Whether you’re moving to a new state, city or even across town, finding the right school can feel overwhelming. Here are some tips to help you strategize the process and find a good fit.
Introduction to education in Texas
Find your school district or charter school. Texas school districts are independent of municipalities or counties, thus they are called independent school districts. Usually, they correlate with the name of the city or town, and in general you attend schools in the district in which you live. Independent school districts can overlap county and city boundaries.
The Texas Education Agency has two ways to find schools in your area: the Texas Education Directory and School District Locator.
Once you locate your district, you can find everything you need to know, including registration, admission, enrollment, and other requirements on their website. Another thing to note is your district’s policy regarding transfers between schools. Each district has different requirements and deadlines for transferring to a campus other than the one assigned to your neighborhood.
If you’re looking into private schools, the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission maintains a database of private schools for all age ranges. The Texas Education Agency has no oversight of private schools in the state.
Explore the educational standards in Texas. The current curriculum standard in Texas is called Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. Student assessment comes by way of the STAAR, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, and the TELPAS, the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System. The Texas Educational Agency has all the information here.
The state of Texas also offers educational routes for learning, including Advanced Academics; Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery; Career and Technical Education; Counseling, Advising and Student Supports; STEM; and Texas College and Career Readiness School Models.
Check your child’s immunizations. The state of Texas requires immunizations for public school students. Exemptions are possible under certain circumstances. Find the requirements at the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Gather paperwork and documentation. Each school district has paperwork requirements for enrollment. Most require a birth certificate or passport, proof of residency, Social Security card or government-issued ID card, a report card or transcript from any previous schools, and shot records or waiver. Check your school district website for a list of documentation you’ll need to register.
How to get special services. The state of Texas provides special education services for public school children with disabilities. According to the TEA’s SPEDTex.org, “child must be identified in one of the 13 categories of disabilities and their school performance must be adversely affected.”
Those disabilities are autism spectrum disorder, deaf/hard of hearing. deafblind, emotional disturbance, intellectual disability, learning disability, multiple disabilities, non-categorical early childhood, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, speech and language impairment, traumatic brain injury, and visual impairment.
To enroll your child in special education, and you don’t already have an evaluation from a doctor, you can get your child tested through your school district. According to texasschoolguide.org, you must submit a written request for testing to your child’s school. Once the school gets your request, the evaluation must take place within 45 school days.
Next, an ARD (Admission, Review and Dismissal) meeting is called to determine if the evaluation shows that your child meets the requirements for services. During that meeting, which includes district staff and administration and teachers from your child’s school, and Individualized Education Program is developed. Depending on your child’s needs, a Behavioral Intervention Plan will also be discussed. More information on this process can be found here.
Find what's right for you
Do your research. In a quickly growing region like North Texas, you need to take into consideration the schools closest to you, but also those nearby. Growing populations means school boundaries can shift and change year by year. Reading up on your school district’s plans for new schools or even bond plans can help you decide where to look in a given community.
School ratings are a popular way to evaluate schools, and they can be helpful, whether they’re from the Texas Education Agency or websites like Great Schools, U.S. News & World Report and others. Don’t just look at test scores. Look at graduation rates, student-teacher ratios, teacher turnover and certifications.
Use your social media. Many schools rely on Facebook to communicate with parents. Check out the messaging and consistency to get a feel for the school’s methods. Don’t be shy -- reach out to parent groups or the school’s Parent Teacher Association via social media. It’s a good venue to ask questions about the school to the people most invested in it. And if school is in session while you’re researching, go ahead and attend a PTA meeting.
Consider your child’s needs and specializations. Many school districts have specialized campuses for STEM, world languages and fine arts. There are transfer and application windows to consider for some campuses and specialized programs, so be sure to fold that into your planning process.
If your child has learning differences, discussing those with a school’s administrator is key. They will tell you how they can accommodate your child’s needs and whether they’re the right school for your kiddo.
Talk to the administrators. Make an appointment with the principal or vice principal. Good administrators make good schools, and you can certainly go with your gut here. This is a good time to discuss any special needs your child has and see if the school can comfortably meet them. Talking with the school counselor or family engagement coordinator can also help.
Visit the school campus and neighborhood. Now for the practical stuff. We already know proximity is key. Now, if possible, observe how traffic flows in and out of the campus during arrival and dismissal. If you’re new to Texas, you’ll soon find that parent pickup and drop-off is almost the norm. Seeing how that works at a school you’re considering could be important to your commute and your sanity.
Visit the school. If class is in session, you should schedule a visit to get a feel for how the school is run. How chaotic are the passing periods? How loud is the lunchroom? You might be able to observe a class. And of course, scheduling a meeting with your child’s potential teacher is ideal.
In the end, trust your instincts. You know your kid best, and you know what they need out of school.
Resources
Great Schools
Texas Education Agency
How to enroll your child(TEA)
Choosing a school for your child (No Child Left Behind)
Family and parent resources (National Parent Teacher Association)
School district locator (TEA)
SPEDTex, Special Education Information Center
Charter schools:
Charter school locator map (TEA)
Texas Public Charter School Association
Private school associations:
Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools
Texas Alliance of Accredited Private Schools
Texas Private Schools Association
Texas Private School Accreditation Commission
