More growth is planned for area’s private schools
Private schools in northwest Houston have been working furiously to construct additional space to house the growing number of students seeking to enroll there.
And many of the projects will be complete in time for this spring’s open enrollment period.
At Concordia Lutheran High School in Tomball, construction is nearly complete on a $5.9 million wing that will add 13 classrooms. Construction is ahead of schedule, and the new wing will be complete in February, said Joel Bode, head of school.
Concordia is currently at its enrollment capacity, with 580 students, 50 more than last year. The additional classrooms will allow the school to grow to 600 students. Concordia is currently using portable classrooms to help with growth.
“We’ve had a lot of growth in the last three years in particular,” Bode said. “We are looking at
600 kids total. We just got there a little faster than we thought, probably because of the general growth taking place in the northwest side.”
Private schools in the region have been experiencing enrollment spikes as the population continues to grow and new businesses, including Exxon Mobil Corp. in Spring and other energy companies continue to move to the area.
Frassati Catholic High School in Spring is also experiencing strong growth. The school had a 22 percent increase in applications for fall enrollment compared with a year ago, said Lindsay Medina, director of admissions and chair of the fine arts department.
Frassati Catholic, which opened in the fall of 2013, is already expanding its facilities. Construction started last March on a new gym and fine arts building.
The new building is expected to be complete by the end of January. The expansion includes two new school parking lots.
Medina attributes the school growth to a niche need it is filling in the community for residents seeking a Catholic high school in northwest Houston, Medina said. Prior to Frassati, the closest Catholic high school was near downtown Houston.
There are 12 parishes in the area, six parish-based primary schools and one private Catholic primary school. Together, these area Catholic primary schools enroll more than 2,000 students. The nearest Catholic high school, however, was previously located about a 45-minute drive away.
Currently, Frassati Catholic enrolls 165 students in grades 9, 10 and 11.
Next year, the school will add 12th grade. Eventually, school administrators expect to enroll 800 to 1,000 students.
At Rosehill Christian School in Tomball, enrollment increased to 481 students in 2015, an increase of 56 from 2014. And the school projects 510 students for the 2016-17 school year. There are 14 classrooms there in portables this year.
“Classrooms are at full capacity, and we have demands for expansion at almost every grade level,” said Dean Unsicker, head of school at Rosehill Christian School.
The school has started a capital campaign to raise funds for a five-year expansion project. The first phase is to construct a $7.7 million, 36,397-square-foot multiplex building, which will have 12 classrooms and a college-size basketball gymnasium with locker rooms.
The second phase includes plans to construct a $9.4 million, 45,621-squarefoot, two-story high school building with 16 classrooms, two science labs, a computer lab, administrative offices and rooms to house band, choir, music and art.
The capital campaign also includes a $3 million, 300-seat chapel.
“This plan specifically includes the expansion of our campus to accommodate the demand for quality education in the northwest corridor of Houston,” Unsicker said. “Rosehill is uniquely positioned in one of the fastest growing areas in the nation.”
Located at 19830 FM 2920 in Tomball, the school opened in 1989 with an original enrollment of 63 students, and was originally located at the campus of Boys and Girls Country in Hockley. However, with the demand for private school education, a board was formed and 15 acres was purchased for construction of the Rosehill Christian School.
Rosehill, which offers a non-denominational Christian education to students between Pre-K to 12th grade, has grown to a 29 acre-campus after purchasing 14 acres since 2007.
The campus is minutes from the new Grand Parkway, providing an ease of connection to the school, Unsicker said.
And mobility improvements are expected to drive further growth to the area.
“Studies reveal that within two years the area may grow by 30,000 residents,” Unsicker said.
After the additional buildings are constructed, the school expects enrollment to be close to 800 students.
Tamra Santana is a freelance writer.