Have you heard of River Oaks Elementary yet? This prestigious school that parents all across Houston clamor to get their children into, holds a distinguished reputation not just in the Houston Independent School District but in the state and country. Ranked second in HISD and fourth in the state, River Oaks Elementary’s International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme comes from a commitment to its roots and is a widely believed to be the secret to its success.
The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, or IB for short, is more than just a mouthful, though the slightly grandiose name is a little ambitious for elementary school children. Committed to fostering an environment for inquisitive, intelligent, compassionate children, the emphasis of the program is on ‘intercultural understanding and respect’ for a more ‘peaceful world.’
Although it might sound idealistic and very commercial, several parents have lauded the school on social media with glowing reviews. In fact, even the dissenters admit to an exemplary after-school program, supportive and involved parents, a secure campus and committed faculty. The common complaint seemed to be administrative.
And, in fact, the school lives up to its values of demographic diversity. Houston’s own Ima Hogg had a hand in opening the school in 1929 and pushing for (and donating to) the exemplary library. In 1970, when the school was desegregated, attendance dropped as the wealthy neighborhood opted to send their children to private schools. However, the school fought back by introducing the Vanguard program for Gifted and Talented youngsters and becoming a magnet school in 1986. By 1995, River Oaks Elementary had a waiting list.
Its French Colonial architecture houses a diversity that changed slightly in the years following a re-introduction of its neighborhood zoning (a controversial decision). In 1995 the school was 40% white, 30% African American, 28% Hispanic and 1% Asian. As the school started to draw from both the magnet program and the neighborhoods, it saw a 10% increase in white attendance as of 2012, Asian at 20% attendance, 16% Hispanic attendance, 7% African American and 1% Native American.
Presently, the school offers testing for the “Gifted & Talented” program and its test scores for grades 3, 4 and 5 were in the 97th percentile nationwide as of 2011. Clearly, this River Oaks Elementary is a great school to build a foundation for a bright future!
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