ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD SURVEY

The Neighborhood Survey is a look at local home price trends and public school performance in this community.

HOME PRICES

The Houston Association of Realtors analyzed Houston-area subdivisions for the Chronicle based on residential property sales handled through the Multiple Listing Service. The Woodlands-area home prices are included in this edition. The table category headings are as follows.

Subdivision: Name of the neighborhood based on appraisal district records. HAR market area: Neighborhood region as defined by the Houston Association of Realtors. Homes in subdivision: The number of properties in the subdivision, based on local appraisal district records. The number may not reflect recently built houses. Median square feet: The median size house in a neighborhood based on appraisal district records. That is, half of the houses are larger and half are smaller. Median year built: Based on appraisal district records. Median home taxable

value: Based on appraisal district records. Taxable value range: The range of home values based on appraisal district records.

Median price per square foot in 2014,

2015: The median home price per square foot of houses that sold during a given year based on HAR records. The median is the midpoint, so half of the houses sold for a higher price and half for a lower price. Percent change 20142015: Change in the median price per square foot in a neighborhood from 2014 to 2015.

SCHOOL REPORT

The Houston-based nonprofit advocacy group Children at Risk ranked 1,331 public schools in the eight-county Houston region this year based on academic outcomes, using data from the Texas Education Agency. Elementary, middle and high schools are ranked separately. Each school received a letter grade, from A+ to F, and a rank, with No. 1 representing the region’s top-rated campus.

The Woodlands-area public schools arel isted here.

Ranking variables Student achievement:

The biggest factor in the formula was the percentage of students scoring at the “advanced” level in reading and math on state exams, known as the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, in 2015. This measure counted 60 percent for elementary and middle schools and 30 percent for high schools.

Socioeconomic performance:

This indicator looked at whether schools scored better or worse than expected on the 2015 reading and math STAAR exams, given their percentage of low-income students. This category counted 20 percent for all schools.

Student growth:

Schools were evaluated on the gains their students made on STAAR exams from 2014 to 2015. Students were compared against those who scored similarly in 2014 to show whether their annual progress was better or worse than average. This measure counted 20 percent.

College readiness:

High schools also were judged on their graduation rates, on the percentage of students taking and passing Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams, on the percentage of students taking the SAT or ACT tests, and on students’ average scores on those college-entrance exams. The SAT and ACT data is based on the 2014 graduating class. The AP/IB data is based on juniors and seniors during the 2013-14 school year. Children at Risk calculated its own graduation rates, giving schools credit for freshmen who graduated within six years from any Texas public school. Students marked as leaving for private school or moving out of the state or country count against the school. These components counted for 30 percent.

A handful of schools have the same rank because their composite scores were the same.

Key

The charts on the following pages include some of the data used in the rankings, plus other information. Schools are listed by district, then ordered by their Children at Risk letter grade and rank. The list includes 857 elementary schools, 303 middle schools and 171 high schools in the greater Houston region.

The reading and math scores indicate the percentage of students scoring at the “advanced” level on the STAAR in 2015. The list also includes student enrollment in the 2014-15 school year and the percentage of lowincome students.

The high schools show the Children at Risk graduation rate. Letter grades A: Schools at or above the 75th percentile

B: At or above the 55th percentile

C: At or above the 35th percentile

D: At or above the 15th percentile

F: Below the 15th percentile

Research by Robert Sanborn, Jesus Davila, Shay Everitt, Katie McConnell and Kellie O’Quinn of Children at Risk.