Houston Private Schools Guide: Independent, Catholic, and IB
Date Published
Houston's private school landscape covers every educational philosophy, faith tradition, and budget tier. This guide covers 14 confirmed-open schools across the city and suburbs — independent college-prep, Catholic, Christian, international, and Montessori — with all information verified from each school's own website.
The quick picks by category
- Independent college-prep, K–12: St. John's School (River Oaks) and The Kinkaid School (Memorial)
- International and IB: Awty International School (Spring Branch) and The Village School (Energy Corridor)
- Montessori through high school: The Post Oak School (Bellaire and Museum District)
- All-boys Catholic high school: Strake Jesuit (SW Houston) and St. Thomas High School (near downtown)
- All-girls Catholic: St. Agnes Academy (SW Houston, 9–12) and Duchesne Academy (Memorial, PK–12)
- All-ages Christian, city: Second Baptist School (Tanglewood) and Westbury Christian School (Westbury)
- High school only, Episcopal: Episcopal High School (Bellaire)
- Northwest suburbs: Cypress Christian School (Bridgeland) and Houston Christian High School (W. Beltway 8)
How we chose
Every school on this list was confirmed open via its official website in October 2026, with current admissions information posted. We organized them by school type so you can match the mission before you tour a campus. We did not rank schools; rankings change, and what matters for one family (sports, arts, religious formation, language immersion) differs from what matters for another.
For the questions to ask on a tour and how to compare accreditation bodies, see the how to choose the right school in Houston guide.
Independent college-prep schools
St. John's School
2401 Claremont Lane, River Oaks/Upper Kirby · K–12 · sjs.org
Founded in 1946, St. John's is a coeducational, independent college-prep school with Lower, Middle, and Upper School divisions. Beginning in fifth grade, students take mandatory outdoor adventure trips that continue through ninth grade — a signature element of the school's experiential-learning approach. Arts programs span choral, dance, instrumental, theatre, and visual arts.
Best for: families who want a rigorous, secular college-prep environment with strong arts and a distinctive outdoor-education component.
The Kinkaid School
201 Kinkaid School Drive, Memorial · PK–12 · kinkaid.org
Kinkaid enrolls students from Pre-K through 12th grade and operates under the motto Enter a Student, Exit a Leader. The school runs specialty centers for leadership, entrepreneurship, and STEM. An offbeat note: Kinkaid hosts what it calls the city's largest school-held book fair each year.
Best for: families in the Memorial area who want an independent PK–12 school with a wide co-curricular offering.
Catholic schools
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
8900 Bellaire Blvd., SW Houston · grades 9–12 (all-male) · strakejesuit.org
Founded in 1960, Strake Jesuit enrolls more than 1,400 students on a 110-acre campus. The school's Jesuit mission centers on forming Men for Others, with 67% of faculty holding advanced degrees and $6.4 million in financial aid awarded annually. Enrollment is 58% minority.
Strake Jesuit and neighboring St. Agnes Academy co-sponsor FIRST Robotics Team Spectrum 3847 — a joint team that gives students from both single-sex schools a shared engineering and competition outlet. It's a telling detail about how the two Bellaire Boulevard schools function as a community despite staying single-sex.
Best for: families looking for an all-boys Catholic high school with serious STEM depth and a strong financial aid commitment.
St. Agnes Academy
9000 Bellaire Blvd., SW Houston · grades 9–12 (all-female) · st-agnes.org
Founded by the Dominican Sisters of Houston in 1905–1906, St. Agnes is an all-girls Catholic college-prep school operating on four pillars: prayer, study, community, and preaching. It sits directly across Bellaire Boulevard from Strake Jesuit.
Best for: families who want a century-plus Catholic all-girls high school in southwest Houston with an active religious formation program.
St. Thomas High School
4500 Memorial Drive, near downtown · grades 9–12 (all-male) · sths.org
Operated by the Basilian Fathers under the motto Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge, St. Thomas sits on a 28-acre campus about two miles from downtown Houston. Founded around 1900, the school reports a 100% college acceptance rate, 12 varsity sports, and more than 50 clubs.
Best for: families who want a Catholic all-boys school closer to Midtown than the Bellaire corridor options.
Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart
10202 Memorial Drive, Memorial · PK–12 (all-female) · duchesne.org
Duchesne is affiliated with the Society of the Sacred Heart, an international network of schools in more than 40 countries. The Houston campus enrolls girls from Pre-K through 12th grade, awards over $1 million in tuition assistance annually, and its Class of 2026 earned $10 million in college scholarships.
Best for: families who want a Catholic all-girls school spanning the full Pre-K to 12th-grade range in the Memorial corridor.
International and IB schools
Awty International School
7455 Awty School Lane, Spring Branch · PK3–12 · awty.org
Awty enrolls more than 1,800 students from 50-plus countries and is the only Houston school offering both the International Baccalaureate Diploma and the French Baccalauréat. Instruction happens in French and Spanish, with immersion tracks available from elementary school. The school's French program is officially accredited through France's Ministry of Education — a credential few U.S. private schools carry.
Best for: internationally mobile families, expat employees in Houston's energy sector, and families who want multilingual education from early childhood.
The Village School
13051 Whittington Drive, Energy Corridor · K–12 · nordangliaeducation.com/village-houston
The Village School is part of Nord Anglia Education, a global school network, and offers both day enrollment and weekly boarding (five-day or seven-day). Its IB Diploma pass rate is reported at 100%, against a 79% global average. The school has collaboration programs with NASA, MIT, Juilliard, and UNICEF.
Best for: families in the Energy Corridor who want an internationally accredited school with boarding as an option, or expat families needing a globally recognized diploma.
Montessori through high school
The Post Oak School
Bissonnet Campus: 4600 Bissonnet St., Bellaire · Museum District Campus: 1010 Autrey St. · 14 months–12th grade · postoakschool.org
The Post Oak School runs Montessori methodology from the Young Children's Community (14 months) all the way through Upper School, with an IB Diploma program added in high school. It operates across two campuses and draws families from across Houston and abroad.
Best for: families committed to Montessori from early childhood who want to stay in that educational philosophy through high school — a rare combination in Houston that avoids the transition shock of switching systems at age 12.
Christian and Episcopal schools
Episcopal High School
4650 Bissonnet St., Bellaire · grades 9–12 · ehshouston.org
Episcopal High School enrolls about 800 students across four years under its Four Pillars: Academics, Arts, Athletics, and Religion. The school offers 46 AP and Honors courses, and 87% of students participate in varsity or junior varsity athletics. The Benitez Chapel, built in 1961, is the architectural anchor of the campus.
Best for: families in and around Bellaire who want an Episcopal-affiliated high school with a high athletics participation rate alongside rigorous academics.
Second Baptist School
6410 Woodway Drive, Tanglewood · PK3–12 · secondbaptistschool.org
Second Baptist School is a Christ-centered college-prep school that reports a 96% AP pass rate and a 12:1 student-teacher ratio. Its Class of 2026 earned $14.1 million in college scholarships. The school has won five TAPPS Henderson Cup Overall Excellence awards — the TAPPS equivalent of a combined state championship across all sports and academic competitions.
Best for: families who want a large PK3–12 Christian school with a documented college-outcomes record and competitive athletics in west Houston.
Houston Christian High School
2700 W. Sam Houston Pkwy N. · grades 9–12 · houstonchristian.org
Founded in 1998, Houston Christian enrolls about 540 students with an average class size of 15. It reports a 90% AP pass rate and awards $2.5 million in financial aid. The school competes in SPC Sports — the same league as St. John's, Kinkaid, and Episcopal High School — which reflects its positioning among Houston private schools.
Best for: families who want a smaller Christian high school that competes at the SPC level in both athletics and academics.
Cypress Christian School
21455 Bridgeland Creek Pkwy, Cypress · K–12 · cypresschristian.org
Cypress Christian recently relocated to a new 40-acre campus in Bridgeland, with more than 130,000 square feet of facilities. Its Class of 2026 earned more than $7.8 million in scholarships, with an average SAT of 1,442 and ACT of 32. The Cypress area guide covers the broader master-planned community surrounding the school.
Best for: families in northwest Houston who want a K–12 Christian school with strong college outcomes on a large, purpose-built suburban campus.
Westbury Christian School
10420 Hillcroft St., Westbury · K3–12 · westburychristian.org
Founded in 1975, Westbury Christian is a smaller K3–12 school in the Westbury neighborhood with a 9:1 student-teacher ratio and a 1:1 technology program. It participates in TAPPS athletics and accepts rolling admissions applications year-round.
Best for: families in southwest Houston who want a smaller Christian school near Meyerland with personal-size classes and open enrollment.
Save this: your private school research checklist
- Confirm accreditation. Look for Cognia (formerly AdvancED), ISAS (Independent Schools Association of the Southwest), or faith-specific bodies like ACSI. Accreditation affects how colleges read your transcript.
- Know the athletics league. SPC (Southwest Preparatory Conference) schools — St. John's, Kinkaid, Episcopal, St. Agnes, Strake Jesuit, and others — compete at the highest Texas private school level. Most faith-based schools compete in TAPPS.
- Ask about financial aid timelines. Several schools on this list award millions in aid annually, with deadlines typically in January or February.
- Visit before applying. Most Houston private schools hold open houses in October, November, and January. Check each school's admissions page for current dates.
- Ask about the transition between levels. Schools spanning PK–12 typically use internal promotion; standalone high schools hold their own separate admissions process.
- Compare IB and AP before committing. Awty, The Village School, and The Post Oak School offer the IB Diploma; most others offer AP courses. They are distinct credentials — check which your target colleges prefer.
More Houston education resources
For public school options and magnet programs, the best schools in Houston guide covers districts and how they compare to private alternatives. The top-rated schools guide adds context on how school ratings are calculated. For neighborhood-level breakdowns, see the schools in Memorial guide, the schools in River Oaks guide, and the best suburbs of Houston guide.
Last verified: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most prestigious private schools in Houston?
St. John's School (K–12, River Oaks) and The Kinkaid School (PK–12, Memorial) are Houston's two most prominent independent, non-religious college-prep schools. Both have operated for decades and post strong college-placement records. For Catholic schools, Strake Jesuit and St. Agnes Academy on Bellaire Boulevard are widely regarded as the city's top single-sex Catholic high schools.
Which Houston private schools offer the IB Diploma?
Awty International School (Spring Branch), The Village School (Energy Corridor), and The Post Oak School (Bellaire and Museum District) all offer the IB Diploma. Awty is the only Houston school that also offers the French Baccalauréat.
Are there Catholic high schools in Houston?
Yes. Strake Jesuit (all-boys, 9–12) and St. Agnes Academy (all-girls, 9–12) are both on Bellaire Boulevard in southwest Houston. St. Thomas High School (all-boys, 9–12) is near downtown on Memorial Drive. Duchesne Academy (all-girls, PK–12) is also on Memorial Drive in the Memorial area.
Is there a Montessori school in Houston that goes all the way through high school?
Yes. The Post Oak School uses Montessori methodology from 14 months through 12th grade, adding an IB Diploma program in high school. It operates on two campuses — Bissonnet Street in Bellaire and Autrey Street in the Museum District.
How much does private school cost in Houston?
Tuition varies widely and changes year to year. Smaller Christian schools often start around $12,000 annually; elite independents and top Catholic schools can exceed $35,000. Most schools publish tuition only on their admissions pages or upon request. Most also offer financial aid — Second Baptist School reported $14.1 million in scholarships for its Class of 2026.
Are there private schools in Cypress or the northwest Houston suburbs?
Yes. Cypress Christian School (K–12) recently relocated to a new 40-acre campus in the Bridgeland master-planned community in Cypress. Houston Christian High School (9–12) is near the Beltway 8 corridor in west Houston. Awty International and The Village School are also in or near the Energy Corridor on the west side.