Don't get me wrong, if a parent thinks the best choice for their kid is a public school, that is great. There are lots of great public school.

But saying it's a big risk to go to private schools is about as silly a statement as one could make

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My wife and I have researched private schools in the loop and the best price we have found so far was Saint Anne's Catholic School on Westheimer and Shepherd

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I have one there, and will have 3 there next year.

But its not the best price in ITL. As far as parochial schools St. Theresa (Memorial Park) and St Vincent De Paul (Holcombe and Buffalo Speedway) both cost a couple thousand less a year.

And if trying to get the best for your kids means "pussification," then so be it. Sorry you and your parents were content with drinking purple kool-aid and mayonaise sandwiches in the trailer park. Life is not fair sometimes.

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Obviously, I should have been more clear (fixed now in bold) but I was in a rush and just trying to add value. I am assuming your last paragraph was meant for someone else because I am all for private schools.

Would you recommend Saint Anne's?

i would rather have my kid somewhere where they teach people to succeed rather than being held back so idiots could pass the taks

We like St annes

But its the most convenient to where we work/live. Really didn't do much investigation.

Look, it's obvious who nnichols is and for whom he works. I'm happy to debate the merits with him in any venue he chooses. I graduated from Jesuit and have a dozen classmates who have children at Kinkaid. I was a good friend of Tommy Jacomini and am also close to the school via that connection.

Kinkaid is a good solution for the right kids and families. There aren't many of those kids, nor are there many for St. John's -- these are the premiere schools in the city. That being said, I think Jesuit and St. Agnes are the best education for the value one will get in Houston. Duchesne, Episcopal, Awty, IWA, St. Thomas, St. Thomas Episcopal, Houston Christian -- no real difference between any of them.

And I appreciate the comments about private school versus public school. I am zoned for Bellaire HS. Any adult with school aged children who lives with HISD, makes $100,000 per annum and sends those children to HISD needs to be indicted for child abuse. I'll exclude the magnets/Lanier/IB/HSPVA from that. Otherwise, spend the money to send your child to a school that provides an education rather than day care and starter kits for gangbangers and pregnant 10th graders. Or move someplace with better schools.

Don't denigrate those of us who have the wherewithal and the common sense to do otherwise.

I attended St. Francis then EHS....loved both schools. EHS really prepared me for college...good thing at EHS was that there was a wide range of students with different abilities...some school and grades focused....some more athletic, some more artistic, and some that are overall active in various extra curricular activities. St. Johns tends to focus only on academics to a point that can be out of control. Kincaid seemed a bit mire pretentious however a great school. Strake, St. Agnus, and Dash are all great schools. The others like Village and Houston Christian are a bit second tier , which may not be due to the education , but the overall student body is not as affluent.

For those who say private schools are a waste or shelter kids is a poor misconception. My train of thought is that when you or your children are surrounded by successful and affluent peers then they tend to accept that as the standard which is much better than being around a less affluent or less successful peers. There is a reason the rich get richer and a lot of that has to be bc the standard of acceptable living and growth is what you are surrounded by. If you're environment growing up is of parents that made $100k a year then you making $200k would be striving for success, however if your family made $1mil a year then striving for success would be to make $2mil. Just some food for thought.

How did I become the badguy in this deal?First, no i dont work at Kinkaid so you are wrong about that right off the bat. Second, we had children go to strake too. It's obvious you have a poor understanding of the situation or my feelings towards private schools as we donated and continue to donate to each school along with a smattering of other schools like village and stfe . Thus, lets not get into the who we know and who we are friends with etc. It is obvious you were offended by something I said, and that is unfortunate. Reading back on my posts, I'm failing to see what excited this visceral of a response towards myself. I offered the op help by inviting him to a non sponsored open house that is typically attended by 10 plus schools. I didn't make any comments about academics other than the note that certain schools have better relationships with other schools. That point is evidenced across this thread.

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We are having an open house this summer

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This is the phrase taht made me think you had some sort of affiliation with Kinkaid.




As far as public vs private: There are advantages to both.

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Duchesne, Episcopal, Awty, IWA, St. Thomas, St. Thomas Episcopal, Houston Christian -- no real difference between any of them.

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Um, what? Surely you can't be serious - St Thomas is parochial traditional coeducational K-12 with 'chapel' at least once/wk, Duchesne is parochial traditional female only K-12, Awty is secular non-traditional coeducational preK-12 and has an IB program. Houston Christian High School is ecumenical and has only 8 or 9-12.

For those with elementary-aged kids, you statement makes no sense since they would not consider Houston Christian HS and if they had only boys, Duchesne would not be a consideration. This, of course, leaves out any strong religious leanings.

If I could afford to send my kids to private school I'd do it in a heartbeat. I had a great public school experience, but it's just not what it used to be and it's getting worse fast.

"Look, it's obvious who nnichols is and for whom he works. I'm happy to debate the merits with him in any venue he chooses. I graduated from Jesuit and have a dozen classmates who have children at Kinkaid. I was a good friend of Tommy Jacomini and am also close to the school via that connection."

The problem I have with this comment is that A its completely false, and B I never degraded the academics of SJ. In fact, we held probably upwards to 10 fundraisers, pot luck dinners, and donated a large chunk to the V&P arts center and provided material support for the planning and construction phase. Also, there is a reason that the top annual donations at KK typically are anonymous donations: you dont donate for the recognition, you donate to help your children and your grandchildren.

T&P to the Jacomini family

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I'm failing to see what excited this visceral of a response towards myself.

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Sounds like somebody got their learn on at Jones.

Umm visceral fits perfectly in that context. Visceral meaning instictual/emotional: without logic.

You can have a visceral response, or seperate visceral with a preposition (that visceral of a response) to indicate the degree.

[This message has been edited by nnichols (edited 4/28/2011 7:33a).]

You sound smart.

[This message has been edited by Im Gipper (edited 4/28/2011 7:35a).]

Grammar Smack

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REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS


The function of the reflexive pronoun is to serve as the direct object of the verb or as the object of the preposition when the subject of the clause is the same person as the object of the verb or preposition.


EXAMPLES:


Reflexive pronoun as direct object of verb


--She asked herself if she would be better off with him or without him.
--My brother really hurt himself when he fell off his bike yesterday.
--Consider yourself lucky. (In this sentence, "You" is the implied subject of the imperative verb.)
--He pulled himself up to his full height before responding to the accusation.


Reflexive pronoun as object of preposition


--He made a fool of himself.
--She did all the research by herself.
--I didn't do it for you but for myself.

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"What" is the subject of that phrase. Ergo, "me" rather than the pretentiously incorrect "myself" should have been used.

I, myself, find it humerus that one would tell people where to get the best education whilst sounding unedumecated themselves. (puns intended).

In other words, lighten up Francis.

Again: Grammer Smack, when all other smack fails.

Second, who said I was lucky enough to receive the same level of education as my children?

While Im studing grammar, you should probably hit the books related to reading comprehension.

Third, I was only responding to a completely unnecessary insinuation that was incorrect. You are the one that added the pointless post that provided nothing material to the conversation. We are all impressed with your mastery of the english language.

[This message has been edited by nnichols (edited 4/28/2011 7:49a).]

Say "hello" to your mother for me.

If you want your kid to be normal/cool, Stratford or Memorial is pretty much the only option. I guess I have met a few normal kids from Strake and had a few normal friends from Taylor.

I went to a good public school. A damn great one actually, it is doesn't change the fact that all the kids that act like morons, sociopaths, and other dregs of society that should have been culled at birth. If your kid gets into a class with these kinds of kids then the ability of the teacher to do their job goes down a lot and your kid will learn less; it's a plain and simple fact.

Private schools do not HAVE to put it up with, they may choose to based on the parents or whatever, but they can just flat out tell you that your kid is no longer welcome at the school due to their behavior and thanks for their donation to the school/church. Getting those sheet-heads out of the classroom where kids are trying their damnedess to learn makes it easier for them and the teachers. Public schools don't have the option of removing those people from the school, they can and sometimes put them in ISS or AEP but for the most part they are just *******s and disruptive.

Memorial Lutheran in the Galleria area

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Also, there is a reason that the top annual donations at KK typically are anonymous donations

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Except for your donations, which you like to brag about. So if you aren't doing it for your kids and grandkids, who are you doing it for?

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If you want your kid to be normal/cool, Stratford or Memorial is pretty much the only option.

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YES! I am normal and/or cool!

"Except for your donations, which you like to brag about. So if you aren't doing it for your kids and grandkids, who are you doing it for?"

I think the Gip needs to hang up his cleats because he cant read. I said you do it for your kids and grandkids. Next, I never said I was one of those donors, I said that there is a reason the donations are anonymous. Why? Because people want to donate to the school but not make it look like they are expecting some sort of award or special treatment for the donation. You are making false assumptions and inferences and then following those comments up with even more outlanding insinuations that imply an underhaded motive or scheme. Its obvious you have a bone to pick with me, so id rather resolve that and handle it over email than bicker back and forth like 3rd graders on a publi message board.

[This message has been edited by nnichols (edited 4/28/2011 9:40a).]

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Reading back on my posts, I'm failing to see what excited this visceral of a response towards myself.

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How about the fact that every post you make indicates that you are a total know-it-all a-hole?

What is it that I said that you disagree with so strongly? How was my comment any different than the other 20 comments previous? All I did was offer and opinion and invite the OP to an open house. You guys need to take a deep breath and ask a friend to unpick your wedgie.

"I second St Francis Episcopal, St Michaels, or Village. STFE and ST Michaels have great relationships with the private high schools inside the beltway. Also, now that Village has a HS, they can provide alot of services that they couldnt provide under the Moores. Traftan is a great school, but i can only remember at most 1-2 students that were able to transfer into Kinkaid for HS across almost a decade. Also, certain private high schools have better relationships with certain middle schools and will get 2x the kids in than other equally challanging MS.

What is your email OP? We are having an open house this summer that will have many representatives from many of the above listed schools in attendence as well as state university officials to help quash rumors in relation to how private school enrollment effects state university admissions & other interesting tidbits."

Seriously, please indicate where I did anything other than relay personal experience. I really didnt even make that opinionated of a statement. The only statement that you could have taken offense to (and obviously did) was that Trafton in relation to some of the other schools, has a relatively low absolute enrollment at Kinkaid. Its the truth. Legacy and school relationship are crucial factors there just like they are in most of the schools (STFE to EHS, St Cecila & the other catcholic MS to Strake and St Thomas).


[This message has been edited by nnichols (edited 4/28/2011 9:49a).]

Nnichols, do you work for a private school? Just curious because I did not grow up in this area and do not know much about the schools so I'll attending a number of open houses as the time gets closer for my son to start school.

I made it through public school without murdering anyone, overdosing on heroin, or impregnating any skanks. A living, breathing success story over here, folks.

This gipper guy really sucks

THE OP ASKED FOR AFFORDABLE SCHOOLS. Very few of the schools listed so far are affordable by any reasonable definition. To be clear, Kinkaid, EHS, Village School, Grace Presbyterian, Second Baptist, the Regis School and St. Francis Episcopal are all pretty expensive if you have multiple kids.

Memorial Lutheran is very affordable, but the academics are quite mediocre. Look at the high schools their 8th graders go on to attend. They basically offer public school quality academics with Lutheran chapel.

Clay Road Baptist is affordable, but it's in a subpar location. They are in the middle of a capital campaign for a major remodeling/new building program. I have yet to see their test scores, so I'm not sure about their academics.

First Baptist is moderately priced, as is St. Marks Lutheran school in Spring Branch. There should be several affordable Catholic K-8 programs if you are so inclined (I'm not Catholic, so I only know about the most well known Catholic schools like Strake & Duchesne).

BTW, I have been diligently researching Houston private schools for about three years now (since we first learned my wife was pregnant). nnichols typically offers very good insight, and knows a hell of alot more about this topic than most on Texags.

Texags has a populist streak that occasionally crosses into moronic territory. That has been illustrated again on this thread.

[This message has been edited by Buck Turgidson (edited 4/28/2011 2:40p).]

I recently learned that we'll pay less for Private School in a few years than we currently pay for daycare.

Thanks Buck. IMO, the key to choosing a school is finding one that highlights and furthers your child's inherent interests while providing a safe but structred learning environment academically, athletically, and socially. Each school is different, and each child is different. For instance, if the goal is to place a student into a public university, then the public route is often times easier. If the goal is to be NMF, to attended a private religious university, or the likes, then private schools typically are the better avenue. Other than St Johns, there isnt really a school that provides the best of both words. Kinkaid is close, but there was still a long stretch where they got pounded by the top 10% rule, regardless of legacy, donations, etc (so bad to the point faulkner called the school and apologized).

My thinking has always been, if I have 2 comparative schools and one is k-8 and one is k-12, why put my child in the position and stress of reapplying during one of the most awkward phases of their lives vs. getting them into a program early, letting them establish friendships, and later have good rapport with the classmates that will help them make the transition without having to worry about pleasing the family or friends. On the flip side, the application process can be very beneficial because it can show the student that they have to work to gain acceptance to HS just like they will have to do for college, and therefore understand every action will be reflected upon in the future by the university selection committee.

[This message has been edited by nnichols (edited 4/28/2011 2:58p).]

I live right by St. Regis and they have been out there practicing rugby the last month or so. Needless to say, 10-12 yr olds learning to play rugby is quite humorous.

[This message has been edited by Mikeyshooter (edited 4/28/2011 3:00p).]

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I recently learned that we'll pay less for Private School in a few years than we currently pay for daycare.

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Are you including what you will have to pay for public school in the private school side of that equation?