Harmony School of Excellence - Houston

My Daughter has been going to a Harmony School since Kindergarten. She is now in the 4th grade and reads at a 6th grade level. She is an avid reader and reads on average about 30 books a year, which she has to take tests on weekly. Her math skills are currently at about the 5th grade level. I am particularly impressed with her ability to solve multi-level mathematic word problems. She scores 100% on both the Math and reading sections of the TAKS. All of my life growing up in America I have been told that these types of academic achievements are not possible for African American girls, given their inferior cognitive capacity as a result of genetic pre-dispositions. I can confidently say that 80% of my daughter accomplishments can be attributed to the outstanding teachers and administrators at her school and the culture of high expectations they have created. I have never witnessed the type of constructive competitiveness that has grown organically within the student body at such a young age. The dedication of the teachers and staff is amazing, as they come in on the weekends or stay afterschool to help studnets who are having problems.
--Submitted by a parent

we love Harmony School of Excellence, great school, great parent involvement, and great teacher!!!!! so happy with the school!!!
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been attending school since 3rd grade, she is now a 6th grader and I am very pleased with the education she has received thus far. I was skeptical in the beginning because of the mainly Turkish/Muslim backgrounds of the educators but my mind is at ease now....there is no forcing of their religion/belief system. The education of the students is the primary goal at HSE. I love the enthusiasm of the teachers and the parent involvement is AWESOME!
--Submitted by a parent

This school is EXCELLENT! My son had been attending Cy-Fair schools and had been having a problem with bullies. This school has no bullies, the students there are educationally motivated. Students, parents and teachers are all interested in education - they are not killing time or using the school as a "babysitter" as so many regular school districts seem to be now. My son was able to be around other kids who valued education, and there is a HUGE multicultural element. There are students of all nationalites and cultures. There isn't a large focus on sports activites, academics takes center stage. That being said, lunch is not a good experience and most children choose to take their lunches. Harmony now offers a seperate High School that he attends and is very happy with it.
--Submitted by a parent

I have been very pleased with the education my two children have been receiving at Harmony. The teachers are wonderful and give great one-on-one attention to the students. The curriculum is challenging and my children are learning the necessary skills to prepare them for college. They are getting a private school education without the expense.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter and son love going to Harmony and that is such a great feeling as a parent. They have made such good friends. They are learning in a challenging enviroment and one where the teachers are always there for their students. I know as a parent that they are going to be safe and are preparing for their future.
--Submitted by a parent

Our decision to attend HSE has been one of the best choices we've made concerning our children's education. The school has so much to offer from an academic perspective. The staff and student population is very diverse which allows young people to experience other cultures and begin to understand how to navigate in a global setting. We are extremely pleased with their no-nonsense stance on discipline and feel that they have created a positive learning environment for the students. Great school, great choice.
--Submitted by a parent

I have 3 children that have attended HSE since it opened. Here are a couple of important facts that may be helpful for someone: Don't be mislead by the high score! In comparison, all public schools would reflect higher scores if they were able to select their student body! These students making the grade for HSE are doing so because they were already great students in their formal schools-not bcause of a superior education rec'vd at HSE. There is a new principal each yr. Regardless of what is said, HSE students are not selected by a "blind lottery". Student's test scores, report card, & an interview process (in order to be entered into the lottery pool) would not be necessary for a "blind" lotto. Also, know that many teachers are not certified thru the state of TX-it's not required! Read up on Charter schools (report) on T.E.A. site.
--Submitted by a parent

After many months of research we found this school is the best in Houston, TX, admission here is kind of luck game but good luck!
--Submitted by a parent

For starters, I went to Harmony for a year and thought this was going to be a great school. Though later on it got pretty strange. I feel like this school has less education. And I was hoping for electives rather than paying hundreds of dollars afterschool. And the teachers have accents which are really hard to understand them when learning. I also think that they force you to classes. The school i go to now is free and have great classes for optional learning. But i liked the other things like people, computers etc. The food is disgusting! some people have found other things rather than normal foods. The library is too small, and the school is small. And less freedoms from uniforms. Overall, even though i wrote too long, you should try it at least. ?
--Submitted by a student