Hi friend,

A couple times a week, I get the chance to hop on the phone with someone that has never been to Texas before, and I get to answer their questions in relation to all things relocating to Texas and all this Houston suburbs. These phone calls last somewhere between 35 minutes and 55 minutes. Well there have been some questions that get asked over and over again, and because I am from here, they don't seem like a big deal to me, but it dawned on me this week, that I should be turning these repeat questions into blog posts and videos. So welcome to a little series where I answer some of your most asked questions.

How do I find the best rated schools in The Woodlands TX?

As a fellow parent, I do understand how important "great schools" are when looking to purchase a home and relocate to a place you know nothing about. Most families that I work with, great schools are a top priority and a deciding factor on what neighborhood they purchase a home within. I also understand that it might be a little tricky to figure out how to find the best rated schools.

Personally, my favorite resource for deciphering which schools are amazing, and which schools to avoid, isn't Niche.com or GreatSchools.org, but the TEA (Texas Education Agency). The TEA, only gathers data from test scores. They do also use improvement and "closing gaps" based off of the state test scores. I love that the TEA is data driven, and non-bias.

Now the TEA does have a website, but my favorite way to research school ratings, is actually our local MLS and home search database, har.com. Har.com is an amazing resource for finding homes, and researching schools. There are a couple different ways to look at the ratings, and I personally think starting from scratch, on your own, can be a little overwhelming, so I really recommend speaking with a local expert and real estate agent as your first step, but...

You can use the school finder: https://www.har.com/school/loadform/?type=advance&grade=E&crating%5B0%5D=A&sat=0. Make sure you switch the Search Area to "Houston - Gulf Coast". And you can search by school rating.
Another option is to find your dream home, and then see if the schools align with your expectations.
Because of COVID the TEA hasn't been updated, but the last time it was updated, I analyzed all of the data. I created this blog post from that data. (This blog posts breaks it down and includes all of Texas.)

Top Schools Districts in the Houston Area

1. Conroe ISD – The Woodlands, Texas (Conroe and Spring, Texas)
2. Katy ISD – Katy, Texas
3. Cypress-Fairbanks ISD aka Cy-Fair ISD – Cypress, Texas
4. Friendswood ISD – Friendswood, Texas
5. Tomball ISD – Tomball, Texas
6. Fort Bend ISD – Sugar Land, Texas
7. Clear Creek ISD – Clearlake, Texas
8. Montgomery ISD – Montgomery and Willis, Texas
9. Klein ISD – Spring, Texas

How to understand the school rating system in...

Now, I personally am comfortable with A ratings and B ratings when it comes to schools. I personally would be okay with C or D ratings. I love for my elementary schools to be A rated. When you are on har.com and you have selected a home, you can scroll down to see the names of the three schools (sometimes four). Each school will have a rating and it will show you the designations (awards) the school has received. If you click on the name of the school, you will see even more. That is what I recommend doing. If you are trying to avoid low income areas, you will see some information here displaying the percentage of economically disadvantaged. High would be considered, anything above 45%.

Blog Post to Check Out

In this blog post I dive deeper, by listing out the neighborhoods zoned to those top rated schools.

I hope you found this blog post helpful. If you are thinking about relocating to Houston or the Houston suburbs, I hope you reach out to me. I would love to be your REALTOR® and your resource.

We are so happy you found our little corner of the interwebs. We look forward to y'all reaching out to us. We love to answer questions and welcome them. Recently we created some local maps, and you can download those by clicking the image/link above. Below, you will find an index of some very helpful information to assist you in learning more about the Houston suburbs. If you are relocating to our neck of the woods, we hope you reach out to us, because we would love to help you by being your local realtor and friend. Thoughtfully written for you. Hugs, Jo.

We are Waiting for You

If you are looking to relocate to the Houston Area, we would love to meet you, and hear your story. Below you will find all of my contact information, as well as some homes for sale in the area. We truly look forward to hearing from you! P.S. Don't forget to check out our YouTube Channel!

If you are overwhelmed..

Now if you are feeling overwhelmed on where you should plant your roots, I would love to talk to you. You can schedule a call with me by click this link: http://byjoandco.com/call or just send us an email: jordan@byjoandco.com. There are some amazing communities all over the Houston suburbs. In this post, https://search.byjoandco.com/blog/best-neighborhoods-in-houston/, I deep dive into all the different suburbs/neighborhoods that you might want to consider, and why. There are many resources here, so please reach out if you are curious what to look at next! Thank you for trusting us.