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Houston - Public schools

Greater Houston area is served by the school districts listed below. The websites have all the information you need to select. Choose the neighborhood you decide to live in based on the school that satisfies your requirement. If your children will attend the local public schools, the school zone is very important (it also affects the value of the home, should you decide to purchase it), so do the school research before you select your home address. The only option around the limitation of school zoning is if your children will qualify for special programs like Magnet or Vangard, in which case the zoning requirement is waived.

Below are presented some school with a special curriculum that might be of interest if your child shows a strong inclination towards a particular subject or is extremely talented.

Attention Recent changes in the funding are placing quite a stress on public schools, therefore there have been talks of reducing/cancelling Magnet programs, although there is still no definite decision on this subject yet.

The Newsweek publishes yearly the Best High School list, check if any of the schools you are interested in made it into the list.

Specialized Public Schools

Carnegie Vanguard
10401 Scott Street
Houston, TX 77051
Tel: +1 (713)732-3690
Fax: +1(713)732-3694
website: http://www.carnegievanguard.com/index.jsp
The school was 13th in the 2012 Best High School of the USA list of the Newsweek. The mission of Carnegie Vanguard High School is to provide a unique and challenging learning environment to prepare the diverse gifted & talented population of Houston Independent School District for leadership in a global society. How to apply? Click here

The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA)
4001 Stanford Street
Houston, TX 77006
Tel: +1 713 942 1960
Fax : +1 713-942 1968
website: http://hspva.org
HSPVA is fully accredited and offers the same academic curriculum and graduation requirements as all HISD high schools; the major difference in the academic program is that HSPVA offers the added ingredient of correlating the arts with academics, rather than treating either as isolated disciplines. All students spend three hours per day in their art areas, and the remainder of the time in academics or electives. The arts offered for in-depth study are: Dance, Instrumental and Vocal Music, Theatre Arts, and Visual Arts.
HSPVA of the Houston Independent School District evolved in 1971 from a realization that gifted young artists need highly specialized and rigorous training in the arts to be prepared for the intense competition they will meet in colleges, conservatories, and the professional arts world. The creation of HSPVA represented the first attempt by any public high school in the nation to correlate an academic program with concentrated training in the arts. Also, it was one of only three public schools in the nation to offer programs in both the visual and performing arts, and the first such institution in the Southwest. For HISD, the formation of HSPVA represented a dramatic departure from traditional comprehensive programs. Ultimately the school became the pilot school for today's magnet school concept.

DeBakey High School for Health Professions
3100 Shenandoah Street
Houston, TX 77021
Tel: +1 (713) 741-2410
website: http://www.debakeyhigh.com/
Houston's High School for Health Professions was established in 1972 as a partnership between the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). The first school of its kind in the nation, its purpose is to increase opportunities for all students to explore careers in medicine, science and the health professions. Preeminent heart surgeon, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey of Baylor Medical School saw the need to give under-represented students in Houston the best education possible. In the fall of 1996, the Houston Independent School District Board of Education honored Dr. DeBakey by renaming the school Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions (DHSHP). The high school has grown from 45 students attending classes in Baylor facilities in 1972, to a current enrollment near 900 students in grades nine through twelve at Baylor campus in the Texas Medical Center.

The High School for Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice (H.S. LE/CJ)
4701 Dickson Houston
TX 77007-7398
Tel: +1 713-867-5100
Fax: +1 713-802-4600
website: http://hs.houstonisd.org/lecj/
The High School for Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice (H.S. LE/CJ), a separate and unique magnet school, began in the spring of 1981 as a recruitment source for minority police officers. Currently, the curriculum is designed to allow students to explore careers related to law enforcement and criminal justice. Entry requirements include an 80 average in academic subjects, passing scores on standardized tests, and good conduct grades.