Find School in Texas
The US is one of the main study destinations for international students. Indeed, nearly 1 million students decide to study in the country every year. About 77,000 of them choose Texas as their home, making it the third most popular state in the US among international students. In the state, foreigners can find top-rated schools, good weather, and a lower cost of living. Before discussing how to find school in Texas, it is worth discovering the state itself.
State Overview
Nicknamed the Lone Star State, Texas is situated in the South-Central region of the US. It shares borders with Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and the Mexican states of Coahuila, Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, and Nuevo León. The capital is Austin, while the most populous cities are Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, and El Paso.
Texas is the second-biggest US state by both area and population. The total area is 695,662 km2, with more than 29.1 million residents. Over 5 million people are immigrants. The major countries of their origin are Mexico, India, El Salvador, Vietnam, and China. Except for English, they speak Spanish, French, German, Polish, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic, and others.
Texas has the second highest gross state product in the country, $2 trillion. The diversified economy of the state focuses on high-tech industry, tourism, agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, aerospace, and biomedical sciences.
Due to its size and geologic features, such as the Balcones Fault, Texas is associated with the US southwestern deserts. However, less than ten percent of the state’s land area is desert. International students who want to find school in Texas and travel through the states can observe landscapes that range from coastal swamps and piney woods to rolling plains and mountains of the Big Bend.
K-12 Education System in Texas
Texas has over 1,000 school districts. All school districts are separate from the municipal government and are called independent school districts (ISD). As a rule, school districts cross city and county boundaries. The exception is Stafford Municipal School District, which serves all of the city of Stafford.
To find school in Texas, you need to understand the K-12 education system in the state. Like in the rest of the US, Texas districts are organized in the schools. The elementary school includes kindergarten, primary grades 1 and 2, and intermediate grades 3 to 5. The secondary level includes middle school from grades 6 to 8 and high school from grades 9 to 12.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) administers the public school system in the state, while the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) updates the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the state’s curriculum standards. In elementary and secondary schools, students take the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). It assesses students’ skills in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.
If you want to find a school in Texas, you should know that the state has numerous private schools of all types, including non-sectarian, Catholic, and Protestant. Still, the TEA has no authority over private schools. They may or may not be accredited, and achievement tests are not required for graduates.
Types of Schools in Texas
Speaking on how to find school in Texas, parents of international students need to distinguish between public, public charter, public magnet, and private schools. Most families choose traditional public schools operated by school districts. If you want to find a school in Texas, you can consider one of the best public schools in the state, such as Forest Trail Elementary School, Lawler Middle School, Westlake High School, Carroll Senior High School, and Westwood High IB World School.
Charter schools are like traditional public schools, but they have extra freedom to experiment with learning methods. There are more than 700 charter schools in Texas, and they are accountable to authorizing bodies. Parents can find schools in Texas among the top five charter schools: Westlake Academy, Meridian World School, Imagine International Academy of North Texas, Founders Classical Academy of Lewisville, and Chaparral Star Academy.
Magnet schools allow students to focus on a learning track, such as STEM or the performing arts. To find a school in Texas, parents of international students can consider the five best magnet schools: School for the Talented and Gifted, Liberal Arts and Science Academy, School of Science and Engineering, Carnegie Vanguard High School, and Debakey H.S. for Health Prof.
In Texas, above 1,800 private schools offer a unique learning environment that may include a religious tradition, a smaller class size, or an advanced curriculum. Parents can find schools in Texas among the top five private schools: St. Mark’s School of Texas, St. John’s School, Greenhill School, The Hockaday School, and St. Stephen’s Episcopal School.
Higher Education System in Texas
Pondering how to find school in Texas and pursue post-secondary education, international students need to learn more about the state’s public university systems. The University of Houston System has four stand-alone institutions. International students who want to find school in Texas can consider the University of Houston, UH-Clear Lake, UH-Downtown, or UH-Victoria.
The University of North Texas System has three schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The prominent institution is the University of North Texas, which focuses on business management, engineering, education, music, hospitality, and science. To find school in Texas, you can also examine the University of North Texas Health Science Center, which is the only college in the state that specializes in osteopathic medicine.
The University of Texas System consists of eight academic universities and six health institutions. The system’s flagship institution is the University of Texas at Austin. International students who want to find school in Texas need to know that its degree and doctoral programs rank highly among other US institutions.
If you want to find school in Texas and study in rural areas, you can consider the Texas A&M University System. Its flagship institution, Texas A&M University, is the state’s oldest post-secondary public institution.
The Texas State University System encompasses seven institutions and does not have a flagship institution. Texas State University is the largest university in the system. If you want to find school in Texas that has a highly respected engineering program, you can apply to Lamar University. International students who wish to find school in Texas with the best Criminal Justice programs can consider Sam Houston State University.
The Texas Tech University System comprises three academic institutions and two health centers. Texas Tech University is the system’s flagship institution that includes eleven academic colleges, a graduate school, and a school of law.
The state also operates the Texas State Technical College System, a group of two-year technical colleges with ten campuses throughout the state. If you want to find a school in Texas among the best community colleges, you can apply to Laredo Community College, Lee College, College of the Mainland, Northwest Vista College, and Southwest Texas Junior College.
The state is also home to over 50 private post-secondary institutions, ranging from liberal arts colleges to prestigious research universities. Austin College is a member of the International 50, a group of the top colleges in the US for international students. Rice University in Houston is one of the leading teaching and research universities in the US. International students who wish to find school in Texas among the high-ranked private universities can also consider Trinity University, Southern Methodist University, and Texas Christian University.
Average Tuition Fees for International Students
When you consider studying abroad and want to find a school in Texas, you must check the tuition fees in the state. The average tuition in elementary schools is $9,762 and $11,249 in secondary schools per year. The tuition fees in technical community colleges range from $6,528 to $13,663 per year. International students who want to find school in Texas and study at a public post-secondary university should pay $15,000 to $40,000 per year. Students who are ready to pay $25,000 to $55,000 per year can apply to private colleges and universities in Texas.
In case, if you need help with finding good school for your children in Texas, please fill in application below or contact us directly.
