Hi Houston friends! Was wondering if you might have any advice

[coffeenap]

for a friend who is moving there in late summer. She and her husband have a high school aged son and want a good public school for him.(He is all AP and honors.) They are first generation American from India, and would appreciate contacts within the Indian community as well as recommendations for neighborhoods, etc. Thanks in advance!:hi:

[slide to the left]

1. woodlands

katy

I live in DFW but college friends from h-town

[coffeenap]

4. Thanks!

[merci_me]

2. Either Ft.Bend or

the West side of Houston. Both have large Indian populations and lots of Indian cultural events. I live on the west side, where we have a number of Indian who are not only Democrats, but Democratic precinct committee people. On the west side, they'd want to look at the new West side High School, which is only about 3 years old or maybe Stratford High School and Memorial High School (Spring Branch ISD). WestHouDem can fill you in on that. Her daughter goes there.

As for Ft.Bend/Sugar Land, don't let Tom DeLay & Co. scare you. They are definitely a bunch of scared scattering roaches. But for a concentration of first generation Indians, it's a great area, too.

West side (HISD) Straford/Memorial (SBISD) and Ft. Bend (FTISD) all have strong AP programs. My son is a teacher who teaches AP and recently moved back to Houston and has been researching AP programs. There are a number of good schools for that, but for the Indian influence, the ones I mentioned are really tops, as far as I'm aware.

What part of town are they looking at for work? That makes a big difference.

[coffeenap]

5. Wow--great info--I will pass it on. I will ask where the work is--

the husband is being transferred--high level corporate position, I believe. We live outside Chicago, so they are used to commuting to the city. Thanks!

[WestHoustonDem]

3. My daughter is thriving at Stratford in Spring Branch ISD

Memorial area, which is just west of Beltway 8 and south of I10. They have a great AP program.

[coffeenap]

6. Very good to know--this is a priority for the family--their son is a

great kid! Many thanks!

[muse]

7. I am in a very South Asian area

in Fort Bend ISD.

My child goes to Clements High School. Great high school that comes right out and says to every parent, "we are a college prep school." They expect every kid to take a number of pre-AP and AP classes. It's the norm.

[PDittie]

8. They should consider Bellaire

if, of course, their means allow them to do so.

Bellaire (high school) is usually referred to as the best public high school in the Greater Houston metropolitan area. With over 20,000 high schools in the United States, the school ranked number 83 (2003) and 112th (2005) in Newsweek's 2003 and 2005 lists of the top high schools, meaning Bellaire's academic program ranks in top 0.5% in the country. The Challenge Index ranks schools by the number of AP and IB tests taken by students at a school in 2002 divided by the number of graduating seniors. 323 students at Bellaire HS in the 2004-2005 academic year earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program Exams.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellaire,_Texas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellaire_High_School_%28Texas%29

[PDittie]

9. Regarding Houston Indian community information and contacts

The best source is houston.eknazar.com (site down at time of this posting) but there's also...

http://www.houstonindia.us

http://www.indiagrid.com/houston/index.shtml

http://www.icchouston.org/index.html

Jay Aiyer, the first Indian-American candidate for municipal office, was narrowly defeated in a runoff for Houston City Council last year; he is an attorney, was chief of staff for Mayor Bill White, and served on the board of trustees for the Houston Community College System. I'm sure he would be delighted to introduce your friends to the local community and give his own recommendations. His contact information can be found at the link.

[coffeenap]

10. Many thanks to all of you. I knew DU would be the place to get

just what they are seeking. I will print the info and pass it along tomorrow. :hi: