What are the best schools in Houston?

Kirsty, I have lived in the Houston area for the past 10 years. Most of the school districts post scores from standardized testing that you can use as a guideline in choosing a school in the area you want to live in. People who live in the Heights section of Houston have a relatively short 10-15 minute commute to downtown Houston, but crime is higher in the Heights due to its proximity to some bad neighborhoods. The Heights is considered a desirable area of the city to live and prices tends to be a little higher. If you live outside beltway 8, prices for homes drop considerable. I would advise you to go to www.har.com to get an idea of the costs for homes. When you live in Texas, it is important to assess the property taxes, which can run rather high and this is where the state gets its money from not having a state income tax. If you live outside beltway 8 loop around the city, you can expect your husbands commute to be around an hour to work. Closer in costs more, especially in the Galleria area or around the energy corridor of the city. Also, the Woodlands out where Exxon is locating used to be a bargain, but it is not any more. The schools are very good in the Woodlands area and you can still get a nice home, but the commute to downtown would be at least an hour. Traffic commute is something you need to take into account when you look at where you live in Houston. Ed