had children at St.Joseph for the past ten years. We pay parishioner tuition rates, which is very affordable. Love the teachers and curriculum. There are also plenty of opportunities for the students to be involved in athletics and other extracurricular activities.
veritas47
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quote:
the schools in CSISD, in general, are very highly rated.


According to the school ratings from the state of Texas, College Station ISD is rated identically to Bryan ISD- http://tea.texas.gov/Student_Testing_and_Accountability/Accountability/Accreditation/2014-2015_Accreditation_Statuses/

Facts are facts, folks, no matter how you spin it.
Charli
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In addition to Bryan Collegiate High School, Bryan ISD has an International Baccalaureate program at Bryan High.


dfphotos
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this thread isnt about public school
w8liftr
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Weren't you the one who brought ISDs up in the first place?
dfphotos
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it would appear that way
double b
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AG
We have a Kindergartner in StMES and have been impressed with his education. Can't say much about the others, but we're happy with our choice.
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