British School of Houston
Established in 2000, the British School of Houston is a top-ranked private co-educational college preparatory day school that offers education for children from three to 18 years old, from PreK to Grade 12. It is a part of Nord Anglia Education, a leading premium school organization in the world, with 61 schools across 28 countries. The British School of Houston is an active member of the Council for International Schools in the Americas (CISTA), the European Council of International Schools (ECIS), and the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools.
The British School of Houston is committed to creating the highest quality learning environment in the world by collaborating with the Juilliard School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and UNICEF. By the way, it is the only school in North America recognized as a Finalist for the Teaching and Learning Category at the International School Awards 2022. That is why the school is home to about 2,000 students of 70 nationalities.
Location of the School
Before discovering the British School of Houston, it may be interesting to learn more about its location. The school is situated in Lone Star State, Texas. With a total area of 695,662 km2 and a total population of 29,145,505 citizens, Texas is the second-biggest state by area and population in the US. It borders Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and Chihuahua.
By the way, the state has almost five million foreign-born residents. They come from Mexico, Vietnam, China, India, and El Salvador. Although English is the main language of communication, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese are also widely spoken in Texas.
Austin is the capital of the state, but Houston is the most populous city in Texas. The British School of Houston is situated on over 13 acres of Space City. Among the famous attractions of Houston is the Museum District, which attracts more than seven million visitors a year. It is an association of 19 museums, galleries, and community spaces across the city. Houston also has a visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District. Hence, international students at the British School of Houston can visit the best performances and exhibits during their studies.
School’s Facilities
The state-of-the-art campus of the British School of Houston is designed to enhance the learning of international students, from the moveable classrooms to the technology integration throughout the school with design input from Apple. School amenities include three MIT-inspired Makerspaces, a Design Technology Center with CAD Lab Studios, 3D printers, a print media studio, and a laser printing studio, a science center with state-of-the-art laboratories and student-centered forums, university standard research commons placed in the heart of the school, Exploration Gardens, Parent Café, and IB Suite.
The British School of Houston also has an impressive array of athletic facilities. They include two gymnasiums, a six-lane swimming pool, multi-purpose outdoor grass sports fields, three tennis courts, an eight-lane running track, a FIFA regulation artificial soccer field, and a fully equipped fitness center. Thus, international students can join cross country, volleyball, soccer, swimming, basketball, track and field, tennis, golf, and esports teams.
Moreover, students at the British School of Houston can excel in the performing arts program due to the wide variety of extra-curricular activities arranged with the Juilliard School. A Performing Arts Center includes a choral room, theater, black box theater, dance studio, keyboard laboratory, and strings laboratory. It gives the students a deep engagement with music, dance, and drama, as well as enhances their cultural literacy.
The British School of Houston also has numerous student clubs, such as the reading club, chess club, debate, forensics club, and model UN.
Overview of the Programs
The British School of Houston offers students the opportunity to study an internationally recognized curriculum and master English, French, Dutch, Spanish, German, and Mandarin. The school’s curriculum includes the Early Years Foundation Stages Curriculum, the International Primary Curriculum, the English National Curriculum, the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Curriculum, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP).
Science and technology are traditionally taught separately, but together they are tools for cracking some of the world’s greatest puzzles. That is why, at the British School of Houston, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) is an invaluable part of the curriculum. Through practical, hands-on problem-solving, students develop transferable skills such as resourcefulness, curiosity, creativity, resilience, collaboration, and confidence.
It is worth discussing the high school curriculum at the British School of Houston since it is the most popular choice among international students. Students enter High School in Grade 9. During the first two years of high school, they use the IGCSE curriculum, which includes English, World Literature, Mathematics, Extended Essay course, Theory of Knowledge course, Creativity, Activity, Service course, Language Acquisition, Humanities, and Sciences. At the end of Grade 10, students take external examinations and receive the IGCSE for each completed course.
Before starting Grade 11, international students meet with the academic team to discuss their future university and choose appropriate subjects. The school’s academic program in Grades 11 and 12 consists of three options.
The first option is the IBDP which results in students being awarded the IBDP and a British School of Houston High School Diploma. The IBDP is a demanding academic curriculum, but it is highly valued by universities throughout the world. At the end of Grade 12, students must pass subject specific exams to be awarded the IBDP.
The International Baccalaureate Career Related Diploma (IBCP) is the second option. This results in students being awarded the IBCP Diploma and a British School of Houston High School Diploma. The last option is the British School of Houston High School Diploma. It offers flexibility for international students to focus on their strengths. By the way, they can choose a combination of courses for desired outcomes.
Through the prestigious high school curriculum, international students achieve outstanding academic success and gain acceptance to top universities in the world. Graduates of the British School of Houston are admitted to the University of Texas, the University of Houston, the University of California, New York University, and the University of Southern California, to name a few.
Admission Requirements
International students who want to study at the British School of Houston ought to complete the following admissions process.
- They need to fill out an online application and pay a one-time non-refundable application fee of $200.
- Parents and international students should schedule a tour and visit the campus of the British School of Houston in person or virtually.
- They must provide school transcripts of the current and prior academic years.
- Those who apply to the preschool to Grade 5 need to provide a Teacher Evaluation Form. International students who want to study in Grades 6-12 should submit a Mathematics Teacher Evaluation Form and an English Teacher Evaluation Form.
- They need to provide drawing or writing tasks. Children 3-6 years old should tell the admission team about their family either in a drawing or in writing. Students 7-10 years old need to write about themselves, their family, and their interests. International students above 11 years old should write an essay in which they tell the admission team something about themselves.
Tuition Fees for International Students
When parents and international students decide to apply to the British School of Houston, they should know its tuition fees. The school requires a one-time non-refundable new student fee of $2,500 and an annual enrollment deposit of $1,000.
Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten cost from $13,228 to $25,530 per year. Grade 1 to Grade 5 costs $26,480 per year. Grade 6 costs $29,620. Grade 7 to Grade 8 costs 29,750 per year. Grade 9 to Grade 11 costs $31,320 per year. Grade 12 costs $31,640. Students who require an English as a Second Language course should be expected to pay $500 to $6,000 per term depending on the level of need and the year group.
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