Private schools in Houston: build your starting list

What this list covers

These are the 20 private schools in our initial Houston research set. Selection reflects that starting research, not a quality ranking, a complete directory or every school accepting TEFA. The set includes Bellaire and The Woodlands. It does not systematically cover every suburb, budget, faith tradition or learning-support need.

Elementary families should check both of the first two groups. High-school families should check the grade 12 group and the secondary-only group. Each school appears once, alphabetically within its group, ignoring an initial The. PK means pre-kindergarten; an age label describes the program’s starting age, and entry cutoffs still need checking.

For a wider search, use the Houston Area Independent Schools directory. Its filters and map can help expand your list. For participating schools, use the official TEFA school finder, which identifies its school listings as 2026-27 and is updated as schools are added.

Tables scroll sideways on a narrow screen. Keyboard users can focus a table and use the arrow keys. Addresses identify published campuses, not a verified commute time or a promise that every grade uses that location.

Check the entry grade before the application deadline

A school’s grade span tells you whom it teaches. Its admissions page tells you which new students it will consider. For example, St. Francis Upper School admissions covers grades 9-11 and explicitly excludes new grade 12 applications. Ask every school about the exact entry grade and target year before paying an application fee.

This is one school’s timeline, not a citywide calendar. A tuition page labeled 2026-27 does not establish 2027-28 prices or admissions dates. If a school displays a deadline without a year, ask which cycle it belongs to. For entry during the current 2026-27 year, ask admissions directly about space; a future-year application date does not answer that question.

Compare the full cost, then check TEFA separately

Before comparing totals, write down the same grade, year and payment basis for each school. Include mandatory fees, meals, aftercare, transport and any required family contribution. Keep one-time charges separate from costs that return each year. A deposit credited toward tuition should not be counted twice.

At Corpus Christi Catholic School, the 2026-27 non-parishioner tuition for one child in PK3-8 is $10,913. The page separately lists a $500 annual enrollment fee and a $1,000 family fundraising obligation for one student. Those three items total $12,413 before other applicable charges. This is an example of why the tuition line alone is not a complete budget.

At Presbyterian School, the tuition page lists lunch and its Panther Place after-school program as optional purchases. At River Oaks Baptist School, the 2026-27 schedule includes daily lunch for Lower and Middle School but adds a one-time $1,900 device fee for grade 6 and new grade 7-8 students. Compare what the quote includes before treating two tuition figures as equivalent.

For funding, confirm the exact school and campus in the official finder, your child’s award status and the school’s payment requirements. A school listing does not establish your child’s admission or award. The finder currently describes participation for 2026-27; check the relevant year again before making a commitment.

Put both quotes on the same basis

• Tuition and compulsory charges: use your child's grade and target year, then add required enrollment, registration, device, uniform and family charges. Mark which recur and whether a deposit is already credited in the total.
• The services your week needs: ask for the aftercare provider's actual hours, available place and annual cost for the months you need. Confirm meals and transport separately, including the route or your own travel cost. Mark an unquoted item as unknown.
• Confirmed funding: write the total before assistance, then the amount your child's confirmed award can cover. Keep an unconfirmed award as a separate scenario. Our TEFA confirmation checks distinguish the award, school enrollment, tuition approval and payment.
• Cash needed by each deadline: list the deposit, installments and service charges beside the date confirmed funds become usable. Ask what you must pay yourself if those dates do not line up.

Have each school confirm the exclusions on its quote. These questions apply to your shortlist; the twenty schools above remain a selected starting sample. The three school cost examples here were rechecked September 10, 2026 and still refer to 2026-27.

Use our separate TEFA net-tuition calculator after obtaining the right tuition. Its twenty-six-school presets use each school’s highest grade-band tuition; choosing a grade does not substitute that grade’s price. Enter the school’s quote when it differs, and treat the result as tuition-only. Keep fees and unconfirmed funding outside that estimate.

Where can you look for Catholic schools or a lower-cost option?

This sample includes Corpus Christi and St. Anne through grade 8, and Incarnate Word, St. Agnes and Strake Jesuit at high-school level. Their grade spans, locations and charges differ. Ask about parishioner rates where offered, need-based assistance, application timing and the rules for combining assistance. This sample cannot establish the cheapest suitable school in Houston.

Turn a starting list into a few schools worth contacting

1. Confirm the school can consider your child. State the target grade and year. Ask about entry ages, assessments, language requirements and whether applications are still accepted. If learning support matters, ask what the school can actually provide and what it charges.
2. Test the day your family would live. Confirm the division’s campus, start time, pickup time and aftercare end time. Check the journey at the relevant hours. A Houston mailing address does not tell you whether the drive works.
3. Get the whole-year quote. Ask for tuition, compulsory fees, optional services you need, deposits, payment dates and withdrawal terms. Confirm awards separately, and keep a budget that still works if an unconfirmed award does not arrive.
4. Record the next action and its source. For each remaining school, save the official link, date checked, open question and next deadline. Arrange a visit after the basic requirements fit. Recheck before applying or signing.

Still deciding among school types? Compare magnet, charter, and private school applications. That separate guide includes a listening overview of the application routes.