We're moving to College Station and I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on Allen Academy vs. Southwood Valley vs. Rock Prairie or other public elementary schools in the area?

We're thinking about buying a house zoned for Southwood Valley elementary and aren't sure if we should hold out for something zoned for e.g. Rock Prairie, which seems to be ranked more highly, or whether Allen Academy is a better choice for us than any public elementary school in the area, meaning we shouldn't worry about which schools the house is zoned for.

And does anyone have any insight into how these schools compare in terms of teaching quality, academic rigor, environment, etc to the private schools in Dallas - Greenhill, St. Mark's, Cistercian, Hockaday? I grew up in Dallas and know those schools well and I do not know BCS schools at all. It would be really really helpful to have some sort of metric of comparison.

Thanks so much for any help!

I have had children at Allen for lower - upper school. Comparing it to public school is not fair to either just because they are so different. You should call and tour the school and let your child shadow for a day. The answer will be obvious one way or the other - either way - after that process. Good luck!

Allen is nothing like Greenhill, ESD, Cistercian or Hockaday. You wont find that here.

Coming from Dallas as well, I agree that you won't find something like St Marks or the others you listed here. We don't have a large population of high income people in a terrible school district to drive a highly selective academic private school. The local private schools also cost $10-15k per year and not $30k like most you mentioned as well.

My children attend/attended Brazos Christian School after Pebble Creek elementary. I know that Brazos Christian publishes some academic info on their students such as average ACT/SAT. Allen academy is a little smaller than Brazos Christian, costs more, but Allen has better athletic facilities.

LSCSN said:

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Allen is nothing like Greenhill, ESD, Cistercian or Hockaday. You wont find that here.

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Allen head is a Greenhill grad. I'd say there is more similar than you might think to those schools, and I have 1st hand experience with the DFW schools growing up. It's not a apple to apple comparison, but then Allen's tuition is less than half what those schools charge, so it wouldn't seem fair to expect apples to apples. In the end, you can take discussion board advice, or just go check it out. Check out the new charter and Brazos Christian. All fine schools but all deliver a different product and experience.

I am a St. Mark's alum, our kids are at Brazos Christian, and am very impressed. SAT/ACT scores for the seniors are very good.

I would throw St. Michael's into the mix. I agree with visiting campuses. Go see Allen, Brazos Christian, and St. Michael's.

We were a Rock Prairie family and our children loved it. The teachers were engaged with my children, there were many opportunities to meet other parents, and through volunteering I met and made many friends as did my children. Amazingly, my oldest is now a hs graduate and loves to return to town to meet up with friends who go all the way back to their days on the Rock Prairie playground. Our family attended enrichment programs (in the summer) at various College Station elementary campuses, and my children loved those as well. The families that we know that have attended or still attend Southwood Valley have done well, many of them went with the dual language option.

What we liked about RP (besides the teachers and academics) was that our home was close to everything: a quick walk or bike ride to school (I usually walked with them when they were younger), the park was right there next to the school and when they attended intermediate/middle school, their doctors, dentist, and orthodontist were nearby.

All of the College Station schools are good public schools. There is a new charter school (International Leadership) over on Graham that is getting positive feedback. The private schools have already been discussed for the most part, so really it is just a matter of finding a home that you like and getting to know your neighbors and your neighborhood.

Welcome!

Thanks y'all! The advice to tour the schools is well taken, but alas, we are abroad and will be until we move in. We flew down to BCS for househunting but didn't have time for anything else.

Moved here from Dallas as well when my kids were elementary school age. I am glad we don't need to pay Dallas private school tuition here. The public schools are good. When we moved here, I was advised at the time to move South of Rock Prairie Road - newer schools, homes, etc.
The current principal at Rock Prairie is top notch.

techno-ag said:

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I would throw St. Michael's into the mix. I agree with visiting campuses. Go see Allen, Brazos Christian, and St. Michael's.

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They closed a year ago unless I missed the re-opening ? Not saying it didn't happen, just haven't heard of it.

EBrazosAg said:

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techno-ag said:

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I would throw St. Michael's into the mix. I agree with visiting campuses. Go see Allen, Brazos Christian, and St. Michael's.

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They closed a year ago unless I missed the re-opening ? Not saying it didn't happen, just haven't heard of it.

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That's true, high school only now. I forgot.

St. Michael's pre- school is the only part that remains open. Everything else is closed.

We had our 2 kids to go through pre-K to middle school at Allen. They loved the school, but we as parents had a not so great experience. Much it has to do with who was running the school, and under Mr. Rouse we thought it was much better than under Mr. Rush. I felt they sold too much the "college preparatory" speech but had very little results to back it up. SAT/ACT scores were just average,100% of kids went to college, but the college list was not something that would justify the cost, etc.

Our experience with public schools at CSISD was good (but not great). But I felt the kids got better teachers, more clubs, better athletic and academic competition than what Allen offered.

Knowing what i know now, I would not send my kids to Allen or any of the other private schools in the area.

Be very careful picking a neighborhood in College Station for its schools. CSISD is a rezoning nightmare! They rezone according to wealth using free lunch statistics at each school. Buy in a good area for the school, they will bus your kids across the universe to the very school you spent money to avoid. Just search the forum or google it. The only response given whilst being screwed is- "All our schools are equally great, you will love being bused across town to the furthest away school we can find". It's like AOC and Bernie Sanders run the district. There is a new charter school in College Station that we switched to, very highly rated. Also Iola is a higher rated school district with lower taxes than CSISD. Anderson also falls under this category. Also have friends at both Allen and Brazos Christian that are very happy. College Station is gods land, but our school district is being screwed with too much to take a chance IMO.

Is Mumford ISD still good?

I would avoid Allen. They have experienced quite a bit of turmoil, turnover, and poor leadership recently.

histag10 said:

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Is Mumford ISD still good?

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From what I understand, it is a predominately under-privileged school, but I think they have good teachers and good marks.

histag10 said:

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Is Mumford ISD still good?

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Yes. It recently won another National Blue Ribbon award.

techno-ag said:

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histag10 said:

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Is Mumford ISD still good?

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Yes. It recently won another National Blue Ribbon award.

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That's what I thought. I've heard nothing but good things, and that a lot of people zoned Rudder are trying to transfer their HS kids to Mumford/

lockett93 said:

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Coming from Dallas as well, I agree that you won't find something like St Marks or the others you listed here. We don't have a large population of high income people in a terrible school district to drive a highly selective academic private school. The local private schools also cost $10-15k per year and not $30k like most you mentioned as well.

My children attend/attended Brazos Christian School after Pebble Creek elementary. I know that Brazos Christian publishes some academic info on their students such as average ACT/SAT. Allen academy is a little smaller than Brazos Christian, costs more, but Allen has better athletic facilities.

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Looks like you're finished working for the year

histag10 said:

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techno-ag said:

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histag10 said:

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Is Mumford ISD still good?

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Yes. It recently won another National Blue Ribbon award.

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That's what I thought. I've heard nothing but good things, and that a lot of people zoned Rudder are trying to transfer their HS kids to Mumford/

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They might want to keep an eye on what is going to happen with Hearne.

I was not aware of any of that going on in Hearne. I knew it was bad, but I didnt realize it had gotton that bad. We have talked about buying land, and were drawn to Robertson County (lower taxes than Brazos), but would only do so if we were zoned Bryan or Mumford.

I'm assuming Mumford would end up picking up a lot of these students (and maybe Cameron?) should the district actually close?

histag10 said:

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I was not aware of any of that going on in Hearne. I knew it was bad, but I didnt realize it had gotton that bad. We have talked about buying land, and were drawn to Robertson County (lower taxes than Brazos), but would only do so if we were zoned Bryan or Mumford.

I'm assuming Mumford would end up picking up a lot of these students (and maybe Cameron?) should the district actually close?

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Got friends in Robertson Co. Mumford takes transfers but there's a waiting list at the elementary level. The state will not be able to force Mumford to take more Hearne elementary students, there's no room.

techno-ag said:

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histag10 said:

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I was not aware of any of that going on in Hearne. I knew it was bad, but I didnt realize it had gotton that bad. We have talked about buying land, and were drawn to Robertson County (lower taxes than Brazos), but would only do so if we were zoned Bryan or Mumford.

I'm assuming Mumford would end up picking up a lot of these students (and maybe Cameron?) should the district actually close?

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Got friends in Robertson Co. Mumford takes transfers but there's a waiting list at the elementary level. The state will not be able to force Mumford to take more Hearne elementary students, there's no room.

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I don't think they will be forced to directly take the kids to Mumford schools. They will be forced to take over their boundaries and their infrastructure.

dallasiteinsa02 said:

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techno-ag said:

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histag10 said:

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I was not aware of any of that going on in Hearne. I knew it was bad, but I didnt realize it had gotton that bad. We have talked about buying land, and were drawn to Robertson County (lower taxes than Brazos), but would only do so if we were zoned Bryan or Mumford.

I'm assuming Mumford would end up picking up a lot of these students (and maybe Cameron?) should the district actually close?

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Got friends in Robertson Co. Mumford takes transfers but there's a waiting list at the elementary level. The state will not be able to force Mumford to take more Hearne elementary students, there's no room.

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I don't think they will be forced to directly take the kids to Mumford schools. They will be forced to take over their boundaries and their infrastructure.

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Maybe. In the meantime there are two teachers per grade at the elementary, and two classes which are always full. If you can get on the waiting list and you can make the drive out there every day then Mumford is a great option.

Personally I look for Bryan or Franklin to be better able to take over Hearne than little Mumford.

badbilly said:

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Looks like you're finished working for the year

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Tax filing season is over, but I'm busier now then last month with things like wrapping up the books and doing end of season work, exit interviews with staff, renewing leases, and planning for next year!

Didn't realize there was any school in CSISD I would spend money to avoid...
I understand wanting to attend the nearest school but...

Fleen said:

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Didn't realize there was any school in CSISD I would spend money to avoid...
I understand wanting to attend the nearest school but...

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Hearne isnt part of Csisd. I really dont think there is any school in college station that I would pay to avoid. I might pay to avoid Rudder HS in Bryan, at least in its current state.

I wasn't commenting on Hearne...

Okay, i get that, but what csisd school are you talking about paying to avoid? Unless i missed something, no csisd school was listed on here as being bad.

I wasn't saying it, someone else did...

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Buy in a good area for the school, they will bus your kids across the universe to the very school you spent money to avoid.

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JMac03 said:

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histag10 said:

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Is Mumford ISD still good?

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From what I understand, it is a predominately under-privileged school, but I think they have good teachers and good marks.

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You are misinformed. You might want to study this a little more. Mumford originally established for wealthy cotton farmers. To keep from getting into trouble with the Fed's they readily accept students from Hearne ISD.

Several years ago Hearne filed a federal law suit to keep Mumford from taking their better students and making Hearne even worse.

The 5th District told Hearne to pound sand.

Mumford is one of the best schools in the area but you need to live in their area (or Hearne ISD) to attend there.

Great school, great facilities, good teachers and administrators.